The door was gently pushed open.
Ji Siyu stepped out.
When her gaze landed on the dining table, a crack instantly appeared in her habitually frozen expression.
On the small square table, six dishes and a soup were neatly arranged.
The braised spiritual carp was glossy and mouth-watering.
The stir-fried jade vegetables were vibrantly green and fragrant.
A bowl of milky-white bone soup gave off a tantalizing aroma, its rising steam blurring Chen Chuan’s calm face on the other side of the table.
Did Chen Chuan really make this?
Waves of shock surged in Ji Siyu’s heart, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.
She had been married to Chen Chuan for so long, yet when had she ever seen him step foot in the kitchen?
In her memory, she was the only one who worked day and night, preparing meals for this husband in name only.
Meanwhile, Chen Chuan was either out carousing or nitpicking her cooking.
How could a complete, lazy playboy suddenly possess such culinary skills?
The color and aroma of the dishes were certainly not something a novice could achieve.
"Let’s eat."
Chen Chuan’s voice interrupted Ji Siyu’s thoughts.
He had already served two bowls of rice and placed one at her usual seat.
Ji Siyu sat down silently, her face a mix of curiosity she was unwilling to admit.
She picked up a piece of what looked like the most ordinary steamed feather chicken and gently put it into her mouth.
The next moment, her eyes lit up.
The chicken was exceptionally tender and melted in her mouth.
The taste was actually more exquisite than the meals prepared by many great chefs she had tasted.
Refusing to believe it, she tasted the other dishes one by one.
Every dish, whether meat or vegetable, seemed to be endowed with a unique Soul, bringing out the best in the ingredients perfectly; the seasoning was subtle and harmonious, beyond reproach.
Before the impact of the delicious food could subside, another more turbulent emotion surged into her heart.
Grievance, an indescribable grievance.
He clearly knew how to cook!
And he did it so well!
If so, why had he never shown it in the slightest?
Why did he watch her busy herself at the stove every day, and even occasionally complain that her cooking wasn’t delicious enough?
Had he been laughing at her all along, thinking that she, as his wife, deserved to serve him like this?
Thinking about her hard work and dedication since they got married.
Thinking about how she managed the household only to be met with insults.
Ji Siyu felt a sting in her nose, and her vision quickly blurred.
Crystal-clear tears rolled down uncontrollably, dripping onto the rice in her bowl and creating small wet spots.
She kept her head down, not wanting Chen Chuan to see her lose her composure, but the slight trembling of her shoulders betrayed her.
Noticing Ji Siyu’s abnormality, Chen Chuan looked up and saw the tears sliding down her face.
He couldn’t help but be stunned, feeling extremely puzzled.
No way.
Is my cooking so bad it made someone cry?
As the most promising young chef in a hotel in his previous life, he still had confidence in his culinary skills; besides, he had tasted these dishes, and the flavor was definitely not bad.
"What’s wrong?" Chen Chuan put down his chopsticks and asked hesitantly, "Is the food not to your liking?"
In Ji Siyu’s ears, his inquiry sounded like a mocking question he already knew the answer to.
She suddenly looked up, staring at him with tear-filled eyes, her cold voice trembling slightly from sobbing: "None of your business!"
After saying that, she slammed down her chopsticks, stood up, and rushed back to her room without looking back, closing the door with a bang.
Leaving behind a table full of dishes and a bewildered Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan was truly dazed.
He completely failed to understand Ji Siyu’s sudden emotional outburst.
A woman’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea, let alone this God Emperor Reincarnation with a noble status and unpredictable temperament.
He carefully recalled his words and actions just now; there seemed to be nothing improper.
"Sigh!"
Chen Chuan sighed and rubbed his brow.
Just thinking about her potential identity, which could turn him to ash with a flick of her finger, gave him a headache.
Forget it.
Better to provoke her as little as possible.
Since she didn’t want to talk to him, there was no need for him to approach her and make a fool of himself.
Perhaps keeping his distance was the wisest choice for now.
Over the next few days, a strange understanding formed between the two.
Ji Siyu still went out every day and would put the ingredients she bought in the kitchen when she returned.
But she no longer had any communication with Chen Chuan, even avoiding eye contact as much as possible.
And Chen Chuan, upon seeing the ingredients she had left, would instinctively go to the kitchen to get busy.
Once the food was ready, Chen Chuan would eat his fill and then leave a portion for Ji Siyu.
Ji Siyu would often come out quietly only after Chen Chuan had left, eat in silence, and then wash the dishes.
Living under the same roof, they were like strangers, the air seemingly frozen with invisible frost.
This silent standoff was broken by Chen Chuan at the dinner table a few days later.
