Chapter 115: Come Quickly!

It wasn’t until Bai Renzong finished the last spoonful of garlic mushroom soup that the feast finally came to a halt.

“Are you full?” Han Jiayi smiled, two sweet dimples appearing beneath her eyes.

“Mm… I’m a bit stuffed,” Bai Renzong said sheepishly, then let out a small burp.

“Will you still have room for dessert later?” Han Jiayi blinked her beautiful eyes coquettishly.

“Of course! Not just one serving, I want double!” Bai Renzong replied immediately.

The more desserts he ordered, the better Han Jiayi’s chances of earning two Michelin stars would be; that way, their relationship could progress smoothly. For the sake of his own happiness, he had to eat more.

Han Jiayi stared at him for a moment, clearly understanding his thoughts, and her face flushed. “Um, you don’t have to force yourself to eat too much. And there’s no need to rush the Michelin evaluation either.”

Don’t blush now! Doesn’t that mean you’ve guessed my intention? Bai Renzong grumbled silently, feeling his own cheeks grow warm.

“All right, all right, let’s get back to the kitchen,” Bai Renzong quickly changed the subject. “The staff might complain otherwise!”

“O-okay!” Han Jiayi stood up at attention, then, a bit dizzy, headed toward the kitchen.

It was only after finishing dessert and returning home that Bai Renzong finally calmed down.

“Old Bai, another batch of samples just arrived from the suppliers. When are you going to try them? I don’t even know how to reply to them,” Wang Bei frowned and complained as soon as she saw Bai Renzong.

“Sorry, I really can’t eat any more today. I ate too much at Jiayi’s place…” Bai Renzong rubbed his stomach.

“Be honest now…” Wang Bei suddenly leaned in close, squinting at him. “Are you already dating Sister Jiayi?”

Bai Renzong responded confidently, “Trust me, if I were dating her, I’d make sure the whole world knew.”

“That’s true…” Wang Bei nodded. “Who wouldn’t want to show off such a beautiful girlfriend?”

“Exactly,” Bai Renzong said. “You go ahead and get busy. I’m going upstairs to work on the video.”

“All right,” Wang Bei replied, returning to her computer.

Back upstairs, Bai Renzong began recording material for the next video.

His recent releases had been movie or food reviews, so this time he planned to do a gaming video.

Actually, game footage was easy to find; any new releases in the past two months would make good content.

For game content creators, the best way to ride the wave is to cover popular games. But Bai Renzong did the opposite; he specialized in lesser-known games, letting those games ride his popularity instead.

Today’s game for Bai Renzong’s review was called “Daymare.”

After recording, he wrote the script and then recorded the voice-over: “The developers of ‘Daymare’ once worked on a fan-made remake of Resident Evil 2, and one of the artists was involved in Resident Evil: Veronica. So when you play this game, you can really feel the strong Resident Evil vibe…”

“The game excels in creating a tense, horror atmosphere, with intricate urban details. The multi-protagonist, multi-threaded storyline is immersive. However, it has flaws: the ending feels forced, monster movements are stiff, boss difficulty is too high, and the official translation is puzzling.”

“In summary, this game will attract Resident Evil fans with its diverse maps, detailed design, and challenging puzzles. Yet, due to budget constraints, character animations are rigid, and the translation errors make some puzzles nearly impossible without a guide… Hopefully, the developers will address these issues in future updates.”

Once done, Bai Renzong sent the footage to He Guang and mentioned recording the unboxing video for the golden trophy.

However, He Guang, usually quick to respond, fell silent for a long time after reading the message.

After a while, a reply finally came on WeChat: “No problem! Let’s do it! I agreed on his behalf!”

Bai Renzong thought for a moment before realizing it was probably He Guang’s wife who replied, so he smiled and wrote back, “Okay, sister-in-law, see you then.”

Just then, the sound of the door opening came from outside.

“Old Bai, I’m home!” Han Jiayi’s voice rang out, more cheerful and slightly playful than usual.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Bai Renzong greeted her from the stairway. Han Jiayi looked up, smiling brightly. “Are you hungry? I’ll start cooking right away.”

“I’m not hungry, I ate a lot at lunch. Don’t rush, take your time,” Bai Renzong reminded her.

“All right, then I’ll make something a bit more elaborate,” Han Jiayi said with a smile, rolling up her sleeves.

“No, no, keep it simple. You’ve been working hard all day,” Bai Renzong frowned.

Han Jiayi pursed her lips and widened her eyes, seeming surprised, then tentatively asked, “So, um… how about you help me?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!” Bai Renzong nodded and came downstairs.

Thus, Bai Renzong stepped into Han Jiayi’s world for the first time.

