Chapter 27

For dinner, Xi Mi cooked several seafood dishes to turn in as her homework for Ying Quhe.

Throughout the tasting process, Ying Quhe kept his head down without saying a word, clearly reluctant to talk to her. Xi Mi noticed this as well and muttered, “Master Ying, your unpredictable moods are really giving me a shock.”

Holding his spoon in his left hand, Ying Quhe brought a spoonful of rich soup to his mouth. With the index and middle fingers of his other hand, he pinched a magazine page, turned it, and continued to ignore her.

Receiving no evaluation from him whatsoever, Xi Mi simply took it as a sign that he was satisfied with tonight’s dishes. Feeling bored, she opened her WeChat contact list and found Culinary Dao.

Xi Mi: “Bastard Dao, are you there?”

Across from her, a phone chimed.

Xi Mi asked again: “Bastard Dao, hurry up and get out here, I’m paying you back.”

Bald Boss had paid her wages in advance, so she could pay back the nine thousand Yuan. Once she paid him back, she could face him tomorrow with a clear conscience.

Across from her, the phone chimed again.

Xi Mi found it odd. Talk about perfect synchronization!

Culinary Dao finally replied: “I told you there’s no need to pay me back. It’s the copyright fee for your recipes.”

Xi Mi: “Culinary Dao, I’m not joking about paying you back; I’m serious. We didn’t even know each other, yet you were willing to help me when I was in trouble. That was already an immense favor, so I can’t take advantage of you. Nine thousand Yuan might only be nine Jiao to you, but to me, it’s several months of wages. So Culinary Dao, I definitely have to return this money. I’ve already transferred it to you via WeChat, please accept it.”

Culinary Dao: “To me, it’s only nine Fen. Miss Xi Mi, I am also a person of principle and won’t take things from others for nothing. I used your recipes to make videos and gain followers for myself, so I ought to compensate you.”

Seeing him stubbornly refuse to take the money, Xi Mi tapped at her screen and muttered aloud under her breath, “Bastard Dao, Bastard Dao, do you dare accept the money? You thousand-year turtle, little Bie Sun, is accepting money when it’s right in front of you really that hard? Nine Fen is still money!”

Realizing she had gotten too worked up, Xi Mi looked up right into Ying Quhe’s sharp, deep eyes. Embarrassed, she explained, “Master, I didn’t mean to swear like that. This Culinary Dao lent me nine thousand Yuan as runaway marriage funds, but now that I’m trying to pay him back, he refuses to accept it no matter what. It’s driving me crazy, and my conscience can’t rest easy.”

Something resembling amusement flickered in Ying Quhe’s eyes. “Xi Mi, have you ever considered that if he knew you spoke about him like that, he would be very hurt?”

Xi Mi: “It’s fine, unless he has divine hearing. Master, you’re finally talking to me. You weren’t angry with me, were you?”

Ying Quhe lowered his eyes back to his magazine. “What would I have to be angry about? You’re an adult with your own judgment.”

Xi Mi folded her hands, resting her head on her arms as she looked at him. “Do you think that playing Ji Donglin’s fake girlfriend just for a bit of money means I have no principles or standards?”

His eyelids twitched, his thick eyebrows arched slightly, and his fingers froze halfway through turning the page.

“What did you say?” Ying Quhe finally raised his eyes to look at her, the frost lingering in his deep, cold gaze finally melting away.

“Forget I said anything. Anyway, your disciple is just a money-crazed cat who’d crawl through a coin’s hole^[1] for cash.” Xi Mi pursed her lips, shaking her head playfully at him and making a face, teasing him as if she wouldn’t rest until she drove him crazy.

Ying Quhe’s eyes filled with deep amusement. “When I first met you, you weren’t like this. Are you growing bolder now just because you’re my disciple?”

Back when he had first met Xi Mi, she was a fearful young girl who had lost a shoe but was too terrified to even tell him.

And now?

