Fu Jue pulled up the First Hospital's mini-program and showed Tao Zhizhi the report of her secret surgery from some time ago, dispelling her doubts:

“I know that Zhizhi’s career will not stop here. In order not to affect you, and also because of my own selfish reasons, I made this decision on my own.”

He paused, his face darkening as if recalling something unpleasant, and hugged Tao Zhizhi tightly in his arms: "Besides—it hurts too much, I can't bear to."

"you--"

Tao Zhizhi asked in surprise, "How do you know if you haven't experienced it? Isn't there also painless treatment?"

Fu Jue was deeply moved, his eyes reddened, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, seemingly very scared.

Not long ago

"Can I try this?"

Fu Jue strolled past the science exhibition, and the pink and white display boards made him stop. The four big characters "Pain Challenge" caught his eye, and he twirled to the staff.

The exhibition had been deserted for half a day. The staff were chatting when they suddenly saw a tall, handsome man talking to them. They were stunned for a moment before nodding mechanically.

Are you sure you want to try?

Fu Jue had already taken a seat after being introduced, his face expressionless: "Hmm."

The staff quickly installed the equipment on him and kindly advised, "If you really can't handle it, I'll stop it immediately."

As the level increased, he didn't feel anything for the first six levels, but as soon as the intensity reached level eight, his abdominal muscles tensed up, his hands unconsciously gripped the armrests, and his fingertips began to turn white.

He glanced at the severity level chart and realized it only indicated menstrual cramps. He closed his eyes impatiently. When the staff asked Fu Jue, he simply replied, "Add more!"

At level ten, he was already at his limit, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He gritted his teeth and urged the staff to continue. At level twelve, Fu Jue's eyes turned red, his whole body tensed, and he couldn't take his attention away from the pain in his abdomen.

The moment the staff pressed the button, he was still in shock. He pressed his palm against his abdomen, which was twitching with pain, and realized that this was the last level of labor pain.

"You've successfully completed the challenge! You're the first man to succeed today! This is a gift for you!"

The staff looked at him in surprise and handed him a cute little bear wearing a pink dress, but Fu Jue did not take it.

If this level of pain happened to Tao Zhizhi, his heart would feel like it was being clenched into a fist, unbearable. After this ordeal, Fu Jue immediately booked the best doctor to arrange surgery.

——

Tao Zhizhi was shocked to hear that he had actually challenged the pain: "My dad tried what you're talking about, but he stopped after only reaching level ten. You're really amazing!"

The two wasted a day at residence number nine. To protect her waist health, Tao Zhizhi decided to sneak off to a hot food stall the next day.

"Zhizhi? You're here!"

When Su Bai entered the kitchen to serve the dishes, he was somewhat surprised to see Tao Zhizhi cooking, a sight he hadn't seen in a long time.

Tao Zhizhi deftly served the "Three Treasures of the Earth" (a dish of potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers), wiped her hands with a towel, and teased, "What? You don't welcome me back?"

She dared not accept that, and quickly waved her hand, saying, "No, no, I have other dishes to take out first."

Su Bai ran off in a flash, and Tao Zhizhi shook her head helplessly. She only worked for a short while before running off to study in the small cubicle.

"One hundred million. Since the flow rate of the system kitchen is different, can I learn other things in it?"

As dusk approached, Tao Zhizhi was troubled by the book in her hands. It was so thick that even using it as a pillow felt like it was digging into her head. She had only managed to read one chapter in several hours, and there were still many things she didn't understand that she would have to ask Fu Jue when she got back.

"Host, no way! You said it's the kitchen, how can you learn anything else!" Yi Yi cruelly refused, then thoughtfully reminded Tao Zhizhi, "Host, seeing how hard you're studying, I've applied for a reward!"

"Ta-da! Superb anti-dehydration! Just one pump is enough to ensure your hair is incredibly strong and won't fall out from studying too hard!"

Tao Zhizhi glanced at the ball, then at the strands of hair she had pulled out while scratching her head on the table, and gave a forced smile:

"Do I look happy to you?! Say something!"

Yiyi weakly pulled his hand back and muttered, "Isn't this just preparing for the host's future?"

"Hehe—bring it here, bring it here."

Tao Zhizhi said helplessly, snatched the "Super Anti-Dehydration" product, examined it, stuffed it into her pocket, and said nonchalantly, "You can leave now, I'll take it!"

She walked out of the small booth with her books, her head aching. The shop had already closed, but a warm light still shone on the table by the window, where a stubborn old man stood with his brows furrowed and his face puffed out in anger.

"I already said I'm just here to have one lotus flower pastry and then I'll leave!"

Su Bai shook his hand and coaxed, "Grandpa, the boss is very busy right now and rarely cooks. How about I ask him again in a few days?"

"No, no, that's what you told me two days ago, and you still haven't given me a definite answer. I knew you were just trying to fool this old man! Humph!"

Grandpa Su turned his head, pouting, and met Tao Zhizhi's questioning gaze. His eyes lit up, and he slowly walked up to her, leaning on his cane, his tone sincere:

"You must be our boss, Bai Bai. You've been so kind these past few days. I hope my granddaughter hasn't caused you any trouble!"

"Grandpa—am I that kind of person?"

Tao Zhizhi smiled kindly and gently held the old woman's hand: "Sister Su Bai did a great job and helped me a lot. Please speak freely."

Grandpa Su smiled and looked very kind: "Oh, that's good. I came here today to ask if you could make a lotus flower pastry by yourself. Don't worry, I will definitely pay you back."

He hesitated before speaking, "You can do it whenever you want, just let Bai Bai know when it's done."

Seeing the pleading look in Grandpa Su's eyes, her heart softened, and she met Su Bai's gaze and nodded.

"I'll do it now, it won't take long."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Su exclaimed excitedly, "Boss, you are amazing! We have truly met a wonderful boss!"

Su Bai helped Grandpa Su sit down, then quickly walked over to Tao Zhizhi and said, "Sorry, boss, it's no trouble. We can do it another day."

Tao Zhizhi waved her hand and said, "It's not a big deal. We'll try our best to meet the customers' requests."

She placed the books on the table, strolled into the kitchen, took out the raw materials from the system, rolled up her sleeves, and began making lotus flower pastries. She vaguely remembered that this pastry was taught to her by a refined old lady, whose smiling face seemed to overlap with Grandpa Su in front of her. Perhaps this was the taste that her memory had been searching for.

a long time

"Grandpa, please enjoy your meal."

The still-steaming lotus-shaped pastries were placed in front of him. Ignoring the heat, Grandpa Su picked up a piece of the flaky pastry and put it in his mouth. Two streams of tears welled up in his eyes, and he murmured:

"My dear, the little girl you secretly taught makes the food tastes exactly like yours."