Breakup Kitchen - Chapter 6

Knowing that the second episode was about to be filmed, Gao Huimei sent a text to Brother Qian to say hello. Although Brother Qian wasn't in charge of the on-site arrangements, he was the one who had introduced her to the opportunity, so it was only polite to update him on her recent activities.

She flipped through her notes and recipes from the cooking classes she had been attending lately, feeling a sense of accomplishment. It was hard to believe that she was no longer afraid of stepping into the kitchen. Now, whenever she had free time, she would cook simple meals at her rented apartment. Her once-empty fridge was gradually being filled with vegetables, eggs, and other ingredients.

Thinking about how Jiang Taihao had apologized to her that day, she felt a strange sense of familiarity, though she couldn't quite place it. It wasn't until much later that she remembered someone she had tried to forget—Li Shanbai.

Gao Huimei's face fell, and she rested her head on her right arm.

"Li Shanbai was once that sincere too…"

§

On the day of filming, Gao Huimei had taken the day off. The shoot was scheduled to start in the morning, and she arrived at the cooking studio at 9:15, forty-five minutes before the official start. After greeting the show's director, the makeup artist took her to get ready. In the hallway, she ran into Li Shanbai. Gao Huimei merely pursed her lips, nodded, and walked past him without paying attention to his reaction.

At 10:00, the filming officially began.

"Whether it's a joyful reunion or further discord, hello everyone! I'm your host, Xiaochun, and welcome to the second episode of *The Breakup Kitchen*." Xiaochun clapped her hands three times and smiled. "This time, we'll bring you a different breakup story. Can Meimei and Abai resolve their grudges and love in the kitchen? Let's welcome our two main guests—Gao Huimei and Li Shanbai."

Gao Huimei and Li Shanbai stood on either side of Xiaochun and greeted the camera.

"Wow, last time was really close. I didn't expect the pot to suddenly start smoking. It was quite a thrilling moment," Xiaochun said. "Abai, you were next to the pot at the time. Did you notice what happened?"

Li Shanbai glanced at Gao Huimei, then looked away and smiled. "Ah, it's hard to say. Maybe we should ask our culprit, Miss Meimei?"

Gao Huimei, who had been singled out, flinched. "It was indeed my fault. I apologize to the production team and the audience. I'm very sorry for causing chaos due to my lack of cooking skills."

Xiaochun tried to smooth things over. "To be honest, it's because of Meimei that we got such a unique viewing experience." She smirked mischievously. "You two haven't seen the first episode yet, right? As the host, I got to watch the edited version first, and it's really interesting!"

Li Shanbai raised an eyebrow. "When will the first episode air?"

"It will air next Tuesday at 8 PM on the online platform. Stay tuned, and remember to hit the subscribe button and turn on the notification bell so you don't miss the latest updates." Xiaochun announced the airing date of the first episode, then suddenly realized, "Ah, by the time the second episode airs, the first episode will have already been broadcast. Let's treat this as a sneak peek for now."

Noticing that Gao Huimei didn't seem particularly excited, Xiaochun asked, "Meimei, aren't you looking forward to the first season's broadcast?"

Gao Huimei's face stiffened. "Watching myself on screen is a bit embarrassing…" She covered her face and exclaimed, "Especially the scenes where I mess up. I might just fast-forward through those."

Xiaochun chuckled. "Is that so? As hosts, we're used to seeing ourselves on screen. Meimei, are you shy about this? What about you, Abai?"

"I don't have that problem. Back in school, when I had to give presentations, I would record myself to see how I could improve. At first, it was uncomfortable watching myself, but over time, I got used to it." Li Shanbai shrugged. He continued, "Meimei used to be afraid of watching her practice speeches too. I would watch them first and tell her where she needed to improve. Eventually, I had to watch them with her."

He added pointedly, "I didn't expect her to still be the same now."

Gao Huimei felt Li Shanbai's words sting.

