Chapter 66 Jin Xuan's Hostility
The kitchen glass door was flung open, and Jin Xuan stormed in like an enraged lioness. Her ten-centimeter heels pounded the floor with each step, her eyes burning with a fury capable of melting steel.
Su Yingxue was wiping the stove, the spicy aroma of duck necks still lingering on her fingertips, when she suddenly saw Jin Xuan's murderous look, and the rag in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".
"You bitch!" Jin Xuan's scream shattered the tranquility of the kitchen. She rushed forward, her raised arm drawing a sharp arc in the air.
Su Yingxue caught a glimpse of the slap coming out of the corner of her eye, and instinctively leaned back. Jin Xuan's fingernails grazed her ear, causing a sharp pain.
With a muffled thud, Ye Bingbin burst through the kitchen door. He watched as Jin Xuan's slap grazed Su Yingxue's cheek, then saw Su Yingxue nimbly dodge it. This scene left his mind blank for a moment.
The surrounding crowd erupted in a frenzy, with whispers and whistles filling the air.
"What are you doing? Jin Xuan, are you crazy? I already said it has nothing to do with her!!" Ye Bingbin was at a loss. He quickly asked Su Yingxue, "Are you alright?!"
Jin Xuan's tears came easily. She threw herself in front of Ye Bingbin, sobbing like a wounded fawn: "Brother Bing...you're going to abandon me for this...this cook, right?"
Her finger trembled as she pointed at Su Yingxue, "You're just a lowly chef! With my methods, I'll make sure she can't survive in this industry!"
Ye Bingbin felt a throbbing pain in his temples. He saw Jin Xuan's trembling fingers pull a phone from her bag; the screen displayed a video Wang Meng had posted on QQ Space—in the video, he was looking down at the camera, confessing his love: "I like you?"
There were also a few friends cheering him on. This video, which he had long forgotten, exploded like a time bomb in front of everyone.
This is the video we filmed last time they played Truth or Dare. It just happened to be showing Ye Bingbin last time. They were just playing a game.
Despite my explanations, Jin Xuan wouldn't listen. She continued to make a scene.
"I really have nothing to do with him." Su Yingxue tried to calm the farce, her voice unusually calm.
But Jin Xuan's eyes were already red. She held her phone high, her voice shrill and piercing everyone's eardrums: "Then why do you come to this lousy KTV every day? Even if you don't want to go, you should at least get takeout! Now I understand!"
She shoved her phone screen in front of Ye Bingbin's face. "So you like this chef! What's so great about her? Is she better than me?"
Ye Bingbin's face turned from red to white, then from white to green. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
After a long pause, he said, "I never agreed to date you. You're being too nosy."
Jin Xuan's tears fell in large drops onto the phone screen. She screamed hysterically, "Meddling? Fine! Ye Bingbin, those words are enough! We're finished!"
She suddenly turned around, revealing a sinister smile to Su Yingxue, who was still in the kitchen. "You like the food here, don't you? I'd like to see how long you can be so arrogant without me, Jin Xuan! I'm going to ruin this KTV."
Su Yingxue watched Jin Xuan slam the door and leave, then gently shook her head.
Ye Bingbin tried to tug at her sleeve, but she shoved him away: "Men and women shouldn't touch each other. You should go and comfort that little princess!"
Ye Bingbin lowered his head, unsure of what to say. He still needed to talk to his sister, Ye Feifei.
Three days later, the entire food street was in an uproar. Jin Xuan had spent a fortune to buy the most popular restaurant across the street, Trendy K.
On opening day, Jin Xuan, dressed in a Chanel suit, stood on the red carpeted steps and personally cut the ribbon. She announced that everything at Trendy K would be 50% off, beer would be buy-one-get-one-free, and VIP members would receive a limited-edition Chanel perfume with a top-up.
The once-thriving business plummeted as if under a curse. The once-bustling hall now only has a handful of customers.
Su Yingxue stood by the window, looking at the long queue outside the Trendy K store across the street, and sighed softly. Ye Bingbin squatted in the corner, smoking one cigarette after another, the ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.
Ye Feifei stood next to Ye Bingbin, watching him smoke. She shook her head, a hint of helplessness in her voice.
"Boss, the front desk just said they cancelled two more tables for the team building event." Assistant Manager Liao Ming jogged over, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.
Ye Bingbin stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes vacant as he stared at the brightly lit Trendy K across the street. Deafening music and the silvery laughter of Jin Xuan echoed from there.
Jin Xuan stood in the monitoring room of Trendy K, looking at the golden, glittering, and desolate hall, a victorious smile curling at the corner of her lips.
But she didn't know that after she turned and left, Ye Bingbin would stand on the street corner, staring blankly at the golden, gleaming sign until late at night.
"What does this have to do with me?" Su Yingxue shook her head. She turned around and started making the spicy crab, their signature dish.
These past few days, all the customers have been drawn away. This has given her time to research and develop a new dish.
Spicy stir-fried crab.
Su Yingxue gently shook her head, leaving the gossip and chatter behind. She turned back to the kitchen counter, tightened the straps of her apron, and took out plump blue crabs from the refrigerator.
These crabs had just arrived from the seafood market; their shells gleamed with a bluish-black sheen, and their claws were waving powerfully, as if challenging her.
"Since we're going to make a scene, let's see who has the last laugh," Su Yingxue muttered to herself, her eyes gleaming with determination.
She skillfully picked up a sharp knife and gently pried along the edge of the crab shell, which cracked open with a "snap." Golden crab roe oozed out from the crack, releasing an enticing aroma.
Su Yingxue's movements were fluid and graceful, as if she were creating a masterpiece. After prying open the crab shell, she carefully removed the crab meat, leaving each piece intact.
“Ordinary spicy crab is too common,” Su Yingxue pondered, her gaze falling on a bottle of Sichuan peppercorns she had treasured for a long time and a bottle of five-year-aged chili sauce in the corner of the kitchen. A sudden inspiration struck her; she decided to make a unique spicy crab dish.
Su Yingxue first marinated the prepared crab meat with cooking wine, ginger slices, and a little salt for ten minutes. At the same time, she began to prepare her secret sauce—poured an appropriate amount of oil into a pot, and when the oil temperature reached 70% heat, added dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, minced garlic, and minced ginger to sauté until fragrant.
In that instant, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of spicy and savory food, and even the air outside the window seemed to be drawn in by the fragrance.
"Not enough." Su Yingxue frowned, then added a spoonful of her secret-recipe fermented bean paste and half a spoonful of white sugar, stirring it evenly. Her fingers deftly controlled the heat, ensuring that every ingredient blended perfectly, releasing a rich and layered aroma.
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