After Marrying the Cold and Elegant Beauty, I Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 25.2

After hearing Yan Huan say this, Shen Yuru’s phoenix eyes suddenly moved slightly. As if thoughtful, she placed her gaze on Han Shuangshuang.

After Yan Huan finished speaking with Han Shuangshuang, her eyes suddenly glanced at Shen Yuru. “Because the competition was suddenly moved forward, several students from the Chinese cuisine side can’t come. Now we have even fewer people. Speaking of which, is Senior Shen participating or not? Did you properly convey my request?”

The moment Han Shuangshuang heard Yan Huan mention Shen Yuru, her cheeks immediately puffed up sulkily. “Of course she’s going. Sister Shen promised me. Sister Shen’s word carries the weight of nine tripods. She never lies.”

After saying this, she even turned her head and met Shen Yuru’s gaze, asking back provocatively, “Right, Sister Shen? Sister Shen has said before that people who lie to children will wet the bed at night.”

Shen Yuru was so angry the corner of her mouth curved slightly, and she let out a cold laugh. “When did I ever say that?”

Han Shuangshuang snorted and turned her face away, refusing to answer Shen Yuru’s words.

Yan Huan could only stand in place smoothing things over for this little couple who were flirting and bickering.

But Shen Yuru suddenly became easy to talk to. She said to Yan Huan, “Lead the way.”

Yan Huan immediately walked ahead dogleggedly.

As she walked, she complained to Han Shuangshuang, “You don’t know how arrogant the Western cuisine department people are. It’s one thing if they don’t know their own food tastes bad, but they even mock our Chinese cuisine. This is food culture passed down by our ancestors for so many years, yet they forget their roots and don’t even realize it.”

At this moment, Han Shuangshuang was marching proudly with her head held high.

She directly gave a crooked evil smile. Truly sorry, but in her original world, she had cooked for herself since childhood. Because she loved delicious food, she had mastered the methods for many authentic dishes.

From little roadside stalls to grand Manchu-Han banquets, she could handle them all with ease.

She was the most loyal supporter of Chinese cuisine.

Chinese cuisine was the eternal god!

After walking for a while, the group finally reached the competition venue.

It was a place specially set aside for the Food Department. Once they entered, everything inside was fully equipped.

Han Shuangshuang’s eyes instantly lit up, because this was simply her dream kitchen.

The place was extremely spacious, clean, and tidy, without the slightest unpleasant smell of cooking fumes. The kitchenware was extremely complete, with all kinds of pots, bowls, ladles, and basins.

And everything was placed neatly and properly.

After Shen Yuru entered, she stood behind Han Shuangshuang. After sweeping her gaze around with a slight frown, her eyes landed on the expensive dress placed in the most conspicuous spot as the prize.

The corner of Shen Yuru’s mouth curved slightly. She smiled coldly and淡淡, then softly said, “Han Shuangshuang, I want that. If you can win it and give it to me, I’ll forgive you.”

Han Shuangshuang turned her head in confusion and followed the direction of Shen Yuru’s finger. She saw the expensive dress placed in the very center, covered by a huge glass case.

That dress was extremely gorgeous and luxurious. It was covered with tiny diamonds that could nearly blind the eyes, and even had a skirt hem five or six meters wide. The surface of the dress was covered in extremely complex hand-embroidered patterns that looked vivid and lifelike.

Han Shuangshuang felt her desire to win instantly ignited. She licked her slightly dry lips.

Shen Yuru stared unblinkingly at Han Shuangshuang’s expression.

She thought that as long as Han Shuangshuang showed even the slightest trace of impatience or hesitation, she would know that everything Han Shuangshuang had done toward her during this period was an act.

Once she heard Shen Yuru’s demand, she would no longer be able to keep pretending.

Then Shen Yuru could steady her heart and no longer be affected by Han Shuangshuang.

But in the next second, Han Shuangshuang agreed to her clearly and without the slightest hesitation.

