A Culinary Confession and Rumors of a Tyrant

Night of Rain café.

“Hey, have you heard? The sons of the Chen, Zhou, and Wu families got into trouble a while back and ended up in jail.”

“What exactly did they do? Just last month, I was at a banquet with them.”

“That much I don’t know, but it seems they offended someone important.”

“I know a bit more than you guys. I know exactly who they offended.”

“Who? Tell us, quick! Don’t keep us in suspense!”

“Someone with such immense power… it could only be the Yi family.”

“The Yi family? Speaking of them, Third Young Master Yi apparently got married a while ago. The Chen, Zhou, and Wu families were even on the guest list. My gut tells me those three offended the Yi family on that very day.”

“Good heavens, they dared to offend Third Young Master Yi? Weren’t they afraid of getting their heads cracked open, hahahaha!”

“Be careful with that joke. If Third Young Master Yi hears it, you might end up just like those three who went to jail.”

These rich young masters gathered, relishing in the gossip of the elite families. If Xie Fei hadn’t happened to visit his shop today, he would never have known the rumors about his childhood friend had spread so wildly outside.

With nothing better to do, he called Yi Siyu. It took a few seconds for the other party to answer.

“Hello?” A man’s low voice came through the receiver.

“Siyu, your heroic feat from four years ago is still circulating today! Those young masters are describing you as a ‘tyrant’ who could erupt in anger at any moment. Isn’t that strange? They didn’t even see it with their own eyes, yet they speak as if they witnessed everything.”

“Did you call just to tell me this?” Yi Siyu asked calmly.

“Of course! Can’t I call you for a chat when I have nothing to do? All you did four years ago was protect A Yao from a pervert. What’s there for these gossips to fuss about? No one would just stand by and watch while their friend was harassed by a creep, right?”

“…”

“Besides, you didn’t even lay a hand on him. The guy tripped on a bottle himself and cracked his head open, then tried to blame you!”

“After recounting all that, what is your point?” the man on the other end of the line inquired.

Xie Fei flashed a roguish smile. “My point is, you were so angry back then, yet you didn’t even make a move. But on your wedding day, you actually got into a big fight for that person from the Jian family. Brother, you’re really something. Do you truly like that kid from the Jian family?”

Yi Siyu used Xie Fei’s own words to retort, “You didn’t see it with your own eyes, so how do you know I got into a big fight?”

“I was your best man and got drunk enough to black out, but your incident caused quite a stir. It would have been hard not to know. While the specifics weren’t leaked, there were certainly many guesses circulating within our circle.”

“…”

“As for me, of course, I wouldn’t just listen to hearsay and make wild guesses like those people. If I hadn’t personally asked your second brother, you would have truly kept such a big matter from me! Siyu, are we still brothers? If you had only called me that day, you wouldn’t have had to fight at all! I would have handled it!”

Xie Fei spoke with spirited righteousness, full of heroic fervor, but Yi Siyu on the other end of the phone remained utterly unfazed. He even retorted coolly, “Call a drunk like you to fight? So we could all end up in jail with those three scumbags?”

Xie Fei: “…”

It was truly frustrating. He was so curious to see what Siyu looked like when he fought. Apparently, he had gone red-eyed that day. It was a pity to have missed such a historic moment. ‘Yi Siyu, you truly understand how to be a hero saving the beauty.’

Xie Fei: “Siyu, did you really send those three to jail? For how many years?”

Yi Siyu: “I originally planned to send them away for three to five years. However, their fathers kept blocking the entrance of the Yi Group headquarters every day, so I took the opportunity to discuss some conditions with them.”

“What conditions? You didn’t compromise, did you?” Xie Fei shifted his weight, curious.

“For me not to pursue their sons’ mistakes, first, they must be sent abroad, never to return to Yunjing.”

“That’s hardly a harsh condition. To avoid offending you, those three families would eagerly pack off those unfilial sons who brought them trouble and send them abroad,” Xie Fei sneered with disdain.

“Second, the Yi Group will never engage in any commercial cooperation with their companies again.”

Xie Fei slapped his thigh. “That’s ruthless! Satisfying! If even a major power like you won’t cooperate with them, those three families’ paths in Yunjing are effectively over. Other families, to avoid offending you, certainly won’t work with them either.”

“Third, they must automatically withdraw from the Yunjing Chamber of Commerce. Their three families will no longer be recognized in the circle.”

“My goodness, Siyu, you are truly merciless! Isn’t that equivalent to being directly kicked out of the upper echelon? Did they agree to all these conditions?” Xie Fei asked.

“I didn’t force them to agree. These conditions were deliberately stated casually, thinking that if they didn’t agree, I could release the evidence and send their sons to jail for charges of threatening, indecency, sexual harassment, and provoking trouble.”

Xie Fei: “You’re saying their fathers agreed to your ruthless conditions just to protect those unfilial sons?”

Yi Siyu calmly replied, “Mm.”

Such a major event, yet it sounded like an everyday occurrence when spoken by his friend. He now felt a bit of admiration for Jian Ye. The person once called a ‘good-for-nothing’ was now officially married to his friend. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to use such language anymore.

Moreover, after meeting the person himself at the wedding, Xie Fei’s impression of the young master of the Jian family had changed. He didn’t know if the other party was putting on an act, but they were certainly vastly different from their previous slovenly, green-haired appearance. Their demeanor had improved significantly. From a distance, they actually seemed like a perfect match for his friend’s looks.

