Before long, Sheng He returned carrying a plate of tomato scrambled eggs.
She set it down in front of He Xiao and looked at him expectantly, her eyes sparkling.
“I made this just for you. Try it and tell me what you think.”
Her voice was filled with anticipation.
He Xiao lowered his gaze to the dish before him. His dark eyes deepened, and for a brief moment, he seemed lost in thought.
He slowly looked up at Sheng He, his expression unexpectedly complicated.
Sitting across from him, Sheng He noticed that he still hadn’t picked up his chopsticks.
“P-Please, try it,” she urged. “I made it especially for you.”
Then she added a little nervously, “It’s my first time cooking, so… it might not taste very good. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it. I’ll make it for you again next time. I’ll keep practicing until I get better.”
She spoke with her usual cheerful energy.
He Xiao held her gaze for a long moment before quietly replying, “Okay.”
He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and placed it in his mouth.
He chewed slowly and carefully, as if savoring a gourmet meal, yet he remained silent.
Growing anxious, Sheng He couldn’t help asking,
“Well? How does it taste? Say something!”
He Xiao looked at her without blinking.
Finally, he said, “It’s delicious.”
His voice caught slightly.
His eyes had turned red.
Seeing a grown man on the verge of tears immediately flustered Sheng He.
She instinctively reached for the plate.
“If it’s that bad, don’t force yourself to eat it—”
But He Xiao reacted even faster, pulling the dish away from her.
“What are you doing?”
He stared at her protectively, like a small animal guarding its food.
“I just wanted to taste it,” Sheng He quickly explained. “It’s all yours, every bit of it.”
Then she hurriedly added,
“Did you cry because it’s awful? If it doesn’t taste good, don’t eat it. As long as you want, I’ll keep cooking for you in the future…”
She sounded genuinely worried, as though she couldn’t bear to see him upset.
“No.”
He shook his head, then nodded.
“It’s really good.”
Looking straight into her eyes, he said with complete sincerity,
“Thank you.”
His earnestness caught Sheng He off guard.
Embarrassed, she waved her hand.
“I just wanted to cook something for you.”
“I figured tomato scrambled eggs was the easiest dish, so I gave it a try.”
“I only hope you don’t think it’s too ordinary.”
“I don’t.”
He answered immediately.
“I like it very much.”
When He Xiao was a child, his teacher once assigned an essay titled My Mother.
One classmate wrote such an excellent composition that the teacher praised her in front of the entire class and even read it aloud.
He still remembered one particular sentence.
She had written that her favorite food was her mother’s tomato scrambled eggs because it tasted like home—because it carried her mother’s love.
Those words stayed with him.
After school, he eagerly called his own mother and asked if she could make tomato scrambled eggs for him.
He had never eaten a meal cooked by her.
She was always busy.
Always somewhere else.
He wanted to know…
What did a mother’s cooking taste like?
Instead, his request earned him a harsh scolding.
She called him immature and told him that if he wanted tomato scrambled eggs, he could ask the housekeeper to make it.
He never did.
From that day on, he never ate tomato scrambled eggs.
It wasn’t because he couldn’t.
If he’d asked, the housekeeper would have made it immediately.
But that wasn’t the flavor he had been searching for.
He had never imagined…
That someone like Sheng He—a pampered young heiress—would personally cook for him.
And of all dishes…
She had made tomato scrambled eggs.
He was deeply touched.
Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that something he’d longed for since childhood would one day be given to him by Sheng He—
The very woman he had despised only yesterday.
The moment he saw the dish, an indescribable emotion welled up inside him.
His heart hadn’t raced.
Instead, his throat tightened.
His eyes stung.
He simply wanted to cry.
He couldn’t explain the feeling.
It was as though someone who should never have crossed paths with him had suddenly handed the lonely little boy inside him the candy he’d been waiting for all those years.
His heart softened completely.
He could only think of it as fate.
Or perhaps…
Something heaven itself had arranged.
His feelings toward Sheng He had already begun to change.
Now she had cooked this particular dish for him.
Did that mean…
She was the person he was meant to hold on to?
The one he had been waiting for all along?
He had never told anyone about that childhood memory.
Not even his mother knew the longing hidden deep in his heart.
Only he knew.
So…
This had to be nothing more than an incredible coincidence.
Watching his expression and hearing his answer, Sheng He grew even more puzzled.
If he liked it so much, why hadn’t his favorability increased?
For a moment, she wondered whether something had gone wrong.
Then, before long, 007’s notification sounded in her mind.
The favorability had increased.
The weight that had been pressing on her chest instantly disappeared, and a bright smile spread across her face.
It had jumped by thirty points in one go.
So it really worked!
He Xiao’s favorability had now reached 65.
Not only had she completed the Main System’s requirement, she’d earned fifteen extra points on top of it.
[Congratulations, Host! Once favorability reaches sixty, it officially counts as love. Keep up the good work!]
007 sounded just as excited.
It hadn’t expected its host to raise He Xiao’s favorability so quickly.
The storage space was finally hers!
This time, Sheng He’s happiness was completely genuine.
While urging 007 in her mind to hurry and collect her reward, she continued staring at He Xiao without blinking.
Her eyes sparkled as though they were filled with stars.
He Xiao misunderstood her expression.
He thought she was so happy because he’d admitted he liked her.
The corners of his lips unconsciously lifted.
Warmth and tenderness softened his features.
The frustration he’d felt that morning had long since disappeared.
“If you ever want to cook again…”
“I’ll eat whatever you make.”
Sheng He smiled brightly.
Whether she’d actually keep cooking was another matter.
For now, it didn’t hurt to make a promise.
Once the apocalypse began, most fruits and vegetables would become contaminated and inedible.
Even after survivors eventually managed to grow crops inside the bases, fresh produce would remain incredibly scarce and precious.
It wouldn’t be easy to get.
If the heroine hadn’t happened to stumble across fresh tomatoes and eggs during their escape in the original story, He Xiao probably would never have tasted tomato scrambled eggs at all.
Now that she’d secured the favorability she needed, the tension she’d been carrying finally melted away.
Only then did she realize how hungry she was.
She called Auntie Zheng over and asked her to bring out the rest of the dishes.
“It’s time to eat.”
Hearing Sheng He call for her, Auntie Zheng answered cheerfully and came out to help set the table.
There weren’t many people in the house.
After so many years together, Auntie Zheng was practically family.
As for He Xiao, he wasn’t a servant—he was the man the original Sheng He had loved.
So everyone simply sat down and ate together, without any distinction between master and servant.
Auntie Zheng’s cooking was excellent.
That afternoon, Sheng He still needed to head to the warehouse and transfer all the supplies into her storage space.
She had no idea how long it would take, so she focused on eating well while she had the chance.
The dishes were so delicious that she hardly stopped reaching for more food.
Watching her eat with such enthusiasm, He Xiao smiled quietly.
Every now and then, he even picked up food and placed it in her bowl.
As for himself…
He ate almost nothing except the plate of tomato scrambled eggs she’d made for him, finishing every last bite.
Auntie Zheng quietly observed the interaction between the two of them.
Seeing the obvious change in He Xiao—and the way they now treated each other—filled her with relief.
How wonderful.
At long last…
The young miss had finally won the heart of the man she’d loved for so long.