She seemed to be getting bolder and bolder, even daring to make faces at him.

This was Xi Mi: the very same Xi Mi who dared to berate him like a dog on Weibo and call him “Bastard Dao.”

Xi Mi stuck out her tongue. “We didn’t know each other well back then, but now we’re master and disciple. Shouldn’t Master indulge his disciple’s little quirks?”

Ying Quhe stared into her curved, crescent-shaped eyes and burst out laughing.

Her skin was getting thicker too.

After dinner ended, Xi Mi stood up to clean the dishes as usual. Having tossed woks at the restaurant all day, her upper arms felt sore, and her wrist was not in great shape.

Water gushed from the faucet. She tried moving her wrist around and splashed cold water over it, easing the pain slightly. Xi Mi took a deep breath, looking at the greasy dishware with a growing headache. She was already exhausted after working all day, yet she had to keep working after coming home.

Though it was hard work, thinking about how fortunate she was to know Ying Quhe made a small sense of happiness sweep away her fatigue.

Xi Mi picked up a dinner plate. Just as her fair, delicate hand dipped into the soapy suds, her wrist was seized by Ying Quhe, who had slipped silently into the kitchen. He lifted her hand out and used a clean cloth to wipe away the foam. “Go on out. I’ll do it.”

“Huh?”

Xi Mi’s eyelids fluttered in shock.

Letting Ying Quhe wash the dishes was something she had never entertained as a wild fantasy ever since moving in.

The man held her wrist tightly in his hand. His long, well-defined fingers were strong, his palm lightly damp with sweat, radiating a uniquely masculine heat.

Ying Quhe wiped the fine soapy foam clean from her hand. His hand gripping her wrist didn’t let go; instead, his other hand clasped her five fingers. The warmth from his palm seeped from her cool fingertips into her bloodstream, connecting to her heart and spreading deep into her soul, transforming into a sweetness like honey.

It wasn’t the first time Ying Quhe had held her wrist, but it was the first time he had touched her hand.

The tips of Xi Mi’s ears flushed red.

Ying Quhe asked her with unusual gravity, “Does your wrist hurt frequently lately?”

She nodded.

“Make sure to rest it from now on.” Ying Quhe held her fingers, gently rotating her wrist with slow, deliberate movements. “Spending long hours in the kitchen, twisting and bending your wrist, can cause ganglion cysts. Rest whenever it hurts. Is this household lacking food to feed you, that you have to work so hard to make money?”

What started as concern had somehow turned into a stern scolding again. Xi Mi pursed her lips and pulled her hand back.

Ying Quhe: “Go rest. I’ll wash the dishes.”

Xi Mi couldn’t ask for more. Overjoyed, she scampered upstairs to pick out and try on clothes.

Half an hour later.

All four doors of the wardrobe were flung open, clothes spread across the bed, and several pairs of shoes neatly lined up. Xi Mi ultimately picked a red dress. After snipping off the tag, she began trying on shoes. Going down the line, a pair of bright red flat sandals proved to be the best fit, making the top of her feet look fair and delicate.

Xi Mi opened her makeup case and pulled out a lipstick, choosing a subtle shade that brightened her complexion. She found a basic makeup tutorial video online and tried it out herself. Perhaps the eyeliner and eyebrow pencil were particularly beginner-friendly, because she surprisingly nailed it on her very first attempt without ruining her makeup.

With her outfit put together and her subtle makeup a success, Xi Mi lay in bed after lights out, her mind drifting into fantasies about what Culinary Dao looked like.

Even if he was covered in pockmarks, it didn’t matter. His soul was beautiful.

Xi Mi dreamed she was sitting in a restaurant. A pockmarked Culinary Dao presented her with flowers and a diamond ring, confessing that he had been secretly in love with her for a long time. In the dream, some wire in Xi Mi’s brain must have crossed, because she actually nodded happily, accepting Culinary Dao’s proposal and holding out her hand to let him slip the diamond ring onto her finger.