“What should I do?” he asked, testing the waters.

“Help me wash these vegetables,” Han Jiayi handed him a basket of produce. “We’re having Moroccan roasted vegetables, then pan-fried lamb chops, and onion soup.”

“So lavish…” Bai Renzong smiled.

Han Jiayi beamed at him, her nose scrunching up. “After a hard day, you deserve something delicious. Come on, let’s get moving.”

In truth, Bai Renzong felt like he was only holding her back; Han Jiayi worked faster on her own.

Only when it came to tasting did he feel useful.

Han Jiayi cut off a piece of the roasted lamb and fed it to Bai Renzong. “Ah—”

Marry me right here, right now, Bai Renzong thought, opening his mouth to take the bite.

“I think it could use a little more black pepper and some cumin powder…” he said.

“Then it’d be lamb kebabs,” Han Jiayi covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

“Well, that’s not wrong…” Bai Renzong chuckled along.

When dinner was ready, they sat down together. Bai Renzong first tasted the star dish: Moroccan roasted vegetables.

This dish wasn’t just vegetables—it included a generous amount of Moroccan coarse grain flour and various nuts. The coarse grains were mainly quinoa and a grain called couscous.

These ingredients made the roasted vegetables more like a main course.

One bite revealed a crisp, fragrant texture from the coarse grain flour, mingling with the aroma of nuts and vegetables. The taste, scent, and texture layers were remarkably vivid.

“Pumpkin, carrot, red pepper, broccoli, potato, sweet potato…” Bai Renzong savored each ingredient. “After roasting, a touch of honey was stirred in to blend the vegetables, grain flour, and nuts. Then a few drops of lemon juice to add fragrance, plus salt and pepper. The sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors explode all at once—complex yet harmonious, like a symphony.”

“Hehe,” Han Jiayi smiled happily, cupping her face. “If you like it, eat more, okay?”

She then sliced a large piece of lamb chop onto his plate. “And lamb chops too.”

On its own, the Moroccan roasted vegetables could feel a bit dry, but the lamb chops’ fat and the onion soup perfectly balanced that out. The aromas and textures of the three dishes complemented each other flawlessly.

“Hey, Mumu,” Bai Renzong said, pointing at the dishes. “You have to add these to the restaurant’s menu. They pair so well; I’m sure everyone will love them.”

But Han Jiayi, sitting opposite him, puffed out her cheeks and frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Renzong asked, puzzled.

“You called me ‘Mumu’ again…” Han Jiayi poked the lamb chop, looking dissatisfied.

“Why not? I think your nickname is cute,” Bai Renzong smiled.

“No—way!” Han Jiayi pouted. “When you call me that, I feel silly.”

Bai Renzong only smiled faintly and decided to stick to his habits.

After dinner, they went to the kitchen to wash the dishes together.

Bai Renzong washed the first dish with detergent, then handed the rinsed plate to Han Jiayi.

After working together so many times, they had developed a natural rhythm.

Feeling the warmth from her hand nearby, both felt a simultaneous wave of happiness and contentment.

She smelled just like freshly made osmanthus cake—sweet and fragrant… Bai Renzong thought to himself, I really want to taste it.

Han Jiayi sneaked a glance at Bai Renzong, feeling a secret delight: If I tease him a little, he probably won’t mind. After all, he likes me!

With that thought, Han Jiayi suddenly flicked her fingers, splashing water onto Bai Renzong’s face.

Bai Renzong frowned slightly, glaring at her. “What was that for?”

“Hurry up, once we finish washing, let’s play games,” Han Jiayi bounced on the spot, her tone a little coquettish. “I collected a bunch of pretty decorations last night. Today we’ll decorate the house nicely.”

“Well, you have to clean the dishes first. These are our eating utensils, you know,” Bai Renzong said, handing her the last plate.

“All done!” Han Jiayi took it, rinsed it quickly, and stuffed it into the cupboard. “I’m going to take a shower first! You start the game! Take my computer with you, okay?”

Bai Renzong tapped her forehead. “All you ever think about is playing games… so careless.”

“Ew!” Han Jiayi closed her eyes from the tap, then quickly covered her head and ran off.

After undressing and sinking into the bathtub, Han Jiayi sighed contentedly.

Reflecting on the past couple of days spent with Bai Renzong, her heart was full of sweetness.

“This is even happier than I imagined…” Han Jiayi covered her mouth and laughed, then submerged her face underwater, blowing bubbles. “Once we start dating, it can’t get better than this, right? Ugh, I can’t wait to start dating!”

Michelin inspectors, hurry up and come already!

(If anyone finds these recent chapters too sweet or a bit overwhelming, feel free to say so. Thanks for all your monthly votes.)

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