Perfect Divorce [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 22

Earlier that afternoon, while the guests were discussing what to buy, they mentioned that they hadn’t eaten beef or mutton in a long time. Even though they were in a mountain village, the local farmers didn’t have the habit of slaughtering cattle for food. Yuan Xingzhou had visited several small shops before finally managing to buy this tiny bit of meat.

He clearly remembered that he was supposed to slice it.

Ye Huai stood behind him, watching the spectacle and clicking his tongue in a continuous display of pity. Yuan Xingzhou felt a surge of panic. He stole a quick glance outside, then reached for his phone to find a recipe on his app.

With such a small amount of meat, it wouldn’t even be enough for one dumpling per person. How about poached meatballs? Yuan Xingzhou hurriedly scrolled through his phone for a beef meatball recipe.

However, high-rated beef meatball recipes were far too few. He clicked on a few at random, only to find the content made him want to roar: A certain amount of beef, a certain amount of onion, seasonings to taste…

Yuan Xingzhou was practically going crazy.

Who knows how much “a certain amount” is? And can’t onions be counted by the piece?

He sat there staring at the recipe, close to tears, and then saw the comments below. Some said the beef flavor was too strong, some said the meat was too dry and tasted like death… He immediately discarded the idea of trying it.

As he stared at his phone, Ye Huai stared at him, seemingly waiting for him to speak first.

Yuan Xingzhou was pouting and intentionally pretended not to notice. While the kitchen was in a state of silence, they heard a light cough from behind.

“Xingzhou.” Sun Kai was still worried and walked over tentatively. He completely ignored Ye Huai and spoke to Yuan Xingzhou. “You take a rest; leave the kitchen to me.”

Yuan Xingzhou blanked for a moment, not knowing why he had come over.

Seeing that he hadn’t refused, Sun Kai felt relieved. He walked over with a smile and glanced at the cutting board. “Great, I was just thinking of making meatballs for everyone. The way we make them back home is very special; they have a crisp bite.”

Yuan Xingzhou had just brought back the beef; Sun Kai was clearly helping him out of a jam.

“Ah, really?” Yuan Xingzhou breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said to Sun Kai, “Thank you…”

“Thanks for the kind offer,” Ye Huai interrupted coldly, glancing sideways at Sun Kai. “We’re busy right now. There’s no room for you to stand.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “??”

Sun Kai: “…”

Ye Huai’s words were too impolite; Sun Kai was a bit dazed.

Yuan Xingzhou, however, was treating Sun Kai as a savior and said urgently, “No, that’s not what he meant.”

Ye Huai: “That is exactly what I meant.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Ye Huai stood behind him, a head taller, his rebuttal full of imposing aura.

Yuan Xingzhou was annoyed at being undermined like this. Ye Huai knew he didn’t know how to cook, so why was he driving Sun Kai away?

“What do you mean by that?” Yuan Xingzhou turned his head and asked, suppressing his anger.

“What do you think I mean?” Ye Huai looked down at him, his eyes bulging like a hedgehog’s—he exploded instantly. “You actually yelled at me?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Yuan Xingzhou really wanted to yell at him, but there was a camera in the kitchen, so he was very cautious. His volume was only about 0.1 decibels higher than usual.

That bit of suppressed anger was so slight he could barely perceive it himself.

However, when those beautiful eyes of Ye Huai’s stared at him, for some reason, Yuan Xingzhou’s confidence immediately withered.

This is such a loss…

Yuan Xingzhou practically wanted to weep. He couldn’t help but reflect on why he was such a “face-con” (sucker for good looks). Judging by appearances was so wrong—this person clearly has the face of an angel but is a devil!

On the other side, Sun Kai had indeed been scared away by the devil.

“I told you, offering favors for no reason means bad intentions,” the devil snorted after Sun Kai left. He then said, “What do you want to eat? I’ll just make it for you…”

Yuan Xingzhou: “??”

“What’s with that look?” Ye Huai glanced at him, turned to take another knife from the rack, and then, holding one in each hand, quickly minced the meat into a fine paste.

The kitchen here was fully equipped; Yuan Xingzhou didn’t even recognize half of the jars and bottles or what the various stainless steel appliances were. Ye Huai, however, acted as if he were in his own home. He took a glass bowl, tossed the meat paste in, added salt, pepper, cinnamon powder, and another bag of something unknown, then added eggs and set it aside to marinate after stirring.

Yuan Xingzhou was completely petrified, watching in stunned silence as Ye Huai lit the stove, prepped the pot, shua-shua-shua sliced potatoes, dang-dang-dang chopped onions…

“Oh, for…” Ye Huai frowned and turned his face away. “I soaked them, so why are they still so spicy!”

He slowed down for a couple of seconds and squeezed his eyes shut; two tears immediately dripped from the corners of his beautiful eyes.

“You, you, you… you actually…” Yuan Xingzhou snapped back to reality and hurried to pull out some tissues to dab the corners of his eyes.

