Emma Johnson watched Liam Williams’s skillful noodle-slicing technique, her eyes wide with astonishment. Her surprise was no less than if she’d stumbled upon a major news headline.
“Liam, did you take a cooking class or something? I thought you came from the special forces. How can you do this?”
Emma’s jaw nearly dropped as Liam cut the rolled-out dough into thin, even strips.
“You think being a soldier is easy? Most of the time, you have to do everything yourself. Especially during the New Year, when you can’t leave your post. As the leader, I had to personally take the men to make dumplings and noodles to celebrate the holiday.”
At that moment, Emma felt a surge of admiration for Liam. Especially when he talked about his life in the army, the coldness on his face seemed to melt away, replaced by a look she had never seen before.
“Liam, you really loved army life. If your hand is fully healed, do you want to go back and continue serving the country?”
Emma’s words made Liam’s hand, holding the knife, pause slightly. A strange glint flickered in his eyes, one Emma couldn’t decipher. He certainly wouldn’t tell her that, even though he was no longer in the military, he had been secretly working for an organization.
The target of his current secret mission was Emma herself.
Liam dreaded thinking about how she would treat him if she ever discovered his true purpose for getting close to her. Would they still be able to cook together in the kitchen as peacefully as they were now?
“Oh, I forgot to mix the filling.”
Emma slapped her forehead, realizing she had forgotten to prepare the meat filling for the wontons.
“Forget it. Just give me some noodles with a poached egg.”
Seeing how late it was, Liam felt sorry for Emma, remembering how sleepy she had been just moments ago.
“Why don’t I…”
Emma pointed at herself.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to make it for me yourself? I’ve already prepared the noodles. Won’t you finish the job?”
Liam looked at her suspiciously.
Well, boiling the noodles was simple enough. Emma couldn’t refuse.
A large bowl of steaming noodle soup was quickly devoured by Liam. It made Emma suspect he hadn’t eaten anything all evening.
“Is it really that good?”
“Yeah. It’s the best bowl of noodles I’ve ever had.”
“Better than wonton noodles?”
“Yes. Better than wonton noodles.” Because you cooked it for me yourself.
Liam didn’t say that last part out loud, but the meaning in his eyes was clear. Emma’s cheeks flushed under his burning gaze.
She quickly stood up and turned away, avoiding his eyes in case she got bewitched by his handsome face again.
“Since you’re done eating, you can do the dishes. I’m going upstairs to bed.”
Liam watched her retreating figure as she fled up the stairs and couldn’t help but laugh. But soon, his face darkened again, the conflict in his eyes no longer hidden.
If he could, how he wished Emma had nothing to do with Fox Hunt. That way, he wouldn’t always have so much contradictory feelings when facing her.
…
The next morning, as Emma ate breakfast, she could clearly feel Amelia White’s gaze, one that could almost kill. The icy stare made her uncomfortable.
But when she looked at Amelia, she saw a pair of smiling eyes, even though there was no warmth in them.
Liam’s sister was really a headache. She hoped they wouldn’t have to meet so often every day.
In the afternoon, Emma went to the hospital to see Emilia Clark again. She drank a glass of water that Emilia handed her. As she left Emilia’s ward, she noticed the smile on Emilia’s face was particularly bright as she saw her off.
Emma thought that perhaps the day for the bone marrow transplant was getting closer, which was why Emilia was in such a good mood.
She didn’t leave the hospital immediately. Instead, she planned to go upstairs to see Elijah Clark. She wondered if he was very busy.
Unfortunately, she ran into a beautiful nurse confessing her feelings to Elijah.
“Dr. Clark, I really like you. Can you give me a chance?”
The nurse was petite and amiable, and she seemed like a good match for Elijah.
“No.”
Emma didn’t expect Elijah to refuse so bluntly.
“Why?”
“Because I already have someone I love. I won’t be with anyone but her.”
Elijah’s answer was simple. The nurse’s lips trembled a few times, and finally, she couldn’t hold back her tears. She covered her face and ran out of Elijah’s office.
“Hey, you, even if you want to refuse, you could be a bit more tactful. Didn’t you see how sad that girl was?”
Emma walked into Elijah’s office. Seeing her, a different light began to shine in his eyes.
“It’s her business to like me. I have no obligation to be responsible for her feelings.”
Elijah handed Emma a cup of coffee, his tone light.
“Well, you weren’t like this when we were kids. You used to be very gentle with people. You’ve changed since you grew up.”
Emma took the coffee from Elijah and took a sip, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
A dark light flashed in Elijah’s eyes, and the smile at the corner of his mouth was a bit bitter.
In truth, he had never changed. His gentleness had always been reserved for Emma.
After a few sips of coffee, Emma felt an itch on her body again. She couldn’t help but reach up and scratch her neck.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Elijah looked at her, his voice anxious.
“I don’t know what’s been happening these past two days. I’ve been itching all over. I think I might be allergic to something.”
“I remember you’re allergic to osmanthus. There are osmanthus trees in the hospital’s back garden. Could you have come into contact with them?”
Elijah had a clear memory of many things about Emma.
“I didn’t go to the back garden.”
“Maybe you accidentally inhaled some pollen floating in the air. I’ll take you for a check-up later.”
“No, I don’t want any more tests. Just prescribe me some allergy medicine. It’s really strange. In the past, even if I was allergic, I wouldn’t get this itchy from just a little osmanthus, let alone from just inhaling some airborne pollen.”
Emma found it very strange.
“Maybe it’s because of the accident you had before. I’ll give you some allergy medicine first. Take it for a few days. If you still feel itchy, you’ll have to get an examination.”
“Alright.”
The two didn’t take the matter too seriously. They let the topic go and moved on to other things.