The Heartbeat at the Tip of the Tongue

WRITTEN BY QINTARJUNE 20, 2016

Word count: 3900w

Mushroom pork noodles = roots of weed

“Where do I sign?”

Jiang Qian Fan lifted his hand, and Lin Ke Song was stunned, not knowing whether she should touch him.

Only until Jiang Qian Fan’s distorted did Lin Ke Song hurriedly take the pen the police officer offered, and stuffed it into Jiang Qian Fan’s hand, maneuvered his finger to the place where the signature should be.

“Right here.”

Jiang Qian Fan’s hand started moving. His signature was in English, his words elegant, Lin Ke Song blinked, it was actually really similar to the notes in her book.

Does this mean that the notes taken were written by Jiang Qian Fan?

The cool night air lifted the hair on Jiang Qian Fan’s forehead, so gentle that it looked like waves that never broke.

She once thought that Jiang Qian Fan’s side profile was like a cold and sharp cliff, but now it gave off a weird sense of desolation.

The police left, and Li Yan was also taken away, he will be facing a serious prosecution.

Jiang Qian Fan turned.

Without his cane, he walked to the door, hesitated for a while, and suddenly opened his mouth: “Lin Ke Song, come over.”

“Ha?”

Lin Ke Song hurried to his side. But she never once thought, Jiang Qian Fan would actually raise his palm.

“Where’s your shoulder?”

“Here……” Lin Ke Song carefully took hold of his arm, and put it on her shoulder.

His palm was very warm, the kind of warmth that made people feel at peace.

“Go back.”

“Oh.”

Lin Ke Song walked up the stairs slowly, and Jiang Qian Fan followed behind her.

“Close the door, remember to take precautions.”

His voice sounded from the back, and was so close, she kept having an illusion, that when the other party spoke, his breath wandered at the back of her neck.

She followed everything he said and keyed in the password code. While she walked, she made sure that all the doors and windows were shut tight.

The window near the kitchen had already been shattered, the night air blew in, the curtains danced in the air, like skirts of spirits.

If Jiang Qian Fan had not been just right behind her, Lin Ke Song thinks that she would definitely been frightened to death.

“You said you discovered Li Yan in the kitchen?”

“En, yes.”

Lin Ke Song thought it quite weird too. If Li Yan had a grudge against Jiang Qian Fan for forcing him away, he could’ve caused some trouble in his room, why did he go to the kitchen?

“Go back to the kitchen to check it out.”

“Okay.”

Lin Ke Song opened the kitchen’s door, and walked in with Jiang Qian Fan.

“You take a good look, especially at the places that Li Yan hovered around, is there anything out of the ordinary?”

“Okay!”

Lin Ke Song tiptoed, leaned over, and there seemed to be something at the corner.

“Mr Jiang, there seems to be something! But I can’t reach it!”

After saying, Lin Ke Song only felt someone grab her lower back, before she could react, she was carried up, to sit on Jiang Qian Fan’s shoulder.

At that moment, she almost screamed, and in a moment of nervousness, she pressed the top of Jiang Qian Fan’s head.

“What are you so flustered for, I won’t let you fall.”

His voice was still as cool, but she could clearly feel the strength of him pressing against her.

Lin Ke Song carefully let go of Jiang Qian Fan, and reached her hand out.

“Mr Jiang, please move a little to the left.”

Lin Ke Song’s finger hooked onto that little black thing, gave it a hard tug, and pulled the thing down.

“All good! Mr Jiang! I’ve got it!”

Lin Ke Song thought Jiang Qian Fan will directly put her down, but unexpectedly, he walked back a couple of steps, held on to her lower back, and practically carried her down to a height that was about his height.

Both his hands supported her, and it seemed like to him, she didn’t weigh anything.

This was the closest that Lin Ke Song had ever been to Jiang Qian Fan. Her line of sight was almost at the same height as Jiang Qian Fan, she could see his high and clear forehead, his eyebrows and even his elegant eyelashes way too clearly.

When she finally reacted, Jiang Qian Fan had already put her on the counter top.

“Where’s the thing?” he opened his hand towards her.

