Chapter 11

Nan Qing was passing by when she saw Ying Quhe step inside. She glanced at Xi Mi before her gaze finally settled on Ying Quhe. “You two know each other?”

The question caught Ying Quhe off guard. “I should be asking you that.”

Xi Mi chimed in, “Um… Mr. Ying, I met this lady at the application center for 《China’s Supreme Taste》 that day. She’s that super famous food blogger on Weibo, Nan Qing’s Little Kitchen.”

“I didn’t realize Miss Nan had such a hobby.”

Ying Quhe had seen recipes posted by Nan Qing’s Little Kitchen. They lacked creativity and innovation, and the dishes were completely by-the-book.

What surprised him was that Nan Qing’s Little Kitchen was actually Nan Qing herself.

“Quhe, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?” Nan Qing’s gaze landed on his hands, and she smiled faintly. “Even if your hands turned into Nine Yin Skeleton Claws^[1], I’d still recognize them.”

Ying Quhe’s eyes sharpened, and he instinctively cast a glance at Xi Mi.

Sitting on her stool, Xi Mi looked up at the pair standing at daggers drawn, and suddenly felt that Miss Nan and Mr. Ying were quite a good match. More than Ying Quhe’s hands, she admired Nan Qing’s straight black hair; it was truly gorgeous.

She had never dared dream of growing her hair long. Even after running away from her wedding, her mindset was still shackled by Old Man Xi.

Instinctively, she touched her short hair again.

A surge of insecurity welled up inside her.

Nan Qing sneezed and rubbed her red-tipped nose, shooting Ying Quhe a cold glare. “Every time you see me, you act like I’m your rival. Can’t you be a little pleasant?” She glanced down at Ying Quhe and saw that his shoes were covered in mud. Understanding dawned on her. “Did you two just come down from the mountain? Heading back to the hotel? I can drive you.”

Before Ying Quhe could open his mouth to decline, Xi Mi blurted out, “Thank you, Miss Nan!”

*

Claiming he had an urgent matter to attend to, Ying Quhe decided not to join them and left on his own.

Xi Mi, benefiting by association, ended up taking a ride in Nan Qing’s car.

Nan Qing kept her eyes on the road as she struck up a casual conversation, asking Xi Mi, “The competition is tomorrow. Have you decided on your recipe yet?”

Asked by such a beauty, Xi Mi nodded without withholding a thing. “Yes, I’m planning to make Crab Roe and Wild Mushrooms.”

“Crab Roe and Wild Mushrooms?” The corner of Nan Qing’s mouth curled up. “Try not to poison the judges.”

Her tone held a clear trace of mockery.

Xi Mi hurriedly explained, “No, no, combining crab roe with wild mushrooms won’t cause poisoning. I believe a dish for the competition shouldn’t just look, smell, and taste good; creativity is also a key factor.”

“Just answer what I ask. Don’t forget that I’m a contestant too. Aren’t you afraid I’ll steal your recipe?” Nan Qing didn’t mince words, which made her sound a bit like Ying Quhe.

Xi Mi paused, at a loss for how to respond. Only after a long moment did she say, “I trust you. You’re Mr. Ying’s friend.”

Nan Qing suddenly burst into laughter, as if she had just heard a joke. “Who told you we’re friends?”

“Then you’re…?” Xi Mi was thoroughly confused.

Nan Qing’s smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. “I’m his blind date match. We haven’t even reached friend status yet. We’re still in the mutual evaluation phase, but barring any accidents, we’ll be getting married at the end of the year.”

“…” Xi Mi’s mind went completely dark with confusion.

So what on earth was this? Not friends, but getting married at the end of the year if nothing went wrong?

After settling her thoughts, Xi Mi felt that Miss Nan and Mr. Ying were actually quite compatible. She sighed with sincere conviction. “Miss Nan, I’m sure you two will get married. Your personality is a bit… similar to Mr. Ying’s. Is this what people call a matching couple?”

Nan Qing merely smiled without saying another word.

