16 So He Was Paranoid

Author: Jiang Xiaoya

Translator: LazyButAmbitious

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Gong Ou decided to eat now and leave Shi Xiaonian, the dessert, for later. As long as she was within in his territory, there was no escaping for her anyways.

Shi Xiaonian soothed her irritated lower back which was pinned onto the kitchen counter by Gong Ou. She was thankful to have only suffered some light bruises but it was far too early to breathe a sigh of relief.

{I have to leave.}

She allocated her priorities towards distancing herself from the unpredictable man, so her interest in staying to drink her fish soup quickly waned.

Just as she prepared herself to leave:

Crash~

The racket of clattering plates and bowls resounded as they splintered across the floor. To the maids and chefs in the kitchen, the sounds were akin to the tolling of a death bell— they shuddered in fright. Without looking, one could imagine the messy state the kitchen was currently in.

Gong Ou's thunderous roar followed after, "Do you fools think you're serving dogs at an animal shelter?! If I was fond of eating garbage, I would've stuffed your resumes down my throat the first time I reviewed them! For this rubbish, I'll be sure to hand you all your severance pay."

Witnessing the events unfold, Shi Xiaonian couldn't help but remember the words Feng De once told her.

"Miss Shi, whether you're pretentious or not like what the young master believes, you're far better than Miss Xie and the other women in my eyes. So I'll tell you this…" he went on to reveal a secret of Gong Ou's, "The young master was born into a distinguished background, displaying stellar talents from a very young age. He's simply a genius; a world gem— wise, decisive, and there is no obstacle which he cannot solve. But no one is born without flaws, or maybe the gods considered him to be too perfect. Say, Miss Shi, have you ever heard about Paranoid Personality Disorder?"

Who would have expected the greatest man in the world to suffer from a mental illness?

The biggest symptoms which were experienced first-hand by herself were being extremely irritable, sceptical, violent, and unable to control intense emotions.

Based on this, the only advice Feng De could give if she wanted to regain her freedom was to not provoke Gong Ou at all costs and to agree to everything he wants.

{Being submissive to please? Who would want to please such a mulish man?}

Shi Xiaonian subconsciously denied the option, but upon seeing the pitiful state of the trembling maids who were picking at the bits of broken pieces on the floor, she hesitated.

{Since I wasn't planning to eat it, I might as well…}

Shi Xiaonian poured a bowl of the tomato fish soup she had cooked. Hot steam billowed and curled, trailing her path as she made her way towards the still furious Gong Ou.

"If you're still hungry, why not try the fish soup I prepared?" She swallowed the hatred in her heart before squeezing out some gentle words.

{For the sake of these people and my own freedom, I have to endure.}

Gong Ou, who was still in a state of anger, scoffed contemptuously, "The money I pay to hire these chefs for a week is higher than anything you'd earn in a year. If even their culinary skills, something they have dedicated their entire lives to, have failed to impress me, what makes you think you'll be any better?"

What a joke! Didn't she think too highly of herself?

Shi Xiaonian, seeing that he had no intention to accept, sat down before pulling the bowl towards herself. She retrieved a sparkling, silver spoon before savouring the dish, wholly confident that her cooking was no worse than any restaurant.

The soup's aroma lingered in the air and was picked up by Gong Ou's nose soon enough, causing him to glance over. The dish wasn't aesthetically appealing, rather, it looked very ordinary.

However, watching Shi Xiaonian swallow mouthful after mouthful with a satisfied look in her eyes, his curiosity grew.

"Give it to me! Consider it an honour for me to sample your food," Gong Ou pulled the bowl towards himself before lifting it directly to his lips. His eyebrows perked.

{The taste...is not bad.}

The soup was mellow and the wholesome taste of tomatoes introduced a refreshing feeling upon consumption. Due to the natural ingredients used, the soup's fishy taste was reduced to a mere savoury saltiness. It was surprisingly more delicious than the deliberate showy cuisines prepared by the chefs.

{It's been a long time since I've tasted something to my liking.}

Though expressionless, Gong Ou seemed to be enjoying the meal a lot. After drinking a few mouthfuls of soup, he picked up his chopsticks to partake in the fish. The bowl was soon emptied but was quickly refilled by a diligent maid who poured the rest of the soup from the pot.

Shi Xiaonian sat there, staring dumbfoundedly as Gong Ou finished the entire pot of fish soup without leaving a single bit.

"No coriander is allowed next time; I don't like it!"

The empty bowl rattled as Gong Ou pushed it away. He took a clean cloth that was handed to him by a maid which he used to elegantly wipe his mouth. Retrieving a phone from his pocket, he browsed through some business messages before standing up and leaving.

Amongst the relieved sighs of the staff, a tall back gradually disappeared through the doorway.