SampleStringWith😃Emojis🚀ForTestingPurpose[Detected: a convincingly overwhelming victory. Completion count: 2, remaining attempts: 1.]
SampleStringWith😃Emojis🚀ForTestingPurpose[One step away from total success. Host, please keep up the good work.]
Even as the system’s announcement echoed in her ears, Su Wanli still hadn’t recovered from the shock of that simple bowl of porridge.
W-Why?
She had sat alone in the banquet hall for so long, analyzing Meng Wange’s every move, dissecting her intentions and tactics, preparing herself mentally for anything she might pull—and then the grand finale turned out to be… a bowl of plain porridge?
Even if Meng Wange claimed it was yam, white fungus, and red date porridge, it was still just… porridge!
Yet looking back now, based on the result, Su Wanli’s deductions hadn’t been wrong. So where had it all gone off-track?
Facing Meng Wange’s smiling, applauding figure, Su Wanli was overwhelmed with a helpless and frustrated sense of defeat.
What is it… that’s really going through your mind?
Clinging to her belief as a villainess, Su Wanli still grit her teeth and said through clenched jaws:
“…Meng Wange, are you insulting me by serving something like this?”
“No, Miss Su, this truly is my specialty dish.”
Meng Wange shook her head sincerely.
“It might not be suited for a competition, so your victory is completely justified.”
“Then what about our bet?”
“As we agreed, I’ll grant you one request. Once you’ve decided, I’ll fulfill it.”
“But…”
Why was it so different from what she had envisioned? She had expected Meng Wange to be more…
Looking into Meng Wange’s calm eyes and that ever-unchanging smile, all the words Su Wanli had bottled in her chest suddenly felt meaningless.
She took a deep breath, pushed the empty bowl away, rose without another word, and walked out of the banquet hall.
Watching Su Wanli’s retreating back, Auntie Zhang instinctively wanted to stop her, but no words came out.
“Oh dear…”
She turned back to Meng Wange and gave her a little slap on the forehead.
“Wange, I told you! This was a contest—how could you just serve porridge? Miss Su was obviously going to be upset! Isn’t serving something like that in a cooking match practically an insult?”
“……”
“And she didn’t even say much when she left! She must be really angry. Great, now you won’t be able to get close to her for a while.”
“It’s alright, Auntie Zhang.”
Sitting properly in the banquet hall, Meng Wange looked up toward the direction Su Wanli had left and let out a soft sigh.
“This… is the result I wanted.”
“What result? You silly girl! You’ve only been at the Su household for two days. Aren’t you afraid Miss Su will get mad and kick you out?”
Auntie Zhang was more anxious than Meng Wange herself, pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.
“No, I’m going to think of something. I’ll prepare some of her favorite dishes. You take them upstairs, and if she won’t open the door, just leave them on the small table outside…”
“Don’t worry, Auntie Zhang. I don’t think she’ll kick me out.”
Hearing the sound of Su Wanli walking upstairs, Meng Wange lifted her gaze toward the third floor.
“…Because, in that regard, she already helped me a long time ago.”
Damn it… damn it… damn it!!
The more Su Wanli thought about how she had racked her brain trying to strategize against Meng Wange, only to be served a bowl of porridge, the more her anger surged.
Yes, I know I’m not that skilled. I know I’m only doing this because of the system task. But still…
That acute sense of humiliation and helplessness just wouldn’t stop gnawing at her.
How could Meng Wange say something like “It’s not over yet” with such certainty? Did she really think a bowl of porridge could defeat me?
No… from the way Meng Wange had decisively admitted defeat, she clearly wasn’t thinking that way.
Which means—was the victory meaningless to her? Was my challenge just a joke?
Or… was she just trying to please me?
But I was practically fuming—and Meng Wange didn’t notice even a hint of that? Does she have no understanding of basic psychology?
When she sat there smiling, watching me spoon that porridge into my mouth… what was she really thinking?
Without realizing, Su Wanli had already reached the final staircase to the third floor. She gave the bottom step a furious kick.
Couldn’t you at least take me more seriously?!
The sharp jolt of pain that shot through her toes brought Su Wanli a sliver of clarity.
…Forget it. After all, the two of us are nothing more than bully and victim. Thinking otherwise back there in the banquet hall was just my arrogance.
Back to the room. Figure out what I can still do. Then finish the final system task…
But the image of Meng Wange’s calm eyes kept replaying in her mind, making her increasingly restless.
Just as she was about to open her door, she noticed something on the small table beside it—a food tray.
It had a faint scent of traditional Chinese medicine.
“…Hmm?”
But that tray definitely hadn’t been there when she left with Meng Wange earlier. If it had been, she’d have smelled it immediately.
Wait… smelled it?
A sudden spark flashed through Su Wanli’s mind.
Even though she had accounted for all of Meng Wange’s words and actions—hadn’t she forgotten one thing?
Swallowing nervously, she reached for the tray cover with trembling fingers and lifted it.
Inside was… a medicinal broth with a gentle herbal fragrance, and a small bowl of bird’s nest porridge.
Everything made sense in that instant.
—Miss Su, how about we do a tasting exchange?
—I just wanted to taste something you personally made.
—Until you’ve tried my cooking, nothing is decided.
Even after realizing it was just porridge, Meng Wange still looked at her with that proud, poised gaze, as if she still had a hidden surprise in store.
Of course. The problem had been me all along. How could I have forgotten?
Su Wanli had caught a cold that day—a particularly nasty one.
And Meng Wange… had simply made a nourishing bowl of porridge for her, wanting to see her finish every last drop.
“……”
Su Wanli stood silently at her door, then slowly turned her head to look downstairs.
At that exact moment, Meng Wange walked out of the banquet hall and reached the bottom of the staircase. She looked up, smiled, and met Su Wanli’s eyes.
Then she moved her lips.
Though they were too far apart for her to hear clearly, Su Wanli could still read the words:
“Miss Su, I wish you good health.”