Gao Huimei: "Mr. Li, are we that close? And 'Meimei'? Please call me by my full name, thank you."

Li Shanbai: "Meimei, we were once husband and wife. How can we not be close?"

Gao Huimei: "You forgot to add 'ex.' We're ex-husband and ex-wife."

Li Shanbai wanted to argue back, but seeing Gao Huimei glaring at him fiercely, he forced a smile and said, "Fine, fine. Gao Huimei."

Seeing the tension between the two, Xiaochun quickly intervened. "Let's move on to the main segment. This time, the format is slightly different from the last episode…"

Li Shanbai and Gao Huimei nervously waited for her to reveal the details, afraid that they would be faced with challenges they couldn't handle.

Xiaochun smiled mysteriously, then turned her head toward the back and said, "Let's welcome our special guests—"

"Newlyweds Linlin and Amou."

§

The studio fell silent for a moment as everyone exchanged confused glances, unsure of what was happening.

Jiang Taihao arrived at the cooking studio in the midst of this subtle atmosphere. He looked at the filming set and saw Gao Huimei and Li Shanbai staring at Xiaochun in shock.

Gao Huimei: "…" This show is ruthless.

Li Shanbai: "…" Li Shanbai pushed his jaw back into place.

Linlin and Amou walked from the backdrop to where Gao Huimei and Li Shanbai were standing. Both of them looked young and somewhat shy.

Xiaochun walked over to them, smiling. "Welcome, welcome."

"Hello everyone, I'm Linlin."

"I'm Amou."

Xiaochun asked, "Are Linlin and Amou YouTubers?"

Linlin nodded and replied, "We've been running our channel for two years now. It's mostly about travel. Feel free to check out our channel. If you like us, remember to subscribe and turn on the notification bell!"

"You two look very young. How long have you been married?"

Amou answered, "Almost a year."

Gao Huimei tried not to let her thoughts show on her face. A year? So they're still in the honeymoon phase?

"Are you two high school classmates as well?"

Hearing this, Linlin and Amou glanced at each other, then at Gao Huimei and Li Shanbai beside them. Li Shanbai noticed their gaze and raised an eyebrow at them, causing them to shrink back and continue with the Q&A.

Amou spoke up, "No, we're college classmates."

Linlin added, "We started our channel together during college. Now we both have full-time jobs, and the channel is more like a side project."

"Welcome again to *The Breakup Kitchen*. I'm sure the audience is curious why we have new guests this episode."

Once the four guests were lined up, Xiaochun announced, "For the second episode, we're having a team competition! Both teams will have to prepare a specified dish within a time limit. This time, there's no ingredient-grabbing points round. All the ingredients are already on your cooking stations. The winning team will not only receive gold ingots but also a two-day, one-night luxury hot spring resort package, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner!"

"Let's take a look at this round's challenge."

She pointed at the projection screen behind her, which displayed—four servings of omelet rice and miso soup.

"You have one and a half hours to complete the omelet rice and miso soup, along with the specified quantity!"

§

Watching Amou and Linlin busily working at their cooking station across from her, Gao Huimei muttered, "This is utterly ridiculous…" It seemed that age had limited her imagination.

Gao Huimei rubbed her forehead, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of what seemed to be Jiang Taihao. She looked up and made eye contact with him.

Jiang Taihao was wearing a black high-neck long-sleeve knit shirt and brown cropped pants, with a baseball cap on. Gao Huimei smiled at him, and he nodded in response.

The sound of water from washing vegetables behind her stopped, and Li Shanbai said, "Come help me chop the vegetables."

"Okay, okay." Gao Huimei turned around to help with the ingredients.

Xiaochun's earlier tagline for the show was still playing in her mind, and to make matters worse, Xiaochun had added a cheeky commentary on the current situation: newlyweds vs. ex-husband and ex-wife.

Was this show designed to break couples apart rather than reconcile their feelings?

As she chopped the green onions and tomatoes, she glanced at the person next to her. Li Shanbai was washing rice.