“As long as it’s something Sister Shen wants, I’ll use all my strength to win it for you.”

A different kind of light flashed in Han Shuangshuang’s puppy eyes. It was passionate, stirring, and infectious.

Shen Yuru’s heart jumped, scalded by those eyes.

Her index finger unconsciously curled inward, and the pad of her finger rubbed against the back of her thumb.

Her heart was once again filled by that inexplicable emotion, sour and swollen. She parted her lips slightly, only to discover she could not say a single word.

The request she made—Han Shuangshuang actually agreed to it without hesitation.

Did Han Shuangshuang like her that much?

Han Shuangshuang looked at the ingredients on the table and was already rubbing her fists and palms together.

Since transmigrating into the book, she had not had a chance to show her skills.

With empty pockets, she could only eat at the cafeteria every day while counting every coin.

During the few days at Shen Yuru’s place, because Shen Yuru’s fridge had barely any ingredients, she could only make the most basic, simplest meals.

The moment she thought of spicy boiled pork slices, braised prawns, and so on—

Rich oil, heavy seasoning, seafood, spicy meat flavors. Just thinking about it made her drool.

Just as Han Shuangshuang put on the special apron for the Chinese cuisine department, a few flamboyantly dressed people from the Western cuisine department walked over. Their gazes carried disdain as they looked at them, then one of them said mockingly, “Yun Yun, your department is really getting worse and worse. You’ll accept any random cats and dogs. If you really can’t find people to participate in the competition, you could have discussed postponing it with me. Why bother finding these low-class people and humiliating yourselves?”

After Yun Yun saw Shen Yuru, she did not stop Han Shuangshuang from participating.

Moreover, she had also heard Shen Yuru tell Han Shuangshuang to win the competition prize—that beautiful dress.

Yun Yun knew that Shen Yuru did not lack a dress. Shen Yuru wanted to test Han Shuangshuang. She and her older sister, Yun Ruyi, both did not approve of Han Shuangshuang approaching Shen Yuru.

But they could not directly point fingers at Shen Yuru’s matters either. They had to respect Shen Yuru’s opinion. Since Shen Yuru had plans in her heart, they would silently help Shen Yuru.

Hearing the Western cuisine department’s mockery, Yun Yun’s expression remained normal.

But the other people from the Chinese cuisine department could no longer stand still. Looking at Han Shuangshuang, their faces also revealed dissatisfied expressions.

“What are these freshmen coming over for? They’re already young misses from wealthy families who have never touched housework. Why insist on coming here to join the excitement? They’re making us get laughed at for nothing.”

“Exactly. Even junior Shen Yuru came. On campus, the gossip about Han Shuangshuang and Shen Yuru has been spreading everywhere. What are the two of them doing here? If they want to show off their love, go show it somewhere else.”

Hearing that the Chinese cuisine department’s own people had actually started infighting, Yan Huan’s eyes widened. “Isn’t this too useless? Other people only casually provoked you with a couple of sentences, and your own side starts gossiping about your own people. No matter what, we came to help you. If you don’t appreciate it, forget it. Why say sarcastic things?”

The two people from the Chinese cuisine department had been directly called out by Yan Huan, and their faces became a little unable to hold up. But it was not good to start arguing here, so they could only look toward Yun Yun with pleading eyes.

Yun Yun had always been cold-faced and upright. They believed Yun Yun would definitely drive these people out.

Yan Huan’s gaze also turned to Yun Yun, and she instantly became somewhat flustered. She had originally wanted to help Yun Yun. She had not expected to start arguing with these people. Yun Yun would not get annoyed with her because of this, right?

She had deliberately come over because she wanted to personally eat the food Yun Yun made.

Yan Huan’s gaze was pitiful as she looked at Yun Yun just like that. Even Han Shuangshuang could hardly bear to look directly at it.

“Sis, restrain yourself a little. So many people are watching. Don’t simp so obviously, okay?”

