Chapter 96: The Sun Rises in the West

Because Han Jiayi had snapped her heel and driving was inconvenient, Bai Renzong drove them both home.

After parking in the residential complex, Bai Renzong carried Han Jiayi up to the elevator, and this blind date finally came to an end.

“Thank you...” Han Jiayi murmured in a small voice, awkwardly brushing her hair back and keeping her head down, too shy to look at Bai Renzong.

“No problem,” Bai Renzong replied lightly. He rather liked carrying her.

Usually Han Jiayi was all energy and mischief, but the moment he lifted her into his arms, she became perfectly obedient, like a kitten: restless when left to her own devices, but docile the instant she was held.

After they got home, they showered and changed clothes.

Bai Renzong flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes, thinking back over the day. It had been a fine day indeed.

Although the boiled fish at Imperial Kitchen House had been less than satisfying, the boiled fish they had at Late Rice in the afternoon made up for it, and he had gathered some excellent material as well. The next food review would be no problem.

Especially that place, Late Rice. For an old restaurant with decades behind it, they were still willing to take the risk of improving their old recipe. Admirable spirit.

At that moment, Han Jiayi suddenly pushed open his bedroom door and peeked at him through the crack.

“Snarky Bai... want to play a game? It’s still early.”

“What do you want to play?” Bai Renzong asked, lifting his head from the bed.

“Let’s play Last Days Surviving again. I don’t like Scum...” Han Jiayi said with a frown after coming inside.

She had already changed into home clothes: the same loose shorts and T-shirt as before.

“Why? You looked pretty into it to me,” Bai Renzong said, puzzled.

“Because the cooking system is too bland,” Han Jiayi complained. “It does have a nutrition system, but the cooking system is just too simple. You can’t make all sorts of different foods like in Last Days Surviving. Like the burgers there can have all kinds of fillings, and you can freely mix different sauces. I still prefer that kind.”

“All right then, we’ll start a new save,” Bai Renzong said with a nod. “We can also add a few mods this time; it’ll be more fun. There are some good maps that can greatly improve replay value. This time we’ll build our base somewhere else.”

“Yay, yay!” Han Jiayi said happily. “I love the part where we build the base.”

And so, the two of them started gaming together.

Bai Renzong actually loved this kind of time. He often imagined that when they streamed together in the future, they would do exactly this: play games, chat with the viewers, and find happiness in the little things.

“I’ve been developing a new dish lately...” As they were scavenging for supplies in the house, Han Jiayi suddenly said with a mysterious smile, “I figure it’ll be done in a few more days. Then I’ll let you try it.”

She paused, then added, “You’re definitely going to like it.”

Bai Renzong glanced at her. The look on her face, bright with anticipation and excitement, showed how sure she was.

“Then I’ll look forward to it,” Bai Renzong said with a slight smile.

Although September’s goal was to help Han Jiayi win two Michelin stars, he still had videos to make.

By now, Bai Renzong had plenty of sources for material: his own accumulated footage, recommendations from fans, and newly released games. Still, he planned to keep to his usual style for now: recommending niche but entertaining games to everyone.

So the next morning, after Han Jiayi left for the restaurant, Bai Renzong began recording footage.

The game he chose this time was a title called Neo Scavenger, a Flash game. It was nothing more than a collection of static images pieced together, with no cutscenes, no animations, and combat described entirely in text.

And yet this little game had an astonishingly rich story and brutally hardcore survival mechanics.

Those who had never played it thought, What kind of trash game is this, and how dare anyone recommend it? But those who had gotten into it all ended up thinking, Holy crap, this game is way too fun!

Bai Renzong loved that kind of reversal. He stayed busy from morning until afternoon and finished recording in one stretch.

After editing the footage and sending the video to He Guang, Bai Renzong once again headed to Yi Jia Xuan.

“One lamb pie set, and a serving of Cloud Rosy,” Bai Renzong ordered smoothly, then handed the menu back to Han Jiayi. Their eyes met for an instant before quickly darting away again.

Both of them had realized one thing: the relationship between them seemed to have undergone a subtle change.

“Have you changed all the menus from before?” Bai Renzong asked as he looked over.

“Mmm, yeah...” Han Jiayi nodded, pressing her lips together as she secretly wondered: We’ve already started going on blind dates. Will Snarky Bai change his attitude? He even went out of his way to make dishes for me to criticize him before!

“All right, then let’s go with that,” Bai Renzong said with satisfaction.

Soon Han Jiayi brought over the prepared lamb pie set and placed each dish before him in turn.

The appetizer was melon with ham, the soup was French vegetable soup, the side dish was red wine braised salmon, and the main course was a mixed lamb pie.

“I’ll make the Cloud Rosy separately after you finish eating, otherwise it won’t taste good once it’s been sitting too long,” Han Jiayi explained.

Bai Renzong nodded and began tasting, while Han Jiayi stood nearby, biting her lip in anxious expectation. What she was nervous about was not whether Bai Renzong would criticize her, but whether he would change his attitude toward her from before.

After he finished, Bai Renzong frowned as if about to speak, and Han Jiayi’s heart immediately sank.

But Bai Renzong looked at her, his expression hesitant as though he were holding something back. After a moment’s thought, he said, “This lamb pie has a very good blend. One-third rib meat, one-third leg meat. What’s the remaining third?”

“It’s chuck!” Han Jiayi said with delighted surprise.

“Very clever...” Bai Renzong nodded.

Han Jiayi grinned smugly.

“That ratio is well balanced. It has a nice chew and plenty of juiciness, with a good balance of fat and lean meat,” Bai Renzong said in satisfaction. “As for the appetizer, the layer of cheddar between the melon and ham works very well. The French vegetable soup has rich flavor and texture, with real depth. And the red wine braised salmon as the side dish— the fish flesh is filled with the aroma of red wine. Taken separately, every dish is excellent...”

“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!” Han Jiayi nodded with a smile.

Then Bai Renzong changed tone.

“But.”

At that, he pointed at the four dishes before him. “Don’t you think the texture is obviously too soft? The soup is a clear broth to begin with, and then the side dish is braised salmon. You’re relying entirely on the chew from the lamb pie, and that just isn’t enough. I think if you changed the soup to a thick one, and swapped the appetizer for something with more bite, like baked escargot, the overall texture would be better balanced.”

“Mm...” Han Jiayi stared at Bai Renzong in a daze, not because she was unhappy with his criticism, but because she was astonished that he had actually praised her first before criticizing her.

The sun had risen in the west!

Oh my God, could he possibly like me? Han Jiayi screamed inwardly, suddenly panicking. Do I like him back? I don’t even know! He, I...

At that moment Bai Renzong frowned. “You... are you all right?”

Han Jiayi jerked, then turned and stared wide-eyed at Bai Renzong. “I-I’m fine! Then I’ll go make the Cloud Rosy for you!”

(Thanks to Thousand Machines Phantom Wing, Hoofed Horse Dragon, Xiruishui, Green Stream No. 2, Atomic Collapse, Extreme Evil Step Dance, Hui Fat, and Su Xiyue for the monthly votes. Thanks to the Smile of a Doll and 1024409515 for the two monthly votes. Thanks to the Rabbit of Fibonacci for the monthly vote and tip. Today is Valentine’s Day, but I’m single, so I won’t offer any special congratulations.)