What was supposed to be a sweet, romantic dream was shattered when Ying Quhe suddenly descended from the ceiling, kicking the diamond ring right out of Culinary Dao’s hand.

The two of them pulled spatulas straight out of their spines and clashed. Instantly, the restaurant erupted into a frenzy of ice and fire, lightning crackling while avoiding the structures as Culinary Dao and Ying Quhe fought from the ground up into the sky.

Ying Quhe won a decisive victory. His spatula pressed directly against Culinary Dao’s throat as he bellowed, “How dare you lay a finger on my disciple?”

Blood seeped from the corner of Culinary Dao’s mouth, and he gave a bitter smile. “There is true love in online romance. If I cannot be Xi Mi’s husband in this life, then let it be the next. I shall swallow my spatula and end my own life; I only ask that out of mercy for how sweet Xi Mi is, you spare her.”

Ying Quhe said, “She is my disciple. Of course I will not take her life. At most, I will break one of her dog legs.”

Xi Mi looked up at the two men among the clouds, choking back tears as she called out, “Master, I have human legs, not dog legs!”

With a look of absolute determination, Culinary Dao shoved the spatula into his mouth, preparing to take his own life.

Xi Mi reached out a dramatic Erkang hand^[2] and yelled, “Don’t!”

Xi Mi startled awake from the nightmare, only to realize her pillow was actually wet.

Holy crap.

Just what kind of heart-wrenching dream had that been? She had actually been brought to tears by it! And why on earth would she like a pockmarked Culinary Dao in the first place?

And what in the world was that “there is true love in online romance” nonsense…?

*

After lunch, Xi Mi changed into her little red dress and spent three hours getting ready. She even went to a hair salon, spending thirty-nine Yuan to get her hair washed and styled.

Taking the bus to Ying Shi Pavilion took about an hour and a half.

Upon ascending Nanshan, a semi-transparent, semi-enclosed ancient-style building came into view. Hanging across the glass exterior walls were wisteria vines draped in wild, cascading blossoms, blooming with unrestrained splendor like a curtain of water over a cave entrance. Peeking through the gaps in the branches, one could glimpse screens inside painted with Tang Dynasty court ladies, radiating a rich, ancient charm.

To enter Ying Shi Pavilion, one had to walk down a long corridor covered in purple grapevines.

The afternoon sun shone brilliantly, showing no signs of approaching rain. With the sun now leaning west, the glow of twilight fell across the grapevines, scattering broken flecks of light across the ground like fine golden dust.

Clusters of ripe purple grapes had lost the translucence of their green days, but they remained plump, juicy, and irresistibly mouthwatering.

The moment Xi Mi stepped onto the corridor stairs, a staff member respectfully approached and asked her, “Excuse me, are you Miss Xi Mi?”

Xi Mi nodded.

The staff member made a gesture of invitation. “Please, follow me.”

Following the young woman inside, Xi Mi could not help but look up. Clusters of purple grapes hung within arm’s reach. She swallowed her saliva and fought down the temptation.

The wooden plaque of Ying Shi Pavilion was adorned with a few drooping wisteria blossoms, which half-covered the gilded character for “Pavilion.” Although the front hall featured glass walls, it offered excellent thermal insulation. As soon as she stepped inside, a wave of cool air greeted her.

Rounding the front hall and crossing a small suspension bridge wrapped in wisteria, she arrived at a spacious private room in the rear of Ying Shi Pavilion. The decor here was strikingly different from the light, airy atmosphere upfront. Simple, heavy rosewood benches surrounded a square hotpot table, where a primitive large iron pot was boiling with red chilies and green rattan pepper. A thick layer of fiery red oil floated on top, completely hiding the bottom of the pot.

The tableware was a set of blue-and-white porcelain, and the handles of the wooden chopsticks were carved with delicate golden seal script^[3] characters.

The air was thick with the aroma of hotpot. Even the folding screen opposite her featured vivid embroidery of strings of fiery red chilies.

