My wife is a witch princess

Chapter 64 Song Che Didn't Scold Me This Time

The dialogue in the play was fine, and the performance was surprisingly smooth.

Watching from the side, Jiang Xiaoxiao felt that the tacit understanding between Song Che and Xia Li was astonishing. Every move they made seemed to be perfectly natural—as if they were born to be a princess and a knight.

With just a glance or a gesture from Xia Li, Song Che knew where to stand and how to respond. After several rounds of rehearsals, it was Jiang Xiaoxiao, who had rehearsed several times beforehand, who became the most awkward in cooperating.

She had a feeling that with Xia Li and Song Che's performance, if they were to go on stage, they would definitely leave the other contestants far behind.

Moreover, the natural and comfortable atmosphere of being with them is far superior to those "friendships" that require deliberate maintenance.

She suddenly realized that she didn't need that many friends.

One or two close friends are enough.

……

It was already afternoon when I came out of the club room.

The winter sky was gray and hazy, and the wind felt like tiny knives on my face.

"Are you tired?" Xia Li asked suddenly as she walked, looking at the towering buildings on both sides of the road.

"I'm not tired." Song Che rubbed his hands, which were numb from the cold. "Are you tired?"

"I'm not tired either." Xia Li slowed her pace, looking up at the residential buildings that were dozens of stories high, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Why... can these buildings be built as tall as small mountains?"

In Hitt, the tallest building she had ever seen was the central palace of the kingdom, but even that paled in comparison to the imposing and densely packed modern buildings before her.

"With a deep foundation and a stable structural design, you can build layer by layer upwards," Song Che explained, unable to resist breathing white breath into his palm. "There's another river over in Taixi, and several observation towers have been built in the middle of it, even taller than this."

He was genuinely cold. Walking outside in the dead of winter was not only tiring, but the biting wind was also incredibly penetrating, relentlessly seeping into his collar and cuffs.

His face was almost frozen stiff.

Looking back at Xia Li, the tip of her nose was also red from the cold, like a small cherry.

She blinked and looked at Song Che: "Your nose is red."

"Yours has become popular too."

"It's a bit cold."

"It's more than 'a little'... I'm freezing to death." Song Che's gaze shifted downwards, landing on her hands that hung naturally at her sides, and he tentatively asked, "How about... you warm your hands?"

"...Okay." Xia Li hesitated for a moment, then held out her hand, "But my hands are cold too."

"It's okay, you'll warm up after a while."

With permission granted, Song Che immediately reached out and grabbed Xia Li's slightly cool hand, then slipped it into his coat pocket. This forced them to stand closer, but their hands were indeed enveloped in a relatively warm space.

But a few seconds later, Xia Li suddenly pulled her hand away, grabbed Song Che's hand instead, and stuffed it into her own pocket.

"It feels a little strange to keep it in your pocket all this time," she said softly.

Song Che was pulled so hard that he stumbled, and their shoulders almost touched.

He was grabbed by her hand from behind—her hand was a size smaller than his, and she couldn't quite grasp it completely.

The sensation of palms touching was clear; her fingertips were icy cold, but her palms still retained a slight warmth.

Song Che instinctively reached out and gripped her hand back.

Xia Li immediately reacted as if burned, her fingers struggled for a moment, and then she pressed his hand against the inside of her pocket with force.

How can this be allowed?

Being led by the hand by a girl like this always feels like being a puppy on a walk...

Song Che's stubborn, masculine spirit kicked in, and he subtly tightened his grip, trying to turn the tide. But Xia Li, who usually seemed quiet, was incredibly stubborn once she got serious.

Song Che is stubborn, and Xia Li is stubborn to the extreme.

In the end, Song Che "gave in" and let her loosely hold his hand as they slowly walked forward.

My pockets gradually warmed up.

Xia Li seemed to feel that one hand had warmed up enough, so she naturally pulled it out and put her other hand in to continue warming it.

She did it so openly, as if she really was just trying to keep warm, unlike Song Che, who was half focused on feeling the slender softness of her fingers and the delicate coolness of her skin.

Xia Li understood perfectly.

But she still didn't understand what was so interesting about "touching" hands.

However, even if there wasn't much to touch, she would never let just anyone touch her. Physical contact always made her feel awkward, except for Song Che... she seemed to be able to tolerate it.

Suddenly, she stopped, took out her free hand, and lightly tapped Song Che's head with a "thud".

"Don't touch my stomach." Her voice was flat.