When Yi Siyu decided to do something, not even nine oxen could pull him back. As a good friend, he could only offer his blessings. The thought of Yi Siyu going to such lengths against three families for Jian Ye shocked Xie Fei for an entire year. Was this ‘food guarding’? Guarding so tightly? Was Jian Ye truly that special?

The “precious darling” was currently holding his head in astonishment, mouth agape, at the costumes for the formal performance. The cultural performance was three days away. According to custom, their group of dancers would run through the stage a few times in their performance attire beforehand.

Jian Ye knew their dance was related to exotic themes. The other boys’ costumes were quite normal — handsome and cool, full of exotic masculinity. But why had his outfit turned into light gauze covering his face, red silk wrapped around his chest, bells circling his waist, and flowing fabric draped over his hips?

“Are you sure this isn’t women’s clothing?” Jian Ye asked for the nth time, bewildered. He admitted there were some softer movements in this dance, but he had asked Teacher Tang, and he was portraying an exotic youth.

“Ahem, this… how could it be women’s clothing? Little Yezi, don’t overthink it. Because you’re the center, and you have a solo dance segment, your costume naturally needs to be distinguished from others’.”

Jian Ye scratched his head. “Is that so…”

He hadn’t understood dancing before. It was only after coming to this world that he was gradually pushed into it, learning it halfway through like a duck forced onto a perch. Almost all of his classmates had started learning dance from a young age, proper dance art students who had diligently tested into Yunjing Media University. So, in many situations, Jian Ye would often defer to everyone else’s opinions.

“Pfft, pfft! Is it really okay for you guys to trick Ah Ye like this?” Li Xiangchi whispered, signaling to the person next to him. “Even though my dear brother is as beautiful as a flower, no boy would want to be dressed up as a girl, right?”

“Oh, it’s not that we didn’t want to give him a male costume. It’s just that when we ordered them, the boss got the numbers wrong and we ended up one male set short. There wasn’t enough time to make another.”

“Then, the girls in the class suggested we just use a female style. This particular set was even modified by the girls, so it’s not that feminine. Otherwise, what Jian Ye would be seeing today wouldn’t be pants, but a skirt.”

Li Xiangchi pressed his hands together in a mock salute. “You guys are just bullying Ah Ye because he’s easy to fool, aren’t you? If it gets exposed, you’ll be the ones begging for forgiveness. I know nothing, absolutely nothing. No wonder you kept it from me beforehand; you were afraid I’d tell, weren’t you?”

A female classmate said, “Brother Chi, don’t! Please don’t tell! The highlight of this performance is Little Yezi. He’s so handsome. Wearing those heavy, old-fashioned clothes of yours really wouldn’t showcase his graceful figure. His dance moves are also different from you guys, who are just supporting roles. He has to do so many cloud-flips! Wearing light gauze is truly the GOAT!”

Another male student commented, “Ouch, why are you guys being so discriminatory? We haven’t even performed yet, and we’re already just supporting roles.”

Li Xiangchi conceded that point. “Brother, we really are supporting roles. If you were as handsome as Ah Ye, you’d also have to put on that outfit and sway a bit. I’m giving you the chance, do you want it?”

The boy quickly waved his hands. “No, no, I’ll leave the opportunity to our ‘class beauty.’ I’m willing to be the stinky leaf that highlights the flower.”

Someone nearby misheard and yelled, “Who called Little Yezi stinky? He smells wonderful!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Jian Ye didn’t hear these teasing remarks. After collecting his costume, he returned home in the Yi family’s car. He had no classes this afternoon and planned to do something he had decided on earlier. He had said he wanted to give something back to Yi Siyu. He couldn’t offer the wealth Yi Siyu deserved, but his culinary skills were decent enough to present.

He had eaten at the Yi family’s home once and experienced the meticulous care a prominent family put into preparing ingredients. It was delicious, and very high-class, but it lacked a certain home-cooked flavor. Presumably, Yi Siyu was someone who had never even eaten at a roadside food stall.

Jian Ye’s specialty happened to be home-style cooking. He decided to get right to it!

The newly hired nanny, Aunt Wen, watched dumbfounded as the young master she was supposed to serve stood in front of the kitchen stove, expertly flipping a wok. The auntie, past fifty, had worked for the Yi family for many years, but this was the first time she had seen a master of the house who could cook so well.

“Young Master Jian, please let me do it. Be careful not to burn your hands! Oh dear! Don’t carry that, let this old woman do it!”

“Aunt Wen, don’t worry. I have cooking experience; I just never mentioned it before. I’m going to take food to Siyu-gege at his company later, so please let me make it myself.”

The young man clasped his hands together, pleading with a spoiled expression that instantly made Aunt Wen concede.

“I understand, I understand. Young Master Jian and the Third Young Master are so loving. You want to make him a special dinner, don’t you? I won’t help, I’ll just watch the stove. If you get hurt while cooking, the Third Young Master would be heartbroken.”

Aunt Wen was one of the elders who had watched Yi Siyu grow up. When he first arranged for her to come and take care of his new spouse, she had worried they might be difficult to get along with or demanding. Who knew it would be such a gentle and kind child? She immediately grew very fond of him, feeling that the Third Young Master had truly found a good partner. Now, knowing he could also cook, her surprise and affection grew even deeper.

She had heard Jian Ye was also a young master of the Jian family. What pampered young master would know how to cook? Aunt Wen, having been in affluent circles for a long time, was perceptive. She immediately guessed that this child must have been mistreated at home and resolved to treat this young master even better.

[Ding—Detected green tea element! Green Tea Value +100.]

Jian Ye: “…”

‘He never expected that flipping a wok could also earn points.’
‘Aunt Wen, you’re giving me too much credit…’