“It’s unbelievable. This female actually entered the kitchen. Is she going to burn it down?”
Mo Jingxing listened to the rhythmic “thump, thump, thump” of the kitchen knife hitting the cutting board from the kitchen, his face full of disbelief.
“Let’s go take a look!”
Jian Ze said, taking the lead toward the kitchen, with the others following closely behind.
They didn’t enter the kitchen but stood outside the window, watching the graceful figure inside bustling about—sometimes cutting meat, sometimes adding firewood to the stove. She was so busy that she didn’t notice the four pairs of eyes fixed intently on her from outside the window.
It was only at this moment that Chu Xuan realized the usefulness of the System Shop. She currently had only four Points, which could be exchanged for some simple seasonings, but that was enough for now.
Chu Xuan put the cut fatty meat into the pot to render out the oil, then added the prepared base ingredients to stir-fry until fragrant. As waves of aroma wafted out, Mo Jingxing’s stomach betrayed him with an embarrassing “gurgle.”
The other three cast him scrutinizing glances, and a faint blush spread across Mo Jingxing’s handsome face, making him rather awkward.
But he hadn’t eaten anything since last night, and now, suddenly smelling such a delicious aroma, the gluttonous worms in his stomach were completely aroused, entirely beyond his control!
“This female actually knows how to cook?Shen Lingjun watched Chu Xuan’s skilled movements, completely unable to believe it.
Since they had married into the household, they had never seen this female step into the kitchen. When did she learn to cook? And she could make it smell so good—in all his life, he had never smelled such an enticing aroma of food.
Due to the limited ingredients, Chu Xuan simply made a pot of Water Boiled Meat Slices.
When she lifted the lid, the rich aroma of meat filled the entire kitchen and drifted out through the window. Jian Ze and the others were so captivated by the smell that they couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.
Chu Xuan ladled all the Water Boiled Meat into bowls. As she reached to carry them, she burned her hand. Pinching her earlobe with her fingers, she looked around and noticed her Beast Husbands standing outside the window. She then said:
“You’re here? Perfect, could you help me carry these over?”
In their memory, Chu Xuan had always been domineering toward them and had never spoken to them so gently before. For a moment, they were somewhat taken aback.
Jian Ze was the first to step inside and help her carry the Water Boiled Meat to the main hall.
Chu Xuan had filled six large bowls—one for herself and one for each of her five Beast Husbands. Once in the main hall, noticing that Xie Xingwen hadn’t arrived yet, she asked:
“Is Xie Xingwen awake? Could one of you go call him over to eat?”
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, Xie Xingwen’s voice sounded from the doorway: “What is that? It smells amazing!”
Xie Xingwen, dressed in a black robe with his strikingly purple hair flowing down his back, strode in boldly.
He had been in his room planning how to protect Chu Xuan’s life during her struggle for power when he was suddenly lured out by the tantalizing aroma, which stirred the gluttonous worms in his stomach.
Following the scent to the main hall, he saw the Water Boiled Meat Slices on the table. Up close, the fragrance was even stronger, and he was nearly drooling.
“You guys are something else, starting to eat without even calling me.”
Xie Xingwen spoke as he directly took a seat at the table, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.
Mo Jingxing was so shocked by this behavior that his wolf eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Xie Xingwen was originally purchased by Chu Xuan from the marketplace. In her eyes, he was nothing but a lowly male slave, existing solely for her amusement and venting of anger. A male slave like him was not permitted to eat at the table, let alone share a meal with his female master.
This was a rule Chu Xuan had established from the beginning.
Had Xie Xingwen suffered a head injury that damaged his brain? How could he forget such an important rule?
Watching the foolish snake devour his food at the table, the others turned their gazes to Chu Xuan, anticipating her explosive rage.
Yet, the fury they imagined never came. Chu Xuan acted as if nothing were amiss, inviting them all to join the meal.
Why did their female master seem different from before? Could this be another new trap?
Recalling Chu Xuan’s past behavior toward them, they feared she might have poisoned the food and dared not eat.
That foolish snake was still eating so heartily—was he truly unafraid of being poisoned?
The others remained standing like wooden stakes, with only Xie Xingwen and Chu Xuan eating earnestly.
“By the way, Chu Xuan, I have something to tell you,” Xie Xingwen said after taking a sip of meat broth, his sudden address nearly shocking the other Beast Husbands out of their wits.
What was wrong with this foolish snake today? Not only did he disregard mealtime etiquette, but he also dared to address the female master by her name directly. Was he begging for death at the hands of this vicious female?
“Mm, go ahead,” Chu Xuan replied calmly, astonishing the Beast Husbands even further.
Were these two still the same spineless snake and malicious female they knew?
If not for the familiar aura emanating from both, they would have suspected the two had been replaced.
“About you becoming the hiss—” Before the words “female emperor” could leave his lips, a powerful electric current surged from Xie Xingwen’s consciousness through his limbs, causing his entire body to tremble and convulse uncontrollably. His chopsticks clattered to the floor.
Seeing Xie Xingwen in this state, Mo Jingxing was the first to react, sharply accusing Chu Xuan, “Did you poison him? I knew there was no way you’d cook for us out of kindness. You intended to poison us all along—you’re utterly vicious!”
Jian Ze and the others glanced at Chu Xuan, then at the untouched bowls of boiled meat on the table, feeling a surge of relief. Fortunately, they hadn’t eaten anything prepared by this female; otherwise, they would be the ones poisoned now.
This female was truly ruthless—she actually wanted to kill them all.
Chu Xuan was utterly bewildered. Heaven bear witness, she had done nothing.
“Hey, Xie Xingwen, are you okay?” she asked, watching him convulse on the floor, his eyes rolling back.
“Stop feigning concern,” Shen Lingjun said, his gaze filled with disgust as he looked at Chu Xuan. “If he hadn’t eaten your food, why would he end up like this?”
With the evidence laid bare, Chu Xuan found herself at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, in Xie Xingwen’s consciousness, the system sighed helplessly. 【Host, you cannot act against your established character. Your mission is to protect the female lead. You must not let her learn that she is destined to become the female emperor, or you will face electric shock punishment.】
Xie Xingwen retorted, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The system replied, 【You didn’t ask earlier!】
Xie Xingwen had no desire to argue further with this wretched system and could only silently raise a middle finger amid the electric currents.
After about a quarter of an hour, the electric shock punishment finally ended, and Xie Xingwen was nearly jolted back into his original form.
He cursed the system a hundred million times in his heart, then got up from the ground, returned to his previous seat, picked up a new pair of chopsticks, and continued eating as if nothing had happened.
Chu Xuan: “…”
“Are you alright?” Chu Xuan asked.
“It’s nothing, just an old ailment acting up,” Xie Xingwen casually lied, then said, “After the meal, come to my room. I’ll explain my plan to you in detail.”