Chapter 163: Da-chuan and Little Mi

The two of them couldn’t decide what dish to make right away, so they went to check out the ingredients provided by the show.

There was chicken, fish, beef, lamb, pork—all kinds of meats—as well as a variety of seasonal vegetables.

Jiang Mi looked at the ingredients, then at the vast, lush mountains ahead, and suddenly had an idea. Just as she was about to discuss it with Gu Chuan, she heard Lu Yu’s cheerful voice next to her. “Mimi, what are you and Brother Chuan going to make?”

Jiang Mi smiled mischievously at Lu Yu. “It’s a secret. You’ll have to wait until it’s done to taste it.”

Lu Yu laughed and agreed, offering her own invitation in return. Then, Fu Li’s voice sounded next to them, “Little Yu, want to team up with me?”

Lu Yu turned her head and met Fu Li’s long, dark, and intense eyes, full of a predatory vibe. Her heart skipped a beat, and she stammered, “I-I’m already teamed up with Brother Chuang Lin…”

Cheng Lin, hearing his name, didn’t even look up in his panic. He hurriedly grabbed the wrist of the girl next to him and blurted, “I-I-I’m already teamed up too!”

Cheng Lin knew his own feelings very clearly.

He only saw Lu Yu as a lively, adorable little sister—there wasn’t the slightest romantic attraction! And besides, he thought Fu Li was perfect for her. A genius surgeon, talented, wealthy, and handsome—it was clear Lu Yu had special feelings for him too. They were bound to spark something.

Better for him not to get in the way.

Alright, honestly, the biggest reason was that the other night, Fu Li had specifically invited him to watch a movie: The Surgeon of Death.

During the day, the surgeon is a well-dressed, respected medical professional. At night, he’s a cold-hearted, sadistic killer, wielding a gleaming scalpel to slaughter his victims.

It wasn’t that Cheng Lin feared Fu Li; he just sincerely believed Fu Li was a good person!

Yes, a very good person!

At that moment, the girl whose hand he had grabbed, Yang Yang, was still in shock but agreed, “Sure, CEO Cheng, we’re a team now.”

Qin Ling had been planning to step in, but when he saw Cheng Lin’s relieved expression—as if he had survived a close call—he held back. “Great! Can you cook?” he asked.

Yang Yang nodded, “I can cook a little.”

Cheng Lin grinned, “Me too! Let’s work together and make a full feast!”

Qin Ling just wanted to smack Cheng Lin’s head!

Meanwhile, Fu Li turned to Bai Ruoruo. “Cheng Lin’s already teamed up with someone else.”

Lu Yu wanted to say she’d team up with Qin Ling instead, but just as she opened her mouth, Fu Li lowered his head slightly, his dark eyes looking vulnerable and pitiful.

“Little Yu, don’t be afraid of me, alright?”

His deep, magnetic voice, intentionally softened, carried a tender, lingering gentleness.

Lu Yu’s heart fluttered even more. She looked up and found herself staring into his dark, deep eyes, filled with fragments of softness.

Her heart trembled and felt weak, and before she knew it, the word “okay” slipped out of her mouth.

Over on Jiang Mi and Gu Chuan’s side, they had already settled on what dish to make.

Following the villagers’ advice, Gu Chuan went to find some smooth bricks to build a stove. Jiang Mi, on the other hand, went to borrow a larger pot from one of the villagers since the one provided by the show was too small.

She knocked on the door, her voice soft and warm, speaking in the local dialect, “Hi there, sister. I’m here for the show, and I was wondering if I could borrow a big pot to make some stew?”

Before the woman could answer, the little boy next to her excitedly chimed in, “Yes, yes, yes! We have a huge pot—this big!” He stretched out his arms, making a large circle with his hands.

Jiang Mi couldn’t help but laugh.

The woman playfully knocked her son on the head, “Go on, get the pot! Come on in, miss.”