§

"Alright, let's start with the newlywed couple." Xiaochun walked over to Linlin's cooking station, which was separated from Gao Huimei's by an aisle. "Linlin, do you two usually cook?"

Linlin was peeling onions, while Amou was washing rice, chopping vegetables, and beating eggs.

Linlin: "Yes."

Amou: "No."

Linlin: "…"

Amou: "…"

Xiaochun: "…Yes or no?"

Linlin elbowed Amou and smiled sweetly. "We often travel, so when we're on vacation, we cook at home. But most of the time, we eat out."

"Do you consider yourselves good at cooking?"

Amou glanced at Linlin, pointed at himself, and said, "Yes," but when he pointed at Linlin, he smiled fondly and said, "Not really."

Linlin glared at him and pouted. "…Fine, I'm not as good as Amou when it comes to cooking. He usually helps with the housework too."

Xiaochun: "You two seem really close. Even though you're newlyweds, it feels like you know each other very well."

"Of course, we've known each other for so long." Linlin hugged Amou's arm and shook it. "We're very close and have great chemistry."

Linlin's bold declaration would soon be proven wrong.

§

Gao Huimei noticed that they were missing some seasonings like miso, ketchup, and soy sauce, so she raised the question with Xiaochun.

"Ah, did we forget the seasonings? Let me ask the director…" Xiaochun pretended to be surprised, tilting her ear toward the director and raising her hand as if listening intently. "Hmm… okay, okay."

She turned back with a smile and announced, "The director says you'll have to play a game to get the seasonings."

Everyone was speechless.

Couldn't they at least pretend to act more convincingly? The director's mouth hadn't even moved!

Gao Huimei looked at the ingredients she had prepared. Fortunately, they were still waiting for the rice to cook, so none of the ingredients had been added to the pot yet. Otherwise, who would take care of the heat while they played the game?

Xiaochun explained the game: it was a truth or dare challenge, and they had to complete the tasks to get the seasonings.

Linlin's team went first and drew "chemistry test" for the truth challenge.

The format was for the two of them to sit back-to-back and write down their answers to the host's questions. At the end, they would compare their answers to see if they matched.

They aced the first few questions, such as "Who proposed first?", "What's your wedding anniversary?", and "What days do you celebrate together?" However, when Xiaochun asked, "What color underwear is Amou wearing today?", their answers started to differ.

Linlin looked at Amou's answer in surprise. He had written "orange," while her answer was "gray."

Linlin: "Since when do you have orange underwear? Weren't you wearing gray this morning?"

Amou's eyes darted around, and he forced a laugh. "Really? Maybe I remembered wrong." He reached to pull down his pants.

Gao Huimei and Li Shanbai, who were watching from the side, quickly intervened. "Wait!"

Jiang Taihao couldn't help but laugh, turning away and shaking with laughter.

"No need to confirm, we'll give you this one!" Xiaochun also quickly stopped them, afraid that the show wouldn't be able to air. No one really wanted to know the color of his underwear.

"Next question, write down 'the most sensitive part of your partner's body.' Write down both your own and your partner's answers."

Linlin confidently scribbled her answer, while Amou thought for a moment before writing his down.

When they flipped their whiteboards, it was Amou's turn to look upset.

"…Didn't you say you liked it when I kissed your chest?"

Linlin avoided his gaze and laughed awkwardly. "I also like it when you kiss my neck."

"Have you been lying to me all this time?" Amou was stunned.

Gao Huimei and Li Shanbai were equally stunned, not expecting the conversation to take such a咸 (salty) turn.

Xiaochun leaned on the cooking station, fanning herself to cool down her flushed face. She had been the one laughing the loudest earlier.

"Alright, alright, let's move on to the next question." Seeing the two victims glaring at her, Xiaochun composed herself and said, "This is the last question. When was the last time you two argued, and what was it about?"

Li Shanbai whistled upon hearing this.

