Breakup Kitchen - Chapter 2

Li Shanbai grabbed the mini frying pan, turned on the heat, added oil, cracked the eggs, and sprinkled salt, all in one fluid motion. Before long, he had fried four eggs and placed them on a plate. He turned around to check on Gao Huimei's progress and saw that she had already heated her pan and was sautéing garlic.

Li Shanbai felt relieved, as the sound of sizzling garlic filled the air. He smiled and handed the plate of eggs to Xiaochun, asking, "So, does this count as half of the mission completed?”

Xiaochun took the plate, which had two soft-boiled and two fully cooked eggs, and placed it on the table in front, positioning the camera to focus on the eggs: "A-Bai completed the eggs before we even realized it, and his movements were incredibly quick! We still have twenty minutes left, Mei Mei, so keep busy. Let's first interview A-Bai."

Holding cue cards in her hand, Xiaochun carried the director's questions: "By the way, A-Bai, do you have any other motives for participating in this show? I know this has been asked in previous interviews, but can you share some more details? I believe the audience will be quite curious."

Li Shanbai noticed Gao Huimei's movements and mentioned the sound of the water spinach going into the pan as he replied, "Ah, actually, I came because I heard Mei Mei would be on the show. Besides wanting to meet her, in a way, I also want to protect myself."

He said shyly, "I believe many people have similar concerns. Misunderstandings from past relationships may be interpreted differently due to varying perspectives. Hearing both sides can help the audience learn from our marriage experience and reflections. I just think I need a position to defend myself, and if given the chance, I would also like to have a beautiful encounter."

"Oh, so it has that kind of meaning. However, we are curious, who exactly is that last sentence for?"

Li Shanbai replied, "Anyone who thinks I'm not bad and is willing to accept me is welcome."

Gao Huimei nervously went through the fragrant sautéing stage, mentally encouraging herself before putting the water spinach into the pot. While moving, she paid attention to the conversation between Xiao Chun and Li Shanbai, but soon felt something was off: was Li Shanbai insinuating that she would fabricate facts? She mulled over the information and felt that Li Shanbai had other motives. In the end, she realized that the last sentence was his main point—he was merely trying to create a good image and seek companionship.

She raised the spatula and shouted, "Hey, Mr. Li, could you please not slander others while we're busy? Don't you see your teammate is busy cooking?" She crossed her arms, "Are you paying the production team for your subtle advertising?"

Li Shanbai shrugged, spreading his hands, and said, "I didn't mean to defame or accuse anyone. If I caused Mei Mei any discomfort, I'm really sorry."

He turned slightly towards Gao Huimei, lowering his head a bit, and said, "And, and... huh?" His body stiffened as he detected a strange smell.

"Huh, what? Just say it clearly!"

Li Shanbai raised his head, his eyes widening in surprise. He pointed tremblingly behind Gao Huimei: "Mei Mei, you, you behind you... turn off the stove!"

"What are you talking about? Please don’t change the subject... Okay, um, uh, oh!" Upon seeing the real panic on Li Shanbai's face, Gao Huimei had no choice but to look behind her. She was shocked by the thick smoke and quickly turned off the gas stove.

The grayish-white smoke completely covered the iron pot, obscuring what was inside, and the smoke began to drift elsewhere. For a moment, everyone’s eyes were veiled with a thin mist, making everyone seem beautifully blurred. However, this dreamy atmosphere was soon pierced by a sharp sound.

As the "buzzing" sound started, the fire alarm lit up with a red light, flickering on and off, followed by a mechanical voice seriously broadcasting the location of the emergency exits.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, silence spreading as no one knew what to say; only the alarm continued to scream loudly. After a few seconds, small raindrops began to fall inside the classroom.

When the stage manager realized that water was dripping down, they finally snapped back to reality and rushed to find the fire alarm switch, managing to turn it off amidst the chaos.

At that moment, everyone seemed to be activated, jumping into action to protect and check the equipment and items.

Fortunately, the equipment and supplies were only slightly dampened; there was no significant damage.

The directing team debated whether to continue the program, each side unable to reach a consensus.

