The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

I have to admit, Xie Ningyuan’s description had piqued Lu Sangjiu’s curiosity.

”Creative?”

With a suspicious look, she picked up her chopsticks. Just as she was about to take a bite, Xie Ningyuan suddenly stopped her hand.

Lu Sangjiu froze for a moment, thinking he was worried about her. ”I know it’s terrible,” she said. ”I’m just curious. It’s fine, I’ll only have a bite.”

But instead, Xie Ningyuan took the chopsticks from her hand and gave her a new pair. ”I just meant that I’ve already used these. Here’s a clean pair for you.”

”But since you’re the one who made it, feel free to try as much as you want. I’m actually looking forward to seeing you eat more of it.”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’Fine, I was just being delusional. How could this guy possibly be so considerate!’

She hadn’t even noticed the detail about the chopsticks. Xie Ningyuan, on the other hand, was surprisingly gentlemanly.

Holding the new chopsticks, she picked up a small piece of green pepper and popped it into her mouth. And then... the expression on her face was a sight to behold.

How could she even describe the taste? It was hard to imagine that a single dish could be so salty, so sweet, so sour... and so spicy all at once!

The sensation was like an explosion in her mouth. She couldn’t even stand it for a second longer before spitting it all out.

A moment ago, she’d thought Xie Ningyuan was just being dramatic and making a big fuss. Now, she finally understood. She even felt that the fact he had managed to endure it for three whole seconds was a true testament to his fortitude.

Xie Ningyuan stood beside her, a gloating expression on his face, but he at least had the decency to hand her some water to rinse her mouth. ”So? Pretty creative, wasn’t it?”

After rinsing her mouth a few times, Lu Sangjiu finally felt a little better. She was completely baffled. ”How did this happen? I followed the recipe exactly!”

Xie Ningyuan’s curiosity was piqued. ”A recipe? Tell me, what did it say about the seasonings?”

”One tael of salt, one tael of sugar...”

Lu Sangjiu had barely listed two ingredients when Xie Ningyuan cut her off, speechless. ”Stop. Who measures salt and sugar by the tael? Where did you get that recipe?”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

Until now, she had always assumed she’d done something wrong. It had never occurred to her that the recipe itself might be the problem.

After all, Gu Jue had been so certain, so adamant that he knew how to cook. How could someone like him lie or boast about something like that?

And yet... here she was, proven completely wrong.

Lu Sangjiu first had an existential crisis, then wondered if there had been some kind of misunderstanding. ’Gu Jue probably wouldn’t trick me on purpose.’

But after a moment’s hesitation, she decided against it. ’If I ask him about it with a Communication Talisman, he might think I’m blaming him.’

’Better just let it go. I can ask him the next time we meet. Or not ask at all. It’s not a big deal, anyway.’

Still, she was a little disheartened. Her first time cooking, and it turned out this disgusting... ’Does this mean I have to eat a Fasting Pill for dinner after all?’

With a sigh, Lu Sangjiu threw out the food. ”Looks like I can’t treat you to a proper meal today. How about I treat you to a Fasting Pill instead?”

Seeing the myriad of expressions that had just crossed her face, Xie Ningyuan guessed there was probably more to this recipe business than met the eye.

But she didn’t elaborate, and he didn’t ask. Seeing her disappointment, however, he called out to her just as she was about to leave the kitchen.

”Why would you eat a Fasting Pill? It’s just cooking. Watch closely.”

With that, Xie Ningyuan rolled up his sleeves and began taking ingredients out of his storage bag one by one.

With his sleeves rolled up, the long, shocking wound on his wrist was exposed.

Yet, the way he washed and chopped the vegetables was surprisingly pleasant to watch.

Lu Sangjiu stopped in her tracks. She watched for a moment before asking curiously, ”You actually know how to cook?”

Without looking up, Xie Ningyuan replied, ”Isn’t it simple? Only an idiot couldn’t learn how.”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’Well, thank you so very much!’

Any touching sentiment from Xie Ningyuan never lasted more than three seconds.

But he wasn’t just boasting. Washing, chopping, and stir-frying—he did it all with practiced, orderly skill.

He didn’t ask Lu Sangjiu to help, so she just stood to the side and watched. It was only when she saw the amount of seasoning he used that she finally realized just how absurd her own measurements had been.

An hour later, with two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a bowl of Spirit Rice for each of them, the two finally sat down at the table to a hot meal.

Xie Ningyuan had even made the same shredded pork with green peppers. Lu Sangjiu took a bite... ’It’s so good!’

The other dishes were just as delicious, of course, and Lu Sangjiu ate with immense satisfaction.

Finally, toward the end of the meal, she couldn’t help but ask, ”Um... could you give me a recipe?”

’If a situation like this ever comes up again, at least I won’t be stuck gnawing on Fasting Pills, right?’

But Xie Ningyuan just said, ”Didn’t you watch me cook just now? Don’t tell me you can’t even remember that.”

”I remember how to make these four dishes, but I can’t just know how to cook only four things, can I?”

Xie Ningyuan replied with a straight face, ”But I only know how to make these four dishes.”

Lu Sangjiu: ???

At that moment, Lu Sangjiu actually believed him.

But the next day, when Xie Ningyuan dragged her to the kitchen again and she watched him cook four completely new dishes, she realized how naive she had been.

”So... you just think it’s a hassle and don’t want to teach me, right?”

Seeing her resentful expression, Xie Ningyuan said deliberately, ”I just think that, given your cooking talent, if I don’t give you a hands-on demonstration, I’m genuinely worried you’ll go out and embarrass me.”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

She retorted, unconvinced, ”It was clearly a problem with the recipe! What does that have to do with my talent?”

”Don’t look down on me! How about this? I’ll cook tomorrow, and you can see for yourself if I can make something delicious!”

Seeing how easily she was provoked, Xie Ningyuan couldn’t help but chuckle. He finally spoke up just as she was about to fly into a rage from embarrassment.

”Fine, fine. You want to learn a few more dishes, don’t you? I’ll use this time to teach you some more. I’m afraid we won’t have an opportunity like this again in the future.”

Lu Sangjiu had been fuming, but his sudden change of tune left her feeling like all her anger had nowhere to go.

After stewing for a moment, she just let out a dry huff. ”I’d have to be crazy to believe you’d be that nice!”

Xie Ningyuan looked up at her. ”You could try trusting me, you know. Because in this world, aside from the people closest to you... I’m probably the one who wants you to have a good life more than anyone.”

Seeing the genuine look on his face, Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but wonder, ”Why?”

He chuckled softly. ”Probably because... I want to see a different outcome through you.”

As Xie Ningyuan spoke, his expression was calm, yet his eyes seemed to swirl with a thousand unspoken emotions.

He hadn’t been explicit, but Lu Sangjiu felt like she somewhat understood what he meant.

After a moment of silence, she looked at Xie Ningyuan, her expression firm. ”Don’t worry. I will.”

Xie Ningyuan raised an eyebrow, a smile touching his eyes. He didn’t ask if she meant she would try to trust him, or that she would definitely have a good life.

Either way, both were excellent outcomes.

After returning this time, Xie Ningyuan didn’t leave again.

He was injured and needed to recuperate, while Lu Sangjiu was mentally exhausted. They were both ”invalids,” in a way, so neither was in a position to judge the other. It felt a bit like they were holing up together to recover.