70: Does It Taste Good?

"Captain, numerous injured individuals found downstairs!"

"Captain, a large number of injured also discovered in the third-floor office!"

Two police officers rushed to report to Bai Qingyu (a senior police officer).

Bai Qingyu's elegant brows furrowed. "Contact ambulances immediately," she commanded. "And take me to them now."

Outside the rear entrance, several officers were documenting the scene, snapping photos. Strewn across the ground before them lay a group of burly men, many with their heads split open and bleeding. The sight was truly gruesome.

Bai Qingyu felt a surge of suffocating anger. It was one thing for Shen Yifei (the protagonist) to act, but was it necessary to be so brutal?

Still, Bai Qingyu held no fondness whatsoever for these thugs and enforcers.

When she saw the scene in the third-floor General Manager's office, Bai Qingyu felt a profound wave of nausea. She had never witnessed such a repulsive sight; the lower bodies of all the men had been pierced by dinner knives, bleeding profusely.

The male officers, in particular, gasped, a collective chill sweeping through them, their crotches suddenly feeling cold. "Who on earth did this?!" one muttered. "This is utterly brutal!"

To cripple a man in *that* particular spot... it's worse than death itself!

Bai Qingyu rolled her eyes, completely speechless. "What kind of profound hatred would drive someone to this?"

Shen Yifei and his group returned to Lingya International (a large corporate entity).

The matter was considered resolved. As long as the police handled it properly, the land parcel should be reclaimed.

This time, Shen Yifei had become the true hero, and Su Muqing (the CEO of Lingya International) felt her feelings were a little complicated.

While she always spoke ill of Shen Yifei, this man consistently managed to help her. She had to admit, Shen Yifei was undeniably reliable.

After work, Shen Yifei left the CEO's office first, heading to the parking lot beneath the building to retrieve his car.

Just then, outside the company building, Shen Yifei spotted Lin Caier (Su Muqing's assistant) emerging and quickly approached her. "Little Sister Caier," he greeted, "you've worked hard."

"No... no, it's fine," Lin Caier said, waving her hands dismissively, clearly intending to leave.

Shen Yifei blocked her path. He sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Look, you don't need to avoid me like this, do you?"

Lin Caier shook her head with a bitter smile. It wasn't that she *wanted* to avoid Shen Yifei; it was just that he was a man with a family, and she had no other choice.

"When you have time, let's talk properly," Shen Yifei said with a sigh.

"Brother Lang (a familiar, affectionate address for an older male, implying a close, brotherly relationship), why are you so good to me?" Lin Caier asked, biting her lip.

"Am I good to you?" Shen Yifei scratched his head. He wasn't entirely sure why; perhaps it was pure affection for the girl, an irresistible urge to care for her.

"Sometimes, there's no reason behind the things I want to do. Next time I invite you to dinner, don't you dare refuse," Shen Yifei said with a smile.

Lin Caier couldn't bring herself to refuse, so she agreed, a shy blush on her cheeks.

After a few more words, Lin Caier left.

"Brother Lang, goodbye…" Lin Caier said awkwardly.

"Mhm, bye-bye."

Just then, Su Muqing and Liu Xiaoxiao (Su Muqing's best friend) exited the building. Catching sight of the scene, the two beautiful women shot Shen Yifei a peculiar glare.

'Brother Lang'? That's quite an intimate address!

Su Muqing felt an inexplicable flicker of annoyance.

Seeing the two women approach, Shen Yifei cleared his throat.

Su Muqing smiled coolly. "Some people are quite adept at charming women. I didn't even notice it happening right under my nose."

Liu Xiaoxiao added, twisting the knife, "Yes, I'll bet he's been whispering plenty of sweet nothings."

With the two of them ganging up to mock him, Shen Yifei found it a bit much and couldn't be bothered to retort and invite more trouble.

"How could a gentle and kind girl like Assistant Lin ever fall for you?"

"Indeed," Liu Xiaoxiao said with a saccharine sweetness that barely masked her sarcasm. "I'll have to give Assistant Lin a good warning tomorrow. She absolutely mustn't listen to certain people's sweet nothings, or she might just walk straight into a lion's den!"

Shen Yifei was almost choked by her words. 'Was this woman even speaking human language?'

