Edge of A Burning Kiss - Chapter 41

The crowd burst into applause, their eyes collectively turning toward the entrance.

A tall woman with wavy long hair and impeccable makeup walked in.

It was none other than Guan Yunshi.

Who would have thought she’d chase Qin Yu all the way to the show’s set?

As soon as Guan Yunshi entered, she strode straight toward Qin Yu, a sweet smile on her face. “Brother Yu, long time no see.”

Qin Yu merely gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Yet his gaze remained fixed on Xia Jin.

The director rubbed his hands together and continued, “Based on the previous grouping, Team Qin Yu has four points, and Team Xia Jin has five. So, for this round’s ingredient selection, Team Qin gets to choose four items, while Team Xia gets five.”

“Finally, our two new guests, Shen Du and Miss Guan, will be the judges.”

Xia Jin and Xu Lingqing exchanged a glance. Both of them were skilled in cooking, so this little challenge was nothing to them.

Xia Jin turned to Chen Suihe and asked with a smile, “Suihe, can you cook?”

Chen Suihe smiled sheepishly. “Teacher Xia, I can’t cook, but I can help with prep work.”

Xia Jin nodded. “That’s fine. Your help is more than enough.”

Things were a bit more awkward on Qin Yu’s side.

Qin Yu was famously known for never lifting a finger in the kitchen, asking him to cook was practically a fantasy.

Jiang Qingli only knew how to make fried rice, barely enough to fill his stomach.

Ke Yun was slightly better, he could make scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

“So what should we pick?” Jiang Qingli asked, looking troubled.

Qin Yu, however, remained completely unruffled. “Just grab some random vegetables. If we mess up, we can always eat them raw.”

Everyone: “…”

Team Xia Jin quickly settled on their ingredients.

“We’ll take chicken, fish, pork, potatoes, and some Chinese broccoli,” Xia Jin arranged methodically.

She was already mentally planning out the dishes.

Meanwhile, Team Qin Yu opted for purely vegetarian ingredients: tomatoes, eggs, cucumbers, eggplants, and baby bok choy.

The combination was… questionable, to say the least.

Once the ingredients were chosen, everyone got busy in the kitchen.

Xia Jin worked with practiced ease, her knife skills were sharp, her movements fluid, clearly someone who cooked often.

She first diced the chicken, marinating it with cooking wine, soy sauce, and ginger slices.

Then she moved on to the fish, descaling and gutting it before seasoning it with salt and pepper.

Xu Lingqing helped wash the vegetables, while Chen Suihe passed seasonings and wiped down the counter.

A faint, mouthwatering aroma began to fill the kitchen.

Qin Yu watched Xia Jin at work and couldn’t help but sidle over. “You know how to cook?” he asked quietly.

Xia Jin didn’t pause in her task, not even looking up. “I used to think that to keep a man, you had to first capture his stomach.”

“But turns out I aimed for the wrong target,” she said, a hint of mockery in her tone.

“Three inches below the navel is what really matters.”

With that, she lifted her head and gave Qin Yu a meaningful look.

Qin Yu froze for a moment before realizing she was referring to Ye Tiyan.

The atmosphere between them instantly turned charged.

Just then, Guan Yunshi walked over, interrupting their conversation.

“Brother Yu, the director’s looking for you. Says there are some details he needs to confirm,” she said with a smile.

Qin Yu glanced at Xia Jin, then nodded and followed Guan Yunshi away.

Xia Jin watched the retreating figures of the two, an inexplicable emotion welling up in her heart.

She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the restlessness within her.

At that moment, Shen Du walked over and leaned against the table beside Xia Jin. “Xiao Jin, you never used to get this close to other men. I thought Ye Tiyan had already taught you a lesson.”

Xia Jin shook her head. “Do you think Qin Yu is the same kind of person as Ye Tiyan?”

Shen Du countered, “Do you trust Qin Yu that much?”

Xia Jin smiled without answering. “Shen Du, you know I’ve always considered you a friend. I’m grateful for all the help you gave me back then. You’re smart, you know what I’m trying to say.”

Shen Du frowned, about to say something, but was interrupted by Xu Lingqing.

“Boss Xia! Should I cut the rapeseed greens?”

“Yes, yes!”

Xia Jin glanced at Shen Du, turned down the heat, and walked over to him.

“Don’t you think what you feel for me isn’t actually affection?”

“I think it’s more that you’ve never met a girl like me before in your life. What you feel for me is just curiosity.”

With that, she seized the opportunity to leave the kitchen.

Standing in the hall, she watched the bustling crowd around her, but her mind was a blank.

She didn’t know why she had agreed to join this show.

Was it just to fulfill her promise to fake a relationship with Qin Yu?

Or did she genuinely want others to acknowledge a relationship of hers, unlike with Ye Tiyan, where in the end, she hadn’t even been given a proper title?

The outcome of the competition was obvious. Xia Jin’s team had prepared braised fish, white-cut chicken, braised pork with potatoes, and garlic rapeseed greens.

Qin Yu’s team, on the other hand, had Jiang Qingli privately begging Xu Lingqing to help make an eggplant dish, along with the “dark cuisine” of cold-tossed greens and tomato scrambled eggs that she and Ke Yun had concocted.

The dining table was already laden with dishes. Xia Jin’s team’s offerings were a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

Qin Yu’s team’s dishes, however, looked… utterly tragic.

Would eating them even be safe?

“Director, can the dishes we made be shared among everyone?” Xia Jin asked with a smile, noticing Jiang Qingli practically drooling.

“Uh… sure?” Director Zhang’s response was hesitant. The show’s original plan hadn’t included this, but since Xia Jin had spoken up, he had no choice but to agree.

[Wow, I never expected Xia Jin to be so beautiful and such a great cook!]

[Next life, Nuwa, please mold my face after Xia Jin’s. Thanks!]

[Hahahaha, Xiao Li’s practically drooling!]

[Xia Jin is so kind, noticing Jiang Qingli’s craving and suggesting they all eat together.]

[Guan Yunshi is stunning too, but she’s not from the entertainment industry, right?]

[Found her! She’s the campus belle of A University’s economics department. Amazing!]

Director Zhang said, “Since Boss Xia suggested that all the guests eat together, how about she tells us a little story?”

Xia Jin was taken aback but quickly agreed. “Alright, let me think… I’ll tell the story of ‘The Handsome Man and the Bird.’”

Everyone looked puzzled. Shouldn’t it be The Old Man and the Sea?

What on earth was The Handsome Man and the Bird?

“Once upon a time, a handsome man found a little bird that was starving. The man had never kept a bird before, so he was incredibly curious about it.”

“So, he took the bird and its family home to raise. The man told the bird stories and showed it the world, feeding it the finest seeds.”

Xia Jin took a leisurely sip of water and asked, “Guess what happened in the end?”

Jiang Qingli chimed in, “Actually, the little bird turned out to be the Snail Maiden? Then transformed into a human and married the handsome guy?”

Shen Du smiled faintly. “I approve of this ending.”

Xia Jin turned to Qin Yu. “What do you think?”