Jealousy

Jiang Lan also saw Zhou Yun jogging and said with a smile, "So competitive?"

Zhou Yun slowed her pace and said breathlessly in a coquettish tone, "Sister Lan, you're finally back. I was so bored I could die."

Jiang Lan waved the bag in her hand. "I bought groceries. I'll make you something delicious."

"Thanks, Sister Lan! Sister Lan is the GOAT!"

Tang Zhi Chu didn't speak to Zhou Yun, just carried the items into the kitchen.

Zhou Yun's peripheral vision also followed Tang Zhi Chu as he ran into the kitchen. On the surface, she seemed indifferent, but in her heart, she thought, Little guy, I thought you were a stubborn, unfeeling rock.

Zhou Yun noticed Tang Zhi Chu glancing her way several times, and he seemed to be putting on airs by not greeting her.

"Then we'll go prepare!" Jiang Lan called out loudly.

"Okay, I'll keep jogging!"

Tang Zhi Chu had bought a lot of things, and he began the preparation work just like he had helped Chen Si Yang with the dishes the day before.

Jiang Lan wasn't familiar with the kitchen, but she was a thinker. Seeing Tang Zhi Chu start preparing the ingredients, she began to imitate him.

Tang Zhi Chu had originally planned to make soup with the chicken, but Jiang Lan wanted to make pork rib soup, so Tang Zhi Chu changed it to chili chicken.

After washing the chicken, he cut it into very small pieces. Then, he cut the green and red peppers into small segments. He took out two plates, putting the chicken on one and the green and red peppers on the other. This dish was now prepped.

The Jiang Tuan fish had already been cleaned, so it just needed to be rinsed and marinated.

The crayfish only needed to be heated when it was time to eat. Tang Zhi Chu put the pickled chicken feet in the refrigerator; they tasted even better chilled.

In a flash, Tang Zhi Chu finished preparing the dishes in about ten minutes.

Jiang Lan had fewer dishes, and hers were almost done. She just didn't know whether to prepare the pork ribs now or later.

"You can blanch the ribs now," Tang Zhi Chu said, looking at Jiang Lan.

"Okay."

Jiang Lan knew how to blanch. Put the ribs in cold water, then add ginger slices and cooking wine to remove the gamey smell.

Tang Zhi Chu didn't lift a finger; he simply guided Jiang Lan.

After Jiang Lan had blanched the ribs, she didn't ask Tang Zhi Chu immediately. Instead, she pondered for a moment before asking, "Should I switch to a clay pot to stew them?"

Tang Zhi Chu shook his head slightly. "You could do that, but it won't bring out the meat's flavor or the soup's color as well. You can stir-fry the ribs first."

"Stir-fry?"

"Yes, use a small amount of oil to render out some of the ribs' own fat. This will enhance the aroma and make the texture chewier."

Jiang Lan understood. She cleaned the pot, added oil, and then put in the ribs.

"Be careful of the oil splattering and burning you," Tang Zhi Chu warned.

Jiang Lan held a pot lid in front of her.

Just then, a voice called out, "Whoa, you guys have already started cooking?"

Jiang Lan, being unfamiliar with the kitchen, was very focused and only turned her head to glance over.

Tang Zhi Chu, however, greeted the newcomer, who turned out to be Huang Ze Jun.

Huang Ze Jun was taken aback. It was understandable that Jiang Lan and Tang Zhi Chu were cooking together, as they had made arrangements beforehand.

However, Jiang Lan's indifferent attitude towards him made Huang Ze Jun feel a bit jealous.

"It smells good, is it ready now?" Jiang Lan asked Tang Zhi Chu.

"Just toss in a few peppercorns and stir-fry them," Tang Zhi Chu replied.

Jiang Lan nodded and started looking for peppercorns. Tang Zhi Chu handed her a bag – it was the peppercorns.

Huang Ze Jun walked closer. "Let me do it. This is too dangerous for you."

With that, Huang Ze Jun directly inserted himself between Tang Zhi Chu and Jiang Lan, giving off a sense of claiming ownership. He then reached out to take the spatula from Jiang Lan's hand.

