Qing Muye paused at the words, lifted a perfectly cut slice of tofu with his knife, and placed the block, which seemed untouched by the blade, into a bowl of water.
He gently patted the surface of the water, and a single piece of tofu unfurled like a blooming flower, looking exceptionally beautiful.
"Wow!"
He Kalingchuan was incredibly surprised and immediately leaned closer. "Amazing, you know how to do this too?" While praising Qing Muye, he took out his phone to take pictures, intending to post them on his Moments.
Just as he was editing his caption, a sharp dagger appeared before him.
"Holy hell!"
He exclaimed, jumping back a step. His phone slipped from his hand, tumbled, and landed at Qing Muye's feet.
"What are you doing? You… you want to murder a prince? I'm telling you, this is the Hidden Clan. If you dare to kill me, Big Sister won't let you off."
He Kalingchuan pointed at Qing Muye and couldn't help but grumble, "I just asked you to help me make a braised fish. If you don't want to, fine, but there's no need to kill me."
"What are you thinking?"
Qing Muye's handsome face remained as cold as ever. He shook the knife in his hand. "Here, the fish is there. If you can clean a fish, I'll make it for you."
He pointed to two live fish in the sink, assigning the task to He Kalingchuan.
Having only fished since childhood, He Kalingchuan had no idea how to clean a fish.
He hesitated for a moment, took the knife, and as he crouched down to pick up his phone, he grumbled, "Blades have no eyes, don't be so scary. Just tell me you want me to kill a fish, don't act like you're going to kill me."
"It's not my fault you're timid."
Qing Muye teased, then took another knife from the knife rack and continued preparing the dishes.
An hour and a half later, the sumptuous dinner was finally ready.
Ten dishes and two soups were served one by one in the living room of the top-floor Heaven-level room. Then, he went downstairs to find Tang Si.
Knock, knock, knock—
He knocked on the room door, and after a moment, Tang Si opened it. "Second Brother?"
"Didn't you see the message I sent you earlier?" Qing Muye asked.
"No. Ran Bao'er just fell asleep, so I set my phone to silent." These days, Shi Ran had been very anxious and had trouble sleeping due to her disfigurement.
Seeing that she had finally fallen asleep, Tang Si couldn't bear to disturb her.
"Si, who is it?" Shi Ran's voice came from inside the room.
Qing Muye then said to Tang Si, "He Kaliannuo and He Kalingchuan are here. I made dinner. Call Shi Ran, and come up together to eat."
"This…" He hesitated. "I'll go in and ask Shi Ran."
"Okay." Qing Muye nodded, and Tang Si turned to go inside.
A few minutes later, Tang Si came out, looking somewhat dejected, and shook his head. "Ran Bao'er doesn't really want to go."
He pointed to his face and lowered his voice. "For the time being, she can't accept reality and doesn't want to go out and see people."
Especially during meals, she would have to take off her veil, and she didn't want to see the strange looks people gave her.
Qing Muye had expected this, so he didn't force it. "Then you go to the kitchen. I've saved some dishes for you."
"Thank you, Second Brother."
Tang Si felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that his Second Brother understood him the best.
"I'll head up first. If you need anything, come find me upstairs." Qing Muye instructed and then went upstairs.
Upstairs, He Kaliannuo, He Kalingchuan, and Meng Jingwei were sitting at the dining table, looking at him as he entered.
He Kaliannuo immediately gave him a thumbs-up, his fair and ruddy face beaming with a bright smile. "Such a sumptuous dinner, thank you, Master."