Chapter 27 Steamed Buns: "Innovation is bad... there's really no need for innovation..."

During the days that Bai Yeke stayed at Yi Sheng's house, dinners were not always complete, but breakfasts were almost always served since she started trying it.

Moreover, she is always innovating to create variety for Yi Sheng to experience the happiness of Chinese breakfast.

Besides egg pancakes, she also made scallion pancakes, wontons, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and various kinds of porridge.

Every morning, Yi Sheng could smell a faint fragrance as soon as she stepped out of her bedroom. The closer she got to the dining room, the stronger the fragrance became. The aroma of hot oil, meat, and pastries was especially tempting to her taste buds.

In just two weeks, Yi Sheng gained a pound when he stepped on the scale.

This prompted Xiao Yang, Bai Yeke's assistant, to pry and gossip. She still didn't know that Bai Yeke was living under the same roof as Yi Sheng, and she only thought it was a coincidence when she saw Bai Yeke at Yi Sheng's house last time.

Therefore, Xiao Yang felt that since Bai Ye might enter Yi Sheng's family, it meant that the two had a good personal relationship, so Xiao Yang regarded Bai Ye as one of his own even more.

Little Sheep, Rush! What did you think President Yi went through to gain a pound?!

Coconut Cola: Uh... you can tell she only gained a pound?

Xiao Yang sent her three pictures in a row, all of them showing a pound of pork in various shapes.

Coconut Cola: ...

It does seem to have some merit.

Coconut Cola: But Miss Yi is very tall. If you divide this meat up, you can't really tell anything.

Little Sheep, Charge! Are you kidding me?! That's our CEO, Mr. Yi!

Little Sheep, Rush! Even if she gains a pound of weight, or even just has a split in her hair, as her assistant, I'll notice it immediately, okay? That's my job!

Bai Yeke: "..."

Coconut Cola: Do you think this is the duty of an assistant or more like the duty of a fan?

Little Lamb, charge! Who cares?

Little lamb, charge! Anyway, this is my duty!

Little Sheep, Rush: Have you met with President Yi privately recently?

Little Sheep, Rush: Do you know why she's gaining weight?

Little Lamb, Charge! I'm so curious!

Little Lamb, Charge! What exactly happened to our CEO Yi?!

Coconut Cola: ...I don't understand the brain structure of you assistants.

Bai Ye felt guilty. She probably guessed why Yi Sheng had gained weight, so she pretended to be speechless and ended the conversation.

Bai Ye wondered if she had made Yi Sheng's breakfast too lavish. It might be bad for his digestive system.

It seems we need to innovate and adjust further.

Early in the morning, after washing up, Yi Sheng came out of the bedroom and, unusually, didn't smell any fragrance.

That's a bit unusual.

She strolled into the kitchen, but there was still no aroma. At a glance, all she could see was steam coming from the electric steamer.

What are you steaming? It tastes so bland.

Yi Sheng was genuinely curious, so she leaned against the cabinet and waited for the chef to appear.

After a few minutes, Baiye came over, turned on the stove, poured in oil, cracked the eggs, and fried two beautiful golden-yellow eggs.

Everything is still normal up to this point.

Then, Bai Ye turned off the steamer, took out two steamed buns, put them on a plate, cut a cross-section of the buns on the plate, put a fried egg on them, took a jar of chili sauce from the countertop, spread the chili sauce on them, covered the buns again, and served them.

?

Yi Sheng's expression gradually became unpredictable. She frowned slightly and said, "Innovation is not good... there's really no need to innovate."

"Miss Bai, you don't need to make yourself so complicated by making breakfast all the time."

The aroma, color, and taste of this breakfast made Yi Sheng forget to call the designer Bai.

It doesn't really match the designer's taste.

Bai Ye's face flushed slightly. "Why don't you give it a try? Maybe it tastes pretty good?"

Yi Sheng sat down politely, then picked up the steamed bun that resembled a budget version of a hamburger, her expression complicated. "This chili... sauce, is it freshly made?"

Unlike the chili sauce that Bai Yeke usually makes herself, this one has a thin consistency, more like juice than sauce.

“No, it was a gift from a friend. It’s called chopped chili peppers,” Bai Yeke explained dutifully.

When I was a child, Bai Yeke's family wasn't very wealthy, so they would mix everything with chopped chili peppers.

It's common to eat chopped chili peppers spread on steamed buns for breakfast, but Bai Ye was feeling nostalgic looking at the chopped chili peppers, so she made some.

To make Miss Yi's meal less meager, she specially added a fried egg.

Although it still looks quite shabby.

"Oh." Yi Sheng took a bite, and could barely accept it.

I had a feeling I'd drink a lot of water today, and it would be salty and spicy.

However, Yi Sheng's attention was drawn to the friend Bai Ye had mentioned, as she hadn't seen Bai Ye have any friends for a long time.

Yi Sheng casually asked, "Are you very close?"

"No, just a friend I'm not close to."

Yi Sheng glanced over and concluded that Bai Yeke's words were only half true.

The content was probably true, but the tone of his voice betrayed his guilty conscience.

What kind of friends make you feel guilty when you mention them?

Boy friend?

Won't.

If Baiye had a boyfriend, he wouldn't have gone so long without mentioning him to her at all.

Yi Sheng stopped looking at Bai Yeke and instead focused her gaze on the steamed bun that had been bitten several times and looked even uglier. "A man?"

He's probably a guy I don't know very well, but who's a bit special.

