Chapter 133: Perhaps Our Little Prank on Each Other

The vibrant red of the tofu intertwining with the pristine white rice on the spoon created a striking visual impact. Combined with the rich, mingling aromas of the two, the sight made Krystal Jung involuntarily swallow a mouthful of saliva.

"Is this really that spicy? Will I even be able to handle it?"

Although she desperately wanted to devour that spoonful of Mapo Tofu and rice in one go, she still remembered Chen Zhe's warning that the dish was extremely fiery. Drawing from her past experiences eating Chinese food cooked by Victoria Song, she knew a fundamental rule.

The more vivid the color, or the redder the hue, the spicier the dish would undoubtedly taste. That was a painful lesson she had learned at a heavy cost.

Seeing how intensely red the Mapo Tofu looked, her guard went up instantly. She had no desire to end up making a trip to the proctology department of the hospital the day after eating this.

"As for the heat level, this plate of Mapo Tofu is only mildly spicy, so you can rest easy. Besides, when paired with white rice, the sensation of the spice drops significantly. If you don't believe me, I can swear an oath to guarantee it."

Noticing the heavy caution etched across Krystal's face, Chen Zhe smiled somewhat helplessly. To convince her that he was telling the truth, he even prepared to raise his hand and swear to the heavens.

"Alright, alright, I believe you. Honestly, stop raising your hand to swear oaths over every little thing!"

The hand Chen Zhe had already raised was instantly enveloped and pressed down by a palm. Looking at him, always ready to make solemn promises, Krystal let out a tone filled with mild exasperation.

After successfully halting Chen Zhe's vow-making antics and rolling her eyes at him, she opened her mouth and swallowed the spoonful of Mapo Tofu and rice in one bite.

"How is it? I didn't lie to you, did I? Even though there's just a tiny hint of spice, it goes with rice so well and tastes super delicious!"

Resting the spoon against the edge of the plate holding the Mapo Tofu, Chen Zhe fixed his gaze expectantly on Krystal, hoping for a positive affirmation.

"Mm, it really is delicious paired with the rice. But is this really just 'mildly spicy'? Why does my mouth feel kind of numb after eating it?"

Even though she found the Mapo Tofu exceptionally tasty, for some reason, the more she chewed, the more she felt a distinct, tingling numbness washing over her entire oral cavity.

It made her want to open her mouth and breathe, using the outside cool air to alleviate the fiery, tingling sensation burning inside her mouth. Yet, the more she did that, the more intense the feeling became.

Unable to endure the numbing spice any longer, Krystal asked Chen Zhe in a somewhat muffled, slurry tone.

"It really is just mild. Well, mild according to people from Sichuan province, anyway. The discomfort you're feeling right now is probably because the numbness and the spice are combining into one, making it a bit too much to handle. Just shovel down a few mouthfuls of white rice and it'll soothe right away."

Rubbing his chin gently, Chen Zhe thought about it with a serious expression, wondering why Krystal was reacting as if she were in such distress.

After a moment of careful reflection, he concluded that what people from Sichuan called "mildly spicy" was probably closer to "medium spicy" or higher for someone unaccustomed to heat. And when medium spice met the numbing element of Sichuan peppercorns, the sensory overload was simply too intense.

Since this was Krystal's first time experiencing this specific combination of spice and numbness, she couldn't take it. Searching his memory for how he managed to cope the first time he had been overwhelmed by Mapo Tofu, Chen Zhe quickly passed the remedy along to her.

"Mm-hm! Ah, I feel completely relieved and comfortable all of a sudden! Zhe, this Mapo Tofu you made is amazing. I feel like it's already way better than what V-mom makes."

Hearing Chen Zhe's solution, Krystal didn't hesitate at all. She picked up a pair of chopsticks on the spot and rapidly shoveled down mouthfuls of rice.

After getting a few bites of rice into her system, she finally set her bowl and chopsticks back down on the counter and let out a gentle sigh of relief. As the tingling numbness subsided, she felt entirely refreshed and comforted.

She couldn't help but smack her lips subconsciously, praising Chen Zhe's culinary skills and even comparing them favorably to the homemade Chinese dishes cooked by Victoria Song, whom she had always considered the gold standard.

"Of course. After all, this is Mapo Tofu that the two of us worked hard to make together. It's poured full of our mutual sincerity, so naturally it has to taste good. I'd be the one surprised if it didn't."

Leaning his arm against the edge of the counter, Chen Zhe propped his face in one hand and gazed at Krystal before him. He noticed that beads of fine sweat had formed on her forehead from the Mapo Tofu.

Her cheeks carried an unnatural flush, likely from the heat, and the rims of her eyes were slightly reddish, glistening as if holding clear pools of water—rippling gently across the surface of Chen Zhe's heart.

"True, I suppose it is the fruit of our joint efforts, infused with our sincere feelings for each other. That must be why this Mapo Tofu tastes so good. So, open wide—I'm going to feed you, too, Zhe."

To Chen Zhe's surprise, the half-teasing remark he had made with a straight face actually elicited such a deadpan, serious response from Krystal.

Furthermore, Krystal's proclamation about it being infused with their mutual sincerity gave Chen Zhe such a severe case of goosebumps that he instinctively reached up to rub his arm.

Hearing her final demand—telling him to open his mouth so she could feed him—Chen Zhe let out an internal sigh of resignation, knowing full well he couldn't possibly dodge this. He could only obediently open his mouth.

Seeing Chen Zhe actually behave and open his mouth so obediently, Krystal didn't hesitate for a second. She picked up the spoon, scooped up a massive portion of pure Mapo Tofu, and before he could defend himself, shoved it straight into his mouth.

Chen Zhe had no idea that Krystal wasn't feeding him Mapo Tofu with rice, but a massive, unadulterated spoonful of Mapo Tofu by itself. After chewing a few times, an overwhelmingly fierce wave of spice and numbness instantly flooded his entire mouth.

Without any rice to help cushion the blow, the heat drove his eyes to turn bloodshot, tears threatened to well up at the corners of his eyes, his entire face flushed a deep crimson, and veins bulged slightly at his temples.

"Zhe, are you okay? If it's too spicy, just spit it out! I'll go pour you a glass of water to rinse your mouth right now!"

Krystal had never anticipated that her little prank would yield such dramatic results. The sight of Chen Zhe's flushed face, bulging veins, and reddened eyes genuinely terrified her.

Just as she turned to head toward the sink, a hand grabbed her wrist. Her heart skipped a beat, and a remarkably strange sensation flooded her soul.

Before she even had a chance to ask what he was doing, a tremendous pulling force surged from the hand gripping her wrist, dragging her backward as if she were a character straight out of a television drama.