Chapter 69
intense emotional fluctuations before. If she could just smile at him once, it would make him happier than when he received the toy helicopter he desired or defeated a difficult competitor in business...Volume 6: Turns and Twists Chapter 69
Hé Niánxiāng understood Qū Wǎngē well, knowing that this good friend was only skilled at playing the violin. She had never seen her cook before; she cherished her delicate hands too much for that. Hé Niánxiāng expressed some concern and asked, "Wǎngē, can you manage Don't listen to Lì n's nonsense. We should just call in a chef!"
"Don't worry, I've lived abroad independently for many years," Qū Wǎngē said confidently. She had secretly decided to show off her skills since when Lì ān mentioned the punishment rules earlier; she deliberately lost so that she could do this.
Ní Xuānyī was a reserved person who did not like being in the spotlight or joining in on other people’s fun, but seeing Qū Wǎngē volunteer to cook by herself, Ní Xuānyī did not take her place. However, she also didn't stay here and play with everyone else since she had lost anyway; instead, she sat outside the kitchen so that she could help if Qū Wǎngē needed it.
Seeing both of them leave, people’s enthusiasm dropped drastically, but Hé Niánxiāng kept worrying about Qū Wǎngē and was always looking in her direction. Lì n respected his gentle and kind cousin so much that he immediately suggested wisely, "We’re bored anyway; why don’t we go see how a musician cooks"
Everyone followed him over to the kitchen.
Filled with confidence, Qū Wǎngē entered the kitchen but was dumbfounded by what she saw inside.
Lì Hàonán had built this mountain villa specifically so that it would be unique; the chef here was a local farmer’s market chef. The kitchen itself resembled an old-fashioned one with large stoves, all because Gù Xiǎoběi said dishes cooked in big pots tasted better than those prepared elsewhere.
Inside the kitchen, everything was polished and clean, but there were still large stoves that used wood as fuel.
Qu Wan Ge watched everything unfold, and it was vastly different from the grand Western feast she had imagined. She felt like crying but couldn't, secretly cursing Li An for being cunning and setting her up; when he established the competition rules, he had dismissed all the kitchen staff, leaving her with no choice but to cook.
In fact, Qu Wan Ge was wrong about Li An this time; he hadn't set out to be malicious at all.
Li An's delicate body and pampered lifestyle over the years had never allowed him to enter a kitchen before, so he didn't know what the kitchen looked like here.
Qu Wan Ge had just boasted too much earlier on; now she felt embarrassed to admit defeat, and could only rely on her vague memories from TV shows to try starting a fire. However, this task seemed easy but was actually extremely challenging: when the wood came into contact with the lighter, it refused to ignite immediately, instead producing thick waves of blue smoke that made Qu Wan Ge's eyes water.
By now, Li Yi and others had walked over; they saw Ni Xuanyi leaning against a railing watching the scene leisurely. Li Yi stroked her head but didn't get to speak before hearing Li An's puzzled outcry: "What There’s smoke here... it’s very irritating to my eyes… ah… could Qu Wan Ge have set fire to the kitchen"
Only then did everyone notice blue smoke coming out of the kitchen door and hurriedly rushed in. They saw Qu Wan Ge crouched by the stove, coughing from the fumes.
"Wan Ge, are you okay" He Nianxiang exclaimed and ran inside too, but her boyfriend feared danger within and pulled her back.
“Wan Ge!” Li Yi strode into the smoky kitchen, reaching out to lift Qu Wan Ge from the ground, half carrying and half supporting her as he dragged her out of there.
Seeing Qu Wan Ge's face blackened by smoke, Li An burst out laughing: "Are you stupid If you can’t start a fire, why stay in there Do you want to become a roasted pig head"
Originally, Qu Wange felt aggrieved and sad. Hearing Li An's mockery, she乾脆撲到近在眼前的Li Yi懷裡，嚶嚶地哭了起來。
"Li An!" Li Yi lightly scolded Li An, "You came up with this idea in the first place, yet you're now here criticizing!
Li An was not very pleased and gave a cold snort. He then led his friends to the big lake to view the lotus flowers.
Li Yi gently patted Qu Wange's back to comfort her. He Ye Xiang and her boyfriend were also nearby, offering their consolations.
Ni Xuanyi watched as Li Yi held Qu Wange and stood there. She pursed her lips and silently walked into the kitchen. She tidied up the kitchen efficiently and began to start a fire and cook meals; she was one of the losers today, so accepting defeat meant she had to prepare meals.
She started cooking at a young age because their family's financial situation was not good. They used large stove pots back then. Since she was short, she would stand on a stool to stir-fry dishes. The current condition is much better than it used to be.
Qu Wange took advantage of this rare opportunity today to get close to Li Yi and cried in his arms without restraint: "Brother Li Yi... I really know how to cook, but didn't expect there would be a large stove here… I truly wanted to make meals for everyone…"
"I understand. I know your intention..." Li Yi kept soothing Qu Wange.
He Ye Xiang understood her best friend's feelings the most. Seeing that Qu Wange was now in Li Yi's arms, she wanted to give them a chance and led her boyfriend towards the lotus pond as well.
Cu Ruogehad been sticky and clingy in Li Yi's arms for a while. Seeing that she was unwilling to get up, Li Yigently persuaded her and softly suggested, "Let’s go back to your room to wash your face. Your makeup is all smudged."
When Cu Ruoge heard what Li Yi said, she felt embarrassed and straightened herself in his arms. She went back to the room with Li Yi's accompaniment to wash her face.
No matter if it was the person who had been looking at lotus flowers or the one going back to the room to wash their face, they would all be hungry by mealtime. When they were hungry, they wanted to find something to eat. Li An saw his older brother and Cu Ruoge come out of the room and hurriedly asked, "Brother, did you ask the chef to come back to cook"
Li Yi had been so dazed by Cu Ruoge's crying that he had forgotten about this matter and shook his head blankly in confusion.
"Oh no, I'm hungry! Starving!" Li An immediately complained and whined. "Cu Ruoge, you didn't tell me earlier that you can’t cook. Look, now we’re all missing out on our meal."
“I didn’t know this place uses a big pot to prepare meals!” Cu Ruoge's eyes turned teary again because she was afraid Li An would blame her. She grumbled unhappily, "Today’s the two of us who lost the card game. Please don’t only blame me."
When Li An heard what Cu Ruoge said, his sword-like eyebrows rose sharply. “You were the one who wanted to cook on your own and not have Xuanxuan help you, now you’re biting the hand that feeds you.” He suddenly remembered he hadn’t seen Ni Xuanyi for a long time and looked around in confusion. "Where is Xuanxuan"
Li Yi was shocked in his heart and hurriedly looked around too.
The others recalled seeing Ni Xuanyilast at the kitchen door, so they all headed over this way. As they got closer, a tempting aroma of food wafted out from the kitchen.ed his fists as if ready to hit him at any moment, but didn't actually strike.Li Yi saw his father getting truly angry and hurriedly stood up to protect his brother, looking anxiously at Li An: "Why a...