"Excuse me, could the director or producer explain this to me?" a calm, deep male voice interjected into the heated discussion of the directing team. The directors froze and turned to look at the newcomer.

He was a tall man; even someone as 168 cm tall as Huimei had to look up at him. With tanned skin and sharp features, he had high cheekbones, double eyelids, and short curly black hair neatly combed to the side, a few soft strands falling onto his thick eyebrows.

At that moment, this man was pressing his lips together, and his striking appearance gave off a menacing aura.

Huimei broke out in a cold sweat; the supervising producer on site was not Qian Ge. Qian Ge was mainly responsible for finding resources for the program, and execution wasn't really his concern.

Oh no. What if she had to pay a hefty sum before even receiving her payment for the program?

The executive producer seemed to have just received the notice. Seeing the man standing behind the director, he waved and jogged over, saying, "Mr. Jiang, you're here. I'm Producer Zhang, whom you just spoke to on the phone. I apologize for the inconvenience. We're preparing to wrap up the recording for today." He gave a look to the director; the director was confused but, seeing how insistently the producer was speaking, had no choice but to let Xiao Chun make a conclusion while the others began to pack up.

"I just received an alert notification on my phone and wanted to confirm the situation in the classroom," Mr. Jiang said, carrying a backpack and showing the triggering message on his phone screen. "Could you explain this chaos to me?" He looked over at the filming studio, fixating on the scene of the incident—a still smoking iron pot surrounded by Huimei, Li Shanbai, and Xiao Chun.

Xiao Chun: "..." This isn't my pot.

She took a large step aside, distancing herself from Huimei and Li Shanbai.

Li Shanbai: "..."

He blinked innocently, spreading his hands and looking elsewhere while whistling.

Huimei: "..." Thank you, now I don't have to explain anything.

§

 After seeking help from the director, executive producer, and passersby in vain, Gao Huimei found herself almost trapped. She could only stare at the almost fleeing figures of the production staff, lingering at the scene with Mr. Jiang, exchanging glances.

The classroom was cleaned up, the kitchenware neatly arranged, and there was hardly any sign that the space had been splashed with water. It was so bright that there was nowhere to escape or hide. The only evidence of the previous fire was the lingering smell of burnt material in the air, along with the rumbling sounds of the range hood and the classroom’s exhaust system.

Mr. Jiang had short hair, dressed in a T-shirt and black cropped trousers, topped with an olive-green hooded jacket, looking relatively young—probably four or five years younger than her.

His voice was deep and emotionless: "Miss Gao, I just heard the director and producer talk about this. The alarm went off because of your negligence. Do you have any explanation for this?"

Gao Huimei opened and closed her mouth a few times, finally managing to squeeze out, "I... I will compensate. If there are any damages to the equipment in the classroom, please have someone assess the value and report it to me. I will pay what I owe." Had she known to ask them about any insurance before the show started, she wouldn’t be in this situation now, and could only awkwardly propose compensation, planning to discuss with the executive producer later if they could seek reimbursement from the finance department.

She heard Mr. Jiang sigh, but she didn’t dare look at his actual expression, only fixating on his chin moving up and down.

He said, "First, answer me a few questions. When you stir-fry vegetables, do you wait until the pan is dry before adding oil, right?" 

"……Yes, after I put the vegetables in the pan, I wasn't paying attention, and before long, the vegetables started smoking..." Gao Huimei avoided making eye contact with Mr. Jiang and could only stare at his neck. She glanced aside, feeling embarrassed with her cheeks heating up, and mumbled, "I didn’t expect stir-frying vegetables could turn out like this; I thought it was ready to serve, and I never thought the smoke would be so intense." 

Mr. Jiang: "Did you turn the heat up high?" 

Gao Huimei recalled and said, "I guess so... I usually cook at this level of heat. What's wrong with that?" 

Mr. Jiang fell silent for a moment and said, "…Did you add water after putting the vegetables in the pan?" 

Gao Huimei: "Uh, do you really have to add water when stir-frying vegetables?" 