When she got back to the inn, Xi Mi felt a strange sense of emptiness inside, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. Carrying her bamboo hamper into the inn’s courtyard, she sat under the banyan tree for a while. The landlady walked out after cleaning the guest rooms, saw her, and came over to give her a gentle kick. “You silly girl, you finally decided to come back?”

The landlady looked around and asked, “Where’s Mr. Ying? Didn’t he come back with you?”

Thinking of Nan Qing, Xi Mi shook her head with a hint of melancholy.

The landlady sat down beside her and nudged her with an elbow. “Mimi, I feel like Mr. Ying treats you differently. Could he be interested in you?”

Xi Mi’s ears burned hot. “How could that be? He’s a big boss, and I’m… I’m just working for him. He’s a gourmet, and I’m just a cook. My dishes just happen to suit his palate, that’s all.”

“Is that so?” The landlady rubbed her stomach and said, “There’s an old saying: ‘To capture a man’s heart, you must first capture his stomach.’ Mr. Ying’s sharp tongue blasted every chef in this ancient town, yet he actually likes your food. What does that tell you? It means your cooking suits his taste. You’ve already captured his stomach, so can his heart be far behind?”

“…That’s right! Once you capture Lao Qu’s mouth and stomach, his heart won’t be far behind! Cough, cough, cough…”

A muffled voice suddenly piped up from behind them.

Xi Mi and the landlady turned around at the same time. Tian Jian was standing behind them at some unknown point, holding a kraft paper bag in one hand and a turnip pastry in the other. Her mouth was completely stuffed with food, and crumbs flew everywhere as she spoke. She had talked too fast and choked herself.

Wiping her mouth, Tian Jian sat down beside them and handed the remaining two turnip pastries from the paper bag to the landlady and Xi Mi. Then, using her greasy little hands, she grabbed one of Xi Mi’s hands, her small brows furrowed as if she hesitated to speak.

The landlady and Xi Mi held their breath, waiting for her to speak.

After a long pause, Tian Jian covered her mouth with one hand and whispered, “Mimi, let me tell you a secret.”

Her dramatic secrecy made the atmosphere surprisingly tense, injecting a sudden fast pace into the air that made both the landlady and Xi Mi chew their turnip pastries a little faster.

“Lao Qu-is-an-old-vir-gin-“

After delivering her bombshell, Tian Jian took a deep breath, looking relieved as if she had finally unburdened herself of a massive secret.

“Pfft-“

“Splutter-“

Both Xi Mi and the landlady choked, spraying the food from their mouths at the exact same time.

Taking off on this topic, Tian Jian and the landlady launched into a heated discussion. The landlady grabbed Xi Mi’s hand and warned, “Old virgins are definitely not going to be good in bed. You have to be careful about this. Living together before marriage is essential to build up feelings!”

Tian Jian furrowed her brows and said with utter seriousness, “My Old Ying went from a beginner driver to an experienced veteran^[2]. He’s super amazing.”

Xi Mi suddenly felt this topic was so dirty and explicit, especially coming from Tian Jian’s mouth. She actually found herself unable to look straight at this seemingly simple-minded “girl.”

Seeing Xi Mi’s face suddenly turn red, the landlady gave her a nudge. “What’s there for a young girl to be embarrassed about? When it comes to marriage, you don’t necessarily need to find someone super handsome. The main thing is that he treats you well, cares for the family, and is good in bed, got it?”

“…”

Hey, this topic was straying way off course!!

That evening, Ying Quhe returned to the inn. Xi Mi was standing behind the counter helping with the accounts.

Ying Quhe carried a MORD shopping bag in his hand. Walking over, he placed it on the counter and pushed it toward Xi Mi.

Shoes from this brand were extremely expensive, with prices starting in the four figures.

Xi Mi glanced at the packaging, opened the shoe box, and looked at the Chinese-style, soft-soled handcrafted embroidered cloth shoes lying inside. The embroidered patterns were lifelike, the shoe collar edging was uniform and neat, and the stitching was perfectly spaced.

