After spending a few ordinary days, Ye Feng once again found himself preparing to give Su Yuxin a lesson. Sitting in the taxi, scenes from the past few days gradually surfaced in his mind.
It’s worth noting that during these days, Xie Yuyan, who had taken on the role of head chef preparing three meals a day, had thoroughly tortured his stomach.
A dish as simple as stir-fried potato strips—Ye Feng had initially thought it would be a great start. At first, seeing Xie Yuyan’s impressive knife skills, he even wondered just how delicious this dish would be.
But when he sat down at the dining table and saw a plate of pitch-black potato strips being served, he realized just how serious the situation was.
“Xie Yuyan... what... what is this blackened stuff?”
“Potato strips! I followed the recipe. Doesn’t it look appetizing~”
“Are you sure this is still edible?”
“Of course it is!”
Xie Yuyan, wearing an apron and holding a discolored spatula, stood confidently.
Feeling enveloped by an aura of impending doom, Ye Feng swallowed hard.
I’m... going to die, aren’t I?
I’m going to die!
“Uh... cough! Actually, I don’t think I’m very hungry right now. Maybe I’ll eat later?”
“No~way! I put so much effort into cooking this. You have to eat it while it’s hot.”
It seemed like an unavoidable disaster.
“Well... alright, I’ll just take a small bite.”
“Great!”
Ye Feng sat stiffly in his chair, wearing an expression of resigned determination. He even wondered if eating this potato strip would trigger the effect of his life-saving doll item.
Under Xie Yuyan’s expectant gaze, Ye Feng hesitated for a moment before picking up his chopsticks. With a slightly trembling hand, he picked up one of the blackened potato strips, closed his eyes, and bravely shoved it into his mouth.
......
“So... how is it?”
Xie Yuyan cautiously asked Ye Feng, who was now frozen in place. From his unchanged expression, she glimpsed a flicker of hope.
I knew it! Even if it doesn’t look great, the taste is still pretty good.
Just as Xie Yuyan was thinking this, she noticed Ye Feng standing up from his chair. He slowly walked over to her, placed a hand on her shoulder, and spoke in a tone as if he were delivering his last words: “It’s okay. Even if cooking isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other skills you can try. No need to fixate on one thing.”
“......”
......
“Sigh.”
As Ye Feng gazed out the car window, his eyes held a hint of nostalgia. Despite what he had said, Xie Yuyan hadn’t given up on her culinary dreams. He vaguely remembered her looking at him with a serious expression afterward, saying something about how she would definitely make him the most delicious dish someday.
Fortunately, persistence pays off. After several days of practice, Xie Yuyan finally managed to make an edible potato stir-fry—though she had overdone the seasoning, making the entire dish taste like it had been marinated in salt.
“Passenger, we’ve arrived at your destination.”
“Oh, right.”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ye Feng paid the fare and stepped into an upscale villa community. This was his first time coming to teach Su Yuxin, and being unfamiliar with the area, he was about to pull out his phone to check the address in his notes when he suddenly sensed something approaching him from behind.
Feeling the presence getting closer, Ye Feng swiftly turned around. When he saw who it was, he relaxed.
“Yuxin? What are you doing here?”
Su Yuxin was wearing a beige dress, with light makeup on her face and her golden hair tied into two small braids. She looked like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.
“Ye... Ye Feng!”
Su Yuxin clearly hadn’t expected Ye Feng to turn around at that moment. Her plan to surprise him by jumping into his arms had failed, so she simply nodded politely instead.
“Oh! Ye Feng, here, this is for you!”
With that, Su Yuxin handed him a cup of strawberry juice.
“Strawberry juice? For me?”
“Yes! I made it this morning with my juicer, thinking you’d be coming today.”
As she spoke, Su Yuxin’s face turned red, and her voice grew softer.
If Li Mucheng had been there, she would have known that whenever Su Yuxin acted like this, she was lying.
“Ye... Ye Feng, drink it quickly. It won’t taste as good if it sits for too long.”
“Alright, thank you, Yuxin.”
Ye Feng smiled at her. This sweet and thoughtful girl felt like an adorable little sister, and being around her always brought a sense of warmth.
Given the recent culinary torture he’d endured from Xie Yuyan, Ye Feng wasn’t about to turn down a refreshing drink. He opened the lid and gulped it down in one go.
Meanwhile, Su Yuxin, who had been watching the entire scene, covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes fixed on the strawberry juice in Ye Feng’s hand. Occasionally, she let out a soft giggle.
After Ye Feng finished the juice, Su Yuxin patted her flushed cheeks and cheerfully stepped forward.
“Ye Feng, let me take the cup.”
“Sure, thanks for the hospitality.”
“It’s nothing! I’m happy to do things for you...”
“Sorry, Yuxin, you’re speaking too softly. What did you say?”
“Ah! N... nothing. Ye Feng, follow me. I’ll take you to my house.”
As they walked toward her home, Su Yuxin deliberately slowed her pace to walk side by side with Ye Feng, striking up a conversation.
“Ye Feng, what did you teach Mucheng last week?”
“Teach? Actually, we didn’t do much. One day, Mucheng was even asleep.”
“Wh... what! Asleep?”
Su Yuxin’s smile instantly vanished. Just moments ago, she had been delighted about preparing her special strawberry juice for Ye Feng again. Now, it felt like the sky was falling.
“Yeah, Mucheng must not have been getting enough rest lately, so she took a nap in her room. But it was fine—I got to relax a bit too.”
“Oh, I see... I thought...”
Su Yuxin patted her chest in relief, silently glad that Li Mucheng hadn’t beaten her to the punch.
“By the way, Ye Feng, you didn’t tell Mucheng about our secret, did you?”
“You mean me tutoring you?”
“Yes, yes.”
“No, I didn’t. I promised you, after all.”
“That’s good.”
Ye Feng couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration as he looked at Su Yuxin’s relieved expression.
Yuxin seems like the type to work hard in secret and then surprise everyone. She probably doesn’t want Mucheng to know I’m tutoring her because she wants to get ahead.
I’d crown her the Queen of Grinding.
In reality, Su Yuxin’s goal was indeed to get ahead—just not in academics.