Chapter 225: I Won't Work With You Anymore

"Look at this poor wretch, cowering and cringing in here. It's just a moment of kindness on my part, so can't I feel a bit of pity for her?" Yu Xi looked at Xia Xiran with a fake smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"You think I'm pitiful too?" Xia Xiran bit her lower lip.

"Yeah." Yu Xi gave a slight nod. "Being threatened like that—if it were me, I'd give a proper counterattack."

"I won't cooperate with you anymore." Xia Xiran's eyes went red with fury. "You're just using me."

Yu Xi was stunned for a moment, then broke into a grin. "As expected of a top student. Even at a time like this, you're still plenty clear-headed—not a lovestruck fool."

Xia Xiran stood up and reached for the wall to leave. From behind her, Yu Xi's voice rang out.

"Using you? As long as we can reach a win-win situation, isn't that enough? With just your ability alone, Jiang Muye won't change his mind about you." Yu Xi stepped forward steadily, his warm breath brushing past Xia Xiran's delicate features, an elegant smile on his face. "If we cooperate, I can help you win."

Xia Xiran flushed with anger and embarrassment. "How could I possibly win? If I chase Jiang Muye again, Leng Ruoli will smear my record!"

"Heh heh, hahaha." Yu Xi laughed delightedly. "At first I thought you were pretty smart, but now I think you're an idiot. Smear your record? Let her smear it. Worst case, you go abroad to study and clean it up."

He blew a warm breath into Xia Xiran's ear, enticing her. "By the time you come back with a gilded resumé, you'll be even more popular than you are now. Don't worry—I'll cover your tuition and living expenses."

Xia Xiran looked at Yu Xi in astonishment. "You really can?"

"Of course. We can sign a contract." Yu Xi's eyes curved into crescent moons. He brushed aside Xia Xiran's black hair and tenderly kissed it by his lips. "But I need to see your sincerity."

…

A few days later, in the library.

Jiang Muye was looking at his computer, writing a paper.

Meanwhile, Leng Ruoli was resting her little face on a book, suddenly looking thoroughly dispirited.

"What's wrong? Are you tired from reading?" Jiang Muye reached out his right hand and rubbed Leng Ruoli's head.

Leng Ruoli's eyes shimmered with a clear light as she grabbed Jiang Muye's palm and pressed it against her cheek. "I have a significant matter to tell you."

"What?" Jiang Muye asked curiously.

"I actually signed up for a school club." Leng Ruoli's clear, luminous eyes curved into a smile.

"That's nice. Classes have been pretty light lately anyway." Jiang Muye nodded.

As a result, Leng Ruoli wrapped both hands around Jiang Muye's neck, hanging off him, and stuck out her tongue. "But I forgot to tell you—the club I signed up for is cooking."

That single sentence scared Jiang Muye so much that his finger trembled and almost sent the keycap flying. "Huh?" He still remembered the breakfast Leng Ruoli had made before.

It was truly unforgettable—it had given him gastroenteritis.

"Don't be scared, don't be scared. I've secretly learned from several classes already." Leng Ruoli's eyes were utterly sincere. "It definitely won't be like last time."

"Baby, actually I can cook too. There's no need for you to learn in person." Jiang Muye gently grabbed Leng Ruoli's fingers and kneaded them, trying to talk her out of it. "Look, what if you're learning to cook and accidentally cut your hand? Your hands are so soft. And if oil splatters on them, that's no good either."

"That's true, but we can't always eat out." Leng Ruoli muttered. "The food outside is too oily and unhealthy, and it's inconvenient to have the servants cook—what if it's just the two of us together? You can't always be the one in the kitchen."

Most importantly, Leng Ruoli had noticed that Jiang Muye often scrolled through short videos.

Many times he'd come across food videos, and she could tell he really wanted to eat those dishes.

Leng Ruoli wanted to cook for Jiang Muye with her own hands. Being able to watch the person you love eat the food you made was a very happy thing.

After hearing Leng Ruoli's words, Jiang Muye's mood brightened.

He definitely couldn't bear to dampen her spirits—Leng Ruoli had finally found something she was interested in.

Even if it was a last meal, he'd eat it.

Who else could she be but his girlfriend!

"Alright, I'll wait for the great chef's return." Jiang Muye pinched Leng Ruoli's cheek.

Leng Ruoli giggled happily, in an excellent mood. This time she was definitely going to perform well.

So when she went to the club class, Leng Ruoli was especially serious. She avoided the Dark Cuisine and made relatively simple dishes.

Tomato and egg stir-fry was a must. That was Jiang Muye's favorite dish~

While Leng Ruoli was washing the vegetables and getting ready to cut them, the club president noticed the ring on her hand and said to her, "You'd better take that ring off. If it gets oil or sauce on it later, it won't be so shiny anymore."

Leng Ruoli looked at the ring and felt the president had a point.

After all, this ring was very important to her. She definitely couldn't bear to get it dirty.

So she put the ring in her bag, then went to wash her hands and started cutting the vegetables again.

Leng Ruoli listened very carefully to the club president and learned to cook. At first the oil smoke was too thick, and the school's range hood wasn't very good either—it made her cough.

Fortunately, hard work paid off. After some effort, Leng Ruoli managed to make three dishes and one meat dish, packing them into Bento.

When she went to find Jiang Muye with a radiant smile, holding Bento, Jiang Muye looked at the food inside and began to praise. "It really looks quite presentable."

That said, Jiang Muye still entered the System and began talking to it. System, hurry up and get me a "Health Recovery Agent." It's urgent.

Right now this "Health Recovery Agent" was a lifesaver. Jiang Muye had been traumatized by the last incident, and of course he didn't want to end up in the hospital again.

If he could, he really wanted to shove that rice ball from last time into Yu Xi's mouth.

His girlfriend was perfect in every way—except that the food she made was more lethal than a bioweapon.

"Then hurry up and eat~" Leng Ruoli proactively fed a piece of preserved mustard green and pork to Jiang Muye's mouth.

Jiang Muye gulped down a mouthful of saliva.

Why did he feel like this was a "Grand Lang, drink your medicine" kind of moment?

Jiang Muye had no way of knowing if the meat was even cooked—the color looked a bit off, all dark and murky.

Whatever. He was someone with a System, so at least the System would help collect his corpse.

Jiang Muye faced death with equanimity and swallowed it in one bite.

"How is it?" Leng Ruoli looked at Jiang Muye full of expectation.

"Delicious." Jiang Muye gave a dry laugh.

Actually, the meat was very dry and tough, but still chewable. Once in his mouth, there was nothing but saltiness.

Still, it was much better than Jiang Muye had imagined.

"That's great! Have some more tomato and egg stir-fry—this is my signature dish." Leng Ruoli was overjoyed.

Seeing her happy expression, Jiang Muye's mood improved too, and he lowered his head to continue eating.

Although Leng Ruoli's cooking wasn't great, at least it was swallowable.

For some reason, he even felt a little unsatisfied. If this had happened in the past, Jiang Muye would have found it inconceivable—but it happened anyway.

After finishing the meal, Jiang Muye was about to go for a walk with Leng Ruoli when she suddenly remembered something and gasped. "Where's my ring?"