Ignoring Lan Xiaoling's protests, Gabriel untied the apron around her waist and tied it around his own. Then he began to stir - fry the dishes in a very skillful manner.

Lan Xiaoling stood behind him and watched. The man's proficient movements showed that he was no novice; he could even rival a professional chef.

She asked in surprise, "You really know how to cook?"

Gabriel gave a soft grunt. "In the Dark Web, there are only a bunch of rough men. And since I didn't like others getting close to me before, I took care of my own life."

Lan Xiaoling let out an "oh", and her mood changed because of his words! Especially when she savored his words about "the woman I like", she even felt a little sweet inside.

"The kitchen has a lot of fumes. Go outside and stay with the kids," Gabriel said, glancing back at her when he noticed she was silent.

Lan Xiaoling thought for a moment and then walked over to help him. "It's mealtime, and the kids are hungry. It'll be faster if I help you."

Gabriel was a bit surprised but didn't refuse. He let her assist him.

The two of them cooperated well, and soon a standard meal of three dishes and one soup was on the table.

The two little guys had already been sitting at the table waiting. When they saw the sumptuous food, they almost drooled.

"Wow, today's dishes look so delicious!" Yuan Man stretched out his chubby little hand, grabbed a piece of meat and put it in his mouth. He then gave a big thumbs - up to his parents without hesitation.

Yuan Bao chimed in, "Mommy's cooking skills are getting better and better!"

When he said this, Lan Xiaoling felt a bit embarrassed. She had just burned a dish, and after that, she had only helped pass things and hadn't touched the spatula. In fact, all these dishes were cooked by Gabriel.

"Yes, Mommy has always been good at cooking!" Gabriel said with a smile as he looked at Lan Xiaoling while the kids were enjoying their food.

Under such intense gazes, the two kids were extremely excited and continued to act out their play.

"Yeah, Mommy is beautiful, kind - hearted, and can cook. And she's a teacher, too. Daddy really found a treasure!" Yuan Bao praised his mom vigorously.

Yuan Man wasn't willing to be outdone. He praised his dad, "Daddy is also great. He's tall, handsome, and rich. And he knows martial arts, so he can protect us little babies and Mommy!"

Lan Xiaoling listened to the two little guys' endless praises of her and Gabriel. Her heart was filled with complex emotions. Thinking about it, she and Gabriel were actually quite well - matched.

Lan Xiaoling, almost involuntarily, turned her head and stole a glance at Gabriel with her peripheral vision. At that moment, her heart started pounding wildly, and her face instantly turned red all the way to the tips of her ears.

Maybe her gaze was too intense. Gabriel also turned his head, and their eyes met. The meeting of ice and fire transformed into a sublimation of emotions.

Lan Xiaoling's mind went blank. When she realized the two kids were still there, she quickly averted her face to hide her embarrassment.

However, this scene was noticed by the sharp - eyed Yuan Man. Taking this opportunity, Yuan Man continued, "Daddy, Mommy, hurry up and eat. The food is getting cold."

Then, he pretended to be in a difficult situation and said, "Daddy, Mommy can't reach the delicious dishes from her seat. Daddy, you should help Mommy pick up some food."

Gabriel knew that his son was creating an opportunity for him. Since he was the one who arranged the dishes, he knew where they were placed. Now, all the delicious dishes were placed farthest from Lan Xiaoling, clearly the work of the little guy.

Of course, he also pretended not to know anything and naturally picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and put it in Lan Xiaoling's bowl.

"You're too thin. Eat more," he said.

Lan Xiaoling felt a bit uncomfortable. She was about to say that she could pick up her own food when she saw Gabriel pick up some other dishes for her. Soon, her bowl was piled up like a small mountain.

"You eat too. I can do it myself," Lan Xiaoling said, feeling a bit overwhelmed by Gabriel's gentleness. Although they had spent some time together, they had always eaten their own food and had never taken the initiative to pick up food for each other like this.

At this moment, Lan Xiaoling actually felt the warmth of a family from Gabriel. Almost involuntarily, she also took the initiative to pick up some food for the man.

"You eat too," she said.

"Okay," Gabriel replied. His eyes clearly changed a bit because of her action.

Lan Xiaoling was in a complete mess. After picking up the food, she lowered her head but could still feel the man's gaze on her. At this moment, she greedily enjoyed this kind of happiness and even thought about how wonderful it would be if she could live like this for the rest of her life.

But then she quickly thought that she was being too greedy. After all, it was she who had pushed Gabriel away before, and now she was soft - hearted and wanted to get closer to him. She even thought that she was being too delicate and artificial!

With such complex thoughts, Lan Xiaoling didn't pick up her chopsticks for a long time. Finally, Gabriel gently tapped her chopsticks and asked, "What are you thinking about? Hurry up and eat."

"Oh," Lan Xiaoling said, coming back to her senses and then starting to eat. As soon as the food entered her mouth, her eyes brightened, and then she couldn't help but exclaim, "It tastes good!"

Hearing this, Yuan Man said proudly, "See, Mommy, isn't Daddy excellent? He can make such simple dishes so delicious."

Lan Xiaoling looked at Gabriel again, and her face became even redder. Yes, for a man to make such simple dishes taste like a master's work, he was really amazing.

The meal was very warm, but the kids' occasional cheers made Lan Xiaoling very embarrassed. In fact, she could tell that the two kids were deliberately trying to bring them closer, but their actions just made her at a loss.

"I'm full. I'll go clean up the kitchen," Lan Xiaoling finally couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to leave the scene on her own initiative.

Unexpectedly, Gabriel stopped her before she could. "You've taken me in. I can't just eat and drink for free. I'll do the housework from now on. You go and grade the kids' homework."

Previously, he had heard from Yuan Man that Lan Xiaoling had to grade homework late into the night every day, sometimes even staying up all night. This made him feel sad just thinking about it.

To let Lan Xiaoling focus on her teaching career, Gabriel had decided that in the future, he would help share the housework and relieve some of Lan Xiaoling's burden. After all, she had suffered a lot these days, taking on the roles of both father and mother. Now that he was here, how could he let his woman continue to suffer?

Because he was too hasty, Gabriel's hand covered Lan Xiaoling's arm. When Lan Xiaoling realized what was happening, he quickly withdrew his hand.

"No need. I'll do it," Lan Xiaoling said and hurriedly left, her heart pounding with nervousness.

Although Gabriel was a bit disappointed by the rejection, seeing her blushing like that made him inexplicably happy.

Yuan Man was worried that his dad would be unhappy and quickly comforted him, "Daddy, it's okay!" Then he made a gesture of "keep going".

Gabriel stroked the child's head and was amused by him.