“I actually what?” Ye Huai opened his eyes, his eye sockets still wet, looking at him somewhat reproachfully.

Yuan Xingzhou remembered the camera and had to stifle his bellyful of questions, instead puffing out his cheeks with a face of pure admiration.

How could Ye Huai not see through his thoughts? He gave a “Heh,” finished sautéing the onions, added them to the meat paste, and then handed it to Yuan Xingzhou, gesturing for him to mix it evenly.

No one expected this dinner to become Ye Huai’s highlight moment.

Sun Kai had been watching the kitchen closely, waiting for the moment Yuan Xingzhou would ask for help so he could rush in. However, it wasn’t long before the aroma of fried meatballs wafted out.

The guests playing games in the lobby could gradually no longer sit still. Li Yi went to take a look first, and when she came back, she looked completely dazed. Then, another gluttonous male guest went in, only to be shooed out while shouting.

“Holy shit! It’s too delicious!” the male guest cried out while stealing a meatball. He hollered as he was burned by the heat while exaggerating, “Ahhh, I’m dying! I’m going to heaven right now!”

“It’s your fault; you shouldn’t have been so loud while stealing food,” Yin Fei said longingly. “Now the kitchen door is closed.”

The group lost interest in their games. Although they had eaten that afternoon, the aroma was making them crave food again. They sat there like a pack of dogs, sniffing the air and discussing what was being made inside.

“So lucky,” Li Yi murmured, thinking Yuan Xingzhou was the cook. She swallowed her saliva. “I really want to snatch Xingzhou away.”

Someone beside her agreed: “Yuan Xingzhou is very cute. He looks like a clever and domestic boy.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, but upon hearing the voice, they immediately felt awkward.

The speaker was Tan Yanke.

As the son of the sponsor, Tan Yanke was thirty years old, handsome, and wealthy; he should have been very popular.

But he and Yuan Cheng were already a couple. Even though the two had issued a statement not long ago saying they were just friends and that the Surprise recording was just a prank, everyone else kept a respectful distance and didn’t dare get involved.

After all, Yuan Cheng’s fans were notoriously good at verbal abuse. And the other guests had no desire to become “black-hot” (infamous).

With Tan Yanke suddenly praising Yuan Xingzhou, everyone’s expressions became subtle as they looked at Yuan Cheng.

Yuan Cheng smiled and said, “You’re right. Xingzhou used to say that his family is very ‘virtuous.’ When they eat, the women of the family don’t even sit at the table.”

The expressions of the group changed slightly as they exchanged looks.

“Really?” Yin Fei said in surprise. “I’ve heard people say before that Yuan Xingzhou’s hometown is very feudal. Yuan Cheng, where is your hometown?”

Seeing that she was “taking the bait” for the conversation, Yuan Cheng named a place.

“Oh, oh, I know!” Yin Fei smiled. “Xingzhou’s hometown doesn’t let women sit at the table, but in your area, the men are all supported by the women, right?”

Everyone: “…”

Yuan Cheng realized what she meant and immediately became a bit annoyed.

Li Yi, however, smiled and picked up the conversation: “Speaking of gender topics, I’m reminded of a recent debate. In society, women are always emphasized for their emotional lives. Especially in novels and film, a positive female image must be enduring, gentle, and tolerant. Career-oriented ‘strong women’ must either have failing relationships and cheating husbands or be psychological deviants who torture subordinates—otherwise, they’re criticized as ‘unrealistic.’ I actually really want to know what our male guests think of this issue.”

Yin Fei had only intended to dig at Yuan Cheng; she didn’t expect Li Yi to use the topic to broaden the discussion. Now the production crew definitely wouldn’t cut this part—it was a rare topic with both depth and discussion value.

She immediately clapped: “I want to know too!”

“Me too. Since this is a dating show, understanding each other’s values is essential.” The third female guest was a dancer and yoga teacher. She was very beautiful and the most popular among the female guests. “I joined this show to find love, so this question is very important to me. I hope to hear everyone’s honest answers.”

This topic was actually very sensitive. If answered poorly, it would inevitably face backlash and resistance from the female audience.

The male guests couldn’t help but feel a surge of annoyance, looking at Yuan Cheng reproachfully. They thought to themselves that this guy was really problematic—why on earth did he bring up where someone else’s hometown was?

Yuan Xingzhou didn’t know about the battle of words going on outside. Even if he did, he couldn’t spare the energy.

Ye Huai was too incredible…

Yuan Xingzhou could help wash a vegetable at first, but later, even being an assistant was too much for him to keep up with. Ye Huai’s knife skills were legendary—the knife moved in a blur, slicing vegetables as if by magic.

Yuan Xingzhou really couldn’t do anything else besides stealing bites. He even wondered if Ye Huai had gone to study to be a chef these past few years…

But someone born into a jewelry family, going abroad to study to be a chef?

Yuan Xingzhou: “…” He couldn’t figure it out, so he just grabbed another piece of meat that hadn’t been plated yet for another bite.