"…" Mr. Jiang listened and tried to maintain a calm expression on his face. "Please give me thirty seconds." After saying this, he turned around with his back to Gao Huimei. 

Gao Huimei couldn't see what Mr. Jiang was doing at all and could only vaguely hear him mumbling, swallowing his words. 

Her right hand held her phone while her left hand rested on her neck, unsure how to wrap up the situation. She scrolled through Wang's messages and replied with the place and time they would meet. 

"Miss Gao?" 

"Yes." Gao Huimei immediately put her phone down, stood up straight, and looked at Mr. Jiang anxiously. 

"I just happened to see you take out your phone, so let's exchange Line and phone numbers." Mr. Jiang took his phone out of his pocket, opened the messaging app, and prepared to scan Gao Huimei's QR code. 

"What?" Gao Huimei opened her mouth in shock, wondering what had just happened. Why were they suddenly exchanging contact information? She quickly realized: "Ah... right, the details of the compensation will naturally take some time to handle, so let's add each other on Line."

Mr. Jiang did not respond much to this. He scanned the QR code and added Gao Huimei as a friend, sending her a cute "Hello" sticker, saying, "Miss Gao, this is my Line."

Gao Huimei had just noticed a new unread message pop up in the conversation window. Before she could take a good look at the account name, she heard Mr. Jiang say, "What time are you usually free? As for me, I have classes from six to eight in the evening, but after eight-thirty, my schedule is more flexible, and the kitchen can also be used after that."

Gao Huimei replied, "Wait... Mr. Jiang, why are you suddenly asking me about my availability? I..." She looked up, thinking of a way to refuse, but unexpectedly met Mr. Jiang's gaze.

He had deep brown eyes framed by long, thick lashes. Gao Huimei blinked and snapped back to reality, almost falling into her professional habit of scrutinizing others.

"Miss Gao, you will continue recording the show, right?" Mr. Jiang didn't let her stammer any longer. He continued, "Then you probably don't want to set off the fire alarm again, do you?"

Feeling guilty, Gao Huimei nodded.

"Great, neither do I." Mr. Jiang put his phone back in his pocket and looked intently at Gao Huimei. "I don't wish for a situation where the cooking studio gets burned down. No, to be more precise, I hope such an opportunity never arises."

"I don't want you to go into recording the second episode unprepared and make a joke out of everyone's lives. Life is precious," Mr. Jiang said sarcastically, not looking at Gao Huimei's expression as he continued, "So, I just thought of a plan."

Gao Huimei twitched her mouth, suppressing the urge to curse. Although she knew she was in the wrong, his tone was really grating: "I'm all ears."

Mr. Jiang lightly tapped the table beside him and said, "Let's have special training. We’ll set the time later, and the location will be in this cooking studio..."

Gao Huimei thought she might be experiencing auditory hallucinations. "Excuse me?"

Mr. Jiang extended his hand, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Jiang Taihao. We will be working together in the kitchen for a while. You know, if you don’t participate in the special training—"

Gao Huimei felt chills from his almost-smile and unconsciously took a few steps back, glancing at her phone screen. The account name she hadn’t clearly seen earlier displayed: Jiang Bomei.

Gao Huimei thought, "…Is there something wrong with this character setup?"

§

"Haah—" Gao Huimei barely remembered how she got home; all she wanted now was to lie in bed. The intense tension in front of the camera, along with the chaos caused by a cast-iron pot, made her realize just how overworked she was. Now that she had relaxed, her eyelids felt so heavy as if they were swollen, making it quite difficult to open them.

Thinking about the back-and-forth conversation she just had with Jiang Taihao gave her a headache: she needed to find a way to carve out time for that damn special training. Who would have thought that simply recording a show could lead to so many issues? Her current shift was from nine in the evening to five the following morning, so what Jiang Taihao said about meeting after eight-thirty was utterly impossible. It would take at least an hour just to travel round trip from the office to the cooking class. She would have to see if she could change it to the afternoon when discussing it with him tomorrow...

Gao Huimei stared at the sticker Jiang Taihao had sent, recalling the last conversation they had before parting.