[Haha, Mimi is really blending in with the locals!]

[Why is everything she says in that little accent just so adorable?]

[I’m so curious—what are they making that needs such a big pot?]

[Ew, look! Bai Ruoruo is also borrowing a pot.]

[Ugh, I can’t stand hearing her talk, always acting so high and mighty, like the villagers should be grateful she’s using their pot. That poor pot must be thinking, ‘I’m going to puke.’]

Jiang Mi returned with the pot, and from a distance, she saw Bai Ruoruo coming out of another villager’s house with a pot as well, giving her a provocative smile.

Jiang Mi completely ignored Bai Ruoruo and walked away without looking back.

When she returned, Gu Chuan had almost finished building the stove.

While Gu Chuan was moving bricks earlier, a few villagers who were lounging nearby smoking heard he was building a stove and eagerly came over to help. With their assistance, the stove was completed quickly.

Before leaving, Jiang Mi didn’t forget to invite them to come over for a meal in two hours, and the villagers gladly agreed.

Jiang Mi directed Gu Chuan to place the pot on the stove, and then the two of them went to speak with the director.

As for what they discussed, the audience had no idea, as the cameras didn’t follow them for that part.

When they came back, they divided the tasks. Jiang Mi was preparing the side dishes and seasonings that they would use later. Although the original Jiang Mi didn’t know how to cook, for the Jiang Mi who had traveled through three thousand worlds on missions, cooking was a piece of cake.

As she sliced the potatoes, her knife skills were sharp and precise, mesmerizing to watch.

Gu Chuan was chopping the chicken on the cutting board. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms. Every time he brought the knife down, the veins in his arms bulged, making him look both powerful and undeniably sexy.

[Suddenly I envy that chicken, Brother Chuan, chop me too.]

[This is the first time I’ve ever thought that cooking could be described as beautiful. Mimi’s chopping is so graceful, and Brother Chuan’s chicken-chopping is so cool. They really are the perfect pair!]

[Haha, I’m dying, what kind of rustic couple is this?]

Once everything was prepared, the pot was heated, and they poured in some oil. First, they added ginger, garlic, and green onions, stir-frying them until fragrant. Then, they tossed in the cleaned chicken pieces, stirring until well browned. Finally, they added hot water and started simmering the meat.

While the chicken was cooking, the two of them began kneading dough together.

Jiang Mi pinched a small piece of dough and excitedly said to Gu Chuan, “I’m going to make a ‘Chuan’ (川) character for you.”

With her nimble fingers, she twisted three strands of dough together, forming a bold and carefree “Chuan” character.

Gu Chuan’s dark eyes softened as he also started molding something for Jiang Mi.

The “Mi” (蜜) character had too many strokes and didn’t look good when shaped with dough, so Gu Chuan thought for a moment and created a round, adorable little sugar candy instead.

“Here’s your little honey,” Gu Chuan said in a deep, gentle voice.

Jiang Mi stared at the little sugar candy in his hand, her heart pounding. Her peach blossom-shaped eyes sparkled brightly, as if filled with countless stars.

Feeling playful, instead of taking the candy, Jiang Mi added a few horizontal and vertical lines to the “Chuan” character in her palm. “I added some abs, now it matches you better.”

No matter how calm Gu Chuan usually was, he couldn’t hold back a laugh this time. “Abs?”

Jiang Mi couldn’t help but laugh herself, her eyes curving. “Ahem, the chicken should be ready now. I’ll go cook this ‘big Chuan,’ and you can put your little honey in the pot too.”

Gu Chuan smiled. “Alright.”

[She added abs to the dough figure! Mimi must really love Brother Chuan’s abs.]

[I never expected they could make a simple village chicken stew so playful. This couple’s affection just hit me out of nowhere.]

[I don’t care, I’m officially declaring that the big Chuan and little honey are their tokens of love.]

[Are they here to film a show or on a honeymoon?]