He leaned forward, with a hand still supporting at her side.

He turned his face slightly, it looked like the prelude to a kiss.

Lin Ke Song swallowed her saliva, and pressed the thing into the palm of the other party.

Jiang Qian Fan straightened up, and left her.

That kind of enveloping breath left her, and made people oddly disappointed.

Jiang Qian Fan’s finger pressed on the black thing, felt it, and conveniently just placed it back on the countertop.

“Is that a mini camera?” Lin Ke Song had only seen these kind of things on TV.

“Yes.”

“What did Li Yan install the camera in the kitchen for?”

Lin Ke Song totally could not understand. This Li Yan can’t be a pervert ba? For example be infatuated with the stance of Jiang Qian Fan cooking?

He was indeed so swoony handsome when he was on the kitchen with his white uniform working methodically…… so Li Yan who had been working at Jiang Qian Fan’s side for a year plus could not resist the temptation of his psychopathy?

When she thought to here, Lin Ke Song could not help saying that the hole in her brain was way too big……

“I often explore and test ideas for new dishes in this room.”

Once Jiang Qian Fan said that, Lin Ke Song was suddenly enlightened.

“So Li Yan records the whole process of creating a new dish, and he will be able to sell the footage to other restaurants right? Especially to your competitors in the industry! He thinks that this way he will be able to affect you, right?”

“Right.”

When she first heard Li Yan, that he was forced away by Jiang Qian Fan, she had felt a little pity for Li Yan.

But now that she has seen it, Li Yan wasn’t even morally right in the first place.

Jiang Qian Fan had seen this aspect and only asked him to leave.

“Then let’s look around for more cameras!”

“No need. Wait till Mayer comes back and we’ll see.” Jiang Qian Fan suddenly reached out his hand, and brushed the hair on Lin Ke Song’s forehead, “What about you?”

“Me? What about me?”

While being pressed by his palm, Lin Ke Song subconsciously lifted her head.

“You weren’t sleeping in your room, why were you in the kitchen?”

Lin Ke Song was stunned.

Big ice block! Can your brain not work so fast please!

We’ve just finish tossing the yusheng! Shouldn’t we be celebrating with a can of beer?

Lin Ke Song could not help thinking about a more appropriate reason……for example sleepwalking?

“Remember what I said to you before, don’t lie.”

“I got hungry……”

Lin Ke Song said pitifully.

“So you were here to look for something to eat.”

“Yes. But I only thought about grabbing a banana or a tomato only!” Lin Ke Song wanted to bring her crime index to the lowest.

“What do you feel like eating?”

Jiang Qian Fan suddenly asked.

Lin Ke Song was stunned, and tilted her head asking back: “Are you going to make it for me?”

“I want to make noodles, you can have the soup.”

After saying, Jiang Qian Fan turned around, opened the refrigerator, and took out mushrooms, and a slab of pork.

Lin Ke Song smiled, she started her brain, Jiang Qian Fan was going to cook noodles for her!

“Not going to boil the water?” Jiang Qian Fan turned his face to her.

Lin Ke Song jumped from the countertop, and according to Jiang Qian Fan’s instructions, filled a third of the pot with water, and placed it on the stove to boil.

“Come over here to take a look.”

Jiang Qian Fan said to Lin Ke Song as he put on his apron.

His apron was very simple, no frills, and flawlessly white. The average guy may give off a sense of homeliness when they put on an apron, but Jiang Qian Fan seemed very professional and accomplished, his gestures gave off an aura that people could not help trusting.

Lin Ke Song wen to his side.

Jiang Qian Fan lowered his face, his finger covering the mushroom, pressing lightly with the fingertips, “Every ingredient has its unique texture and line. Some ingredients have rules to be followed when you cut them, to be able preserve the texture and protect it from damage before it reaches the pot, to maintain the freshest taste. For example, the mushroom, do you see the lines?”

“I see it.”

Jiang Qian Fan gave the mushroom a few cuts, and split it into sections, then flipped the cut up mushroom over.

Lin Ke Song then realised, the mushroom was cut within the lines.

