After that morning incident, Shen Qi and Jiang Changshen’s relationship became normal again. Things were just a little awkward, but of course, Shen Qi was the only one who felt that way. Jiang Changshen’s attitude was completely natural.

Xie Jun noticed the way he was staring at Jiang Changshen. “Did something happen that I don’t know about?” he teased with a laugh.

Shen Qi was already feeling guilty. He nearly jumped out of his skin, thinking his thoughts had been too visible. It took a lot of effort to keep his reaction down, and smirk instead.

“No, nothing happened.”

But he didn’t want to lie to Xie Jun. After all, the man had been so good to him. On second thought, he leaned close to Xie Jun’s ear and whispered that Brother Jiang had caught him because he was hiding and smoking that morning.　

Xie Jun giggled and patted him on the shoulder. The boy was truly a newcomer to the entertainment circle. “Don’t worry, your Brother Jiang won’t bother you about that.”

Smoking was nothing. Unless it was illegal, this kind of business didn’t matter at all. As far as morality went, no one could say much. There was no need to embarrass someone over this.

Xie Jun’s consoling and Jiang Changshen’s unconcerned attitude left Shen Qi relieved.

The show they were on was called “Countryside Life”, so naturally, farming was part of the ‘countryside’ aspect.

After breakfast, Shen Qi was scheduled to hoe the land with Jiang Changshen and Xie Jun. Since Liang Yu was old and retired, he would stay home and look after the family.　

Of course, they couldn’t just hoe the ground. It was a reality show, after all. How would you receive ratings without a good starting scene?

Xie Jun, who had started out as a presenter, was very familiar with this kind of thing. When he was out in the field, he had an idea. He carried the hoe and pulled the two men over to re-enact The Three Stooges—rural version.

Shen Qi and Jiang Changshen were naturals. They were already actors and could play their roles well. Not to mention, even the cameraman and the director were laughing wildly with their mouths covered, afraid that the laughter would leak out. The cameraman in particular, who was holding his mouth, was completely red.

After hoeing and acting out the scene, the three men picked the vegetables they needed to cook lunch with and headed back.

The camera was focused on them and there were a bunch of people around. For celebrities, no matter how close they were in private, in front of a camera they wore a mask.

So Shen Qi focused on playing his part in the show and stopped provoking Jiang Changshen, be it intentionally or unintentionally. The fanboy persona changed a bit, too.

He stopped acting as agitated and obvious as he had yesterday. It would be too much otherwise. After all, no matter how much he worshipped his idol, it was time to calm down after they started getting along. Not to mention that he was an idol himself.

What he should be worrying about now was the task assigned to him by the show’s team—making a special dish.

This task was not exclusive to Shen Qi; It was something every guest had to go through. And Shen Qi had come on the show with a mission in mind… Promoting an upcoming TV series.

This ancient costume drama was called “Eating Everything under the Heavens”. It was Shen Qi’s first main role in a drama about an ancient gourmet, interspersed with a happy relationship with his lady love and a family feud. Although the plot was a bit ridiculous because it had food making enemies back down, it was still very well made. The food in particular was specially prepared by chefs on site, and many even had guest roles.

So in a way, Shen Qi had to make an appearance on the show “Countryside Living”.

Even if the cooking on the TV show was all staged or faked.

When Shen Qi received the notice that he’d been invited on the show, he aggressively worked to plan a three-course meal with the help of his manager and assistant. Steamed eggs, cucumber and ground tripe.　

Shen Qi was a good cook, but right now he was meant to be a young trust-fund child with no skills. So it took three full days of hard work to ‘learn’ how to cook three courses. This was thanks to the help from his manager and assistant.

Once he received the card with his task for the show, he was relieved. Luckily no conditions had been made. Given his current fame, one of the show’s producers or directors or whatever could’ve disliked him enough to make things difficult.

He couldn’t show a temper if someone tried provoking him; the cameras would record it.

It looked like his agent was communicating well with the showrunners.

As for his identity as young master Shen Qi, he had no intention of going public with it yet. That was a trump card he was keeping in reserve.

The crew asked for just one dish, and Shen Qi resolutely chose the ground trifle. The first two he had made didn’t really fit his character in this game of pretend. It would be a good idea to show he could be a good cook.

Shen Qi’s manager didn’t know how to cook either. The one who did was his assistant, who was from the North-East. That area was all about tripe. According to the little assistant, it was simple and sold well.

Eggplant, potatoes and peppers were all available in the fields, so he didn’t need to worry about them.

When Jiang Changshen started cooking the main course, Shen Qi rolled up his sleeves and began chopping vegetables beside him.

He was quite good at cutting vegetables. He’d been giving Jiang Changshen a run for his money from yesterday on, not to mention the days of special training. He couldn’t do the cooking, but what he could do was take care of the washing and cutting of the vegetables.

After he cut a few vegetables, he looked up at Jiang Changshen, who was in front of the stove. No matter how many times he looked, it remained surprising that the film emperor could cook so well. Previously, Jiang Changshen had never revealed any skill in cooking.

The sounds of chopping cut off again. Jiang Changshen looked over, meeting the teenager’s eyes with a smile. “Done cutting?”

“Not yet.” Shen Qi hurriedly withdrew his gaze and focused on cutting the vegetables evenly. The sounds of chopping against the cutting board resumed. This time he didn’t dare stopping.

Jiang Changshen finished adding the spices, put the lid on the pot, and turned to Shen Qi. The teenager bowed his head, face serious with his lips pursed, as if his whole body was straining. He finished cutting a section, and was slightly relieved, glad he was progressing. He placed the sliced vegetables on a plate and went back to chopping.

