The next morning, after Wen Keke finished cooking a pot of century egg and lean pork congee, she turned around to find the congee had mysteriously disappeared.

All that remained on the table was a bottle of green liquid.

Wen Keke put her hands on her hips, exclaiming in exasperation, "Is this never going to end?"

She had thought this man was so mysterious and dangerous, constantly on guard around him, only to find this? 

He had stolen her food? Had he never eaten in his entire life?

What Wen Keke didn't anticipate was that Ji He had indeed never eaten such food before.

In the Eilan Galaxy, the populace consumed only nutrient solutions, as they believed that whole foods contained many useless substances that weren't absorbed by the body and could even be harmful. Hence, they developed nutrient solutions, where one can of nutritional liquid is sufficient to replenish a person's energy for an entire day and improve their physique. However, the taste was something else altogether.

Looking at the green liquid in a test tube-like container, it appeared toxic to her.

Wen Keke carefully donned gloves and picked up the tube of liquid, which bore no labels. However, intrigued by the man's mysteriousness, she decided to stash it away in her storage space, keeping it isolated in its own spot. After all, her space could replicate items now; if it turned out to be something valuable, having a copy would be a good thing for her...

Wen Keke thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Ji He, having finished a pot of congee, gazed with distaste at the nutrient solution in his storage ring. He frowned slightly. Leaning against a tree, his long hair billowed gently, specks of snow landing on his hair, forming a beautiful scene like a painted masterpiece. With delicate features and a slight smile on his thin lips, a hint of mischief filled the air.

Of course, it was easy to overlook the pot of congee he held in his hands, which still made the scene quite charming.

Satisfied, Ji He set down the pot and looked up toward Wen Keke's villa, suddenly curious about what she might be preparing for lunch.

At noon, Wen Keke decided to make hot pot. Intentionally, she prepared a super spicy broth, adding a lot of devilish chilies along with some base seasoning as she turned to process the ingredients.

Sure enough!

The pot disappeared again!

This time, a black stone was left on the table.

Wen Keke placed the stone in her space next to the green liquid, grunting, "Spicy enough to kill you! You thief!"

She pulled out a ready-made broth from her storage and started to eat.

On the other side, Ji He held the steaming pot, gazing at the dish with suspicion. His nose twitched, and he couldn't suppress a sneeze.

"Achoo—"

He put the pot down in the snow, where the warmth dissipated quickly, and a layer of red oil formed on the soup's surface. Carefully, Ji He dipped his chopsticks into the hot pot broth and took a small sip.

Boom—

His face turned bright red, appearing blood-filled, beads of sweat forming across his forehead, and his thin lips reddened, creating a contrast of tantalizing beauty.

Ji He hurriedly put the hot pot into his storage space and reached for a cola he'd "borrowed" from Wen Keke's shelf.

He noticed the woman always drank this when her food was too spicy.

"Crack—"

As he twisted open the bottle, Ji He sniffed it. It had no peculiar scent, but his mouth was already on fire from the spice, so he took a big gulp.

"Pfft—cough cough."

He spat out the cola he had just consumed.

Why did it feel even spicier? Ji He glanced at the bottle in his hand.

Smacking his lips, after the initial heat subsided, he realized it tasted slightly sweet now; the spiciness had lessened a bit.

Ji He raised an eyebrow and tried another sip, this time finding it to be less spicy and rather sweet.

He finished an entire bottle of icy cola in the snow.

Thinking of the broth back in his storage, Ji He suspected it was definitely not prepared the way he had. Thus, he returned to Wen Keke's house to observe how she cooked.

At this moment, Wen Keke was watching a food-related variety show, sipping soda, and cooking tripe at the same time. Outside the window, Ji He looked at the array of dishes on her table, realizing with a start—she was missing vegetables...

Supported by his chin, Ji He pondered.

That evening, as Wen Keke and Jin Bao were soundly asleep, Ji He stealthily snuck into her kitchen and took all the leftovers from her daytime cooking.

Given the cold weather, the food didn't need to be stored in his space, especially the meat, which could be kept out for direct preservation.

Ji He also snagged a few meatballs and meat rolls, placing the wild boar he had hunted that afternoon in her kitchen.

This time, Ji He didn't choose to dine amidst the woods; although he felt no cold, the falling snowflakes landing in the pot was torturous for someone with his cleanliness obsessions.

He chose a house not far from Wen Keke's, also a villa, though the last owner hadn't survived the severe cold.

Following Wen Keke's example, Ji He built a fire, placing the pot above it as enticing aromas wafted through the air. He added meat rolls, meatballs, tripe, and various vegetables to the pot, then pulled out the cola he had drank earlier.

He began to enjoy the meal, alternating between food and soda.

Even though he was sweating profusely, his face flushed as if he was blood-filled, and his eyes became slightly moist, Ji He relished this thrill. 

Unbeknownst to him, Wen Keke had opened the door to his newfound love for spicy food.

Ji He licked his lips, raising his opinion of Wen Keke a notch higher.

This woman must survive.

The next day, Wen Keke washed up and fed Jin Bao before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Upon entering, she was greeted by the sight of a wild boar carcass lying on the kitchen floor.

Wen Keke rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

She actually felt very little resentment toward Ji He. After all, he had punched her, but she had retaliated. Surviving was his skill; they no longer owed each other anything, and encountering each other again would only be as strangers.

However, this man had an uncanny ability to make her feel tense, and her body would instinctively become alert in his presence.

Thinking about Ji He’s uninvited exchanges, Wen Keke decided that it was time to have a serious talk with him. After all, she had to clarify the two items he had left her.

As she thought of Ji He, Wen Keke planned to make a steaming bowl of tomato soup noodles for breakfast that morning. 

She peeled and chopped up some eggs, frying four for later use, as Wen Keke had a fondness for fried eggs and always needed two on her noodles.

With the pan hot, she sautéed diced onions until fragrant, then added chopped tomatoes to fry until juicy.

Since it was two servings, Wen Keke added three bowls of water, two spoons of soy sauce, one spoon of oyster sauce, one spoon of ketchup, one spoon of white sugar, and one spoon of pepper.

Once the water boiled, she added the fried eggs, and after cooking them through, she garnished it with green onions!

After finishing the meal, Wen Keke waited in the kitchen, calling out to the window, "Come out! We need to talk."

Ji He, who had been outside, promptly jumped in through the window.

Wen Keke looked at the man before her. Though they had met several times, she was still taken aback by his presence.

Gathering her thoughts, Wen Keke steadied herself.

"Let me introduce myself. My surname is Wen, and my given name is Keke. Your sneaking in and stealing my stuff has been quite bothersome."

Ji He gazed at Wen Keke, considering the meals she prepared, and replied directly, "Ji He, I do leave things."

Wen Keke mused, finally he spoke.

"But I've never seen the things you left. How do I know if they are good or bad? How about this: you introduce your items first, and then we can trade."

Wen Keke pretended to pull out the tube of green liquid from her pocket, asking, "What is this?"

Ji He explained, "It's a healing potion; it can instantly repair eighty percent of external injuries."

The tall and imposing man now resembled a well-behaved student as he answered obediently.

Wen Keke felt a surge of excitement. Thinking of her space's replication function, she maintained her composure and then pulled out the black stone, asking, "And what is this?"

Ji He looked at the stone, his mind momentarily drifting, then turned his gaze outside the window, saying, "This is a Hidden Stone."