14: Chapter 14 Kitchen Waste Disposal Machine

The sweet, cloying aroma of the baklava acted like an invisible hook, precisely hooking into Jiang Rumu's nostrils.

Honey, crushed pistachios, the caramelized notes of baked pastry... the combination of flavors landed like a punch, striking a stomach that had only consumed half a bowl of wontons.

Li Li's fork hovered in mid-air as he noticed movement on the other side of the partition.

A pair of just-awakened eyes, separated by the half-partition, stared straight at him.

More accurately, they were staring at the piece of baklava on his fork.

When the fork moved left, her gaze followed to the left; when the fork moved right, her gaze drifted to the right.

Fully automatic lock-on, single target.

Without overthinking it, Li Li turned his wrist, and the fork, carrying the honey-drenched dessert, crossed the half-lowered partition and was offered over.

The movement was as natural as handing a pen to a colleague at the next workstation.

In his livestream, the scene seen by 430,000 people was—Li Li's arm crossing the partition, the fork disappearing at the edge of the frame.

Meanwhile, in Jiang Rumu's livestream, the scene seen by 6.1 million people was—a hand reaching over from above the partition, and on the silver fork, an amber-colored baklava glistening under the cabin ceiling light.

No face, no person. Only a hand, a fork, and a dessert.

Two livestreams, two perspectives, piecing together a complete feeding scene.

The comments went wild.

[Whose hand?? Is that the amateur's hand?!]

[Next door! Switch to the next door! He's feeding her!]

[Holy crap, this is my first time seeing puzzle-style feeding!]

Jiang Rumu didn't move. She lay on her side, her head still resting on the pillow, black hair spread across her shoulders.

She just stared at the dessert hovering in front of her, her cerebral cortex clearly not yet operational.

Li Li's hand was as steady as if it were welded in mid-air.

"Eat."

These two words passed through the partition, neither loud nor soft.

Jiang Rumu's gaze finally focused. She looked at the baklava, then raised her eyes, looking past the fork at Li Li.

He was facing forward, not looking at her at all. One hand was offering the food, while the other was scrolling through his phone screen, which displayed a map of the Middle East.

Multitasking, feeding her in his spare time.

Jiang Rumu withdrew her gaze, letting it fall back onto the baklava.

Then—she didn't reach out. Instead, she slightly raised her head, leaned her upper body forward, and leaned in. She opened her mouth directly and took a bite.

"Crunch—" The sound of the pastry shattering exploded clearly in both livestreams via the audio equipment.

A strand of honey stretched from her lips before breaking. Half was gone from the fork.

Li Li withdrew his hand, glanced at the remaining half on the fork, and shoved it into his own mouth without changing his expression. He chewed twice and swallowed.

Throughout the entire process, there wasn't a single superfluous movement.

The comments completely froze for 0.5 seconds. Then came the avalanche.

[She, she, she, she took it with her mouth!!!]

[He ate the rest!!! The same fork!!! Aaaaaah!]

[Indirect kiss! This is an indirect kiss! I'm dead!]

[Five-year veteran fan, I've never seen Mumu this explosive! Is she not awake yet?!]

[To the person above, he didn't do it on purpose either. Look at his face, it's like he's reviewing documents; he has no idea what this implies!]

The number of online viewers in Li Li's livestream jumped instantly from 430,000 to 870,000.

Of course he didn't know. He just took a tissue and wiped the fork.

Jiang Rumu swallowed the cloyingly sweet baklava, her tongue subconsciously licking her lips. Then—grumble—for the third time. Her stomach growled.

It was louder than the previous two times combined, echoing through the empty first-class cabin.

Jiang Rumu's back stiffened. This time she didn't cover her stomach but sat up abruptly, pressed the adjustment button, and raised the back of her seat to a normal angle.

She rubbed the corners of her eyes and tucked her black hair behind her ears. She was fully awake now.

Then, she pressed the call button. The flight attendant arrived in three seconds.

"Madam, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Could I please have the Chinese menu, thank you."

A leather-bound menu, half as thin as the Arabic one, was handed over. Jiang Rumu opened it.

First page: smashed cucumber with garlic, mouth-watering chicken. Turn.

Second page: Kung Pao chicken, steamed sea bass. Turn.

Third page: plain noodles, Yangzhou fried rice.

She flipped back and forth three times, her finger jumping repeatedly between the steamed sea bass and the plain noodles.

Li Li's Middle East news had already cycled through once, and she was still agonizing over it.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Jiang Rumu's finger stopped on the menu, and she looked up at him, hesitating uncharacteristically.

"I want both."

After saying this, she paused, seemingly surprised by her own outburst, and quickly shifted her gaze back to the menu.

"But my stomach is small. If I order too much, I won't finish it; it's a waste."

The first half was desire, the second half was reason. It was the ultimate dilemma for all foodies facing a menu.

