Three days after being stiffed on the bill.

12:24 AM.

"Let’s give it up for Top Esports, taking Game 1 of this Bo5!"

"WOW!!!!"

Hua Xin shot upright in bed, watching the live stream. Her delicate, fair face flushed slightly. Her oversized T-shirt slipped slyly off one shoulder, revealing smooth collarbones.

But she’d forgotten why she sat up. Scratching her head in confusion, Hua Xin simply flopped back down and rolled over.

Seeing "Go team!" and "So pro!" flood the comments, she refused to be outdone. Her main team needed her cheers!

Taking the trophy tonight? It’s happening!!

TES is the only all-Chinese squad I trust!! Banlangen? Never heard of her.

Wish I had a cat: "Bro’s amazing! Sis ain’t bad either! God King Tian’s 999!"

"Tonight, no excuses—we’re winning 3 to…"

——————

"Mmmph…" At noon, Hua Xin rubbed her eyes groggily. Her pillow felt damp. She sat up, wiping drool from her chin. 🤤

*Yaaawn* (so cute)…

She stretched, blinking sleep away.

"Huh? When did I fall asleep?"

"The match!" Hua Xin grabbed her phone. But after streaming all night, the app had auto-switched to a new broadcast—draining her battery dry.

😡😡😡😡

*Am I seriously this unlucky?*

Frustrated, she rushed to boot up her computer.

One minute later.

Hua Xin stared silently at the giant "3-1" score on screen.

Ah. They must’ve flipped the team logos. Official error. Definitely. (voice cracking)

She clicked the window shut 🥺, tears welling like dewdrops about to fall.

Well. Time to eat.

Her flat stomach growled, hollow enough to cave in.

Yesterday’s diet: one cup of instant noodles, vitamin pills, and calcium tablets.

Hua Xin picked up the calcium bottle. Satisfaction faded fast—

Expired three months ago? 😧

"No problem… Naruto survived expired ramen and milk. As the inheritor of the Will of Fire, I’ll be fine too. 👌🏻"

She opened the fridge, scanning ingredients.

Her rule: no instant noodles every day. Every few days, she cooked one proper meal—to keep her skills sharp and her stomach functional.

Gotta stay healthy for all-nighters.

"Hot pot base… eggplant… Perfect! Four dishes and a soup today!"

Her chef’s intuition instantly mapped the meal.

Hua Xin hugged the ingredients, skipping to the kitchen.

A quick rinse of the nonstick pot.

"Two chicken legs 🍗—in you go. (whole legs, raw)"

"One block of tofu—in you go. (giant uncut slab)"

"Eggplant 🍆—in you go. (whole, stem still attached)"

"Baby bok choy 🥬—in you go. (intact, unseparated)"

"Add one bowl of water. A pinch of sea salt 🧂. A dash of chicken bouillon. And… *generous* thirteen-spice powder. (lethal dose)."

Watching the ingredients turn deep red-brown, Hua Xin nodded proudly.

"I’m a culinary genius. Whoever eats my food is blessed beyond measure. (hands on hips, beaming)…"

"Cover the pot. Simmer time!"

She clapped her hands, putting the spices away. Nine bottles of Wang Shouyi sauce stood neatly in formation.

…………

Scrolling videos, her feed cruelly pushed last night’s match highlights.

"TES, our greatest hope, fell to…"

STOP. RAGE MODE ACTIVATED. 🤬💢

*Glug-glug-glug…*

"Eh? Am I red-hot angry?" Hua Xin blinked up dumbly.

But she wasn’t making that noise.

She peeked at the pot—relief washed over her. "Oh. Just boiling water."

Setting her phone down, she lifted the lid and grabbed scissors from a metal bowl.

"Snip-snip-snip ✂️ the bok choy…"

She fished out the cooked greens, plopping them onto a cafeteria-style metal tray—free with her cookware set. One dish to wash per meal? Ultimate efficiency!

"Two scoops of yellow chili sauce…" She dolloped it over the greens.

"A splash of soy sauce." Black liquid poured from a water bottle.

"First dish: Chili-Garlic Baby Bok Choy—served! 😉"

The pot bubbled on.

Scissors in hand, Hua Xin focused 😠: "Snip-snip-snip ✂️ the eggplant next…"

Same routine: chili sauce, soy sauce. "Second dish: Chili-Garlic Eggplant—served!"

"Left with chicken legs and tofu…"

She grabbed ginger, garlic, and scallions (unpeeled, uncut).

"Ginger, garlic, scallions—in! Half a pack of hot pot base—in! One spoon Lao Gan Ma. One spoon doubanjiang. Light soy. Dark soy…"

The pot hissed, bubbling crimson-black. "Smells like hot pot heaven. 😋…"

She reset the spices, then whispered to her scissors: "Snip-snip-snip ✂️ the tofu into cubes…"

Scooping tofu and broth with a steel ladle: "Third dish: Mapo Tofu—served!"

Hua Xin swallowed hard, then fished out the chicken legs with chopsticks 🥢: "Legs out…"

"Fourth dish: Mapo Chicken Legs—served!"

Four dishes filled the tray. Wiping her brow, Hua Xin felt deeply fulfilled.

"Nothing beats home cooking. 😉…"

She filled a small bowl with tap water, pouring it into the pot:

"Half a bowl of water…"

Scissors met bok choy again: "Snip-snip-snip ✂️… add greens for Mapo Soup…"

Two minutes later.

Hua Xin gazed at the rich broth and four dishes, warmth blooming in her chest from honest labor. 🥺

Alone at the table, she beamed at her feast.

Chopsticks 🥢 lifted a bite of bok choy. Her eyes crinkled shut in bliss.

"So goooood 🥺…"

Her pale cheeks flushed visibly pink.

"So spicy… 🥵"

She stuck out her tongue, then gulped Mapo Soup.

Her high ponytail swayed as happy little squeaks escaped her—like a contented kitten.

"A bit salty… but still goooood. 🥺…"

She devoured lunch in minutes. Staring at the two bare chicken bones left on her plate, a new recipe sparked in her mind.

🧐👆🤓😉😆

"What if…"

"Dinner’s chicken bone fried rice?"