“Fungi, cut along the lines, to maintain maximum elasticity.”

“En.” Lin Ke Song nodded her head.

But her sight always ended up falling on the fingertips of Jiang Qian Fan, long and pretty, even with though thin and light scars, they did not seem incomplete or hideous, and on the contrary, had another kind of beauty.

“You try.”

Don’t know whether it was because of the boiling sounds of the water not far away, Jiang Qian Fan’s voice that sounded in Lin Ke Song’s ear was a lot gentler.

She followed Jiang Qian Fan’s method, first located the lines of the mushroom, and then cut them open.

One she finished slicing, Jiang Qian Fan pushed them to the side without looking at them.

“Aren’t you going to check?” Lin Ke Song asked sticking her head over.

“You aren’t stupid. The water is boiling, put the noodles in, remember to stir with the chopsticks, don’t let it stick to the pot.”

“Oh! I understand!”

Lin Ke Song gave a laugh, that sentence “You aren’t stupid.” is it considered a compliment?

Jiang Qian Fan lifted his hand, took another chopping board, and put the pork on it.

“Pork breaks into pieces easily when crosscut, and get old when you cut vertically, so when you cut pork, it’s best to slice according to the lines.”

Jiang Qian Fan switched to another blade, his fingers gently brushing the surface of the pork. Lin Ke Song knew, he was feeling for the lines.

He purposely slowed down, to let Lin Ke Song see clearly the angle of contact of the blade with the pork.

Slices of pork were cut along the blade, Lin KE Song was filled with curiosity about Jiang Qian Fan. Even though Mayer said before, to come back to the world of cuisine, Jiang Qian Fan had isolated himself for 8 years, but even so, when his blade slide across the pork without hesitation, Lin Ke Song still felt that everything was a miracle.

“You try.”

“Ah…… me?……”

Lin Ke Song thinks that her cutting will definitely be disorderly, some thick some thin, and definitely not meet the aesthetic expectations of Jiang Qian Fan.

But when Lin Ke Song lifted the knife, and lowered her head to study the lines of the pork, Jiang Qian Fan came up behind her.

His left hand gently clothed Lin Ke Song’s fingers, aligning his fingertips with hers, his right hand pressing the knife together with Lin KE Song.

Lin Ke Song’s shoulders started getting nervous all of a sudden.

Because she realised, she was pretty much in the arms of the other party. This was a very small world, with only inches of land. She only needed to move her body slightly, and she’d bump into the person behind her. So she could only carefully shrink into herself, like she was afraid of disturbing the other person’s world.

“Why are you nervous? I won’t let your fingers get cut.”

Jiang Qian Fan‘s voice was as always, steady and cold.

But Lin Ke Song’s shoulders gradually relaxed. She did not know how he did it, it was like he could feel every little emotion of hers?

Jiang Qian Fan led her and started slicing. She originally thought that his method of cutting would need lots of strength, but she realised that it was unexpectedly lithe.

When the blade glided across, she could feel the amazing feeling of the meat closest to the blade splitting. How every line was subjected to the passing of the blade, how the slices of pork fell off.

It was like she had entered into Jiang Qian Fan’s world where all the senses were enhanced.

Everything started becoming wonderful.

“Right at this angle, do you remember?”

“Yes, I remember.” Lin KE Song nodded her head.

Jiang Qian Fan released his hands, and started heating a pan.

Lin Ke Song stood at the side, and observed his movements carefully.

The pan was heated, but he did not pour oil, but put the mushrooms in the pan to stir fry, to force the water content out of the mushrooms, and put it in the plate for later.

Then, he poured the oil, and patiently waited for 10 plus seconds then put the pork slices in.

His stir-frying method was very unique, like every inch of the pork slices were dancing lightly in his shovel. Lin Ke Song tiptoed and watched, as before the colour of the meat went completely white, the garlic and ginger were poured in, the sizzling sounds were coupled with the strong aroma, Lin Ke Song’s stomach got hungrier.

She gulped down a mouthful of saliva, but Jiang Qian Fan said: “You don’t eat much at night?”