Li Li reached out, and before she could react, the menu was in his hands. He scanned it from beginning to end—three seconds—and closed it.

He pressed the call button. The flight attendant appeared again. "Sir?"

Li Li handed the menu back. "Chinese menu, one of each dish."

The flight attendant was stunned. Jiang Rumu was stunned. The seven million-plus people in the two livestreams were all stunned.

"Sir, are you sure? There are eleven dishes on the Chinese menu in total..."

"Sure." Li Li patted the large table tray in front of him, which was covered in empty plates. "Put them on my side. I've finished the Arabic food, and the table is empty."

The flight attendant glanced at the pile of spotlessly cleaned plates, didn't ask any more questions, nodded, and left.

Jiang Rumu stared at him: "You're going to eat two rounds?"

"Not me, you're eating."

"I said my stomach is small..."

"Taste two bites of each, pick what you want to eat." Li Li leaned back in his chair, his posture unchanged. "I'll eat the rest. Waste is bad."

Jiang Rumu looked at him, unable to say a word.

The comments were silent for a second and a half, then completely overwhelmed by this blunt statement.

[He ordered everything again??? Is he treating the A380 first-class cabin like a university cafeteria to grind for XP?!]

[Did he say "I'll eat your leftovers"??? Am I hallucinating??]

[Is there a possibility that he isn't being romantic, but he actually just wants a free second meal...]

The dishes were served one after another; the flight attendant made four trips. Smashed cucumber with garlic, mouth-watering chicken, Kung Pao chicken, steamed sea bass... eleven Chinese dishes filled Li Li's table tray, even occupying half of the small table on Jiang Rumu's side.

The partition between the two seats was lowered completely. It had to be; otherwise, the food wouldn't fit.

Jiang Rumu first picked up a chopstick of tomato scrambled eggs, then tasted a piece of sea bass, ate three bites of mouth-watering chicken, half a bowl of plain noodles, and two soup dumplings.

Then, she put down her chopsticks. "Full."

On the table, nine and a half of the eleven dishes were still full.

Li Li silently picked up his chopsticks. The first thing he did was pull over the bowl of plain noodles that Jiang Rumu had only half-finished.

The soup was still hot. He picked up a large mouthful of noodles, slurped, and ate it under the gaze of over seven million people.

Jiang Rumu turned her head to look at him. "You... are you really eating it?"

"I said, it can't be wasted."

Li Li picked up another piece of the mouth-watering chicken that she had taken two bites of and held it up to the camera to show.

"Mouth-watering chicken, plenty of chili oil, the crushed peanuts are crunchy, the chicken skin is bouncy. In-flight meal, passable."

He shoved it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. His expression was no different from when he ate the round he ordered himself.

Jiang Rumu watched him eliminate the food she had left behind, dish by dish, and the feeling... was very strange.

Li Li picked up the remaining half of the sea bass from her plate, and just as he was about to put it into his mouth, he suddenly stopped and looked at her.

"Do you know what a partner's duty is?"

Jiang Rumu blinked: "What?"

Li Li stuffed the fish into his mouth and chewed it leisurely. "To be a good kitchen waste disposal unit."

The comments went wild.

[Hahahaha, kitchen waste disposal unit! What kind of construction site straight-guy romance is this!]

[I'm crying; he said it was a duty, not a love confession, but it's more effective than any love confession!]

[Others are boyfriends, he is a processor; the profession matches!]

[Where are the sisters who said it was disgusting for him to eat leftovers? Come out! Do you still think it's disgusting now? I'm so jealous I'm like a lemon spirit!]

The number of followers in Li Li's livestream quietly broke through 50,000.

His left wrist felt slightly hot.

[Ding! Side mission "Follower Growth Battle" second tier reward unlocked!]

[Current follower count: 51,422.]

[Growth method: Mukbang + feeding + kitchen waste disposal.]

[The system has given up on analyzing the host's behavioral logic.]

Li Li picked out the last peanut from the Kung Pao chicken and tossed it into his mouth.

Jiang Rumu just leaned back against the chair, turning her head to look at him. She didn't speak, but her posture was more relaxed than at any time before.

Outside the window, the aircraft's wings dipped slightly as it began to adjust altitude. The outline of the Arabian Peninsula was already clearly visible beneath the clouds.

Li Li's phone screen lit up, and a news notification popped up automatically.

Military News Channel, black background with red text, the headline only half-visible, every word striking—

[Breaking] Three Israel destroyers have forcibly entered the Strait of Hormuz, and the Ala Country air defense system has entered—

The headline stopped abruptly at the most critical point.

The next second, the cabin announcement sounded, and the flight attendant's gentle voice drowned out everything else.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our plane has begun its descent and is expected to arrive at Dubai International Airport in thirty minutes..."