Bai Zhi, who had just finished stir-frying two dishes, let out a series of sneezes. She called out from the kitchen, "Hu Yan, come help me carry these out."
Hu Yan paused, and a few seconds later, he appeared in the kitchen.
Without looking up, Bai Zhi said, "Take those two dishes out first. I'll stir-fry a few more, and then we can eat."
Hu Yan didn't take the dishes and leave. He watched Bai Zhi skillfully handling the ingredients, and the doubt in his eyes deepened.
Based on what he'd learned about Bai Zhi over the past few years, she was completely unskilled, much less capable of setting foot in a kitchen.
Besides, this was food ordinary families couldn't afford. He hadn't known that before, but since being brought back home after his rescue, he'd never seen them eat such things. Yet, the woman before him not only handled the ingredients skillfully, her knife work was even better than Sang Mo's.
'Without some experience, one wouldn't even know where to begin with ingredients like these.'
'So how does she know how to do all this?'
Recalling her strange behavior today, Hu Yan couldn't help but wonder, 'Is she really Bai Zhi?'
Bai Zhi was sorting a handful of bok choy when she turned to find Hu Yan staring thoughtfully at her hands. Her heart skipped a beat. 'I was so focused on making myself a decent meal that I completely forgot the original owner of this body was useless at everything.'
Her mind raced. 'It's too late to hide it now. I'll just have to act natural.'
She casually held the stir-fried dish out in his direction and said in a normal tone, "I looked up some videos on the Star Network. It might not taste very good. Take this dish out first, then come back and help me wash these."
The plate nearly brushed against Hu Yan's body. He flinched back for a second before stopping himself. "Okay."
This time, she noticed Hu Yan's distinct flinch and how he'd stopped himself. She knew this was a lingering aftereffect of the original Bai Zhi's abuse. While it made her a little uncomfortable, she understood. 'If someone had treated me like that, I'd have been far crueler in return. The fact that they just flinch away without lashing out already shows incredible restraint.'
After Hu Yan took the dish out, he quickly returned to help her. Although his movements were clumsy, he made up for it by being meticulous.
With his help, the meal was ready in no time.
The others looked shocked when they saw the table full of dishes she had made.
Bai Zhi had no choice but to repeat the same story she'd used on Hu Yan. Facing their suspicious gazes, she said, feeling a little guilty, "I guess I might have a knack for this. I can't believe it worked out on the first try, hahaha..."
Having eaten at a restaurant at noon, Hu Yan could tell that Bai Zhi's cooking had a superior texture, completely free of the slightly astringent taste the other food had.
Yan Yichen and Yue Junxiao had never eaten these kinds of dishes before and didn't know what the texture of these ingredients should be like. They had only seen all sorts of descriptions on the Star Network. But the food they ate today was delicious and not as complicated as the online descriptions made it sound.
Yan Yichen's eyes narrowed in pleasure as he sighed, "I never knew food made from these ingredients could taste so good. It's so much better than those nutrient liquids."
Yue Junxiao added, "It would be great if we could eat this often."
Even Lang Qiu agreed, "It really is delicious."
But Hu Yan and Sang Mo, who had just eaten restaurant food at noon, had a different perspective on this meal.
Hu Yan knew Bai Zhi was a Purification Master, capable of purifying food. The purer the food, the better its taste and texture.
'If I was only suspicious before, this meal makes me even more certain. This person... perhaps isn't Bai Zhi at all.'
After taking one bite, Sang Mo's icy gaze fell upon her. He thought, 'Seeing as her cooking skills are passable, I can let her live a few more days.'
Bai Zhi smiled and said, "If you like it, I'll cook for you guys often from now on."
During the meal, Bai Zhi saw an invitation sent to her by Yun Xi, the original novel's heroine.
She looked thoughtfully at its contents.
'A birthday party?'
'I just humiliated her lackey, Yang Shanshan, today. There's no way Yang Shanshan didn't run and tell her what happened. Sending me an invitation now... no matter how I look at this, she's up to no good.'
Bai Zhi vaguely recalled that in the novel, some kind of accident happened at the heroine's birthday party. 'But I wasn't that interested in the book back then; I just skimmed it. Now I'm starting to regret that. If I'd known I was going to end up in the book, I would've paid much closer attention!'
Bai Zhi suddenly remembered that the original text seemed to mention that because of the original owner's poor health, her father had specially sought out an Energy Stone for her. To obtain this Energy Stone, her father was seriously injured and eventually died.
But after waking up in this body, she never saw this Energy Stone on her person. She did, however, remember that the heroine had one...
It seemed the original owner's personality had only started to change drastically after the Energy Stone was lost. And it was because of this Energy Stone that the heroine's superpower constantly improved, allowing her to shine.
'Energy Stones are incredibly difficult to find. I refuse to believe it's a coincidence that the original owner lost an Energy Stone at the exact same time the heroine obtained one.'
'No wonder the heroine always looked at the original Bai Zhi with such a complicated expression. She disliked her, yet she kept showing up and telling her to be nicer to her Beast Husbands. It was as if she was deliberately reminding her of her flawed character, provoking her and making her even more violent.'
Bai Zhi's brow furrowed. 'The original owner's father traded his life for that Energy Stone. There is absolutely no way I'm letting it fall into someone else's hands!'
'Originally, I had no intention of attending this obviously hostile party, but now... even if it's a trap, I have to go check it out.'
That evening, Bai Zhi found herself hesitating. The original owner had treated her Beast Husbands horribly—it was mostly abuse. She'd never had any thoughts about... *that*.
'But now... the new house is huge, and every Beast Husband has his own room. Am I supposed to be like an Emperor and flip a nameplate to choose one for the night?'
The moment this thought appeared in her head, she immediately shook her head violently to get rid of it.
'Then I remember Hu Yan instinctively recoiling from my touch today, and Sang Mo's chilling glances that kept sweeping over my neck...'
'I'd better sleep alone!'
'I'm genuinely afraid that if they lose control for a moment, I'll meet my end right here and now.'
Yan Yichen was just as worried. Bai Zhi had praised his beautiful feathers earlier that day, and now he didn't dare reveal even a hint of his beast form. He was terrified she'd suddenly remember and say, "Your feathers are so lovely. Let's pluck them all and make me some clothes..."
Bai Zhi forced a smile and said, "It's been a long day. You should all get some good rest."
However, what she never expected was that after hearing this, Sang Mo actually softened his voice a rare bit. "Are you sure you don't need us to... service you?"
Looking into his eyes, which were filled with chilling intent, Bai Zhi shivered involuntarily. "N-no, I'm fine. That's not—I mean, I'm just a little tired today. I'd like to go rest now."
After saying that, she entered the master bedroom without looking back, leaving several Beast Husbands staring at each other in confusion. "???"
Seeing that she didn't take the bait, Sang Mo sneered coldly before turning and heading back to his room.
Lang Qiu stared at the closed door, his brows furrowed. "Hu Yan," he said, "don't you think she was a bit strange today?"