With the scorching sun and the nearby stove, sweat was quickly oozing from the young man’s face. A drop rolled down the bridge of his nose, and stopped at the tip, grabbing Jiang Changshen’s attention.

It somehow felt endearing. Jiang Changshen wanted to reach out to help him wipe it off. 　　

But the young man was one step ahead. He picked up the towel hanging around his neck, wiped himself off casually, and continued to cut the vegetables without stopping.

Jiang Changshen looked at Shen Qi’s concentrated appearance. Slowly, his eyes flickered. He didn’t quite know what he remembered.

Then Shen Qi heard a beep: “Happiness value +1.”

He almost couldn’t stop himself from looking up, so unexpected was it. He’d been totally defenceless face to such a surprise. The point only added a little to the happiness value, but considering the value hadn’t budged in the last two days no matter how much he tried…

It could be considered a big step forward. It was really reminiscent of the saying that happiness came suddenly.

It was good to see some change. If nothing had changed, he’d have wondered whether Jiang Changshen were mentally ill. If that were the case, then Shen Qi might as well study psychology first.

It was only after he finished thinking about it that he figured out what this +1 was all about. His hand stopped and he looked up, as if sensing someone staring at him.

He took the opportunity to observe Jiang Changshen’s face.

However, Jiang Changshen reacted before he did. By the time Shen Qi looked over, the man had withdrawn his gaze and lifted the lid to watch the food.

Sure enough, this was the film emperor. He did not relax even for a moment in front of the camera.

Shen Qi could only lower his head and continue slicing vegetables. He carefully went over what had just happened.

What had happened, exactly?　

He’d been doing nothing but chopping vegetables. Was Jiang Changshen happy to see him cutting vegetables? No, it definitely not because of that. Either he was happy because he saw someone else in Shen Qi, or because it had brought back happy memories.

Shen Qi leaned towards the latter. But the value of Jiang Changshen’s happy memories was a little too low. Why had it only gone up by such a small amount?　

Was it because the reminiscence had been interrupted? Or was it because the so-called happy memory was actually a sweet filled with poison?

Shen Qi arranged the chopped vegetables, stopping his speculation.

The main course wasn’t ready yet, so he had some time for his plan, he thought. He got three eggs out of the fridge, then went to the shelf where the plates were kept and got a small bowl.

Sneakily, while Jiang Changshen wasn’t looking, he put it all next to the three chopped vegetables and covered it with a small plate.

He planned to make an exclusive dish for Jiang Changshen, a steamed egg.

From a fan’s standpoint, in terms of knowing about film emperor Jiang Changshen, no one could compare to Shen Qi.　　

Jiang Changshen’s birth date, horoscope, blood type, primary and secondary schools, likes, dislike, and even the small details, he knew them all.

Shen Qi had seen every TV movie Jiang Changshen ever done, every interview he’d ever done.

In a magazine interview shortly after Jiang Changshen’s debut, he had said that there was a taste that was unforgettable for him. It was a steamed egg his mother would make when he was a kid. He’d done this interview when he wasn’t as famous, and now this tiny magazine was long gone.

Jian Changshen’s answer to that question has gradually gone from the signature dish of a certain well-known restaurant, to a certain restaurant that he’d happened to find in a certain country, to a certain sauce that was homemade by a friend in the entertainment circle.　

What had once been a steamed egg in water has been lost to the river of time as the media had evolved and age had taken its toll. If Shen Qi hadn’t specifically spent money and resources to collect this kind of information, he wouldn’t have been able to know it.

Whether it was strategizing about Jiang Changshen or building his image and reputation on the show, he planned to give it his best. Thinking about the sudden happiness value, he felt that his efforts might bring unexpected results.

Finally, Jiang Changshen finished his last dish. He made his way to the stove and reassured Shen Qi with a warm voice.

“Relax, I’ll be right here. I’ll help you if you can’t handle something.”

He was the only one out of the three who could cook, so it was logical that he should be there to watch in case the latest guest made a fool of himself. After all, the household appliances weren’t the most modern and it took a lot of work just to control the old stove.　

Of course Shen Qi wouldn’t refuse the help, though he disliked the fact that his idol had to teach him how to use a stove.

The stove made of bricks and connected to the wall. It was as wide as three people standing side by side.

While Shen Qi had been chopping vegetables, he’d had enough space to work, but now that Jiang Changshen was supervising, the area was suddenly a bit cramped.

“Brother Jiang, can help me see how much salt to add?”

The saltshaker and utensils the crew had prepared were not the same as those Shen Qi was used to at home. He couldn’t figure out the right dose and had to ask Jiang Changshen for help.

From behind Shen Qi, Jiang Changshen took a step forward, extended his long arm and took the salt container.

He was more than half a head taller than Shen Qi, and the way he reached out made it feel almost like he was encircling Shen Qi in his arms.　　

Shen Qi’s hand which was holding the knife shook. Instantly, his ears turned red.

The snow-white salt was sprinkled down, and a low chuckle came from right behind his ears. On one hand it felt like the man was laughing at his inability to cook, but on the other it also felt like something else.

-x-

T/N: I think I’m going to stop trying to estimate my posting speed, since I vastly over-estimated the amount of free time I’d have with uni starting again. Added to that is the fact that I’m working on a mandate at the same time.

I do know that I can update monthly at the very least, and depending on how busy I am I might be able to squeeze in more chapters. I’ll just translate and see how it goes.

If you’re looking for something good to read, may I recommend Death Progress Bar? It’s a great story with a talented translator and editor.

Speaking of editing, if you notice a mistake in this chapter, please tell me so I can fix it.

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