Lin Ke Song touched her tummy, and smiled embarrassingly: “I’ve got good digestion.”

Jiang Qian Fan didn’t say anything more, and pored the prepared mushrooms into the pot, saying: “take 3 cubes of ice and at it into the pot.”

“Ah? Why?”

Even though Lin Ke Song did as told, she couldn’t resist asking.

“To give the noodles more elasticity.”

That’s why!

When the noodles boiled for a second time, Jiang Qian Fan mentioned: “sieve the noodles out.”

Lin Ke Song did as told, when she put the noodles in the bowl, she realised the portion was only enough for one ah!

Jiang Qian Fan poured the stir fried mushrooms and pork slices together onto the surface of the noodles, picked up a pair of chopstick, and neatly gave the noodles and the ingredients a mix.

“Eat ba.”

He pushed that bowl of noodles towards Lin Ke Song.

“Weren’t you going to eat? This noodles were made only for me?” No matter how Lin Ke Song thought about it, the fact that this big ice block will make a bowl of noodles especially for her was something unthinkable.

“I don’t eat supper.”

“Ah…… why ah you so good to me ah……” this was the first time Lin Ke Song felt such gratefulness towards the other party.

“Treat it as a reward for not running off alone, and remembering to return to look for me.”

The ends of Lin Ke Song’s mouth twitched, will you die if you say “Thank you”?

But the bowl of noodles was too fragrant, it was only mixed mushroom pork noodles, how can it be so fragrant?

“Can’t be that after eating I would have to list out the ingredients ba?”

If I can’t say them, you will continue cooking noodles for me, until the skin of my stomach explodes noodles?

“What ingredients I’ve used, didn’t you see them clearly? Why is there a need to make you say them again?”

Jiang Qian Fan’s tone of voice was as normal, but the eyebrow that was slightly lifted seemed to say: Are you an idiot?

Lin Ke Song was relieved, and her stomach was hungrier than ever.

She picked up a chopstick of noodles, blew on it and was about to put it into her mouth, when the male sitting across her suddenly lifted his hand, and accurately pressed on her forehead, lifting her face up. The noodles that was finally picked up returned to the bowl once again.

His palm was still stuck to her forehead.

Lin Ke Song got unexplainably nervous, “Wh……What’s wrong?”

“The noodles are scalding, you send it to your mouth just like that, do you not want you tongue anymore?”

Lin KE Song looked stupidly at Jiang Qian Fan’s lips, the tip of his tongue peeking and hiding, pushing and pulling, moving her heart.

She never thought he would touch her.

Li Yan said before that he did not like anyone touching him, Mayer had also told her the same thing.

But why, did it seem that the rule had been broken, he had touched her more than once.

“I…… I’ll blow on it again……”

Lin Ke Song inhaled a breath of air, lowered her head, picked up the noodles, blew multiple times more, and made sure that it was cool, and only then sent it into her mouth.

And Jiang Qian Fan had already picked up a cloth, and started cleaning the counter top, arranging the cooking utensils.

While eating, Lin Ke Song could not help looking at the other party.

When he was sorting out the kitchen, everything fell into place, no matter what was said, Lin Ke Song could not believe that he could not see.

This proficiency, was totally dependent on his understanding of this area.

Lin Ke Song then realised there were fine lines on all the counter surfaces, and every ingredient or utensil, was put on the places where the lines were marked. Lin Ke Song finally understood, as long as the things were in the designated places, Jiang Qian Fan will be able to remember where each item was, and cook like a normal person.

Jiang Qian Fan used less than 3 minutes to clear the kitchen. From Lin Ke Song’s point of view, there was nowhere that was no shining brightly.

She thought he would coldly ask her to remember to clean the bowl and chopsticks or something and leave, but he sat beside Lin Ke Song.

Everything quietened down, and was only left with the noises of Lin Ke Song eating noodles.

When the first mouth of noodles entered her mouth, Lin Ke Song was stunned. It was only the mushroom pork noodles that was very common, but it had such an aromatic flavour.