Gao Huimei knew what he was thinking. With his personality, he was definitely enjoying their misfortune.

The newlyweds didn't understand the purpose of the question or the others' reactions, but they still wrote down their answers.

"One, two, three, reveal your answers!"

The two of them froze, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

Gao Huimei sighed when she saw their answers.

—The show's questions were really going to be the death of someone.

Linlin's whiteboard: Three days ago, Amou came home late without telling me.

Amou's whiteboard: Last Monday, I bought the wrong thing Linlin wanted.

Linlin's expression was complicated, and her voice trembled as she asked, "T-Three days ago… didn't you apologize to me? And then you raised your voice at me?"

Amou was silent for a while before replying, "…I thought you were just venting at me, and I got annoyed after you kept nagging, so I snapped back…"

The two of them just stared at each other, unsure of what to say.

Xiaochun pulled them up from their seats, patted their shoulders, and said, "If there's something on your mind, talk it out. Understanding each other's feelings is the most important thing."

[The newlywed couple received ketchup and miso.]

§

"Finally, it's the ex-couple's turn. How are you two feeling right now?"

Gao Huimei: "…Too old for this nonsense."

Li Shanbai: "Please go easy on us."

Gao Huimei's team drew a dare challenge: "Hold your teammate while answering five questions and do five squats."

Li Shanbai held the piece of paper, staring at the words. "Hold? What kind of hold? A princess carry? Me holding you?" He looked Gao Huimei up and down.

Gao Huimei was 168 cm tall, not exactly petite for a woman.

Gao Huimei's mouth twitched, "…You want me to carry you? Have you no conscience" Li Shanbai was 180 cm tall, and she didn't know his current weight, but even if he were 60 kg, she wouldn't be able to carry him!

But—she didn't want to do a princess carry either. Knowing Li Shanbai, he was all looks and no substance. If she made him do a princess carry, his back might give out, and she would be the one to suffer.

"I have an idea. Turn around and squat down."

When Xiaochun saw Gao Huimei wrapping her arms around Li Shanbai's neck and having him carry her on his back, she immediately intervened. "That's against the rules!"

"How is it against the rules? Did the task specify how we should hold each other?" Gao Huimei tightened her grip, her arms pressing against Li Shanbai's neck, ignoring his attempts to slap her arms away. She smiled and said, "Isn't this also a 'hold'?" With that, she increased her strength, almost choking Li Shanbai.

Eventually, Li Shanbai started dry heaving and struggling to pull her arms away, so she loosened her grip.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't realize I was holding too tight."

Xiaochun: "…" It seemed like she didn't need to fan herself anymore. This team was going to beat each other up on their own.

"Alright, Li Shanbai, stand up quickly. We need to start the task."

Xiaochun glanced at the director, who didn't object, so she reluctantly agreed. "Fine, let's start your dare."

Gao Huimei had never imagined that being forced to recall the past would feel so awful.

"Who confessed their feelings first?"

Gao Huimei muttered, "That was so long ago. Why even ask…"

"Gao Huimei," Li Shanbai said.

"Fine, fine, it was me. I confessed first." Gao Huimei admitted, but the next second, she was startled, her鸡皮疙瘩 (goosebumps) rising.

Li Shanbai grabbed Gao Huimei's legs, adjusted his grip, and shifted her weight on his back.

"After answering the question, Li Shanbai, please do a squat."

Li Shanbai had no problem squatting down, but when he stood up, Gao Huimei felt his body sway slightly.

Gao Huimei suppressed a laugh. If she laughed now, she would definitely be thrown to the ground.

Li Shanbai gritted his teeth and said shakily, "Next question, hurry up!"

"I know asking you to list each other's flaws would take three days and three nights, so—please list at least one of each other's strengths."

"…" Gao Huimei thought for a moment. "Can I interpret 'strength' as 'something I find pleasing to look at'?"

