Demon Consort Runs into the Beijing Crown Prince - Chapter 29

At the restaurant, while the waiter served their meal, Chu Muyun surreptitiously scanned Lu Hanzhang’s wristwatch with Taobao.

Now that he’d received his payment for Misaligned, he was flush with cash! Even after buying the rose bear, he still had hundreds of thousands left!

His current market value didn’t quite justify the paycheck, but as a “connected” actor, the production team had been generous with his compensation. Besides, the two leads were earning ten times more than him.

Chu Muyun tended to get carried away when he had money, eager to spend it. Before, aside from food and rent, he’d poured his earnings into clothes, accessories, and skincare products. Now, he wanted to buy things for the Great King, too.

Noticing that Lu Hanzhang frequently checked the time on his watch, Chu Muyun thought he’d buy him another one to alternate with.

Item identified, a pop-up window appeared.

Whoa, a Patek Philippe… so many zeros.

Lu Hanzhang caught his little maneuver and asked, “Do you want it?” He began taking off the watch.

Chu Muyun quickly pressed his hand down, “No, I don’t want this! It’s cold and stiff.”

The watch face was cluttered with dull gears, markings, and numbers—not his style at all. He’d much rather wear a sparkling bracelet, studded with diamonds or colorful gemstones.

“Then what about you?”

“I wanted to get you a similar watch, but I can’t afford it yet. It’s not just cufflinks, I want you to wear my things from head to toe.”

Lu Hanzhang chuckled.

“Trying to support me? Good luck with that.” The newly lit orange candlelight bathed his face, warming his usually icy features.

“Yeah, I’ll focus on acting now. One day, I’ll be able to support you!” Chu Muyun nodded earnestly. He wasn’t just talking—he genuinely wanted to buy things for his Great King. “Oh, by the way, a pajama brand recently asked me to shoot an ad. I wanted to get your opinion first.”

“Don’t do it,” Lu Hanzhang said without hesitation.

“Okay, you’re the Boss, your call,” Chu Muyun replied with a grin. “Then my pajama photos are for your eyes only.”

“…The Pikachu pajamas? I’ve already seen those.”

“Hmph.”

“They were quite cute.”

“Hmph.” Chu Muyun thought, I’ll show you my charm sooner or later. You were obsessed with my body in our past life, what went wrong this time?

Actually, nothing went wrong. Someone’s just pretending.

Their second date tonight had it all: a stylish restaurant, a candlelit dinner, a large bouquet of perfume lilies, and a small glass of fine liquor that left them pleasantly tipsy.

Progress.

After the meal, Lu Hanzhang drove Chu Muyun back to his apartment complex.

“Just one more kiss~ as a farewell kiss,” Chu Muyun purred, cradling the lilies. The light buzz of alcohol warmed his fair cheeks to a rosy blush, making him look like a ripe, sweet peach.

Lu Hanzhang placed his hands on Chu Muyun’s shoulders, then quickly withdrew them, pressing a light kiss to his other cheek.

Chu Muyun’s heart melted.

“I want to see you every day,” he said. “Come over tomorrow, okay? I’ll cook, and you can eat at my place.” He lifted the bouquet slightly, letting the pink lilies obscure the lower half of his face, leaving only his wide, hopeful eyes visible. “Please? Come see me.”

“Okay,” Lu Hanzhang replied.

How could he possibly refuse Chu Muyun when he looked like that?

Yes! The Little Demon Consort has succeeded. Chu Muyun waved goodbye, hugged the flowers tightly, and turned to dash into the building.

The next day, Chu Muyun woke up and immediately went out to buy groceries.

After two months of filming on set, his refrigerator was naturally empty. He needed to buy everything fresh.

Back in the kitchen, he washed, sorted, peeled, chopped, and marinated the ingredients. Once all the preparations were complete, he began cooking.

By the time Lu Hanzhang arrived in the evening, Chu Muyun had personally prepared a large feast. Every dish was either one of his favorites or the Great King’s.

Ding-dong! The doorbell rang. Chu Muyun hurried to answer it and let Lu Hanzhang in.

He had already told the Great King that he hadn’t changed Lu Hanzhang’s password or deleted his fingerprint access, yet Lu Hanzhang still insisted on ringing the doorbell with polite restraint, refusing to simply swipe his fingerprint like the master of the house.

“Boss, you’re here!” Chu Muyun greeted sweetly. “Huh? What did you bring? I made so much food—enough for both of us. You didn’t need to bring takeout!”

“It’s not takeout,” Lu Hanzhang replied, placing an insulated container on the dining table. He lifted the lid to reveal a steaming bowl of soup.

Chu Muyun blinked.

Something about it felt… familiar.

It was fish ball soup. Though called “fish balls,” the pieces weren’t round spheres but short, plump strips. They resembled wheat noodles shaped like fish, but their surfaces weren’t smooth like noodles. Being made of fish, they retained the natural texture of meat. A small handful of cilantro floated in the pale golden broth.

If the seasoning was right, the first bite would be incredibly delicious.

Chu Muyun recognized the dish instantly. He was very familiar with it.

In his previous life, he had lived with his maternal grandparents in Jiangnan for several years as a child, where he often ate this fish ball soup. After entering the palace, he suddenly craved it one day, longing for a taste of his childhood. No one in the Capital knew how to make it, so the Great King brought a chef from Jiangnan to cook it for him. Later, the Great King even learned to make it himself.

Because the Great King knew how to make it, Chu Muyun never bothered to learn. He never asked the chef from his grandparents’ hometown to teach him.

Lu Hanzhang said, “I brought it for you to try. It’s the only dish I know how to make.”

So he made it himself, Chu Muyun thought silently. Even after two lifetimes, the Great King still only knows how to make this one dish.

“Aren’t you from the Capital? This isn’t a local specialty. How did you learn to make it?” Chu Muyun asked.

“I had a business trip to Oucheng once and tried this dish at a banquet. On a whim, I decided to learn how to make it,” Lu Hanzhang replied.

“I see.” Chu Muyun felt a slight dampness in his eyes. He blinked hard, suppressing the urge to tear up, and smiled. “What a coincidence! I absolutely love this dish.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

A subtle emotion stirred in Lu Hanzhang’s heart. That gaze… it was as if Chu Muyun was looking through him at someone else.

Who?