He put down his chopsticks and looked at Ji Siyu, who was chewing slowly on the opposite side, her demeanor still incomparably elegant.
Chen Chuan spoke cautiously: "Um, Ji Siyu, could you lend me five thousand gold tickets?"
Ji Siyu’s movement of picking up food paused, and she suddenly looked up, her cold gaze instantly filled with vigilance.
"What do you need so much money for?"
Her voice was a few degrees colder than usual.
Chen Chuan’s history of squandering money was practically countless.
Almost everything of value in this house had been sold off by him, leaving only this empty manor.
Five thousand gold tickets was certainly not a small amount.
"To make money."
Chen Chuan answered concisely.
"Make money?"
Ji Siyu looked as if she had heard the joke of the century, the corners of her lips curling into a faint but mocking arc.
Chen Chuan wanting to make money?
This was even rarer than the sun rising from the west.
In her view, this was just a new excuse for Chen Chuan to squander money, likely to be spent at a gambling den or a brothel.
She originally wanted to refuse directly, but her gaze swept over the delicious dishes on the table.
Thinking that these past few days had indeed saved her a lot of trouble, her heart softened slightly.
After a moment’s hesitation, she put down her chopsticks, stood up, went back to her room, and took out a small silk pouch.
She counted out three thousand gold tickets from it, placed them on the table, and pushed them over.
"Only three thousand." Her tone betrayed no emotion. "No need to pay it back; consider it payment for your hard work cooking these past few days."
Chen Chuan looked at the stack of gold tickets, his brow raised slightly, but he didn’t say much. He reached out and took them: "Thanks, I’ll pay you back."
Ji Siyu was noncommittal and picked up her chopsticks again, thinking to herself, "Expect you to pay it back? I’d have better luck waiting for an iron tree to bloom."
These three thousand gold tickets were just to buy some peace and quiet.
After getting the gold tickets, Chen Chuan immediately returned to his room and immersed his consciousness into the System Mall.
The dazzling array of goods made his head spin: Cultivation Techniques, Magic Treasures, Medicinal Pills, array diagrams, and so on—everything was there.
But the number of zeros in the prices also made his heart skip a beat.
He quickly flipped to the Medicinal Pill section, his gaze drawn to a striking notification.
[Host’s first purchase of any item is eligible for a 99% discount!]
99% off!
Chen Chuan’s heart leaped; this was a massive opportunity.
He only had three thousand gold tickets right now and had to choose something that could generate profit the fastest.
Buying finished Medicinal Pills directly wasn’t cost-effective; the quantity would be small and unsustainable.
Finally, his gaze locked onto an Elementary Pill Formula called "Green Spirit Pill."
The Green Spirit Pill was a Grade One pill whose effect was to assist Cultivators in condensing Spiritual Qi and accelerating cultivation; it was in high demand among low-level Cultivators.
The original price was three hundred thousand gold tickets, but with the 99% discount, it was exactly three thousand!
"This is the one!"
Chen Chuan no longer hesitated; with a thought, he confirmed the purchase.
The three thousand gold tickets instantly disappeared from the System interface.
At the same time, a flood of detailed information about the Green Spirit Pill refining method, required herbs, and heat control poured into his mind.
He had the Pill Formula, but Alchemy required a Pill Furnace and medicinal herbs, both of which cost money.
And at this moment, he was penniless.
Ask Ji Siyu again?
Chen Chuan immediately dismissed the idea.
Seeing Ji Siyu’s wary look just now, borrowing again would likely be harder than climbing to heaven.
He had to find another way to get startup capital.
Leaving home, Chen Chuan strolled through the bustling streets, his gaze scanning the shops lining both sides, pondering a quick way to get money.
While he was fretting, he spotted a crowd gathered outside a grand mansion not far away, with a striking notice posted on the wall.
"Recruiting Pill Slaves for a heavy reward. Test one pill, earn one hundred gold!"
A man who looked like a steward nearby saw Chen Chuan stop and took the initiative to explain:
"Young Master, my master is an esteemed Alchemist who needs people to test the properties of his pills during his daily refining."
"Each time you take a pill and record your body’s reaction, you can receive a reward of one hundred gold. It’s absolutely genuine."
Pill testing?
Chen Chuan’s brow furrowed slightly.
If there’s even a slight error during the Medicinal Pill refining process, it could contain pill toxins or even turn into poison. The risks of pill testing were self-evident; it was essentially gambling with one’s life.
No wonder the reward was so generous.
But he possessed the skill [Purification], so he didn’t need to worry about losing his life during the pill testing.
He was short on money, and this was the fastest way right now.
"I’ll try it."
He said calmly to the steward.