"If you don’t agree, then you can’t step into this classroom again." Jiang Taihao had retracted his smile and said coldly, "Unless I say you can, then this kitchen killer can go and record the second episode."

Who the hell is the kitchen killer? Gao Huimei cursed inwardly. However, what he said was also true; she could only grin and bear it.

Reflecting on Jiang Taihao's expression, her heart was filled with reluctance. Forget it, she would just battle on and participate a few times. Perhaps the first one to crack would be him instead?

Gao Huimei collapsed onto the sofa, about to close her eyes when she suddenly remembered the person she had just picked up from the fast-food place. She looked towards the door, "Wang Hao, why are you standing there? Don’t be shy, come sit down." She patted the space beside her.

 "Yes, besides the show, there’s also the issue with Wang Hao. When Gao Huimei saw Wang Hao at the fast food restaurant, she was startled by the injuries on Wang Hao's face and hands. Before they met, Wang Hao had gone to the hospital to get her injuries checked and treated. Seeing Gao Huimei’s shocked expression, she calmly explained, 'It just looks severe because I applied some ointment; I can cover it up with makeup tomorrow.'

Wang Hao walked over and sat next to Gao Huimei. The seat cushion vibrated for a while before settling down again, then the vibrating sound started up again. Gao Huimei asked, 'Is that your phone?'

Wang Hao lowered her eyes and clasped her hands together, saying, 'Don’t pay attention to it.'

Gao Huimei got up to pour water in the kitchen. When she returned, she held two cups in her hands, handing one to Wang Hao.

Wang Hao thanked her as she took the water, trying to find her reflection in the surface of the cup. 'It's just as I mentioned in the message; I broke up with that mama's boy.'

Gao Huimei was speechless. 'How many times is this already?' She kept hearing the vibrating sound and glanced over, noticing that Wang Hao still didn’t intend to answer the phone.

Wang Hao tugged at the corners of her mouth, saying, 'I’ve lost count. At this point, the tears have dried up; I can't even cry anymore.'

She let out a faint sound, pulled out her phone, and turned it off."

Gao Huimei knew that Wang Hao's love life was rocky. Since she joined the company and started working with Wang Hao, the men Wang Hao encountered were either deceitful in terms of money or were after her physically—ah, and sometimes they were after both. Every time she saw Wang Hao so wholeheartedly in love, it made her scalp tingle, especially after experiencing one hurt after another; Wang Hao loved each relationship as if it were her first love.

It was like an oblivious love dog, getting hurt and falling yet still wagging its tail towards love, begging for a bit of affection.

Wang Hao said, "That little bastard has borrowed money from me so many times; I don't think I'm getting it back."

"..." She paused for a moment before saying, "I found out he's been browsing dating apps and sending dirty texts to other girls, and finally—" She trembled her lips, "I saw him go into a motel with another girl."

"I couldn't take it anymore," she said expressionlessly, "so I broke up with this loser."

Gao Huimei had heard about this loser boyfriend's exploits before, but back then, Wang Hao was still in the honeymoon phase, so she could tolerate everything. She sighed and stood up to pat Wang Hao's back: "You should rest well and take a shower. I'll go get you a towel. You can stay here until you sort things out; don’t hesitate."

After Wang Hao finished her shower, she walked to the balcony, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and exhaled the smoke. She opened her phone and saw over thirty missed calls. She scoffed, making it seem like that guy was so anxious about her.

With a cigarette in her mouth, she glanced at the last few messages he sent her, one of which was sent around ten o'clock at night: "Darling, I'm at your door, waiting for you."

Then there was another one she received while taking a hot shower: "Darling, I'm feeling so cold. Aren't you coming back yet?"

—Let him freeze to death.

Wang Hao exhaled the smoke, wiped the corner of her eyes, extinguished the cigarette, and went back inside. She crawled into bed next to Gao Huimei. Gao Huimei had just settled down; she wrinkled her nose and, with her eyes closed, said, "Wang Hao, you smell awful. Next time, air out that cigarette smell before coming in."

Wang Hao replied, "……Okay."