"I… um… I want to learn how to wash dishes. Would you mind teaching me how?"

…

…

"WHY WOULD I TEACH YOU HOW TO WASH DISHES! EVERYBODY CAN DO THAT!" I yelled out loud. I knew Meng Bao was suspicious as heck here. How could someone request to be taught to wash dishes? All you need to do was just pick up the sponge and wash!

"Um… but I\'ve never washed dishes in my whole life…" Meng Bao admitted. Then he added to \'clear\' my suspicion that he was from a rich family, "T—That\'s because I usually buy takeout foods in a carton! That\'s why I never wash dishes. I just threw it away!"

"You—" I almost busted him out of his pretence. But I held back, knowing blowing Meng Bao\'s cover up might lead to something unknown… or scary.

\'If I told him that I know about his real identity, then he might do something crazy…\'

The image of me getting my feet cemented and then pushed to the deep of a lake flashed in my mind.. Although it was very unlikely that Meng Bao would do that, I knew he was actually a cold and cruel person, so it\'s best to just act like I knew nothing and follow what he wanted.

I sighed and then put a sponge in his left hand and a dirty plate on his right hand. I twisted the faucet, and then I gave him instruction, "All you need to do is just wash this dirty plate by scrubbing it with this sponge, and then washed it with water. See, simple, right?"

"Y—Yes, and it\'s so nice too…" Meng Bao muttered as I kept caressing his veiny hands in the name of tutoring on \'how to wash dishes.\' just to tease him a bit. This was what he wanted, right? Honestly, Meng Bao was really a scoundrel, but when I just teased him a bit, he became dumb and obedient.

After I teased him, I whispered to his ears, close enough to kiss his cheek, just a meant of another tease, \'Then you can do it for me, right?\'

"Yes… Jie…" Meng Bao nodded as if he was hypnotized.

I giggled mischievously and crouched immediately. Then I escaped Meng Bao\'s embrace by crouching and walked away.

Meng Bao was too absorbed by the fleeting tease that I did, so he reacted a bit slowly. After he realized that I suddenly escaped, he darted his eyes at me anxiously, "Y—Ying Jie, why did you escape like that?!"

I giggled again and replied, "What? You said you want to help me to wash dishes, right?"

"But… but…" Meng Bao wanted to say something, but he knew it would only show his true intention. So he only bit his lips and stared at me, begging.

I scoffed and wiped my hand with tissues before sitting while eating another cake from the fridge on the couch, "This is what you get for being a little rascal! Go wash the dishes ah! You\'re the one who volunteered to help me!"

"But, Jie…" Meng Bao stared at me with his pitiful puppy eyes gaze, wanting to guilt trip me so he could be let off. But I ignored him and watched a TV show instead.

"No buts, you help me! You literally ate my dinner, and this is the least you can do!"

…

Meng Bao sighed, and he washed the dishes like a henpecked husband, scolded by his wife.

I chuckled evilly as I glanced at him, pouting while washing the dishes half-heartedly. This was a new achievement, you know, to be able to order a big shot, the cruel one for that, to wash your dishes! This was a lifetime achievement!

\'Ehe, if only I knew that Meng Bao wasn\'t an evil, mafia boss in the first place, I would\'ve agreed to be his girlfriend,\' I thought. But this was a good safe for me, right? Buddha must have been kind enough to show me that Meng Bao was not an actual cute bao bun. He had a shocking dark side in him.

\'Well, I just hope that he will be kind for his wife in the future… no matter who that woman is…\' I thought. I felt a sense of loss after that. But I decided to just ignore it and continue watching the show.

Meng Bao glanced at me few times, I knew, and he kept grumbling, pouting, and complaining. But he still washed the dishes obediently.

After he washed everything, he cleaned his hand and walked in my direction. He sat beside me and crossed his arm, still with a pout on his face.

I smirked as I glanced at him, then I nudged his shoulder with mine, "What\'s wrong, Pouty Bao? What makes you in a bad mood?"

Meng Bao wanted to say something, but he zipped his lips again. He still looked grumpy as heck.

"Come on, Jie will not be mad if you have any request," I said.

Meng Bao had looked at me in the corner of his eyes, then he said grumpily, "I thought Ying Jie will give me a reward after I washed the dishes."

"Why would I give you a reward? You\'re literally washing the plates and utensils that you used to eat my dinner!" I responded.

Meng Bao zipped his lips again, but it seemed that he was in an even worse mood than before.

"Fine, I will ask for no reward! Hmph!" He looked away like a child throwing tantrum.

I giggled as I was amused by his behaviour. Did he not remember his real identity as a big shot and a mafia boss? Or did he do this to everyone? I doubt the second idea, though. I remembered that he was just lukewarm to his father, Mr. Yang Zhuhuo, and Alexander Priest. They were supposedly very close to him.

I imagined that he was way colder to strangers.

It gave me warmth inside my heart, knowing that he didn\'t show his childish nature to everyone. It made me a bit more special.

Now the question was, did he show this to his \'supposed\' girlfriend that he mentioned before in the office? And also to his childhood sweetheart?

I assume so. I mean, at least he wouldn\'t be cold to them, right?

I wanted to tease Meng Bao a bit more, so I just ignored him while he was throwing his childish tantrum and continued watching a television show. And it seemed to be working since Meng Bao got even more irritated, but still in his childish tantrum.

He suddenly slid his butt a bit closer to me, slowly, slowly, until his hips touched mine.

I turned my head at him the moment I felt that our hips are touching. Meng Bao was still turning his head away from me, with his arm crossed too.

"What?" I asked.

"J—Jie, you can always reward me a bit. You know… that\'s the first time for me to actually wash dishes…" Meng Bao said truthfully.

A line appeared between my eyebrows as I asked him a bit more, "Isn\'t that good? Taking care of the house is also a duty for man, you know. We are in 2021, so you should know that."

"I know that, but…" Meng Bao paused, then he slowly loosened his crossing arm and slowly touched my hand. Meng Bao wrapped my hand gently in his warm palm.

Meng Bao surprisingly had a warm hand. Even after he washed dishes, his palm was still very warm and comfortable.

"I washed the dishes because of you, you know…" Meng Bao said. "I think I deserve a bit more reward…"

"Mmm~ What kind of reward that you want?" I asked mischievously.

Meng Bao\'s cheek slowly reddened. I could also sense that his body got hotter as he was trying his best to utter his request, "That… um… a k—kiss would suffice…"

"A kiss?"

"Yes, a kiss would um… be more than enough for my payment…" Meng Bao said. His hand wrapped my hand tighter, and his cheek got beet red. I didn\'t expect that a mafia boss would be so shy to request a kiss.

It was so cute, indeed.

Honestly, this would be my first kiss if I didn\'t count Alexander Priest\'s kiss before. Since it was more like a \'greeting\' for me. I didn\'t even know that was supposed to be a romantic kiss.

\'If I want to give my first kiss, it would be for someone like Meng Bao, I guess. Gentle, caring, and obedient. But he is definitely a little rascal at heart. I just knew it,\' I said in my heart to assess Meng Bao.

After he got no answer from me, Meng Bao got even more nervous. Thus he wanted to retreat. Maybe he was afraid that I got angry at his request.

"J—Jie, forget what I said before, I didn\'t mean to—"

Chu~

Meng Bao paused as I kissed his cheek, close to the edge of his lips, so our lips brushed just a bit.

After I kissed him, I whispered gently, \'That\'s the reward for you, you little rascal. Don\'t throw a tantrum again, okay?\'