The Love Score || Zhuo Zhi

71: Like a Creep

I detected the footsteps of somebody walking into the kitchen. Without turning my head, I heard Qi Ying's voice gasp in surprise. "Whoa, something smells good!"

The corners of my mouth lifted in a smile as Qi Ying walked over to stand next to my right, observing me stirring the contents of the pot with a ladle. "Senior Yue En, this was what you were making since this afternoon?"

"Shh, lower your volume," I hushed her gently when Qi Ying had raised her voice in excitement. "I want this to be a surprise for the teams." My eyes flickered to the clock on the wall to check the time. Training should be ending soon.

"Oh, smells like heaven in here!" I heard a loud exclamation that was undeniably Ai Qi's voice. She scooted to my left and peered into the pot. "What are you making, Yue En?"

"Are the guys in here yet?" I asked her, to which she shook her head. "Good, I want this to be a surprise," I nodded after her response. "I'm making lotus-root-pork-rib soup."

"Is this why you keep requesting lotus roots?" Xing Zi had entered the kitchen last and leaned against the counter casually.

I grinned. "Yup. I haven't made this in a while, and I find the camp a good opportunity to do so." I fiddled with the knob so that now the fire was extinguished.

"Don't you make it at home, Senior?" Qi Ying questioned.

I sighed, stirring the mixture a little more. "My recipe is for a pretty big number of people, so I would make it for my family and relatives when I was abroad. But now I've moved back, our family is pretty small." Which isn't much of a lie, I thought to myself.

"I can't wait to try it," Xing Zi said. "It'll taste as good as it smells, I suppose."

"Don't push all your expectations on me," I laughed lightly as I touched the handles of the pot, testing its temperature. "As I said, I haven't cooked my lotus-pork soup in ages. This is just a test run," I held the handles of the pot and lifted it off the stove, turning to exit the kitchen. "Let's go. It's almost dinnertime."

I trod to the dining area, where the other dishes and cutlery have been laid out over the long table. I placed my pot of soup on a wide cork coaster, its smell was already wafting around the dining area. I remembered something and jogged back to the kitchen to retrieve five bowls, all balanced on a tray I carried back outside. Before the boys came in, I quickly scooped some soup into the bowls for the girls and Coach Qi to try out later.

"What's that smell?" A shout resounded around the area. I turned my head to see the boys trooping into the dining area, their expressions before morphing into ones of delight as they saw me ladling the soup into the bowls.

"Is that... soup?" Jia Le rushed over to my side to look into the pot. "Oh my god! Lotus-root-pork-rib soup?"

"Bingo," I grinned at Jia Le.

Ai Qi, Xing Zi and Qi Ying stepped into the dining area, carrying their respective trays. "That's Yue En's special creation," Ai Qi commented as she walked past, nudging me subtly with a wink.

"You made it, Yue En?" Xing Long's voice hinted with interest.

I put the ladle down and supported the tray with my other hand lest it fell over.  "Mhm," I admitted, smiling radiantly. I couldn't hide my excitement that I wanted the others to try, but I also felt a twinge of anxiousness in my gut as they took their seats around the table. Gripping the edges of my tray, I excused myself to go to the kitchen to retrieve my own dinner.

Once I entered the kitchen, I found Coach Qi there also taking her tray from the counter. "Hey, Coach Qi," I greeted, sliding the soup bowls onto my own tray, which I planned to give the girls and Coach Qi later. We both took our trays in our hands and began walking towards the living room.