A waitress in a qipao stood upright on either side of the screen. They shared the same height, nearly identical builds, and strikingly similar facial features. If they had not bowed to her when she entered, Xi Mi would have taken them for wax figures.

The private room was so luxuriously appointed that Xi Mi felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. She asked a waitress, “Has my friend not arrived yet?”

Before the words had fully left her mouth, the waitresses slid the screen aside to reveal a long rosewood dining table covered in ingredients. Culinary Dao stood with his back to her, wearing a black chef’s jacket as he chopped vegetables. The crisp jacket accented his broad, well-defined shoulders, while the ties of his red apron marked the divide between his upper and lower body, emphasizing his narrow waist and long legs.

The sight of his back instantly reminded Xi Mi of Ying Quhe.

The rhythm of the knife on the cutting board harmonized with the bubbling rumble of the hotpot. Culinary Dao sliced a potato into thin slices, scooping them onto a plate with the spine of his knife. As he turned sideways, Xi Mi caught sight of his profile.

As if struck by electricity right through her seat, Xi Mi bolted upright almost instantly.

“Ying Quhe!”

“Sit down,” Ying Quhe said unhurriedly, continuing to slice the vegetables. “I promised to treat you to hotpot. As a greeting gift, I am cooking personally.”

“…”

Wait. What was going on?

Xi Mi was completely dazed. She rubbed her eyes and pinched herself, her shocked mind roiling like the boiling hotpot.

Ying Quhe added, “Back at the ancient town, I already knew you were Xi Xi Xi Mi.”

It felt as though a basin of scalding, spicy hotpot broth had been dumped over her face, sending a dense, stinging pain across her burning skin.

So he had been watching her make a fool of herself this whole time?

Xi Mi gripped her blue-and-white porcelain bowl tight and forced out a smile. “Then… last night when I called you Bie Sun, how did you feel?”

Having finished slicing the final dish, Ying Quhe wiped his hands and walked over, taking a seat on the bench to Xi Mi’s left as the waitresses began serving the food. Ying Quhe poured her a glass of herbal tea. “My apologies for not finding a suitable time to tell you. I was quite touched when you said you could understand me.”

Heh. Understand, my foot.

“Consider tonight a surprise.”

Ying Quhe produced a white gift box tied with a gold-embroidered lace ribbon in a bow. The warm yellow light caught the lace embroidery, setting off faint glints of gold.

“Heh, more like a shock.” Xi Mi took the gift box, keeping her smile in place. “Mhm, really, Bastard Dao, I am so, so pleasantly surprised.”

With a loud bang, Xi Mi slammed the gift box onto the ground, stood up, and stomped it flat with one foot. The sudden shift in her mood caught everyone completely off guard.

“Ying Quhe, do you think this is fun? Have you been treating me like a dumb little dog this whole time?”

Xi Mi’s outburst turned the two waiters’ faces pale with fright.

The boss’s little girlfriend sure has a fiery temper…

In that single instant, Ying Quhe realized he had severely underestimated what Xi Mi could tolerate. Blood rushed to her head in sheer fury. Clenching her little fists, she paced in circles around the flattened gift box like a little ant. Careless for a second, she twisted her ankle. Ying Quhe reached out to steady her, but she kicked him away.

Xi Mi braced herself against the wall, pulled off her shoe, and hurled it at Ying Quhe. “Bastard Dao, if a watermelon doesn’t show its power, you think I’m a withered grape^[4]? Here’s your shoe back!”

“…” Ying Quhe reached out and caught the shoe she threw at him.

Xi Mi’s eyes were red with rage. With a chest full of anger and nowhere to vent it, she finally hopped in place with an expression of heroic resolve, let out a scream, and charged forward, pinning Ying Quhe dead against the corner as her little hands clamped around his neck.

From the looks of it… she was ready to commit murder.

One of the waiters silently dialed 110^[5]…