The delicious meat slices and mushroom, ginger, and garlic flavours blended together, and became a flavour that made people search for it, the warm feeling entered from the tongue to the bottom of the heart.

The noodles were exceptionally springy, and carried a slight egg and buckwheat fragrance.

These all made Lin Ke Song want to consume the bowl of noodles in a breath.

But Jiang Qian Fan was precisely sitting opposite her.

All these time, Lin Ke Song had already deeply understood just how amazing Jiang Qian Fan’s sense of hearing was. And his dining etiquette has always been elegant, he’s definitely feel uncomfortable listening to her slurping sounds of consuming the noodles right?

So she could only suppress her deep impulse to satisfyingly take big mouths of noodles, pick up a few strands of noodles, and carefully put it into her mouth without making any sound.

As Lin Ke Song ate, she looked up to glance at Jiang Qian Fan.

What was this big block of ice doing sitting here? Can’t he let others properly eat noodles?

Jiang Qian Fan leaned slightly on the counter, showing the side of his face. Lin Ke Song’s line of sight fell on his deep set eyes, down to his chin, along his neck that showed the degree of his relaxed shoulders, and finally stopped at the shirt cuffs he had unbuttoned, and folded nicely, at his lower arms.

Lin Ke Song purposely looked past the side of his face.

Because at that moment she had an impulse, she wanted to pull off his shirt, to see some other expression than his coolly indifferent one.

This thinking was simply too perverted la!

“Is there a problem with the noodles?” Jiang Qian Fan suddenly asked.

“No! No problem at all! It’s so explosively good!”

Why would he think there was a problem with the noodles? The problem was it was too delicious but she couldn’t eat it in big mouths ah!

“The sounds you make while eating the noodles don’t sound like they’re ‘explosively good’.”

Jiang Qian Fan reached out his hand, and landed it on Lin Ke Song’s forearm.

At that moment, Lin Ke Song got nervous, and froze on the spot not knowing what to do.

While Jiang Qian Fan’s palm followed her arm and slowly moved down, reaching her the outsides of her wrist.

This was the first time Lin Ke Song felt the other party’s fingertips. It was a warm gentle touch that did not match his cool indifference.

He picked the chopsticks from her hands, and leaned down towards her.

As he came nearer to her, Lin Ke Song only felt that the air started inexplicably vibrating, and even his fine lashes were like wings that were ready for flight, casting a subtly sorrowful shadow from his eyelids.

He picked up a few strands of noodles from the bowl, and held it in his mouth.

“There isn’t a problem with the noodles. The flavour is right too. Is it a problem with the mushrooms or the pork slices?” Jiang Qian Fan turned his face towards Lin Ke Song.

Looking into his eyes let her experience the feeling of falling.

“The mushrooms?” Jiang Qian Fan lifted his eyebrows slightly as he asked.

“I…..I’ll help you take.”

Lin Ke Song carefully retrieved the chopsticks from the other party’s hands, picked up a piece of mushroom, and placed it at the side of his lips.

Lin Ke Song used to think that his lips were cold and stern, always pursed, making people nervous. But she realised at this moment, he lips had a beautiful outline, when it was slightly parted, it made people want to exclaim.

When Lin Ke Song sent the mushroom between his teeth, she felt the moment when the tip of his tongue appeared.

She could not help holding her breath, it seemed like Jiang Qian Fan’s tongue was flitting past her heart that her whole body, even the smallest cell in her body was vibrating.

“The mushrooms are fine too. Are the pork slices not good?”

He was dedicated in knowing just what was the problem was, with this bowl of mixed mushrooms and pork slices noodles,

But Lin Ke Song just realised, this pair of chopsticks is the pair that she had used before ah!

Why didn’t Jiang Qian Fan have any reaction ah!

If he suddenly thought about it, will he use the chopsticks to stab her to death?

But she could only bite the bullet and pick up the sliced pork, and send it to his mouth.

It had to be said, that the way his chin was slight raised while waiting was so adorable. Even the originally stern chin became childish.

“There’s no problem with the pork slices either, just which part of it do you find not delicious?”

Jiang Qian Fan’s eyebrows turned into a frown.