"Well, if it's pleasing to look at, then it can be considered a strength." Xiaochun nodded helplessly. "If that's how you want to interpret it, fine."

Gao Huimei pondered. "Hmm—"

"Hey, answer properly." Li Shanbai turned his head and warned her in a low voice.

"You answer first." Gao Huimei whispered in his ear.

He glanced at her, but Gao Huimei refused to speak first.

"…" Li Shanbai lowered his head, then looked up and said, "She's pretty… I guess?" Perhaps feeling the pressure from behind, he added, "And she's good at speaking."

Xiaochun nodded. "Abai listed two strengths. Meimei, can you list two of Abai's strengths as well?"

Li Shanbai's shoulders shook, and Gao Huimei knew he was holding back a laugh. She kicked his thigh.

"I'm surprised Li Shanbai gave me such a good evaluation." Gao Huimei smiled. "Let me think—"

Li Shanbai and Jiang Taihao both perked up, curious about her answer.

"He looks like a pretty boy." She said.

Li Shanbai couldn't maintain his composure anymore. "Huh?"

Xiaochun looked confused. "Hmm? Is that a strength?"

"Yes, he's so charming that women are willing to spend money and give their all for him. Right, Li Shanbai?" Gao Huimei mocked him. "If that doesn't sound good, I'll reluctantly say he's handsome."

Li Shanbai's face turned ashen. Gao Huimei was clearly mocking him.

Xiaochun: "Alright, Abai's good looks are one strength." She sneaked a glance at Li Shanbai's expression, which showed no sign of happiness. "Do you have any other strengths?"

Li Shanbai turned his head and coldly warned her. "Gao Huimei, I'll give you one more chance. You better answer properly."

"Don't worry, I'm complimenting you. The next one will definitely make you happy." Gao Huimei said mischievously. "You'll have women lining up for you."

Li Shanbai knew better than to trust the woman behind him. There was definitely a catch. He warily asked, "What is it?"

Gao Huimei's smile was radiant.

"—He's really good in bed."

"That's one of his few strengths, right? At least he's still functional below the waist." Gao Huimei said innocently.

Everyone's expressions turned colorful upon hearing this.

Jiang Taihao's face stiffened, and he could only continue watching the scene unfold.

Xiaochun covered her face, still fanning herself.

Li Shanbai wanted to throw this woman to the ground, but he couldn't, so he gritted his teeth and continued with the task.

He said, "You're ruthless."

Perhaps Gao Huimei's words were too shocking, because the following questions Xiaochun asked were relatively tame. The two of them managed to deflect the questions with ease. However, Li Shanbai, who had been provoked by Gao Huimei, became increasingly blunt with his answers whenever the questions involved the two of them. Gao Huimei's temper also flared, and she retorted without backing down.

§

The car drove into Gao Huimei's neighborhood and stopped by a streetlight. Gao Huimei, sitting in the passenger seat, thanked the driver. "Thank you for driving me home."

Jiang Taihao rested his hand on the steering wheel and smiled slowly. "You're welcome."

After the second episode finished filming, Jiang Taihao had invited Gao Huimei out for dinner. Seeing that it was getting late, he offered to drive her home.

The streetlight shone into the car, partially illuminating Jiang Taihao's face while the rest remained in shadow. His expression was晦暗不明 (unreadable), yet it also carried a sense of warmth.

This reminded Gao Huimei of what had happened after they finished the truth or dare challenge.

When the two teams returned to their cooking stations, everyone's faces were as dark as锅底 (the bottom of a pot), a stark contrast to the peaceful cooking atmosphere at the start.

The set had turned into a修罗场 (battlefield).

Gao Huimei had originally planned to disrupt Li Shanbai's cooking early on, but the show's team competition format had thrown a wrench in her plans.

How could she sabotage her own teammate? That would just be shooting herself in the foot.

