The romantic showdown continued

Xie Jiali's insistence on showing up despite being ill caught everyone off guard.

With the seats on both sides of Shi Zhou occupied, Su Yue sat across from him. He hadn't said a word since coming in.

Asta's expression was graver than even he realized. For every glass of water Shi Zhou poured Xie Jiali, he happened to drink one too.

Fortunately, Yu Manman and Shi Zhou were there to keep the conversation going. The two of them could lighten the mood.

Yu Manman smiled and glanced across the table.

"Asta's thirsty too. He's really gulping that water down."

They were seated at a large round table today, with quite a bit of space between them. Shi Zhou lowered his head and chuckled.

"Too many people struck up conversations with him today. All that talking makes you thirsty, haha."

His tone was full of teasing, with no other meaning behind it.

Yet Asta set down his glass when he heard that and forced a smile along with him.

"Not really. I'm not that thirsty. Just hungry. My stomach feels empty. When are those two getting here?"

After saying that, he couldn't bear to look toward Shi Zhou again and turned to ask a member of the production crew.

Before his words had even faded, the crew knocked on the door from outside. "Yu Xi and little Yu are here."

"Ta-da!" Lin Yuxi pushed the door open with a hop.

"Look what we brought!" Zheng Yu smiled, holding a large platter.

Lin Yuxi set an insulated container of baked cookies on the table, and Zheng Yu placed the large platter right in the center.

Shi Zhou paused, then asked with a smile, "Why did you bring that over?"

They were the cookies he had baked at noon.

Zheng Yu walked past them, bringing a waft of fragrance with him. "I'm exhausted. This platter's so heavy."

"The crew asked us to bring it, but the moment I saw it, I knew we absolutely had to!" Zheng Yu said with a smile as he pulled out a chair.

Everyone thanked him for the effort.

With the arrival of these two friends who weren't involved in the tension, the atmosphere seemed to warm up all at once.

After spending the day out together, Lin Yuxi and Zheng Yu had grown closer. She sat down and ribbed him without hesitation. "That's only because you insisted on carrying it yourself the whole time."

Zheng Yu stretched his sore arms and smiled too. "It's pretty."

At first, he had been jealous of Shi Zhou because the person he liked had feelings for Shi Zhou. Now, that jealousy had faded.

The moment the crew had told him to open the fridge, he had been genuinely stunned by the traditional Chinese-style painting on the platter. He had stared at it for ages before carefully taking it out.

He had always loved beauty and loved admiring it.

When someone was that outstanding, it was hard to be jealous of them.

He deliberately lifted his chin. "We have to eat it before dinner, or Zhouzhou's work and all my carrying will have been for nothing."

Everyone laughed at that.

"Sure," Shi Zhou said.

He peeled off the plastic wrap covering it, used the tweezers in the box to add the flowers, then sprinkled on a few faint flecks of gold dust.

"Wow!" Everyone stood up along with him. "It's so beautiful."

"Now it's even prettier. It looked like a winter scene before, but with the flowers, it's like spring has arrived..."

"Those rays you added look just like sunlight. I can even tell it's morning," Yu Manman murmured, unable to tear her eyes away.

Shi Zhou smiled and winked at her. "That's right. Go on, everyone, try some."

Yu Manman smiled too, an indescribable feeling stirring in her heart.

It's the scene from when we were chatting outside this morning.

She hadn't expected Shi Zhou to remember it so clearly.

Now everyone was reluctant to eat it and wanted photos first. Even the production crew stopped filming the guests, taking close-ups of the square porcelain platter from every angle instead. The live comments flew by even faster.

It really was beautiful, so wonderfully evocative.

Only after taking photos for ages did they carefully pick up a flower.

They had no idea how Shi Zhou had made them. The flowers were very thin, with a delicate, sweet strawberry fragrance mingling with the aroma of cream, without being cloying.

And since they had been kept in an insulated container, they were still warm. One bite on this rainy day warmed them right to the heart.

-Wow, wow, I want some so badly just looking at it!

-It sounds so crisp!

