Chapter 35: The Food’s Getting Cold, Eat Up!

Chapter 35: The Food Is Getting Cold, Eat Up!

Zhao Yu was a rebellious person at heart. Although he usually knew how to read the room, that was all driven by circumstance. For instance, when he was too young to fight Zhao Lianfeng, he would lower his head and comply, but once he grew up, he immediately learned to fight back.

Now he obeyed Gu Hansheng because Guo Lin needed money to survive. He bowed his head and yielded time and again, but his defiant spirit had never been crushed.

He didn't dare to resist, and only the silent reproach in his eyes betrayed his defiance. Perhaps in Gu Hansheng's heart, he would never compare to Chen Xitong, but he didn't think he was worthless, nor did he think he deserved to be berated like a dog.

It was just a misunderstanding, and that was the end of it. Gu Hansheng remained aloof and superior, while he himself had done nothing wrong. He was scolded, and he refused to accept it, and of course, there was also a trace of uncontrollable hurt.

Gu Hansheng stared into his eyes, and after a standoff lasting several minutes, he let go.

The Zhao Yu he knew was exactly like this—his knack for stirring up trouble was infuriating, but at least it wasn't a fake face that grated on him.

"Sit down," Gu Hansheng said.

Zhao Yu sat down on the sofa in silence, expecting another scolding. But instead, Gu Hansheng turned around, took a topical anti-inflammatory ointment from the medicine cabinet, then came back, lifted his chin, and applied the ointment to the wound on his jaw, working it in with his fingers.

Gu Hansheng's fingers were warm, and the pressure was gentle, making Zhao Yu's wound tingle with a strange mix of sting and numbness.

It was the same old routine—a slap, then a sweet reward. He was yanked back and forth by this contradictory treatment, over and over again.

He would rather Gu Hansheng use him coldly and ruthlessly, the way Chen Li did, grinding his illusions and hopes into dust, than lose himself in this ambiguous kindness.

He had once basked in Gu Hansheng's wholehearted kindness, but that had been meant for Chen Xitong. So what about now? Why was he being kind to him?

The question that haunted Zhao Yu was something Gu Hansheng had never once considered. He was used to acting on whim, never asking why, never consulting his conscience.

He loved Chen Xitong—as if it had been hardwired into him from the moment they first met, so he believed it without a shadow of doubt. It had never occurred to him that he might be swayed by someone else, let alone by someone who was a liar.

Long before the moment he chose to apply ointment rather than apologize, his steps, once firmly set toward Chen Xitong, had already veered slightly off course, and he failed to realize that this slight shift meant the direction had already changed—the farther he walked, the more distance he put between himself and one person, and the closer he drew to another.

Zhao Yu asked, "Brother, what am I supposed to do? What do you want from me?"

"If I want to see Xitong, I'll go to him myself. There's no need for you to put on a show."

"Then what's the point of me staying by your side?"

"A pointless question."

Gu Hansheng still didn't answer him, because he had never thought about his question.

At that moment, the housekeeper came to make dinner, and Zhao Yu's unanswered question hung in the air. They didn't continue the previous topic, as if yesterday's events had been turned over a new leaf along with it.

"Hey? When did you buy this fish?" The housekeeper opened the freezer and spotted the silver pomfret inside.

"Auntie, I bought that one!" Zhao Yu got up and walked toward the kitchen. "And those seasonings too. I'm going to make smoked fish with them later."

The housekeeper said, "Smoked silver pomfret? It's almost dinner time anyway—let's just make it together."

"You go ahead and do your thing. I'll make mine tonight. I'm just experimenting—I have to turn it in to my master in a few days. It might not even taste good."

"Is this the assignment Cao Xu gave you?" Gu Hansheng had somehow appeared behind him.

"Yeah."

"Smoked silver pomfret is Yatai's signature dish. Seems like Cao Xu thinks highly of you. Make some and let me try it."

Zhao Yu was taken aback. "You want to eat it?"

"Can't I?"

"...That's not what I meant."

"Then stop stalling. I'll help you taste-test it."

Gu Hansheng was a regular at Yatai, so he was undoubtedly a good choice for taste-testing. Zhao Yu had never imagined he would offer to help. He took the fish out of the fridge, his emotions inexplicably tangled.

The fish wasn't completely frozen yet and was still fresh. Zhao Yu scaled it and soaked it in water with ginger and scallion to remove the fishy odor, then mixed the sauce according to what he had learned over the past few days.

He heated oil in the wok, and once it reached about sixty percent of its maximum heat, he fried the fish until golden. Zhao Yu watched the bubbles rise in the oil, his mind drifting for a few brief minutes. When he snapped back to attention, the fish pieces had already turned a deep golden brown. He hastily scooped them out and soaked them in the hot sauce, cursing himself inwardly.

Getting distracted by what had happened earlier while cooking—if Cao Xu were here, he'd tear him a new one.

The smoked fish was plated and brought to the table. Zhao Yu's heart was in his throat as he watched Gu Hansheng pick up a piece of fish and take a bite. After a single bite, he set down his chopsticks and said, "The taste is off."

Zhao Yu asked, "Is the fish not fresh, or did I overcook it?"

"Overcooked, and the sauce is off too."

Zhao Yu picked up the plate to take it away, and Gu Hansheng asked, "What are you doing?"

"You said the taste is off, so I'm taking it away."

"I said the taste is off, but I didn't say I wouldn't eat it."

"...Oh." Zhao Yu put the plate back, and seeing that the housekeeper had already finished making dinner, he said, "Auntie, let me help you carry the dishes," and turned back toward the kitchen.

Gu Hansheng watched his retreating back and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Zhao Yu was avoiding facing him, like an ostrich with its head buried in the sand, not even meeting his eyes.