Jiang Lan instinctively dodged slightly, but then handed the spatula to Huang Ze Jun.

After taking the spatula from Jiang Lan, Huang Ze Jun frowned and said, "The purpose of peppercorns is to remove gamey smells, aren't they added at the beginning?"

Tang Zhi Chu smiled. "Maybe I forgot at the beginning."

Seeing Tang Zhi Chu readily admit fault, Huang Ze Jun felt like he had punched cotton.

He fell silent. Bringing it up again would only make him seem petty.

Seeing that someone knowledgeable had arrived, Tang Zhi Chu stepped aside and opened another bag.

This bag contained the fruit Tang Zhi Chu had bought.

"Stir-fry until it looks like this, then transfer the ribs to the clay pot to stew," Huang Ze Jun said to Jiang Lan, taking over Tang Zhi Chu's role.

However, Jiang Lan didn't reply. She simply said, "Thank you."

Instead, Jiang Lan glanced at Tang Zhi Chu. Would he really forget to add the peppercorns earlier? It didn't seem likely.

But even if he did forget, so what?

Would it be inappropriate to point it out directly?

"It's a bit hot, I'm going to get a glass of water." Jiang Lan used that as an excuse to leave the stove.

A moment later, Jiang Lan came back in with a glass of water, still looking at her phone.

She had found out that Sichuan peppercorns, when used in meat dishes, are usually added first to bloom in hot oil, which helps to better release their fragrance. However, if they are fried for too long, they will burn.

Therefore, the best way to use Sichuan peppercorns is to meet two conditions: bloom them in oil, but don't let them burn.

Jiang Lan pondered for a moment. Since the ribs would take a relatively long time to fry and render their oil, adding the peppercorns first might indeed cause them to burn.

So, for this particular dish, Tang Zhi Chu was actually right.

Jiang Lan put away her phone. She glanced at Tang Zhi Chu, who was peeling fruit, and then at Huang Ze Jun, who was washing a pot. She thought to herself, no wonder Chen Si Yang chose Tang Zhi Chu.

As for why Tang Zhi Chu didn't argue on the spot?

Jiang Lan felt it might be partly to save face for Huang Ze Jun, and partly because he didn't really care much about Huang Ze Jun as a person, so he didn't bother arguing?

Jiang Lan appreciated this attitude.

Was Tang Zhi Chu really thinking that?

He just didn't want to make it seem like he was competing with Huang Ze Jun for Jiang Lan in front of the cameras.

This was a show, after all.

"Why did you buy so much fruit?" Jiang Lan came over to Tang Zhi Chu again and asked.

She had wanted to ask this question back at the supermarket.

Tang Zhi Chu had bought mangoes, dragon fruit, and blueberries.

Tang Zhi Chu smiled mysteriously. "You'll know in a bit."

"You're not hiding a secret weapon, are you?" Jiang Lan asked with a smile.

"What secret weapon? Just a little something."

Seeing Jiang Lan chatting with Tang Zhi Chu again, Huang Ze Jun felt a pang of unease. He thought, Chen Si Yang already gave her to you, why are you always trying to flirt with others?

"Jiang Lan, you should wait until the water boils before adding the radish."

"Okay, thank you."

"Is there anything else to do?"

Jiang Lan didn't reply to Huang Ze Jun. Instead, she looked at Tang Zhi Chu as if asking for his opinion.

Tang Zhi Chu kept his head down, pretending not to see.

However, Jiang Lan felt she understood. This was definitely Tang Zhi Chu saving face for Huang Ze Jun again, which was why he didn't speak.

"No, I'll do the rest later."

"Alright. I saw Xiao Yun running. How about we go for a run too?" Huang Ze Jun felt a sense of crisis and decided to be direct.

The main reason was that he found Tang Zhi Chu a bit unsettling; he would silently and shamelessly steal someone's territory.

That's how Chen Si Yang was lost.

Jiang Lan pondered for a moment and nodded. If she didn't have this much emotional intelligence, she wouldn't have been a good boss.

Going out with Huang Ze Jun would be good for all three of them.