Chapter 10 Colorful Glutinous Rice Balls

Chapter 10: Dazzling Sweet Tangyuan

Major General Li's office floor had never before seen such a throng of people.

"Want to see the Commander but don't know to submit a formal request? Are you asking for a beating?" The adjutant pushed through the crowd, scolding with a cold face. "Disperse!"

The crowd scattered like startled birds.

By now, Rui Rui's status had been elevated to Federal Kitchen God, possessing secret recipes capable of fostering harmony between humans and beastkin.

"...Rumors say that once you open this lid, a mysterious glow will erupt, and all creatures—land, sea, and air," the adjutant emphasized, "all of them."

"Will fall for the mermaid Omega's cooking!"

Qi Mu held the heavy, sealed food container, faithfully recounting those rumors to Li Hanchuan.

The iron-willed alpha superior interlaced his fingers, resting them coldly under his chin.

In a tone completely devoid of understanding for lyrical or exaggerated expressions, like a machine, he asked:

"Why bow down? Are there knockout drops in the food?"

The adjutant: "..."

"Set it aside," Li Hanchuan ordered coldly.

"Their rumors are indeed exaggerated," he said, respectfully setting down the food container with both hands while his African elephant-like nose whisked away a stack of documents. "But everyone can see Young Master's devotion to you. Please enjoy."

After waiting a moment, the Major General showed no intention of opening it.

"It's not mealtime now. You may leave."

His cold face remained unmoving, like a robot strictly bound by pre-programmed routines.

Not hungry, not thirsty, not in pain, not tired.

It seemed any military report was more appealing than a meal handmade by his newlywed husband.

Qi Mu sighed silently and quietly withdrew.

He had thought the Commander might show some humanity after marriage, at least being gentler with the delicate and virtuous mermaid Omega...

Apparently, he completely didn't care whether Young Master was heartbroken or not.

Such a cold, ruthless, and emotionally unavailable alpha.

With a soft click of the door closing, silence returned.

The man's chiseled features shifted slightly, his eyelashes moving as he glanced at the exaggerated container, automatically detecting what people call "care."

...Was he worried he wouldn't have enough to eat?

Parents care for children, wives care for husbands—but theirs was a forced political marriage.

Merely a marriage of alliance.

Why bother with these intimate gestures?

-

The omega rolled down the window, letting the warm afternoon breeze brush past. For a second, he mistakenly thought it was the warm ocean waves caressing.

"Ugh!"

Rui Rui's expression changed suddenly, clutching his chest.

Noticing the pale complexion through the rearview mirror, the driver panicked: "Young Master, what's wrong!?"

Rui Rui tucked his hair behind his ear, speaking gently and briefly: "Stop here. I'd like to get out and take a walk."

The driver was hesitant at first, but upon seeing Young Master's delicate posture as he struggled to suppress the urge to vomit, he drove off quickly—

He knew nothing about the Commander and the mermaid having an unwed pregnancy!

After walking a while, Rui Rui, who had carsickness and overeating causing stomach bloating, indeed felt much better.

His moist, translucent blue eyes blinked, somewhat melancholy.

It must be low blood sugar from not eating enough...

"Seal, so pitiful."

The omega's heart sank.

In his mind, the baby seal teared up, hugging his chubby self.

Lush greenery surrounded, with many couples having picnics on the lawn taking advantage of the good weather. The colorful picnic blankets looked like pretty floral patches quilted over the grass.

"Hmm?"

Rui Rui pretended to pass by casually.

Seeing what everyone was eating.

Passing one couple after another, their exquisite and love-filled dishes were a feast for the eyes, like a culinary cook-off—even the most ordinary staples were generously garnished.

However, the omega's calm, gentle face gradually couldn't hide his pride.

Oh?

Such small portions, and shaped so strangely.

The grilled sausages were cut into eight-legged octopus shapes—have these humans never seen a real octopus? Drawing cakes to satisfy hunger, how pitiful.

"...Why is that omega giving us a look like a saint pitying mortals?"

"Must be trying to preach, right?"

A few whispered among themselves: "Well, since he's pretty, let's not shoo him away. How about getting his contact when he comes over?"

The baby seal had already lifted his chin and proudly walked away.

