Wa...derine

Va...derin

At the dining table.

The food smelled delicious, and the spread was lavish.

It had to be said that Mei's cooking was truly beyond criticism. She had really captured the feel of homemade Chinese food.

Before this, Ren Yu had thought she could only make Japanese dishes and Western food.

Aside from Himeko, who said she had something to take care of, there were only three people seated around the round table.

Ren Yu, Mei, and Kiana.

At that moment, Kiana was hugging the large porcelain bowl in front of her and frantically shoveling white rice into her mouth without touching any of the dishes.

Yes, she really had not eaten a single dish.

Kiana stubbornly believed that a loss was a loss and should not be taken back. So she refused Ren Yu's kind offer to let her eat some dishes and silently finished the entire bowl of plain rice.

Then she refilled it and continued shoveling it down.

It looked like her bowl would be empty again before long.

Mei was stunned. Even Ren Yu, watching her shovel down rice from the side, felt a little embarrassed. He hesitated before reminding her, "Um, Kiana, you really don't have to do this. I was just saying it casually. It was only a joke."

Mei tried to persuade her as well:

"Yeah, Kiana, you should eat some dishes too. Assistant Teacher really didn't mean it that way."

But Kiana shook her head without even looking up. She swept the remaining grains of rice into her mouth in a few quick motions, chewed twice, and swallowed. Then she set down her bowl and chopsticks with a smack and stubbornly replied, "It's fine. It's just one meal of plain rice. I'm full."

As she spoke, she proudly raised her chin at Ren Yu.

As if to say—

See? When I say I won't eat it, I won't eat it!

"..."

She raised her head again and swept her gaze across the dazzling array of dishes on the table, her eyes nearly blinded by the sight.

They looked so delicious!

Suddenly, Kiana violently shook her head. After swallowing the saliva that had gathered in her mouth, she steeled herself and carried her bowl and chopsticks toward the sink.

As she walked, she kept consoling herself:

No, no!

It's just one meal!

I, Kiana, can afford to lose!

That's right. As a descendant of the Kaslana Family, how could I go back on my word? This is precisely the time to uphold my family's honor. I absolutely cannot back down!

As she thought about it, Kiana felt much better. By the time she had finally washed the dishes, gone back to her room, and taken a shower, Ren Yu had already disappeared.

Kiana swept her gaze around the kitchen before finally fixing it on the busy Mei. Confused, she asked, "Mei, where did Assistant Teacher go?"

"Huh? He left."

Mei did not turn around and continued chopping something on the cutting board.

"So soon?"

Kiana tilted her head, but her gaze soon landed on the several plates of food on the table that had barely been touched.

That Assistant Teacher was actually a picky eater!

What a waste!

The more she looked, the more she wanted to beat Ren Yu up.

Mei cooked all this, and you're still picky!

I didn't get to eat any, yet you were actually picky?

"Kiana, help me clear the leftovers from the table."

Mei's voice came from the kitchen:

"Please. There isn't much left anyway, so I won't put it in the fridge."

Kiana froze for a moment before immediately realizing what Mei meant.

She wants me to eat the leftovers?

Hmph!

"Mei, Assistant Teacher treated you like this, and you're not angry?"

"What do you mean, treated me like this?"

Mei stopped what she was doing and asked in confusion.

"I mean Assistant Teacher being a picky eater! He didn't even touch those few dishes!"

"This was your hard work, Mei!"

Kiana complained indignantly:

"At least he should have eaten some! He really didn't eat any at all. That's way too much!"

Mei suddenly smiled, her pink lips curving into a graceful arc.

At first, she had wondered whether there was something wrong with her cooking, whether Assistant Teacher did not like those dishes, which was why he had not even touched them with his chopsticks.

But now, she finally understood what Ren Yu had meant.

Weren't they left for Kiana?

"Assistant Teacher Yang didn't think that way, but he did leave behind another message. Want to hear it?"

"What message?"