“MORD actually has Chinese-style cloth shoes?” Xi Mi looked at Ying Quhe, her eyes filled with confusion. “Are you asking me to help you check if they’re real? They’re definitely fake. This brand is a major brand in France. How could they have cloth shoes? But the craftsmanship is pretty nice; Tian Jian would probably like them.”

“They are indeed knockoffs. I picked them up when passing by a shoe shop.” Ying Quhe tapped his slender fingers on the counter and urged her, “Try them on to see if they fit. For tomorrow’s competition, you can’t look too shabby.”

Xi Mi cradled the exquisitely made shoes, unable to put them down. “You bought them for me?” Holding the shoes, she came out from behind the counter, sat on a bench, and tried them on. They fit perfectly. Raising her chin, she looked up at him and asked, “How much were they? The craftsmanship really is great. Even if they’re knockoffs, they’re high quality. They couldn’t have been cheap, right?”

“Not expensive at all. Ninety-nine.”

“Mm, then deduct a hundred from my pay. The extra one Yuan can be your errand fee.” Xi Mi’s eyes curved into crescent smiles. She took a lap in her new shoes. They felt so light, and the embroidered pattern seemed almost ready to fly off the fabric. After walking around, she stopped in front of Ying Quhe, scratched the back of her head, and said, “Mr. Ying, you look fierce on the surface, but you’re actually really nice to people. Thank you.”

“Do well in the competition; consider that your repayment. I really like your dishes.” Ying Quhe paused before adding, “As the owner of Ying Shi Pavilion, I respect every capable chef and view them as friends and family.”

Looking up while listening to him was exhausting, so Xi Mi lowered her head. Her gaze inadvertently fell upon his lower abdomen, immediately bringing back the landlady’s words about being “good in bed.” Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and she wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.

She really had such a dirty mind…

*

The venue for 《China’s Supreme Taste》 moved from the open-air plaza to an indoor recording studio. Backstage, the chefs needed to put on makeup for the camera, but the makeup artist assigned to Xi Mi claimed to have run into an accident on the way, naturally leaving Xi Mi stranded.

She sat alone in front of the vanity mirror, ignored by everyone. When the person in charge came in to check on progress and saw Xi Mi still sitting there blankly, he flew into a sudden rage. “Why are you still just sitting around? Get a makeup artist to do your makeup right now!”

“I… my makeup artist hasn’t arrived yet…” Xi Mi said timidly.

Jake, the person in charge, was dying of anxiety. He randomly called over an assistant and pointed at Xi Mi. “Quick, put some makeup on her. It’s starting in a minute!”

The assistant wasn’t a professional makeup artist; she was good at doing her own makeup, but had no experience doing it for others. After applying a base layer to Xi Mi’s face, she stared at Xi Mi’s eyebrows, unsure how to proceed. “This is tough. I really don’t know how to draw someone else’s eyebrows.”

“Let my makeup artist draw them for her,” said a slightly chubby girl sitting to Xi Mi’s left.

Xi Mi didn’t know her, but she knew this was Doudou Gourmet. Her skin was very pale, and her smile was soothing and sweet.

The makeup artist came over to draw Xi Mi’s eyebrows while Doudou Gourmet struck up a conversation with her. “Are you nervous? I kind of am. I’m Ye Doudou. What about you?”

“I’m Xi Mi,” she replied, feeling a bit constrained.

Ye Doudou chatted with her for a bit. Xi Mi hadn’t been nervous at first, but now found herself inexplicably tense.

Because they were pressed for time, Xi Mi’s makeup wasn’t finished. As they walked out, Nan Qing gave her a glance. “You dare go on camera looking this ugly?” With that, she stepped onto the stage.

Xi Mi froze in place, suddenly hesitant to go up. Ye Doudou comforted her, “What a rude person. I think you look great. Ignore her, let’s go up.” Then she gave her a light shove, causing Xi Mi to stumble into the camera frame, almost tumbling over.

Fortunately, the female host caught her with a steadying hand, smoothing over the awkwardness with a quick joke.