Li Shanbai stir-fried the chopped onions and garlic, and Gao Huimei, watching his skilled movements, suddenly spoke up. "Li Shanbai, after all the luxuries you've had, do you still eat omelet rice?" She remembered that he was quite picky and enjoyed the finer things in life. It was hard to imagine him eating something as simple as omelet rice.

"Can you stop trying to ruin my image?" He said irritably while stir-frying.

"What? I was just complimenting you on your skills in bed." Gao Huimei said, tossing the diced carrots and other ingredients into the pot. "Didn't you used to love showing off your charm?" She could practically recite his bragging by heart.

"Stop…" Li Shanbai motioned for Gao Huimei to boil water for the miso soup. He glanced at her and said, "If you dare bring up the past, then you shouldn't have asked me that question earlier. You know that, right?"

Gao Huimei hadn't expected him to throw the ball back at her so directly. She stammered, placing the pot on the stove and lighting the fire.

The aroma of stir-fried onions wafted over, and she stared at the water in the pot, watching the bubbles rise from the bottom and sides as steam floated up.

"Meimei, what did you bring for lunch today? Oh, it's omelet rice! Let's swap!"

"Meimei, after the exam, let's go to the curry shop nearby and have omelet rice, okay?"

"Hmm, Meimei, I'll order the omelet rice."

"Meimei, omelet rice is really special. The simple outer layer wraps around the fragrant rice, and with different sauces, it always feels fresh."

"Gao Huimei!"

Gao Huimei snapped out of her thoughts and looked around, spotting Jiang Taihao standing in the shadows on her right. He was holding a tablet with a scrolling message that read: Stay calm.

She nodded, forcing a smile, and added the tofu and seaweed to the pot.

She looked away, gripping the spoon tightly. "I thought you would run away…" Run away from the symbolism, the memories, and the poverty he hated so much.

Li Shanbai poured the beaten eggs into another heated pan, waiting for them to spread and solidify.

—This time, he didn't respond to Gao Huimei's words.

Gao Huimei stared at the orange light, which cast a faint net over the car and the area ahead. She said, "Thank you for calling out to me. Luckily, it wasn't loud enough for the crew to notice."

"Ah… I was really nervous. I was worried about interrupting the filming, but when I saw your hands shaking, I decided to call out to you. It would have been bad if something dangerous happened." Jiang Taihao smiled, his eyes squinting with embarrassment. "I'm glad I could help."

"Congratulations on your team's victory." Jiang Taihao turned to look ahead. "You got gold ingots and a hot spring trip. Not bad."

"Thanks to you. I don't know how to thank you enough. Let me treat you to a meal next time."

Jiang Taihao shook his head. "You already treated me today. It's nothing. We both got what we needed."

"Both got what we needed?"

"Hmm… If you're willing to chat with me over dinner next time, then you can treat me." Jiang Taihao didn't directly answer her question.

"I have an idea."

"What?"

"I'll treat you to a stress-relief session at my company!" Gao Huimei's eyes lit up. "Our company's masseuses are really skilled. You can come relax, and I can even upgrade you to a package with essential oils."

"…" Jiang Taihao paused. "I'll think about it."

"Ah, okay…"

Jiang Taihao glanced at her. "You'll probably be busy with the hot spring trip soon, so you might not have much time."

"Ah? You mean the hot spring resort?" Gao Huimei slumped her shoulders and waved her hand. "Ugh, don't even mention it. I can't go even if I want to. Li Shanbai snatched the hot spring vouchers first."

She thought about how Li Shanbai had boastfully said he was going on the hot spring trip with his new fling. His expression was so punchable, as if he were about to grow a tail and wag it proudly.

She said, "Do you think I care?"

The stiffness in Li Shanbai's face made her chest feel tight, but she didn't regret it.

Gao Huimei grinned. "Getting the gold ingots isn't bad either. They're not as valuable as the hot spring trip, but they'll cover a few nice meals."

Jiang Taihao's gaze lingered on her face. "Then I'll gladly accept your treat."

He smiled warmly. "I'm looking forward to it."