His phone suddenly vibrated incessantly. It was messages in the four-person group chat with Three Birds Madam.

"Ugly Men Go Away (4)"

Ostrich Won't Lift Head: Babes, see that ssf who just got kicked from the main group? Actually went to the Major General's office building to deliver food—how dare he with such rough cooking skills!

[Image][Image]

Rui Rui had just opened it when he was dazzled by the luxurious classic French cuisine: "..."

Then what does that leopard's jade-like foot-sized rice ball count as?

Does it mean the leopard is strong!?

Pink Chickadee: Mastering the cooking methods of the world's three major cuisines isn't a mandatory skill for every officer's wife, is it? Teaching fish how to swim! (covering mouth and laughing)

Iron-Beaked Magistrate: How could any of this even catch the major general's eye? Back when the major general was still serving in the Northern Frontier, a subordinate took a bribe to help some omegas deliver meals to the major general. The commander exploded in anger and had the subordinate strung up and whipped!

Rui Rui quietly turned off his phone, his little face pale.

His mind automatically conjured up the image of Li Hanchuan opening the lid, discovering a huge, pale rice ball lying in the container, flying into a rage, and smashing the bowl.

The omega shuddered all over: "..."

Wah!

He'd be so scared he'd reveal his identity!

Combined with what Mrs. Woodpecker just said: [Had the subordinate strung up and whipped! Whipped until he spun like a top!]

Rui Rui's mind automatically supplied another scene—

The iron-blooded, ruthless commander bit his glove off with his teeth and ordered sternly, "Come here."

Utterly helpless, the baby seal could only wobble over on his belly, or more accurately, bounce gently.

He's so soft, his fat so rich and plump.

There's no need for a little whip; Li Hanchuan could spank the adorable little one with just his bare hands, with loud smacks!

-

"The madam loves the major general so much. As soon as he returned this afternoon, he kept cutting vegetables and cooking, but he was never satisfied. He insisted on making the best dish. I've never seen such an affectionate newlywed couple."

The butler shook his head and sighed, "Or perhaps it's because the major general didn't accept the madam's kindness and simply didn't eat lunch..."

As soon as Li Hanchuan returned, he heard the butler chattering away: "?"

"Major General, you're back!"

The idling staff were startled, and the chatter died instantly.

The servants in this household were all very afraid of him and didn't dare gossip lightly in front of him.

The alpha's icy gaze swept over them.

Confirming that their praises for that little seafood weren't false, he strode toward the kitchen.

Perhaps because he had been busy all day without time to eat, that huge rice container was still in his hand.

The closer his steps got, the more Li Hanchuan felt a sense of familiarity.

Especially when he saw that slender figure wearing a little pink apron, bustling in front of the cooking counter, the peculiar feeling peaked.

It completely overlapped with the scene from his dream.

Except for Rui Rui's flat stomach, showing no sign of pregnancy.

Li Hanchuan paused.

If the omega asked how that meal tasted, he hadn't eaten it at all and really didn't know how to answer.

...Would he be sad?

"Ah, you're back!" Rui Rui noticed him, his slender frame trembling.

Why the sudden formality?

Li Hanchuan looked over suspiciously, but as soon as their eyes met, the alpha abruptly tightened his grip on the container's handle, his heart clenching.

On the omega's beautifully ethereal face, there were clear tear stains.

His thin eyelids and upturned nose were both flushed a blush-pink, and he was still sniffling lightly now and then, looking extremely vulnerable and pitiable, as if someone had broken his heart.

In the moment Li Hanchuan was stunned, the mermaid wife quickly wiped his face.

He also swiftly tossed the food from the plate into the trash, saying weakly, "These didn't turn out well...!"

He glanced at what the man was holding and, like a moth to a flame, lifted his trembling, pale fingers.

"You... have you eaten this yet?"

The usually decisive Li Hanchuan drew a sharp breath and didn't speak.

After a pause, he said, "No."

He didn't know how to interact with an emotionally rich mermaid. Even if it was a gesture, the other party had spent time and effort and had been sincere enough.

The alpha had even prepared for his little wife to throw a tantrum.

"Great!"

A smile suddenly bloomed on that fragile, beautiful face.

Li Hanchuan: "What?"

