He'd never eaten meat this delicious!
Lu Tingyan tried another piece of braised pork and golden pomfret, his eyes lighting up again and again.
Although he was still eating with a semblance of elegance, his quickening pace betrayed his urgency.
With every mouthful he swallowed, he could feel spiritual power bubbling up inside his body.
His left eye and tail also felt a little itchy, like the sensation of a wound scabbing over as it was about to heal.
'It's true, then. Bai Su's food has a Healing Ability!'
Even without the Healing Ability, food like this was of the highest quality!
This was, without a doubt, the best meat he had ever eaten in his entire life!
As Lu Tingyan ate, the image of Bai Su aggressively negotiating with his assistant that morning inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
Her eyes were sparkling, easily bringing to mind a clear mountain stream in spring. After the ice and snow melted, the creek would flow across the land with a TINKLE TINKLE, carrying an overwhelming, vibrant Life Force.
'Have her eyes always been this beautiful?'
He didn't think he had ever noticed.
"That's not how you eat it," Bai Xiaolang's voice sounded from the side.
He seemed even more anxious than Lu Tingyan, as if he couldn't bear to watch the man waste such good food. "Don't just eat the meat by itself! Braised pork is meant to be eaten with rice!"
"You have to mix the rice in the braised pork sauce, then eat a mouthful of rice coated with a big piece of pork. It's much more delicious that way!"
Lu Tingyan snapped back to reality. He didn't argue, simply doing as the little guy said.
The fluffy white rice soaked up the thick, fragrant, and sweet braised pork sauce. He put a spoonful of rice and a piece of pork belly—with its layers of fat, lean meat, and skin—into his mouth. An intense aroma and rich texture exploded on his palate.
The beef brisket, marinated with some unknown spices, was exceptionally tender and flavorful, blending with the unique creamy aroma of beef. The texture was incredible!
He normally despised fish. Whether compressed into cans or processed into nutrient packs, it always had an indescribable fishy smell.
He loathed that smell.
But the braised golden pomfret she made had no fishy smell at all.
He never knew fish could be so fresh and sweet!
Lu Tingyan was dazed by the aroma. His mind wanted to slow down, to prolong the experience of savoring this delicious food, but his mouth wouldn't listen, eating faster and faster.
After polishing off everything in the lunchbox, he rubbed his stomach, feeling an unprecedented sense of relaxation.
Ever since his spiritual power had been destroyed, he hadn't felt this mentally relaxed in a very long time.
After just one meal, his Spirit Sea was indeed showing faint signs of sprouting life. The barren, cracked soil even seemed to be slowly getting nourished.
After the meal, Bai Xiaolang took the lunchbox. "I'll bring you food again tomorrow."
Lu Tingyan gave a slight nod.
Bai Xiaolang walked a short distance away, then suddenly turned back, staring at him with a dark expression.
Lu Tingyan raised an eyebrow. ?
Bai Xiaolang said, "I don't care what your reasons are for insisting on eating my Director Mom's food, but I want you to keep your mouth shut. Don't you dare get any ideas about her."
It was the first time in Lu Tingyan's life that he had been threatened by a little brat who didn't even reach his waist.
He looked at the little tyke. The kid's remaining eye was very beautiful, with a sharp brow and a spirited gaze. You could tell he would grow up to be a handsome man.
He nodded slightly. "Rest assured, no one is coveting your director."
Only then did Bai Xiaolang turn and leave.
That evening, after dinner, Bai Su changed into a light sweatsuit and went out.
This had become her recent habit.
Every day, two hours after dinner, she would go out for a night run.
'I can't rely solely on my food to lose weight.'
'My body has too much fat and too many impurities. If I want to slim down quickly, it's best to combine it with proper exercise.'
Bai Su ran all the way down from the mountaintop, not expecting the workers to still be on the job.
She ran down the mountain, passed by a small shop, bought some water for everyone, and carried it back up.
Bai Su put the water down by the roadside and called out, "I bought some water for you all. Remember to drink it! Thanks for all your hard work on the construction!"
The workers were flattered and quickly thanked her. "Thank you, Miss Bai!"
"Thank you so much! You even went to the trouble of carrying it all the way up here yourself."
Bai Su laughed heartily.
Having just finished her run, she was covered in sweat. A noticeable flush colored her fair, tender cheeks, and the fine beads of perspiration gave her delicate skin a shimmering sheen.
The refreshing honey-peach scent, unique to a Dutch Rabbit, grew stronger after her exercise, wafting into the workers' noses on the cool summer night's breeze.
Bai Su was completely unaware of how alluring she was at that moment.
She had only recently transmigrated into the book and hadn't yet adapted to a female's body. She had forgotten that a female's natural scent was fatally attractive to males.
Especially since she was wearing a thin sweatsuit. After a long run on a summer night, she was drenched in sweat, her clothes clinging to her body and soaking a patch on her chest.
Although she was quite plump, she had recently become fair and tender-skinned, with a pinkish hue to her joints, and she was also quite well-endowed.
To males, this was a fatal attraction.
The workers felt an unbearable thirst and quickly lowered their heads to grab some water.
Bai Su had greatly underestimated the appeal of this plump body. Not only did she fail to notice their strange behavior, but she even squatted down to hand out the water, her glistening eyes filled with a sincere, happy smile. "Here you go! I figured you'd be thirsty. Working so late on such a hot day must be tough!"
"Ah... um, yeah."
"It is pretty tough..."
The workers stammered. When they accidentally met her eyes, they suddenly felt even more parched, not even knowing where to put their hands.
One of the males with low self-control couldn't hold back any longer. Beast ears popped out on his head, his body temperature shot up, and as if mesmerized by Bai Su, he dazedly approached her and lunged to grab her hand.
Suddenly, a large hand reached out from the side, clamping down on the worker's hand and shoving him back.
The surrounding atmosphere instantly dropped to a freezing point.
The workers instantly sobered up, so scared they quickly bowed their heads. "Colonel..."
They must have been out of their minds to nearly harbor wicked intentions toward a female!
The Colonel was right there, too! If they frightened this female, they would be held responsible!
The Federation had a very comprehensive set of laws for the protection of females.
If they dared to be presumptuous toward a female in front of the Colonel, it would be compounding their crime!
Lu Tingyan swept a cold gaze over the workers present. Even though he said nothing, the deep-set eyes under the brim of his military cap carried the natural oppressive air of a superior, frightening everyone so much that they didn't dare to look up.
Bai Su, still clueless, quickly said, "They weren't slacking off! I just bought them some water, so..."
Before she could finish, Lu Tingyan grabbed her and pulled her up the mountain without a word of explanation.
'His grip is surprisingly strong.'
The workers exchanged glances. Now that they were clear-headed again, they couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of wistfulness.
A faint, sweet scent of honey-peach still lingered in the air. In the summer, this cool, fruity fragrance was exceptionally refreshing, making one's body and mind relax involuntarily.
"I don't think Miss Bai is as bad as the villagers down the mountain say," one worker muttered under his breath.
Hearing this, the others couldn't help but nod, breaking into a babble of discussion. "Yeah! She seemed really friendly today!"
"Totally! What other female would care if we're working hard or not? She even bought us water twice! She's a little angel!"
"I could tell from her eyes that Miss Bai is a kind person. How could someone so good possibly abuse a child?"
"Didn't we hear before that she was exiled here? I have a feeling there's more to the story!"
"The nobility is full of scheming and backstabbing. She was probably framed by someone and that's why she was exiled here."