Han Shuangshuang secretly nudged Yan Huan with her elbow. Yan Huan wiped her face and retorted unwillingly, “What nonsense are you saying? This is my love for food. If the two of us get driven out and can’t participate in the competition, how are you going to win that gorgeous dress for your Sister Shen?”

Hearing Yan Huan say this, Han Shuangshuang’s expression also became serious. She stood on the same side as Yan Huan and glared at the two department members who had made sarcastic remarks.

Yun Yun, however, raised her hand and said to the two members gossiping about others, “Our poster was originally recruiting from the entire school. As long as they’re students of our school, they have the right to participate. It doesn’t matter whether they’re freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors, nor does it matter whether they’re experienced or just starting out. This event was meant for participation and experience to begin with.”

Yan Huan blinked. Then the corner of her mouth slowly spread into a grin. She had not expected Yun Yun to actually stand on her side.

Sure enough, one small step every day would become one huge step forward.

The competition rules were very simple. Nine students were randomly pulled from campus to act as judges.

Since the number of people was odd, there would be no tie. It would be best two out of three.

For each round, the Chinese cuisine department and the Western cuisine department would each present one dish. After the nine judges tasted them, they would give their scores. Whichever side received more votes would win.

The people from the Western cuisine department had already unhurriedly finished their preparations. They put on professional gloves and masks, covering themselves tightly. Their ingredients were precious and rare, and they pursued beautiful presentation.

After preparing, they did not forget to start a verbal fight. “I advise you to admit defeat early. In any case, we won last year, and we’ll definitely win this year too. Most of the money for this gown was paid by us.”

Han Shuangshuang held a kitchen knife and, with a crack, chopped it into the cutting board before putting on her apron.

She tied up her high ponytail with a hair tie, turning it into a bun. She swept her bangs behind her ears and washed her hands clean with water.

She did not bother saying any more useless nonsense.

Yun Yun had not originally held any expectation of certain victory. After all, the older members had either left or failed to come. The Western cuisine department had taken advantage of their lack of people to press them step by step, so she had no choice but to accept this competition.

However, the process of Han Shuangshuang cutting the tenderloin already made the whole venue let out no small amount of surprised exclamations.

Han Shuangshuang had been cooking for herself ever since she could remember. Even if her knife skills had not been trained for thirteen years, they had at least been trained for ten. When cutting meat, she could evenly slice it into thin pieces.

Her technique was extremely clean and practiced, one cut following the next. When the knife in her right hand sliced off one piece, her left hand would move one step to the left in an orderly manner. A fresh piece of tenderloin, in her hands, quickly turned into many meat slices of uniform thickness and equal size.

The other people from the Chinese cuisine department were stunned. “That’s too amazing. This kind of knife work isn’t something you can train in just a few years.”

Most of the students at this university were either rich or noble, and their family conditions were relatively superior. Their general academic grades were average, so in order to attend university, they could only choose a major they were interested in and that was relatively practical. Therefore, they had only started coming into contact with cooking after entering university.

Their knife skills could be imagined. They could only practice slowly, but they were far from reaching Han Shuangshuang’s level of proficiency and refinement.

Han Shuangshuang picked up several kinds of chili peppers, cut them into sections, then tossed them into the pan to stir-fry.

The moment the fragrance of the chilies was released, Han Shuangshuang’s eyes instantly lit up.

This was the smell. This was the level of heat.

Chilies, scallions, garlic cloves, doubanjiang, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce. After simply seasoning the broth, she tossed in the vegetables to cook, scooped them out, then removed and discarded the remaining seasoning residue inside. Using the leftover spicy broth, she briefly blanched the thinly sliced meat for thirty seconds and immediately took it out of the pot.

Then she poured it over the vegetables she had just blanched. Finally, she heated a small portion of oil, added the prepared chili sections, Sichuan peppercorns, and chopped scallions. The crackling hot oil fully released the aroma of the scallions, chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic cloves. Then she poured it over the freshly cooked boiled pork slices. That fragrance instantly filled the entire event venue.