Ye Huai was busy, but didn’t forget to occasionally tap him: “Wait a bit before eating, it’s hot!”

Yuan Xingzhou felt embarrassed and kept his eyes glued to the various soup plates.

“You are simply an angel,” Yuan Xingzhou said, completely won over, flattering him with “starry eyes.”

Ye Huai said, “Then why did you yell at me?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“I was wrong.” Yuan Xingzhou discovered that if he didn’t admit his mistake, he would be nagged to death, so he said honestly, “I won’t do it again.”

The soup pot on the stove was steaming. Amidst the hazy mist, Ye Huai’s features became much softer, like a beautiful youth who didn’t eat the food of mortals.

The beautiful youth had just finished prepping ingredients for a roast fish, preparing to make a major dish.

Since Yuan Xingzhou had admitted his mistake, he became quiet. He looked Yuan Xingzhou over, then gave a hum and “magnanimously” extended his arm toward him, his wrist hanging naturally to reveal his beautiful hand.

Yuan Xingzhou blanked and looked at him blankly.

Ye Huai raised an eyebrow: “Unwilling?”

“No…” Yuan Xingzhou realized what he meant, and his cheeks turned red in a “shua.”

He knew Ye Huai was proud, but was it really necessary to hold such a grudge! He had only been a tiny bit loud! And now he had to kneel and kiss the back of his hand to beg for forgiveness…

Yuan Xingzhou felt like he was going to die of embarrassment.

Although Ye Huai—looking calm and looking down on the world—did have a monarch (queen) aura…

“Can we do it another day?” Yuan Xingzhou struggled. “It’s not that I’m unwilling…”

Before he could finish, Ye Huai’s expression changed. “If you’re unwilling, then—”

Yuan Xingzhou thought, this is bad, and quickly grabbed Ye Huai’s arm.

“Ahhh, I’m willing!” Yuan Xingzhou threw caution to the wind, “dong” and knelt down on one knee, grabbing Ye Huai’s wrist.

Ye Huai was stunned.

Yuan Xingzhou’s face was like fire. He gave a light cough, internally criticizing them for being far too “chuunibyou” and that people would laugh at them when it aired, while at the same time feeling his heart thumping.

But Ye Huai had done the cooking and cared so much about this… so what if he humored him once?

Yuan Xingzhou steeled himself and closed his eyes. He lightly held Ye Huai’s fingertips and gave a soft kiss to the back of the man’s hand.

“You, you, you!” Ye Huai acted as if he had been bitten by a snake, violently jerking his hand back. “What are you doing?!”

Yuan Xingzhou froze, looking up foolishly.

“I was letting you roll up my sleeves!” Ye Huai’s face was completely red. He clearly realized Yuan Xingzhou had misunderstood. He opened his mouth, but for a long time, no words came out.

Yuan Xingzhou: “???”

Yuan Xingzhou’s mind went boom. His blood pressure spiked, and he felt terrible all over.

Ye Huai was no better, turning red from his neck to his ears. He forced himself to stay calm, turning to grab something, but for some reason, his entire right arm felt numb and tingly, and the back of his hand was scalding hot, as if he had been poisoned.

Outside, a round of applause suddenly broke out, as if they were having a heated discussion.

Yuan Xingzhou quickly got up and snapped out of it. He thought to himself that thank goodness no one else was there; this was far too awkward.

With no audience, Yuan Xingzhou’s sense of shame eased considerably. He took a deep breath, wondering how to get the crew to delete this part later—no matter what, it had to be deleted.

“I’ll have the crew delete this part later.” Ye Huai turned off the stove with his left hand, rubbed the back of his right hand, and gave Yuan Xingzhou a suspicious look. “What were you thinking just now?”

“I was just… repenting.” Yuan Xingzhou breathed a sigh of relief, his face red as he said, “My head was full of how I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

Ye Huai: “Then why did you do a hand-kissing ceremony?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “I thought you were letting me swear an oath of fealty…”

Ye Huai: “…Why didn’t you go kiss the back of my foot then?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

The two felt both awkward and shocked, yet looking at each other, they both suddenly wanted to laugh.

Far too silly… they should have watched less anime…

Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t help but glance at Ye Huai’s right hand, only to find that the stove had been turned off.

“Hey, aren’t you going to cook anymore?” Yuan Xingzhou asked.

Ye Huai put away the remaining ingredients without answering.

Yuan Xingzhou immediately felt terrible with regret: “Just make the roast fish, Brother Huai, Brother. I’ll roll up your sleeves, roll up your pant legs, whatever you want…”

“When I say I’m not doing it, I’m not doing it,” Ye Huai said crossly. “Let someone else roast the fish.”

“What’s wrong?” Yuan Xingzhou looked at him pitifully.

Ye Huai rubbed his right hand and squeezed his forearm.

“Brother Huai…”

“Shut up!” Ye Huai finally lost his patience and said crossly, “I’ve been poisoned!”