"I bumped into it by accident," Song Che said without changing his expression.

"Liar. You've 'accidentally' bumped into me several times already." Xia Li pulled her hand completely out of his pocket. "I'm not letting you warm it up anymore."

"If you're not warm, I will be." Song Che reacted even faster, immediately taking the initiative and grabbing her hand that was trying to retreat, putting it back in his pocket and holding it tightly.

Xia Li was pulled closer by him, and after a few symbolic struggles that failed, she gave up resisting. "You can put it in your pocket... that's fine too."

She turned her face away.

But this "peace" didn't last more than a few minutes.

thump.

Another light tap on the head.

"I don't want to warm it up anymore." Xia Li said sternly, trying to pull her hand away. "You keep touching it...it's weird."

"What's so strange about that?" Song Che gripped her hand tightly to prevent her from escaping, speaking with righteous indignation, "Boyfriends are allowed to touch their girlfriends' hands. If you feel you're at a disadvantage, then touch her hand back."

"You're lying." Xia Li glared at him, managing to squeeze out a single word, "Pervert. We're just pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend; we're supposed to be decent people."

Song Che: "...?"

How do you even know this word?

"The magic mirror told me." Xia Li looked away, not telling him that the last time she wasn't wearing pants in the bedroom, it was actually partly to test whether Song Che was a "decent person".

When she searched for related questions, the webpage popped up with a lot of inappropriate terms and descriptions, and she "accidentally" read them all.

Strangely, some links, when clicked, only displayed a "[404]" error message, and clicking them repeatedly didn't help. There were some things she ultimately failed to see.

Song Che paused for a moment, then decided to correct her misconception: "This isn't called 'perverted,' it's called 'liking.'"

"The magic mirror says that if a man wants to touch a woman, he's indecent, and if he keeps wanting to touch her, he's a pervert," Xia Li repeated seriously. "That's not what liking someone is. Liking someone is..."

What does "liking" mean?

"I...I don't know!" Xia Li's voice unconsciously rose a little, carrying a hint of annoyance at being stumped.

"If you don't know, you don't know. Don't be so self-righteous." Song Che suppressed a laugh and continued his twisted logic, "It's normal for a man to have some 'improper' thoughts about a woman he likes. There's nothing to hide or be ashamed of—unless he's not a normal man or he's gay."

What does "gay" mean?

"...It's better if you don't know this."

"...Oh." Xia Li was silent for a moment, then seemed to think of something else. Suddenly, she raised her eyes and asked very seriously, "Then am I... not a normal woman? I always feel this feeling... is very strange."

"That's not entirely true." Song Che softened his voice. "It's a bit contradictory to explain. But many people would feel ashamed at first, or find it hard to accept having such thoughts. For example, I used to look at pretty girls, like them, but I would deny it. Now I don't feel that way anymore. Now I have eyes that can 'appreciate beauty'."

"So you like looking at beautiful women."

"Hmm. But don't misunderstand, 'liking' here just means finding them pretty, like appreciating a painting or a flower. But my 'liking' for you is something else entirely." Song Che was now spouting nonsense without batting an eye, certain that Xia Li wouldn't be able to discern the subtle difference. "Of course, I'm telling you this because I like you. You...would you mind if I looked at other beautiful women?"

He suddenly felt like teasing her, and lowered his voice: "Or... touch their hands?"

"I..." Xia Li was stumped by the question, her brows furrowing slightly. "I don't know. But I feel... you shouldn't touch them."

"Hahaha..." Song Che was amused by her straightforward yet possessive answer. "Actually, I haven't seen them much either. None of them... are as pretty as you."

"...Me?"

"Yes, Your Highness is exceptionally beautiful." Song Che looked at her cheeks, slightly flushed from the cold wind, and her clear blue eyes, and said sincerely, "If you were to become a social media influencer, you would definitely be a hit."

"Can you make money?"

"It's possible... but it's better not to do it."

"Because I'm an 'illegal resident'?"

"Smart." Song Che nodded, pondering to himself. After the college entrance exam, he planned to go to the orphanage to see what could be done. With Tao Yao's somewhat unstable illusion abilities, resolving Xia Li's identity issue shouldn't be impossible.

He'd figure out a way to verify her identity first, then get the documents replaced... The process would definitely be troublesome, but he could wait. He'd wait for Tao Yao's monthly, unreliable illusion to cool down.

The welfare home uses it once, a possible subsequent investigation uses it once, and it uses it again when reissuing an ID card... Theoretically, it's feasible.