"Cough—cough!" Bai Yeke choked on the crumbs of steamed bun mixed with chili peppers, and tears welled up in her eyes instantly from the spiciness.

She quickly grabbed a tissue and hid to the side, coughing and wiping away her tears.

The chopped chili peppers were indeed given to Zheng Xiao by a man.

Yesterday, Zheng Xiao chatted with her on WeChat. Bai Yeke originally intended to just give a few perfunctory replies as usual, but Zheng Xiao asked her to meet up.

She couldn't help but wonder if it was someone sent by her family to find out what was going on.

She already had a weak relationship with that family, and after failing to get any information from Lü Feiteng, she tried to find Wei Qiushi.

As a result, Wei Qiushi gave Lü Feiteng a severe dressing-down, and Lü Feiteng dared not interfere in their family affairs anymore. Wei Qiushi also threw a tantrum at her—"Before I get back, you better get your ass home! A girl who isn't married yet shouldn't be living outside instead of staying at home, isn't that shameful?!"

Therefore, with the relationship between the two broken off, Bai Ye had even less access to information about her family.

Although her stepfather didn't matter to her, she still couldn't help but miss her mother.

Bai Ye agreed to meet, and the meeting place was near the Santen store.

Located in a bustling area surrounded by hotels, restaurants, and popular snacks.

But Zheng Xiao, being a worker with a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan, was far too poor to afford in such a bustling metropolis. How could he possibly afford to take a girl to a decent restaurant?

So, he asked Bai Ye to go to the milk tea shop.

Mixue Ice Cream.

He also brought a gift: a jar of chopped chili peppers.

He didn't know that the cheapest thing Bai Yeke received as a gift during her student days, when she was secretly admired and pursued by various men—a box of chocolates—was far more valuable than his jar of chopped chili peppers.

He just felt that he was very free-spirited and true to himself.

Zheng Xiao was genuinely interested in Bai Ye. He was willing to start from the bottom, so he felt a good impression of Bai Ye when he saw that she was also working on her own.

Therefore, he felt that Bai Ye was definitely not the materialistic type of girl.

Like most boys, he saw himself as a warrior of pure love, believing that a princess of pure love would be with him.

They don't care about money, and his princess must never be vain.

Such precious and sincere feelings, such a precious person—he must test them from the very beginning, making sure they overcome numerous obstacles before they are worthy of being by his side.

Today's meeting was part of a test. There are plenty of beautiful and aloof girls, but they change their tune when it comes to everyday life. He doesn't want girls like that.

So he arranged to meet at Mixue Ice Cream.

Mixue Ice Cream's music is cheerful and lively, with catchy tunes like "You love me~ I love you~" creating a wonderful atmosphere.

The store's decor also feels youthful and vibrant, which suits them perfectly.

Bai Yeke agreed to meet him, passing the first hurdle he set, which was good.

The chopped chili peppers he prepared as a gift had a very homely feel to them; if they were to get married in the future, Baiye would have to know how to manage a household.

Zheng Xiao's thoughts were layered upon layered.

When Bai Yeke appeared, she didn't seem to mind his chopped chili peppers at all; in fact, she seemed quite happy about it.

Bai Ye was relieved that Zheng Xiao hadn't given her any expensive gifts, as she wouldn't dare accept them. Refusing them could strain their relationship and affect her future communication with Zheng Xiao about her family situation.

Lunch break is so short, and Bai Ye chatted with him for less than half an hour on an empty stomach. They didn't get anything out of each other, so she decided to go back to the store and grab some cookies to fill her stomach before she had to continue working in the afternoon.

When the two parted, Bai Yeke proactively swiped her own milk tea money and gave it to Zheng Xiao, saying, "It's fine to split the bill."

She seemed a little surprised to see Zheng Xiao, but mostly happy.

Bai Ye was glad that she had taken the initiative to split the bill.

It seems that this cup of milk tea is also a burden for Zheng Xiao. She wants to get information from Zheng Xiao, and she can't let him feel bad.

That's all there is to it, but Yi Sheng brought it up, mentioned a friend, guessed it was a man, and most importantly, it really felt like a blind date between them. Although Bai Ye had absolutely no intention of doing that, it was still a bit awkward.

“Uh…yes.” Bai Yeke answered Yi Sheng casually.

Yi Sheng left the remaining steamed buns on her plate untouched. As if joking with her best friend, she put on a friendly smile and said, "So, is it because that guy gave us chopped chili peppers that we couldn't wait to eat them this morning?"

"Uh...no."

She wasn't in a hurry.

Yi Sheng wasn't sure if she believed her, and then jokingly guessed, "Is that boy pursuing you?"

"I don't think so," Bai Ye said guiltily.

It shouldn't count. They just added each other on WeChat and didn't express any romantic feelings.

"Oh, does Designer Bai like him?"

"Cough cough—" Bai Yeke pretended that she had just been choked and was not completely recovered, coughing and waving her hand to indicate that she did not want to talk anymore.

What embarrassing things is Miss Yi asking so early in the morning? She really didn't dare let Yi Sheng ask any more questions.

Seemingly noticing that Bai Yeke was coughing badly, Yi Sheng poured her a glass of water and finally stopped talking about it.

The woman didn't seem to intend to eat breakfast anymore. Before leaving, she only said sarcastically in a cool tone, "Designer Bai put together this breakfast for me. My life is getting better and better. Steamed buns and plain water."

"Oh, I poured the water myself."

Bai Yeke: "..."

It felt like Yi Sheng was throwing a tantrum at her, and it wasn't just because of breakfast.