What the Hell Am I Trying to Win Back?

The iron-pot stewed hen was brought to the table, and its aroma instantly drifted for miles.

Xie Jinran had always been extremely picky about food. Ordinary cuisines did not even catch his eye, and whenever he went out, he ate exclusively at Michelin restaurants.

Yet when he looked at the bland, tasteless noodles in front of him, he could not help swallowing, his face darkening in the process.

"We can only eat this? Is your production team determined to earn the reputation of abusing guests?!" Xie Jinran demanded viciously.

"Wasn't everything agreed on beforehand? What's the point of you two asking over and over?" the assistant snapped back. "If you don't want to be punished, then work harder!"

If they failed the task, his cameraman colleague would suffer along with them.

Not only did the two young masters feel no guilt whatsoever, they still acted like tyrants.

Where did they get that confidence from?!

So what if they were rich?!

The assistant felt indignant on their behalf. He could not even be bothered to explain the remedial rules, but with the camera right in front of him, he could not let the fans think the production team was deliberately making things difficult. He could only roll his eyes and continue, "There's another way. You can add a dish."

"What way?" Xie Ran asked with a sweet smile, sounding remarkably polite.

"There are fruits and vegetables beside the stove. You can make a dish yourselves, but remember, you may only use two ingredients." The assistant heavily emphasized the final sentence.

Xie Ran looked troubled and turned his head. "Third Brother, I'm not good at cooking."

[Hahahaha, fuck, what the hell are you good at?!]

[I finally can't hold back from cursing him anymore. He's fucking useless!]

[So he deserves to be cursed just because he can't cook? Why?! Can you stop being so hostile toward Xie Ran? Do you know how much he has suffered?!]

[Can he shut the fuck up already? His persona is about to collapse into popcorn! Suffered? I think the human traffickers who abducted him treated him like an ancestor!]

[He can't do this, can't do that. He's more pampered than a damn young master!]

Although Xie Jinran could not see the insults flying across the comments, seeing Xie Ran's pitiful expression still made a trace of suspicion rise in his heart.

He could not cook either?

Hadn't they said that when they brought him back, he did everything from laundry and cooking to farm work?

That he was so exhausted he could barely eat, which was why he was malnourished and thin?

So why now...

Xie Jinran's suspicion was written all over his face. Xie Ran's eyes immediately reddened. "Third Brother, I'm sorry. I burned my hand while cooking before, and it left me traumatized. Even now, whenever I get near a stove, I can't help but..."

His voice choked up toward the end.

He looked like someone suffering from lingering trauma.

Xie Jinran's heart instantly softened again. He hurriedly grabbed Xie Ran's hand. "Where were you burned? Are there scars? Let me see."

"It healed well. No scars were left behind." Xie Ran pulled his arm back, as though he had recalled something unpleasant, his face filled with sorrow.

Xie Jinran felt a little guilty. "Sit here. Third Brother will cook for you."

After saying that, he stood up and rolled up his sleeves, looking as though he was ready to make a grand showing.

Isn't it just cooking?

How hard could it be?

Every time he returned home after a performance, Xie Chen would mess around in the kitchen for a while before bringing out a plate of delicious little dishes for himself as a late-night snack.

He can do it, so why can't I?

Xie Jinran had no idea where his confidence came from. After glancing at Xie Chen, who was wolfing down food, he headed toward the kitchen stove.

Luo Mingyu, who had been pricking up his ears to eavesdrop, let out a whistle, his tone dripping with mockery. "Oh? Young Master Xie actually knows how to cook?"

"He knows shit!" Xie Chen mocked, stuffing a chicken drumstick into his mouth.

Xie Ran sat at the next table, the corners of his lips curving smugly. "Brother Xie Chen, is it because you've never eaten Third Brother's cooking? Are you jealous that he's cooking for me himself? Want to come over and try some?"

Xie Chen did not even look at him. He simply waved his chopsticks. "Your Third Brother's cooking should be saved for feeding pigs."

"You—" Having been called a pig, Xie Ran could no longer maintain his composure. He dropped his weak, innocent act, and a vicious smile curled across his lips. "Brother Xie Chen, you can't win back Third Brother's heart, so now you're resorting to personal attacks against me?! I'm afraid nothing you do will work, because I'm his real younger brother!"

Xie Chen spat a chicken bone onto a napkin. Looking wild and carefree, he flicked his tongue lightly and said, "That kind of trash..."

"What the hell am I trying to win back?"