...

The next evening, when he got home from work, the housekeeper was still there, crouching in the kitchen doing something that made a "crackling" sound. Zhao Yu went over to check and found several silver pomfrets in the kitchen sink. The housekeeper was changing the water for the fish, and their tails were slapping against the sink, which was making the noise.

"Auntie, why did you buy all these fish?" Zhao Yu asked.

"Aren't you making smoked fish? Mr. Gu had someone buy these for you. Oh dear, I don't know how to keep these sea fish alive—they'll be dead by tomorrow, won't they?" The housekeeper said, "Oh, and the stuff in that bag on the table is for you as well."

Zhao Yu opened the bag and found a timer, an oil thermometer, and a book inside.

The timer was kitchen-grade, waterproof and dustproof, and would alert him when the time was up, so he wouldn't overcook the fish from zoning out. The thermometer was self-explanatory. The book was even more special—when Zhao Yu opened the title page and saw the author's name and bio, he was surprised to find it was a cookbook written by Cao Xu's master.

The book had no ISBN, meaning it hadn't been publicly published and was nearly impossible to find on the market. It contained many Michelin-star-level recipes, with even the finest details meticulously annotated. For a chef, this book was practically a martial arts secret manual.

Zhao Yu flipped through a few pages and spotted the smoked silver pomfret recipe, but immediately closed the book. This was the test Cao Xu had set for him, and he didn't want to copy the answer.

A book like this, impossible to find on the market—through what channels and how many intermediaries did Gu Hansheng have to go through to get his hands on it? All that effort, just to give it to him. It left Zhao Yu with deeply conflicted feelings.

Was this an apology for the misunderstanding that day? Did Gu Hansheng even know how to apologize?

Zhao Yu rolled up his sleeves and fished one out of the sink. Using the leftover seasonings from yesterday, he cooked up a fresh batch of sauce. This time, he didn't let his mind wander. He fried the fish to a light golden color, then soaked it in the hot sauce to let the flavor fully absorb.

His control over oil temperature, heat, and timing became more and more precise, and the sauce tasted closer and closer to Cao Xu's recipe. Even the final plating went from clumsy at first to getting it right in one smooth motion.

The day before he had to turn in his assignment to Cao Xu, Zhao Yu made smoked fish for Gu Hansheng one last time. He set the table to restaurant standards, laid out a wine-red tablecloth, placed a single flower he'd bought on the way home, arranged the freshly made smoked fish in a crisscross pattern on the porcelain white plate, drizzled the sauce in a crescent moon along the plate's edge, and finished with a small yellow flower as garnish.

Gu Hansheng sat at the table, his gaze moving from the delicate yellow rose in the glass vase to Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu stood by the table, his expression taut, clearly on edge.

Gu Hansheng didn't pick up his chopsticks, instead asking leisurely, "What made you want to buy flowers?"

Zhao Yu said, "My mentor said I don't have enough of a sense of ritual, so I'm trying to build it up."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah."

Gu Hansheng tapped his fingers on the table, his expression unreadable, and added, "What about the vase?"

"The housekeeper found it for me in the storage room."

"It doesn't go with the flowers."

"Then I'll find a new one tomorrow." Zhao Yu couldn't help saying, "Mr. Gu, the food's getting cold."

Gu Hansheng still didn't pick up his chopsticks, saying, "So we're back to 'Mr. Gu' now?"

What else am I supposed to call you?

Zhao Yu's face went blank, his only concern being that the food was getting cold.

Gu Hansheng calmly looked away, done teasing him, and slowly picked up his chopsticks.

The fish was coated in sauce, looked tempting, and was crispy on the outside with tender, fresh meat inside. Every layer of flavor and texture came together just right. Zhao Yu didn't need to ask if it was good—when Gu Hansheng went for a second bite, the answer was clear.

"Not bad, same flavor as before," Gu Hansheng said.

Zhao Yu let out a huge sigh of relief, his joy showing on his face before he could stop it. He muttered a quiet "yes!" to himself, then turned and headed into the kitchen to clean up, putting the leftover sauce in a small bowl and sticking it in the fridge.

Gu Hansheng watched him walk away. Since moving in, this was the first time Zhao Yu had been this happy. Even so, he still tried to hide it around him. Gu Hansheng only caught a quick glimpse of his upturned lips and light steps, but had no idea what expression he wore once his back was turned.

The yellow roses still had dewdrops on them, and the glass vase shimmered in the light, but were these deliberate preparations really just for the sake of ritual? Was there truly no personal feeling mixed in?

Gu Hansheng stared at the flower for a while, then got up and went upstairs.

When Gu Hansheng finished showering upstairs and came out, he heard Zhao Yu on the phone in the courtyard from the terrace. He stopped in his tracks, looking down at the grapevines in the yard, where Zhao Yu's figure flickered in and out of sight beneath the swaying vines.

"...What are you talking about? I have to pay you back. Once I pass my probation, my salary will be higher. I don't have many expenses besides transportation... Chen Li promised to give you a raise? That's not just empty talk, is it? Assistant Zhou, don't be so naive... I don't have time to go out, so why don't you come by where I work? I'll treat you to a meal—can't afford Yatai, but the home-style place next door is doable... Let me tell you, my mentor is hilarious, tough on the outside but soft-hearted. You have no idea how much he chewed me out a few days ago..."

His tone was relaxed, chatting with Zhou Lan with a smile, sharing not only bits and pieces of work but also the joy of successfully cooking a dish today.

And that kind of ease was something he never showed in front of Gu Hansheng.

"Author's Note"

I've been busy lately, maintaining 3-4 updates a week, posted at 9:30 PM on update days (heart).