If everything goes smoothly, Xia Li might still be able to... legally go to school.

Xia Li didn't show any happiness on her face after hearing this. She just lowered her head again, and it was unknown what was going on in her little mind at that moment.

The two held hands like that.

Despite Xia Li's occasional attempts to pull away, and Song Che's constant touching, the whole way was filled with noise and chatter. Song Che kept spouting nonsense without batting an eye, and Xia Li would occasionally flick him on the forehead in retaliation before slowly walking home.

……

By the time he reached his doorstep, it was already afternoon. Song Che glanced at his phone—it had taken him almost an hour and a half to walk there.

"So tired." He let out a long sigh and deliberately glanced at Xia Li beside him.

He simply couldn't believe that this girl wasn't tired at all.

Xia Li was breathing slightly heavily, her chest rising and falling gently. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold, as if she had applied too much blush. Her hair was a little messy from the wind, with a few strands sticking to her sweaty forehead.

"Aren't you tired?" Song Che raised an eyebrow.

"...I'm not tired." Xia Li looked away, her voice a little weak. "I'm hungry."

"Okay, it's good that you're hungry. I'll cook for you."

As they opened the door, a warm breeze wafted out. Bruce wagged his tail and greeted them, while Momoka nestled on the sofa, gazing at them expectantly—she was clearly hungry too.

Tao Yao went out to play, and when she was done playing, she came back and let Tao Xiang eat. She really had a good plan!

Song Che changed his shoes and went straight into the kitchen. Xia Li followed him in as usual, standing beside him, ready to help.

Seeing her eager expression, Song Che suddenly had a whim and took the apron off the hook.

"Here, Your Highness, would you like to try being the head chef today?" He unfolded his apron, gesturing for Xia Li to turn around.

Xia Li was stunned for a moment, then obediently turned around and faced away from him.

Song Che put the apron over her head and tied the straps around her waist with both hands. His fingertips brushed against her waist, and he could feel the slender waistline beneath the fabric.

He paused for a moment before neatly tying a knot.

"Alright." He stepped back, looking at Xia Li, who was wearing an apron and had slightly disheveled silver hair, and found her inexplicably cute. "Today you're the head chef, and I'll assist you. What do you want to cook?"

Xia Li turned around, looked down at the apron she was wearing, then looked up at the stove, her expression serious as if she were facing a battle.

"...Stir-fried greens."

She remembered that Song Che often did this; it seemed to be the simplest thing to do.

"Okay. The vegetables are washed, and the garlic is chopped." Song Che pushed the colander containing the vegetables and a small dish of minced garlic in front of her. "Remember the procedure? Heat the pan first, then add the oil."

"I remember." Xia Li nodded and turned on the gas stove with a confident air.

Blue flames suddenly shot up.

She stared at the pot, waited a few seconds, and then... picked up the oil bottle and poured the oil into the pot, which wasn't even very hot yet, without hesitation.

"Hey, wait a minute—" Song Che didn't have time to stop them, and saw that half of the oil in the pot had already been poured in.

"Is there too much oil...?"

Song Che looked at the pool of oil and his lips twitched.

This is enough to stir-fry three plates of vegetables.

"Is this a lot?" Xia Li looked at the pot in confusion. "I saw you poured more last time."

"I was frying something! You don't need this much for stir-fried vegetables!" Song Che sighed, "Oh well, more is better. More oil won't spoil the vegetables... I guess."

As the pan gradually heated up, fine ripples began to appear on the surface of the oil noodles.

Xia Li stared intently at the oil.

Then, she picked up the dish of minced garlic, held it at least twenty centimeters above the oil noodles, and flicked her wrist—

"Splash!"

The minced garlic fell into the oil like a shower of flowers, instantly creating a burst of intense crackling and popping sounds!

Fortunately, the oil wasn't very hot.

"Ah!" Xia Li exclaimed softly, jumping back in a flustered manner, almost bumping into Song Che behind her.

Song Che reacted quickly, pulling her behind him while grabbing the pot lid with his other hand and holding it up like a shield.

"Your Highness! Throw the bomb?! Lower it, slide it down the edge of the pot!"

A few drops of oil splashed onto the back of his hand, and he still hissed in pain.

Xia Li peeked out from behind him, looked at the fragrant minced garlic in the pan, and pursed her lips. "...Okay."

"The garlic is a little burnt, but it's okay, a slightly burnt aroma is fine too." Song Che handed her the spatula. "Now it's time to add the vegetables. Be careful, don't get too close."