The power of chili peppers was beyond doubt. That choking yet fragrant and numbing smell filled everyone’s noses. Even the people making Western food could not help stopping and looking over from afar.

Han Shuangshuang had clearly made what they considered a major dish, yet it had come out of the pot so quickly. The nine judges were practically drooling as they stared eagerly at that large bowl of so-called boiled pork slices.

Their families were wealthy, so they had eaten almost everything. They could have whatever they wanted, but great attention was paid to their health, so what they ate tended to be relatively light. It had been a long time since they had eaten something this heavily numbing and spicy.

Just smelling it already made them unable to stop salivating.

The nine people immediately rushed forward and began putting food onto their own plates.

Even the other members of the Chinese cuisine department were itching to move, holding chopsticks in their hands and wanting to seize the chance to grab some.

The Western cuisine department finished making their own dish and placed it before the judges. But those people had long since grown used to this kind of food, which only had mood and atmosphere but not much flavor, the sort that served as a ceremonial image at family banquets.

So they tasted two bites with little interest, but they were still yearning for the numbing, spicy, fragrant flavor that had just been in their mouths.

From behind, Shen Yuru watched Han Shuangshuang’s busy figure. She saw the group of people who had treated Han Shuangshuang as an enemy just moments ago now surrounding Han Shuangshuang like stars around the moon, their eyes shining as they stared at the food Han Shuangshuang had made.

Shen Yuru could not help rubbing her index finger against her thumb.

Shen Yuru knew that Han Shuangshuang was definitely going to win this competition.

Next, Han Shuangshuang made another dish she liked to eat: braised prawns and spicy braised intestines.

The intestines were soft and springy, without the slightest unpleasant smell. They were chewy and bouncy in the mouth, filled with a spicy aroma, and at the end, there was even a faint sweetness.

In the end, the result was naturally a complete defeat for the Western cuisine side.

Yan Huan ate until her mouth was covered in oil, looking at Han Shuangshuang with a face full of worship. “Sis, since when did you have this skill? Why didn’t you reveal it earlier? You actually hid this from me. This was all my good fortune to eat, but it got snatched away by other people.”

While Yan Huan was talking, half of the food on the plate disappeared again. How would Yan Huan dare divide her attention any further? Holding her chopsticks, she went back to fighting for food.

Han Shuangshuang stepped back from afar and took out a few bottles of light cream, placing them on the table. “Sweet and spicy is a perpetual-motion machine. After eating spicy food, eating something sweet is simply perfect for the appetite.”

Han Shuangshuang watched everyone eating happily, the corner of her mouth curving slightly. She knew it was not because she herself was that amazing. It was only because the right timing, location, and people all aligned.

This group of rich kids had already grown used to that dull Western food, while what she happened to make was heavy in oil and spice. Coincidentally, there were also so many people here.

Eating alone and fighting to eat with a crowd were different feelings. More or less, some happy emotions would be added in, giving her food an extra boost too.

Han Shuangshuang ate a large mouthful of cream. The sweet, rich taste covered the spiciness in her mouth and made her lips less numb.

Although the people from the Western cuisine department lost unwillingly, seeing the people opposite them eating so deliciously, they also put down their airs and picked up chopsticks one after another to try the taste.

“It’s clearly very ordinary. There’s nothing particularly outstanding about it. But why do I want another bite after taking one?”

“Senior, stop pretending. Because every bite you take means one less bite left. If you hesitate any longer, there won’t be any left.”

“Isn’t Han Shuangshuang supposed to be an ignorant, incompetent airhead who only knows how to date? How is she so good at cooking? Our Western cuisine department definitely has to steal this kind of talent.”

In the middle of fighting for food, the people from the Chinese cuisine department heard this and instantly refused to accept it. “Can your Western cuisine department have a little shame? Just now, you looked down on her, and now you actually dare steal our person right in front of us? Han Shuangshuang competed under our name, so of course she counts as one of us. Don’t even think about it.”