The stage was circular, with the four judges seated along the outer edge of the central platform, while four long tables were arranged along the circular perimeter, leaving the middle for the host. Under the stage lights, the portable cassette stoves on the tables looked sleek and compact. The vegetables and ingredients for the four contestants were already arranged on their respective tables.

The show was being broadcast live on television and online streams, the vibrant colors of the fresh ingredients popping against the camera lens. Off-camera, a horde of fans was already waiting in front of their TV and computer screens.

As the four chefs walked into the frame one after another, subtitles introducing them appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Ye Doudou stepped onto the stage and blew a kiss to the camera, instantly enlivening the atmosphere in the studio.

Uncle jn lived up to his name; he was an ordinary-looking man with stubble.

Nan Qing had the best figure, the highest good looks, and the strongest aura of them all. Like Ying Quhe, she had a way of wearing the most ordinary chef jacket so that it looked like high-end designer fashion.

The moment Nan Qing appeared, screams echoed through the crowd. On the online stream in particular, bullet comments flooded the video, all shouting in unison: “Ahhh Nan Qing, marry me!”

“My beloved concubine, your Emperor is here!^[3]“

“Today I refuse the morning court session!! I’m going to vote for my beloved concubine! Watch her cook!”

“Get out of here, all of you! Nan Qing is my Empress!”

Xi Mi inexplicably remembered a saying: true love requires equal footing. Nan Qing and Ying Quhe really were a perfect match!

Xi Mi made a plain and unremarkable entrance. Stage cameras were notorious for washing out makeup to begin with, so her half-finished look left her with virtually zero presence. When the camera panned to her, the bullet comments on the streaming platform began mocking her: “This weak little chick is the Xi Xi Xi Mi who popped out of nowhere? Must have connections, right?”

“Definitely got in through connections!”

“She looks so small and skinny. With those twiggy arms, can she even toss a heavy wok?”

Xi Mi had a small frame and looked thin, but her arms showed clear lines of muscle, allowing her to toss a heavy wok without any trouble.

When it came time for the chefs to inspect their ingredients, Xi Mi saw that the wild mushrooms she had gathered were still fresh, but a key ingredient was missing…

Sitting at the judges’ panel, Ying Quhe saw Xi Mi’s expression change. Looking tense, she called a judge over and whispered a few words to them.

Soon, the host coordinated with the staff. On the competition stage, everyone except Xi Mi had already thrown themselves into cooking.

The host raised the microphone and spoke into the camera: “Due to an error by the production team, contestant Xi Xi Xi Mi is missing her main ingredient, crab roe. Staff members are currently fetching it, so Xi Xi Xi Mi’s competition time will be extended by a few minutes.”

The livestream chat erupted with backlash, not directed at the production crew, but entirely at Xi Mi:

“How could there be a mistake like this? Xi Xi Xi Mi must be cheating! She saw the other three contestants’ dishes, so she changed her mind at the last minute!!”

“Exactly! She has connections, so she swapped to a high-end ingredient like crab roe!”

“Must be nice having connections :).”

A few minutes later, the staff returned with bad news. The host said with a disappointed look, “Due to a shortage of crab roe, we’re unable to source the ingredient on short notice. Now let me hand it over to Xi Xi Xi Mi to see what kind of surprise she will bring us.” The host held the microphone out to Xi Mi.

Ying Quhe kept his gaze fixed on Xi Mi, his brow tightly furrowed.

The production team was usually meticulous. A mishap like this could only happen for one reason.

Someone didn’t want Xi Mi to advance.

Xi Mi bit her lip and took a deep breath. Only after a long pause did she say, “The one thing this ancient town has no shortage of is salted duck eggs. Since there’s no crab roe, I’ll temporarily substitute it with salted duck egg. I’ll change Crab Roe and Wild Mushrooms to Wild Mushrooms in Golden Broth.”

Going from crab roe to salted duck eggs was by no means an upgrade; it was a clear downgrade in ingredients.