One Dared to Say It, the Other Dared to Believe It

Enter the kitchen.

Bai Wanwan rolled up her sleeves, and after quickly cleaning the kitchen with Qian Renxue, she confidently picked up the ingredients and began to teach them earnestly.

"Sister, once we've prepared the ingredients, we can start heating the oil in the wok."

"Then, when the oil is about 80% hot, you can add the ingredients."

Bai Wanwan pointed to the Wok and explained softly.

"Um..."

"How do you determine if the oil temperature is 80% hot?"

Qian Renxue tilted her head and asked a question.

"Uh, just go by feeling!"

"That's right, that's it. Once it feels about right, we can add the ingredients."

Bai Wanwan picked up the ingredients beside her and poured them directly into the pot.

With a sizzling sound, oil splattered everywhere, and Bai Wanwan and Qian Renxue took a few steps back in perfect unison.

Qian Renxue glanced at Bai Wanwan without showing any emotion, a strange feeling of unease rising in her heart.

Bai Wanwan picked up the spatula and carefully stirred the ingredients a few times.

"Now it's almost time to add the seasonings."

"About eight spoonfuls of salt should be enough."

"Hmm, what is this thing? It's not important, just put some in."

"And what is this?"

Bai Wanwan picked up a jar, took a small sip, and said, "Sugar can be used to enhance the flavor; add a little."

What is this thing?

"Never mind, just put some in."

Bai Wanwan carefully added seasonings to the pot.

Qian Renxue silently took a step back, her slightly slender Phoenix Eyes narrowing slightly.

Something's not right!

Something about 9.9 out of 10 is not right.

Although Bai Wanwan's cooking skills seemed very proficient, Qian Renxue had a strange feeling that there was a high probability that Bai Wanwan could not make the same thing twice.

"Hiss~"

"Wanwan, isn't the Qianmi Grass used for making soup? And I read in a book that it's poisonous if it's not cooked properly."

Qian Renxue swallowed hard, the uneasy feeling in her heart growing stronger.

"Ah?"

"I know, I only made soup, so don't worry, sister."

Bai Wanwan patted her chest confidently, added some water to the pot, and then gently stirred it with a spatula.

As Bai Wanwan stirred, the soup in the pot gradually turned green.

"Um?"

Why is it green?

"Add some green vegetables, and that will make sense."

"It's green because it contains leafy greens, which makes perfect sense—what a healthy color!"

Bai Wanwan nodded seriously.

Qian Renxue silently took a few steps back towards the door.

Alarm bells rang in my mind.

She was now certain that Bai Wanwan had not poisoned the soup; however, whether the soup itself was poisoned remained to be determined.

"Should I drink the soup when it's served?"

"My intuition tells me that there's definitely something wrong with this soup if I drink it, but seeing how serious Wanwan is about it, will refusing to drink it make Wanwan sad?"

"How about we find someone to test the poison first?"

Qian Renxue silently calculated in her mind, her eyes shifting rapidly.

Just then, Shi Nian's voice rang out from not far away.

"Young Lady, His Second Prince has come to pay a visit."

At that Shi Nian, he respectfully bowed to Qian Renxue.

"It's poisonous..."

"No, you've come at the perfect time."

"Quickly invite His Highness the Second Prince in. Take him directly to the Dining Room. He must not have eaten yet. He'll be in for a treat, as Wanwan personally cooked lunch today."

Qian Renxue's eyes lit up instantly, and she gestured for Shi Nian to quickly invite the Second Prince in.

"Etc!"

"Remember to have Wushuang come over too!"

Watching Shi Nian walk away, Qian Renxue quickly added another sentence.

The reason for summoning Yang Wushuang was quite simple: Yang Wushuang was an expert in both poison making and antidote preparation. Bringing him over was a good idea, just in case.

"Yes, Young Lady."

Shi Nian agreed and headed towards the front hall.

Not long after.

Led by Shi Nian, the Second Prince Xue Luochuan arrived at the Dining Room in the back hall.

"It seems I've arrived at the perfect time; I'm fortunate enough to taste the delicacies personally prepared by Miss Bai."

Xue Luochuan sat at the dining table with a faint smile on his lips.

Well, although it was described as a delicacy, Xue Luochuan already had very low expectations.

After all, she's a pampered Young Lady who never lifts a finger in the kitchen. Even if she knows a little bit about cooking, the food she makes will probably be very ordinary, or even worse, not very tasty at all.

But does that matter?

It doesn't matter at all.

Now, with the help of Qian Renxue and Bai Wanwan, Xue Luochuan is able to compete with Xue Qinghe. Even if it tastes bad or is poisonous, he will still eat it and praise it as delicious, even the most delicious food he has ever seen.

So this isn't about food, but about understanding human relationships and social dynamics.

If it's really delicious, that would be even better, since I haven't had lunch yet.

I waited in the Dining Room for about twenty minutes.

Xue Luochuan heard footsteps outside the door and looked towards the doorway.

Bai Wanwan entered the Dining Room carrying a porcelain bowl specifically for serving soup, with Qian Renxue and Yang Wushuang following beside her.

"Tsk~"

"The Second Prince's arrival is truly timely."

Bai Wanwan placed the porcelain bowl in her hand in front of Xue Luochuan.

As a guest, Xue Luochuan should naturally be the first to taste the food.

"Just a coincidence, nothing more."

"I feel very honored to be able to taste the delicious food personally prepared by Miss Bai."

Xue Luochuan smiled and reached out to open the lid of the porcelain bowl, having already thought of over a hundred words of praise in his mind.

But when the lid was opened, the words of praise that Xue Luochuan wanted to use remained on his lips; he simply couldn't utter them.

"Hiss~"

Xue Luochuan looked at the soup in front of him, his brows twitching, alarm bells ringing in his mind, carefully considering his words.

"Miss Bai, I seem to see a free and unrestrained spirit in the soup you made, but... but I have a small question. Isn't this soup a bit too thick, and why is it green in color, with green bubbles rising to the surface every now and then?"

Bai Wanwan coughed lightly. "Has Your Highness never had vegetable porridge before?"

"I added green vegetables, so the soup is green."

"The soup is thick because there are too many ingredients and not enough water, which makes it appear thick. It's also normal for some bubbles to appear on the surface of the soup because it's very hot right out of the pot."

Bai Wanwan explained with a serious expression.

"Hmm... that makes sense!"

"Perfectly reasonable!"

Xue Luochuan frowned and thought for a moment, then slowly reached out, picked up the soup spoon, and took a bite.

The moment the soup entered his mouth, Xue Luochuan's expression changed rapidly.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"What... what delicious soup! After taking a sip, I felt as if I could see my Grand Royal Grandmother, whom I haven't seen for many years, waving to me."

Thump~

Xue Luochuan slumped onto the table, as if he were asleep.

"Hiss~"

"One dares to speak, and the other not only dares to believe, but also dares to drink!"

Qian Renxue took a step back without making a sound.