Xia Li took the spatula, as if facing a formidable enemy.

She picked up the colander, remembering Song Che's words this time, and lowered it, sliding the vegetables into the pot along the edge.

"Sizzle—"

There was another sound, but it was much gentler than before.

When the green vegetables are heated, they shrink rapidly, and their bright green color appears particularly vibrant in the oil.

"Stir it quickly, or the bottom will burn," Song Che reminded him from the side.

Upon hearing this, Xia Li immediately began to stir-fry vigorously.

Her movements were completely haphazard; instead of stir-frying, it was more like... digging in the pot.

She shoveled the vegetables high into the air, then they fell back down in a scattered mess, with a few leaves even landing on the stove.

"Gently! Your Highness, this isn't cooking, it's practicing martial arts!" Song Che watched with bated breath, afraid she would tip the pan over. "Just use your wrist and gently nudge it..."

Xia Li pursed her lips, adjusted her posture, and softened her movements, but she was still stiff. She stared intently at the vegetables bubbling in the pot, her brows furrowed, as if she were dealing with some troublesome magical ingredient.

"It's time to add salt." Song Che handed over the salt shaker.

Xia Li took it, hesitated for a moment, then pinched up a small amount and carefully sprinkled it on.

"...Add a little more, Your Highness."

Xia Li added a small pinch more.

"A little more...yes, almost there. And just a tiny bit of light soy sauce, yes, from that bottle, just a tiny bit!"

With Song Che's remote command and occasional intervention, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, which wasn't exactly visually appealing but was at least cooked and exuded a complex aroma, was finally ready.

Xia Li turned off the stove and stared at the plate of glistening, dark-colored vegetables with unevenly distributed minced garlic. She remained silent for a few seconds.

"It seems... a little different." She compared it to the bright green and refreshing vegetables that Song Che had stir-fried in her memory.

"It is a little different." Song Che leaned over, picked up a piece with his chopsticks, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.

chew.

pause.

Facial expression management.

"How is it?" Xia Li looked at him, a rare hint of nervousness and anticipation showing in her blue eyes.

Song Che swallowed with difficulty, carefully choosing his words: "Hmm... it's cooked, and the saltiness is... barely acceptable. It's just that there's a bit too much oil, the garlic is a little burnt, the cooking time is a little overdone, and the vegetables are a bit tough..."

Xia Li's eyes dimmed little by little as he spoke.

"...But!" Song Che changed the subject, picking up another bite with his chopsticks. "This is Your Highness's first time cooking, and to have done this well is already quite impressive! It's much better than my first time; I burned through the bottom of the pot the first time!"

That's true, although he forgot to turn off the stove that time.

Xia Li looked up at him, as if trying to determine whether he was trying to comfort her.

"Really." Song Che took another bite, this time with a more natural expression, perhaps because he was numb. "The oil is so fragrant, and the garlic is also unique! The key is the thought behind it! No one else is qualified to eat dishes cooked by His Highness himself."

Xia Li watched his slightly exaggerated performance, the corners of her mouth curved almost imperceptibly, then immediately straightened up again.

"I'll do better next time."

"Absolutely, Xia Li learns everything so quickly." Song Che smiled, placing the dish of stir-fried vegetables—which looked rather unappetizing but was of great significance—on the table. "Today's main course—the special 'Jade Dragon'!"

This dish received special attention at the dinner table.

Song Che ate most of the food without changing his expression, continuing his food commentary as he ate. Tao Xiang took a bite, her little face scrunched up, but at Song Che's prompting look, she obediently ate it.

Bruce... Bruce only cares about whether Tao Yao has stolen his cat food.

Xia Li ate a few bites herself, then silently put down her chopsticks.

"It is a bit oily," she commented objectively.

"It's okay, we'll just eat less oily food tomorrow." Song Che smiled and ladled her a bowl of soup. "It's your first time, that's great. I'll teach you step by step next time."

"Um."

Xia Li nodded, looking at the plate of vegetables on the table that had been mostly "devoured." The slight sense of frustration in her heart seemed to be slowly smoothed out by Song Che's nonsensical praise.

This time, he didn't call her an idiot?

Xia Li didn't understand, but she felt good because she wasn't stupid to begin with.

She thought that cooking seemed a little more difficult than she had imagined.

But... it doesn't seem that difficult.

At least, someone was willing to eat the food she made, even though it wasn't very tasty.

This feeling... isn't bad.