Western cuisine department: “Junior Han, come to our department. We not only have free meal subsidies, but also special monthly funds that can be used to pay you a salary.”

Chinese cuisine department: “Come to our department, and we can give you the kitchen key. You can come whenever you want, and our salary won’t be lower than theirs either. Join our department.”

“I’ve realized that our misunderstanding of Han Shuangshuang before was way too big. Looking at it now, Han Shuangshuang actually looks pretty good while cooking. And a girl who knows how to cook really earns a ton of bonus points, okay?”

“If I could have such a considerate girlfriend who also knows how to cook, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams. Why don’t I secretly ask Junior Han for her contact information?”

Han Shuangshuang suddenly became the target everyone was fighting over, and those people fighting for her had even forgotten to wipe the oil from their mouths.

Looking at Han Shuangshuang being surrounded in the center by a crowd, Shen Yuru did not know why, but an inexplicable irritation began rising in her heart again.

Her heart felt as though it were slowly being scratched by a kitten’s paw. It did not hurt, but it was not comfortable either, like a breath was trapped inside with nowhere to vent. Sour and swollen, it made her want to take a few deep breaths.

Han Shuangshuang asked in return, “So does this mean I won this competition? Does that dress belong to me?”

“Of course you won.”

“No problem. It’s just one dress. It’s yours.”

Han Shuangshuang happily trotted over to Shen Yuru.

She brought along a small portion of the dishes she had secretly set aside for Shen Yuru after cooking.

Han Shuangshuang held the plate in front of Shen Yuru. “Sister Shen, I secretly saved this for you. No one touched it. Hurry and eat.”

Seeing Han Shuangshuang run eagerly to Shen Yuru, the others also let out gossipy clicking sounds and sharp gasps.

“I’m not worse-looking than Shen Yuru either. Can’t Junior Han look at me?”

“Exactly, exactly. I can also tutor Junior Han.”

“Junior Han, my family lives near the Han family. We can go home together after school. I can give you a ride. You just need to come to my house and cook a meal while you’re at it.”

Noisy voices sounded behind Han Shuangshuang. Shen Yuru’s phoenix eyes darkened slightly. Her slender fingers lifted and lightly pinched Han Shuangshuang’s chin.

As expected, she attracted bees and butterflies. The moment Shen Yuru failed to watch her, she had hooked so many people’s hearts.

Was Han Shuangshuang indirectly trying to make Shen Yuru get jealous and care about her more?

She was not that kind of romance-brained person.

Han Shuangshuang had just eaten light cream, and because she had taken a big mouthful, some had accidentally stuck to the corner of her lips. She had also been in a hurry to bring Shen Yuru the small portion of food she had saved in advance, so she forgot to wipe it away.

Shen Yuru lowered her head slightly and moved closer and closer to her. Han Shuangshuang held the small plate of food in her hands and had no way to move recklessly, so she could only freeze where she stood, unable to move.

Han Shuangshuang felt Shen Yuru’s slightly cool breath brush over her face. Then those cool lips came closer and closer, finally stopping beside the corner of her mouth. She felt something warm lick the corner of her lips.

Shen Yuru narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly. The corners of those eyes carried a little redness, making her look enchanting and alluring.

After licking the cream from the corner of Han Shuangshuang’s mouth into her own, Shen Yuru slowly smacked her lips, as though carefully savoring it. Her movements were extremely elegant.

Then she slowly straightened, looking at Han Shuangshuang as though both savoring and appraising her.

Seeing the stunned gazes of everyone behind them, the corner of Shen Yuru’s mouth curved slightly. She slowly said, “The taste isn’t bad.”

Author’s Note:

Han Shuangshuang: Huh? Huh, huh, huh?

Shen Yuru: Heh. You were the one who seduced me first.