"Shen Yifei, if I ever catch you flirting with female employees in the company during working hours, I'll dock a month of your salary," Su Muqing stated unceremoniously.

"Fine by me," Shen Yifei shrugged. He had no intentions of 'wooing' women anyway.

Liu Xiaoxiao pouted. "That guy isn't short on cash at all, I once…"

She stopped herself mid-sentence. Liu Xiaoxiao couldn't be bothered to bring up how Shen Yifei had conned her out of a million last time.

"What is it?" Su Muqing asked.

"Nothing," Liu Xiaoxiao shook her head. That incident was far too embarrassing; she certainly didn't want to reveal it.

"Alright, alright," Shen Yifei said calmly. "Let's head back first. Blocking the area below the company building isn't a good look."

The three of them got into the Audi convertible.

Before long, the Audi convertible pulled up to Minghu Bund Villa (a luxurious lakeside estate).

Back home, Su Muqing and Liu Xiaoxiao settled onto the sofa.

"Oh, by the way, where should we go for dinner tonight, Xiaoxiao?"

"How about we cook ourselves?" Liu Xiaoxiao suggested.

"Great!" Su Muqing nodded slightly.

"To taste a dish personally prepared by *this* young lady, you, my friend, are in for a treat tonight," Liu Xiaoxiao sniffed playfully at Shen Yifei.

Shen Yifei shrugged, a smile playing on his lips. "Xiaoxiao, I honestly didn't realize you could cook?"

Liu Xiaoxiao bristled with annoyance. 'What kind of attitude was that? Was it so strange for her to know how to cook?'

A short while later, Liu Xiaoxiao and Su Muqing entered the kitchen.

Shen Yifei reclined on the sofa, picking up the remote and flicking on the TV, boredly starting to watch.

"CRASH!"

"CLANG!"

Several distinct noises echoed from the kitchen, one after another. Shen Yifei's face darkened. 'Did this woman even know how to cook?' he wondered. 'First clanking pots, then smashing bowls, what on earth was she doing in there?'

Too lazy to ponder it further, and knowing it wasn't his problem anyway, Shen Yifei continued watching TV.

A while later.

Su Muqing and Liu Xiaoxiao emerged, donning aprons, carrying several platters of food, which they placed on the dining table.

Shen Yifei walked over. "Is dinner ready?"

Su Muqing's head throbbed faintly. While she wasn't a great cook herself, at least her food was edible. The dishes Liu Xiaoxiao, that little imp, had conjured up, however, were practically lethal! She had been nothing but a hindrance in the kitchen.

Liu Xiaoxiao's expression was a little peculiar. She glanced at Shen Yifei and said, "Why don't you give it a taste?"

Shen Yifei nodded, picked up a pair of chopsticks, picked up a single piece of green vegetable, and popped it into his mouth.

Su Muqing coughed, her expression deeply unnatural. That plate of green vegetables was both bitter and overly salty. She had fully expected Shen Yifei to spit it out.

To her surprise, Shen Yifei calmly chewed a few mouthfuls and swallowed it, without even a flicker in his eyes.

There wasn't much Shen Yifei hadn't eaten. Back when he was hunting assassins in the border jungles, he had even resorted to eating raw bear meat to save time. A plate of green vegetables was nothing in comparison.

Still, it had to be said, the dishes cooked by Liu Xiaoxiao were hands down the worst Shen Yifei had ever tasted in his entire life.

Shen Yifei put down his chopsticks. He had lost all hope for the culinary skills of the two beautiful women. "I'll cook," he said flatly.

"There are no ingredients left in the kitchen," Su Muqing said with a frown.

"Alright then, I've lost my appetite, and I'm a bit sleepy. I'm going to get some rest," Shen Yifei announced dismissively.

Liu Xiaoxiao called out, "Hey! Wait a minute! You haven't said whether it's good or not!"

"Delicious, my foot! Since you think it's so good, you can eat it all yourself!" Shen Yifei snapped at Liu Xiaoxiao before striding into the bedroom and closing the door.

"Shen Yifei! You jerk!" Liu Xiaoxiao's pretty face flushed crimson as she cursed under her breath in a huff. Then, she muttered under her breath, "Fine, so it's not good. No need to be so dramatic."

Having said that, she picked up a mouthful of the green vegetables and popped it into her own mouth, and almost gagged. This really *was* utterly disgusting.