The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Liu Yuqing was being held by Fu Yu’s hand as they walked out of the Grand World.

She trailed half a step behind, secretly watching Fu Yu’s profile, staring for a long time.

Liu Yuqing had already found Fu Yu impressive when she watched him grilling earlier.

She thought this person was exceptional, skilled in cooking, talented, and incredibly steady without being arrogant.

He had the handsome looks that naturally attracted attention, yet he was grounded and level-headed, with an inner calmness and a precious simplicity.

At that time, to say that Liu Yuqing had strong feelings for Fu Yu wasn’t entirely true.

In her eyes, Fu Yu was just a very good chef, pleasing to look at, and his cooking suited her taste, making her feel they got along well and could talk freely.

Since childhood, due to her family background and her beauty, she had many admirers around her.

But she never developed that kind of affection for anyone.

Her peers always seemed too naive to her.

Plus, she was very busy, dedicating all her energy to her studies.

She never had thoughts in this regard, and even towards Yao Shi, whom she admired, it was a feeling more of reverence and awe.

Liu Yuqing herself didn’t know what she truly thought about Fu Yu.

She just felt that she wasn’t like this before; she never cared for anyone else aside from her sister, but now, things had changed.

She used to be very enthusiastic about sleeping, afraid of missing her beauty sleep; if she ever stayed up late for any reason, she’d regretfully apply face masks thrice the next day.

Not long after, she had the sudden urge to start recording Fu Yu’s cooking process on video.

From the first day she brought the video home for editing, she began staying up late to watch it, watching it repeatedly, like clocking in, charging the camera as soon as she got home.

She examined and analyzed every frame on the video meticulously, completely ignoring the worried and helpless gaze of her sister...

As she watched more videos, she gradually learned many of Fu Yu’s preferences when cooking.

She noticed that before cooking, Fu Yu would habitually adjust the positions of his utensils and spice boxes.

When flipping the pan, Fu Yu’s stance was very standard, maintaining this posture throughout, like a habit formed during his initial culinary training where he was strictly taught and well-practiced.

In front of the grill in the barbecue area, Fu Yu held the spices with one hand, skillfully sprinkling them.

Various spices drifted down onto the food like snow, the whole operation smooth and beautiful in a way hard to describe.

When Fu Yu flipped the food, he always did the entire row at once, his fingers distinct and strong, gripping the grill pan, flipping and turning, then swiftly setting it on the grill...

While editing, Liu Yuqing unconsciously watched this part over and over, at first focusing on Fu Yu’s technique, the way his wrist moved during flipping, and the force of his fingers.

Later, she was no longer watching how Fu Yu flipped the items but rather his posture, expression while cooking, the emotions reflected in his eyes at certain steps, and which actions frequently involved his long fingers, whether his broad shoulders slightly rocked while tossing the pan...

Sometimes, when Fu Yu was in a good mood, full of energy, he would even deliberately show off some skills.

Her gaze chased after Fu Yu’s movements in the lens, tracking him, and sometimes she became so absorbed that she lost track of time until her body couldn’t take it anymore, dozing off with her phone nearly falling on her face...

And at this moment, that slender, strong hand was holding hers tightly.

Their palms met, transmitting warmth and a faint hint of sweat, indicating he was even more emotionally stirred than she was.

Her heart rate continued to accelerate, her feet seemed to tread lightly on the ground, her mind blank, only knowing to follow his lead forward...

Slowly simmering like a frog in warm water, eventually boiled thoroughly in the end.

For the two people put into the pot, perhaps neither even knew whether they were the small flame burning beneath or the peeled, exposed frog being cooked within.

Outside the Grand World, Fu Yu did not halt his steps.

Holding Liu Yuqing’s hand, he felt her slight tremble from nervousness, his Adam’s apple also moving in response.

Clasping her hand, seemingly unconsciously, his fingers gradually tightened their grip, slowly transforming their palm-to-palm hold into interlocked fingers.

When their ten fingers intertwined, he inhaled deeply, momentarily losing his stride but quickly regaining it as they continued forward...

On Liu Yuqing’s side, her heart was a mess of nerves, her fingers suddenly trapped in his grasp made her feel as though her heart itself was held by him, nearly leaping out of her chest...

Hand in hand, they walked along the sidewalk of the main street.

The distance from the Grand World to Hometown Garden Barbecue was about two subway stations away.

The journey wasn’t exceptionally far, but in the cold weather, there were not many pedestrians treading over the snow-covered paths.

Clearly being blown by the cold wind, Fu Yu felt a swelling warmth in his chest.

He instinctively intertwined his fingers with Liu Yuqing’s, prepared to be shaken off at any moment.

But Liu Yuqing did not pull away.

Taking advantage of a turn, Fu Yu glanced at Liu Yuqing’s expression stealthily from the corner of his eye.

His heart thudded rapidly.

Liu Yuqing also secretly peeked at Fu Yu’s profile.