Shi Zhou smiled. "The things on the platter aren't just for looking at. You can eat them together with the cookies."

He had deliberately shaped the outer petals into narrow edges, so scraping them across the painted platter left only a fine line without spoiling the picture much. And since the painting was cold while the flowers were warm, the combination had a flavor all its own.

At that, everyone started scraping up bites. "Mm, it really does taste different!"

Delight shone in everyone's eyes. Those who liked sweets scooped up the chocolate-flavored tree trunks, while those who preferred milder flavors could try the matcha and black coffee. Paired with the smooth, ice-cream-like base, the crisp cookies offered something special no matter how they ate them.

-Holy shit, give us a link! I seriously want to eat this!

-Aaaaah, Zhouzhou, that's so clever! He really knows his food, and it's so pretty too QAQ!

-Seriously, production team, sell this. I'd buy it even if it cost over ten thousand.

-I saw that girl's location tag and suddenly understood. On Capital Star, even over ten thousand would be worth it. The handiwork alone could be worth ten thousand...

-My beloved consort Zhou, how many more surprises are you hiding from your emperor?

-Move aside, whoever called him a consort. He's clearly the empress.

The comments streamed past as viewers typed furiously to make up for the disappointment of not getting a taste!

Shi Zhou scooped up several different colors, but rather than eating them himself, he offered them to Xie Jiali.

He understood exactly why the crew had specifically asked Zheng Yu to bring the platter over: they wanted to stir up a romantic showdown.

It also gave him a chance to see how far things had progressed among the guests.

Smiling brightly, he held it out to Xie Jiali and said, half jokingly,

"Brother Xie's sick, so Brother Xie gets the first bite."

Almost everyone's hands paused for a moment, and they cast seemingly casual glances in their direction.

Xie Jiali seemed entirely oblivious, as though he were sitting outside the eye of the storm.

Rather than taking it with his hand, he simply tilted his head toward it, lowering his long, thick lashes. His skin was porcelain-white, and a smile touched the corners of his eyes.

Only after chewing carefully did he say slowly, "It's delicious. Thank you, Zhouzhou."

Asta tossed the entire little cookie into his mouth. Watching them sidelong, he curved his thin lips into a smile.

"Since Brother Xie's sick, he should probably eat less of this cold stuff."

Xie Jiali nodded and said gently, "Mm, I'll only have this one. Thanks for your concern."

He had already eaten the one that mattered most. What difference did it make whether he ate the rest?

Asta picked up another two and stuffed them into his mouth, a cold smile lingering on his lips as he ground the cookies between his back teeth with loud crunches.

Shi Zhou pressed his fingers together. He seemed to have touched something soft and smooth just now, but the contact had ended immediately. Perhaps he had imagined it.

He felt a little strange. It wasn't unpleasant; he was just rather surprised that Xie Jiali hadn't taken it with his hand.

He no longer had the attention to spare for anyone else's expression.

With his head lowered, he looked shy to everyone else.

Seeing Shi Zhou like that, Lin Yuxi bit her lip, looking a little pitiful.

Su Yue really didn't want this topic to continue. He set down his cookie and, for the first time, took the initiative to ask,

"Why isn't the food here yet? I'm hungry."

They had never heard him complain of hunger before.

The production crew suppressed their laughter. Having enjoyed enough of the show, they finally had the food served.

The platter holding their pre-dinner dessert was cleared away. Yu Manman let out a long breath, her gaze flickering and her feelings a tangled mess. She had thought Shi Zhou, being so considerate, would offer everyone a bite.

At the very least, the people sitting on either side of him...

But Shi Zhou had given one to Xie Jiali alone.

Part of her thought her baby was unfilial for not giving his mom any.

Then she reconsidered. Oh, fine, fine. Xie Jiali isn't bad either.

Still, there was an indescribable feeling in her heart. Perhaps she simply thought her baby was the best in the world, and no one was good enough for him.

So she changed the subject too, saying as she picked up some food,

"By the way, did you know we're going to the hot springs tomorrow?"

"Huh? Tomorrow?"

Shi Zhou bit his chopsticks, dumbfounded.