He hadn't expected the other to not throw a tantrum in front of him at all. Instead, he was holding back his sorrow, refusing to show even a hint of disappointment.

Even though his delicate, small face was streaked with tears, he was still putting on a brave face.

The omega rushed over and grabbed the large food container: "I'll dispose of this. You go rest first!"

Li Hanchuan's hand was suddenly empty.

His large, prominent-knuckled hand with its slight calluses hesitated for a moment, then clenched into a silent fist.

"...Alright."

He walked upstairs with his posture ramrod straight, his mind filled with the image of his mermaid little wife's tear-filled eyes.

All these years, Li Hanchuan had reacted swiftly to everything.

A moment too slow, and his vigilant political rivals would kick him down; a second too slow, and enemy advanced weapons would blast him to pieces.

But just now was the only exception.

If Rui Rui hadn't spoken, he could have stood there dumbfounded for a day and a night, still not knowing how to react.

He cried?

Because I hurt his feelings?

Meanwhile, Rui Rui, unwilling to waste food, put the rice balls away in the refrigerator and glanced at the charred, unidentifiable mess in the trash—

How did this happen?

He had tried so hard to chop up the ingredients, cook them, and plate them nicely!

Yet he still failed!

No matter how hard the omega tried to follow the recipe, all he ended up with were piles of inedible disasters that deserved a content warning.

Just as he was about to chop onions to make soup, the major general returned, almost discovering his secret knack for charring everything he touched.

In a panic, the omega rubbed his eyes.

Then, the spiciness made him want to instantly shift back to his original form, let out a loud "*Coo!*", and pat his belly!

-

The commander’s clever, cool-headed mind, which had served him well for twenty-five years, faced an unprecedented challenge—

He had broken his little mermaid’s heart.

What should he do?

That evening, instead of serving the "best dishes" prepared by the servants, the head chef and his young apprentice gleefully took charge of the stove, heating oil and cooking with delight.

Rui Rui didn’t even exchange a single extra word with him before retreating to the master bedroom to sleep.

The alpha glared coldly at the tightly shut door for a moment, then smirked and returned to his own room to sleep.

Fine.

Wasn’t this exactly what he wanted?

It was better to shatter his illusions early and make him realize that theirs was a marriage that didn’t need to be harmonious.

However, that night’s dream was strange.

Li Hanchuan dreamed that he had fallen into the deep sea, as if entering a beautiful realm where no human had ever set foot.

He had expected to see monstrously huge fish.

Instead, a group of fruit-flavored tangyuan surrounded him, curiously looking him up and down while chattering away in some language he couldn’t understand.

The alpha was stunned, completely unable to think.

Just then, the fruit-flavored tangyuan parted, forming two rows and bowing downward at a 25-degree angle in a gesture of reverence.

A colorful miniature tangyuan appeared.

This ball, seated like a prince on a throne made of coral and seaweed, was perfectly round everywhere but somehow wore a crown on its head and a double-layered pearl necklace around its nonexistent neck.

Its high status was unmistakable.

Yet, despite its nobility, the tangyuan prince treated Li Hanchuan gently, pushing a large food container toward the alpha and gesturing for him to try it.

The commander thought this was all insane.

He just wanted to wake up from the dream as quickly as possible. Ever since meeting Rui Rui, his dreams had become weirder by the day—

Wait.

Rui Rui?

In the dream, the alpha seemed to lose control, suddenly knocking over the big container.

The food, shining with some kind of holy glow, along with the colorful miniature tangyuan, fell to the ground. He didn’t understand why he was picking on a tangyuan or why he was so detestable even in his dreams.

Li Hanchuan hurriedly reached out to help it, only to see the tangyuan prince lift its head.

A pair of teary, dark eyes and a soft, puppy-like snout suddenly appeared: "*Coo!*"

...

Li Hanchuan bolted awake.

Drenched in cold sweat, he quickly made his way to the master bedroom and quietly unlocked the door.

The sleeping beauty inside was serene and elegant, every detail of his features so perfectly sculpted they looked divine, stunningly beautiful.

The alpha sat by the bed, sighed, and rubbed his temples.

Thank God.

His little wife was a real mermaid, not some colorful miniature tangyuan.