Chapter 37: Just Have Fun, But Don’t Overdo It

She had just been worrying about how to bring up the idea of a competition with Meng Wange—now this was perfect.

It was like someone offering a pillow when you’re tired, or handing you a bun when you’re hungry.

Although… when it came to cooking skills…

Her own culinary abilities were, admittedly, not great.

But surely Meng Wange couldn’t be much better, right?

Later during the cooking class, she’d have Zhang Ma—no, better yet, have Meng Wange herself act as the judge.

Then they’d see whose food actually tasted better!

Su Wanli shot a glare at Zhang Ma, who was still standing dazed in place, and repeated what she had just said—

“Hey, Zhang Ma, are you even listening? Are you free around noon today?”

Zhang Ma snapped out of it and quickly patted her forehead, plastering a flattering smile on her face.

“Of course, of course! Ah, just listen to what you’re saying, Miss Su. I’m the head housekeeper of the Su family—if you ever need anything, I’ll be there in a flash!”

“Hmph, good. As long as you’re free.”

Su Wanli nodded in satisfaction, then turned toward Meng Wange and delivered the taunt required by the system—

“As for you, ‘Wange’—I have no idea if you’ve ever cooked a day in your life. Just don’t end up blowing up our kitchen. Not that the Su family can’t afford it or anything, but it’d still be a real pain… Ah-choo!”

Even while throwing barbs and sneezing nonstop, thankfully, the Evil Girl Value still had a bit more common sense than the system—it didn’t drop below 90.

Before Meng Wange could respond, Zhang Ma scratched her head and mumbled—

“Um, Miss Su, haven’t you also… never stepped into a kitchen before…?”

“…Hm?”

Su Wanli shot her a fierce glare, and Zhang Ma wisely swallowed the rest of her words.

She silently rolled the food cart over to Su Wanli’s side, collected the pile of used tissues, and began pushing the cart back to the kitchen.

As she passed Meng Wange, Zhang Ma glanced back at Su Wanli—who was still locked in battle with her own nose—and then leaned in to whisper in Meng Wange’s ear—

“Wange, what happened last night? Miss Su seems even more short-tempered than she was yesterday.”

“Mm…”

Meng Wange glanced at Su Wanli and smiled as she shook her head.

“Maybe Miss Su’s just having a cold-air allergy flare-up today. She might actually be in a surprisingly good mood, all things considered.”

In just two sentences, she left Zhang Ma completely speechless.

‘…She’s being insulted like that, and she still thinks Su Wanli is in a good mood?’

‘Then how bad must Su Wanli have been last night?’

Looking at the girl who was acting as if nothing had happened, Zhang Ma quietly shook her head.

‘Poor child. It’s only her second day in the Su family, and she already looks like she’s been bullied into silence. If this keeps up, she might just lose her sense of self entirely.’

Better make her an extra meal. At the very least, fatten her up a little—those skinny arms and legs really aren’t a good look.

Being healthy matters more than anything…

***

Of course, Su Wanli noticed Meng Wange and Zhang Ma whispering on the side, but she didn’t have time to deal with their little conversation right now.

She was busy discussing intelligence updates with the system.

‘No way! Are you serious? Even cooking is something Meng Wange’s good at?!’

[Note: This character’s “Evil Girl Value” is a numerical stat monitored by her system that tracks her behavior and attitude.]

[Although the female lead isn’t exactly known for her cooking skills compared to her other talents, she still manages to shop for groceries and cook her own meals. That alone puts her far ahead of Su Wanli, who wouldn’t even touch warm water with her delicate fingers.]

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?! I thought she grew up in an orphanage and never even stepped foot in a kitchen! For what it’s worth, I can at least cook instant noodles with an egg and a sausage!”

[Don’t worry, Host. The system’s future foresight function has just begun to activate. When the time comes, you can bring along your villainess bullying handbag—it might just work wonders.]

“That ridiculous thing that pulled out a giant megaphone in the middle of the night? What good could it possibly do?”

“…Forget it. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll reach into it and pull out some legendary seasoning straight out of Cooking Master Boy—something that makes the dish glow gold and taste so divine it leaves people speechless.”

Su Wanli silently bit into the last piece of egg on her tray.

At that exact moment, Meng Wange happened to sip the final mouthful of her soy milk and casually reached across to grab a napkin near Su Wanli’s hand to wipe her lips.

“Miss Su, I’m done eating. Shall we go to your room or mine?”

‘…She really is a top-tier maniac,’ Su Wanli thought.

‘Even seeing me in this sorry state, she still didn’t forget about tutoring me.’

Good thing Su Wanli had come prepared.

After a night of intense cramming, she’d at least managed to relearn a few basic formulas.

She wouldn’t be completely clueless in front of Meng Wange, which meant she could at least save some face.

She wiped her nose, stood up coolly, and said to Meng Wange with a haughty tone—

“Hah, obviously we’re going to my room. Just follow me later, and don’t forget to bring what you prepared.”

With that, and in order to stop her tormented sinuses from destroying the bad-girl image she had so painstakingly built up, Su Wanli spun around dramatically and marched out of the banquet hall, heading up the staircase to her room.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got everything ready. I’ll go grab it now.”

Speaking to Su Wanli’s back, Meng Wange neatly tidied her utensils and then stood up, following Su Wanli up the stairs.

***

In the kitchen, Auntie Zhang was washing dishes when she saw the two girls leave the banquet hall one after the other.

She finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

Ever since Meng Wange had arrived at the Su household, she felt like Miss Su had been acting… off.

But she couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly was strange.

If she had to say something, maybe it was the fact that Miss Su now came down to the banquet hall to eat?

Honestly, Auntie Zhang had originally assumed Su Wanli came down just to bully Meng Wange.

She had even mentally prepared herself to help clean up if Su Wanli poured soy milk over the girl’s head.

But to her surprise, the entire breakfast passed without incident.

Su Wanli had stayed in her seat, constantly dabbing at her nose.

The only real casualties were her philtrum and the box of tissues on the table.

…So weird.

And just now, when the two girls stood up together, it felt oddly like they had coordinated it ahead of time.

Not to mention that strange phrase—”what you prepared”…

Thinking back on their interactions during breakfast, Auntie Zhang frowned and remembered the comic her daughter had recently gotten obsessed with.

‘What was it called again? Villainous Heiress, Please Spare Me, Sis?’ She remembered it was about a noble lady and another girl who suddenly showed up at her house… and the two of them ended up falling in love.

Tsk. Young people these days are truly beyond understanding.

Auntie Zhang slowly shook her head and let out a sigh as she continued scrubbing the dishes.

‘Better prepare some supplements for Miss Su too, not just for little Meng.’

‘Even if… it is like that, I just hope they don’t go too far. Wouldn’t want either of them to hurt their health…’