Chapter Twelve: The Ultimate Realm (Part One)

When I woke up, Ran Jing was already gone. She didn't come back for the next few days, and my beautiful fantasies turned into torment. I had no choice but to immerse myself in work and games. During this time, I went out with friends much less, and each day I got used to going straight home after work.

The whereabouts of a beautiful woman may never be something an ordinary person like me can grasp. When Ran Jing appeared before me again, she had that mesmerizing smile that could captivate anyone without consequences.

"I'm back." Her voice was full of excitement, but a beauty is not necessarily a lady. She tossed her luggage, coat, and shoes aside before collapsing onto the sofa, closing her eyes to enjoy its soft embrace.

I pondered what to say to her. Should I ask where she had been these past few days? What right did I have to ask such questions? Besides, her profession could easily explain her absence from the city for several days. Should I ask if she's tired or if she wants something to eat? Damn, I've always thought those were questions women asked men. I can't deny that deep down, I'm still a bit of a chauvinist.

"I'm hungry." Ran Jing spoke before I could say anything. Standing by the door, I was stunned. Did she mean she wanted me to fix her something to eat?

"I'm starving, really starving." Ran Jing pouted, holding her stomach and giving me a pained look. Seriously? She really wants me to make her something to eat? Although my family isn't wealthy, I've always been taken care of and have never had to serve anyone. "What do you want to eat?" I asked, realizing it's hard for me to refuse her requests. Fortunately, she hadn't asked for anything outrageous so far, or rather, her requests never seemed unreasonable to me.

"Um..." Ran Jing tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Since you seem a bit clumsy, just make some noodles."

"I'm clumsy? Just wait, and I'll show you a culinary masterpiece."

"What is it?"

"Just wait, you'll know in a bit." I turned and went into the kitchen.

What is the pinnacle of culinary arts? Fried rice with egg! In "The God of Cookery," Stephen Chow turns the tide with a plate of supreme fried rice—though his was actually barbecued pork rice. Never mind that, fried rice with egg is indeed the ultimate test. Don't underestimate it; it's truly a basic test of cooking skills. I don't have much in the way of cooking skills, but I've studied fried rice with egg in depth. First, the rice has to be neither too soft nor too hard. After being left overnight, the surface should be slightly dry while the inside remains soft and moist. The eggs must be beaten thoroughly. Most importantly, you should fry the rice first and then add the eggs, allowing the egg mixture to coat each grain of rice, turning them golden yellow—this is called "gold wrapping silver." Then… (this isn't a cooking show, so suffice to say, my fried rice with egg is top-notch. My little brother used to eat three big bowls of it when he was young, and he's always been the one who appreciated my fried rice the most).

I carried a large bowl of my masterpiece to the dining table (due to lack of practice, I misjudged the amount of rice and made a huge bowl) and said, "There, the ultimate dish."

"Fried rice with egg?" Ran Jing didn't seem to appreciate it at all. I had to give her a detailed explanation of why fried rice with egg is the ultimate dish. By the time I finished, she had eaten quite a lot. What I couldn't stand was that she licked her lips with her tongue to show how satisfied she was. Although the gesture wasn't very graceful, I was quite pleased. At least it was a recognition of my effort.

"You're really annoying," she said after finishing with a very satisfied look on her face. "You know I'm trying to maintain my figure, yet you make me eat this ultimate dish. Look at how much I ate." She pointed to her belly, which didn't show any change at all. "I don't see any difference."

"You won't see it now, but there will be consequences in a few days," she said earnestly.

The company had a heavy workload during this period, so I abandoned my usual habit of arriving late and leaving early, and switched to arriving early and leaving late. The complexity of the project exceeded our expectations, and worse, no one in the company had experience with such a project. As one of the bosses put it, we were "feeling our way across the river." Just coordinating with a few partners was enough to make me irritable. I'm not one for socializing; maybe because I've never encountered significant setbacks, my character is too straightforward. Now, having to be insincere and ask others for favors made me very uncomfortable. But whenever our boss patted my shoulder and said, "Xiao Lu, you've worked hard, you're doing great," I felt it was all worth it. Sometimes people are easy to please—a few encouraging words from a leader can make them work tirelessly. It's baffling why many bosses are so stingy with their praise.

After a long day, I returned home around two in the morning. When I opened the door, I found the lights still on and the TV still playing. Ran Jing was curled up on the sofa like a kitten. The scene was reminiscent of a married couple's life: the husband returns home late from work while the wife waits at home. But tonight, I wasn't in the mood to indulge in such fantasies. I didn't disturb Ran Jing, who was asleep on the sofa, and went to take a shower.

When I finished my shower and opened the bathroom door, I found Ran Jing standing in the doorway.