·106｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·106
Even culinary disasters require talent.
Green Terrace Police Hospital.
The doctor removed the stethoscope from his ear, untied the blood pressure monitor wrapped around Lai Chuan and Huang Quan's arm, stood up, and gave a reassuring smile: "The initial assessment is that there's nothing seriously wrong. I'll come back after the blood and urine test results are in."
Once the doctor in the white coat left, only Raikawa Yomi, lying on the bed, and Matsuda Jinpei, leaning against the wall, remained in the ward.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's body had been bedridden for more than three years. Logically speaking, it would be difficult for her to recover to her best condition in less than half a year.
However, Mr. Lai Chuan spent a lot of money hiring trusted people to take care of Lai Chuan Huang Quan, ensuring that she received sufficient exercise even when she was in a coma. Thanks to him, Lai Chuan Huang Quan was able to wear her little skirt and run around on the ground again in just one month.
"Congratulations," Matsuda Jinpei said with a smile, tossing a bag of beef jerky into Yomi Yorikawa's arms. "I had a friend buy it for me; it's supposedly made with beef from the Tianshan Mountains." Although he didn't know what was so good about it.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan caught the beef jerky that was tossed to him, stared at Matsuda Jinpei for a while, sat up from the bed and lightly kicked him: "Don't think that just because you gave me a bag of beef jerky, I'll forget how you bullied me while I was still recovering."
Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow: "How did I bully you?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan lowered his head, tore open the packaging bag in his hand, pulled out a piece, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed: "You take advantage of my clumsiness and treat me like a dog."
Yomi Laichuan's hair was always fluffy and soft, but this body was neglected, and her once beautiful hair had turned yellow and dry, feeling rough to the touch. But Matsuda Jinpei would seize every opportunity to grab her face and rub it, making her difficult-to-manage long hair even more messy.
As soon as he finished speaking, Matsuda Jinpei raised his hand and ruffled Raikawa Yomi's hair, messing up her carefully styled bangs: "Barbecue, tuna, sushi, you've already eaten them all, so this is five meals in one go."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan was forced to lower her head. She puffed out her cheeks and bared her teeth at Matsuda Jinpei, uttering his name through gritted teeth: "Matsuda Jinpei!"
Just as Raikawa Yomi was about to explode, the door to the room was pushed open from the outside, and Mr. Raikawa walked in with several subordinates.
"How is your recovery going?" Mr. Raikawa asked as he entered the room and looked around. "Where's Hagiwara? Why isn't he with you?"
Matsuda Jinpei withdrew his mischievous hand: "He went to pay the bill and went downstairs to buy some food for Yomi on the way."
Mr. Laichuan glanced sideways at Laichuan Huangquan with his hands behind his back, as if silently questioning why she was eating again. But out of consideration for Laichuan Huangquan's feelings, he said nothing.
Mr. Lai Chuan sat down in the folding chair next to him, which was used for caregivers: "How is the situation? What did the doctor say?"
Judging from Lai Chuan Huang Quan's current energetic condition, she doesn't need to be in bed at all. However, in order to facilitate Mr. Lai Chuan's secret visit, the Green Platform Police Hospital has prepared a secluded ward for her.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan sat on the edge of the bed, swinging his legs, and looked at his father: "Everything is fine, we're just waiting for the urine and blood test results."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Lai Chuan's serious expression relaxed slightly: "That's fine then."
Compared to Mr. Raikawa, Yomi was closer to the Administrator. However, after being returned to her original body, Yomi completely lost contact with the Administrator. But Mr. Raikawa was also her father, loving and caring for her just as much, only more stubborn.
Without Mr. Lai Chuan's protection, Lai Chuan Huang Quan would probably be dead long ago. Thinking of this, she pursed her lips and stared at Mr. Lai Chuan for a while, then suddenly said, "By the way, you old rascal."
"What's up?"
"Dad, come here, I have something to tell you secretly."
Mr. Lai Chuan frowned, looking displeased, but still walked over. He leaned down and put his ear close to Lai Chuan Huang Quan's mouth: "Speak, what is it?"
Mr. Raikawa thought to himself, if this little girl dared to say anything to him about siding with outsiders, he would definitely drag her home today and see if she would still dare to side with Kenji Hagiwara all the time. Although he agreed to Kenji Hagiwara's marriage proposal, he knew that due to the influence of the soul returning to its original body, Kenji Hagiwara had no chance to propose at all, and Yomi Raikawa was completely unaware of this matter.
As Mr. Lai Chuan was lost in thought, Lai Chuan Huang Quan suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, tilted her head back, and gave him a big kiss on the face: "Thank you for taking care of me, Dad."
A soft kiss from his own daughter struck Mr. Lai Chuan like a bolt of lightning.
In his spare time, Mr. Raikawa, besides reading, also watches a couple of popular Hollywood movies to pass the time. The characters and their families on screen often express affection through cheek-to-cheek contact and kissing, but Mr. Raikawa doesn't find these scenes particularly appealing. Although Japan considers itself a Western country, its cultural roots are still in the East. Compared to flamboyant and unrestrained expressions, Mr. Raikawa prefers subtle forms of affection.
Mr. Lai Chuan's love for his family was so restrained that, before Lai Chuan Huang Quan saw the truth with the help of the Time and Space Administration, she always thought that Mr. Lai Chuan did not love her.
Let alone kissing on the cheek, even before divorcing his wife, Mr. Lai Chuan would blush and pretend to be calm just when his wife hugged his arm and acted coquettishly.
Mr. Lai Chuan himself is a cold, sharp blade, capable of cleaving himself in the name of justice. His unique upbringing made his emotional needs seem weaker than others, though perhaps it was simply an innate weakness. But the kiss Lai Chuan Huang Quan bestowed upon his face was like moving all the volcanoes in the world to the Arctic ice cap and unleashing them all at once. The surging heat instantly boiled the frigid glacier, melting the heavens and the earth.
Mr. Laichuan blushed instantly at Laichuan Huangquan's kiss, covering the spot where he had been kissed and taking several steps back. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his lips began to tremble. This was the first time the usually composed man, who could maintain absolute rationality even in the face of dire straits, had experienced a complete mental blank.
Who am I? Where am I? What happened?
After a long while, Mr. Lai Chuan suddenly came to his senses, clenched his fist and coughed lightly, "I have something to do! I'm leaving now!" After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and left the ward without looking back, as if he were being chased by a ghost.
Mr. Lai Chuan was furious. That brat had suddenly kissed him, almost making him lose face in front of his subordinates.
He was internally fuming, criticizing Lai Chuan Huang Quan for becoming increasingly outrageous, while the image of Lai Chuan Huang Quan kissing his cheek kept replaying in his mind. The corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up high, which he tried to suppress, only to have them turn up again.
Behind Mr. Lai Chuan, his two subordinates who had come with him looked at each other, then nodded to Lai Chuan Huang Quan and turned to leave.
Outside the ward, Kenji Hagiwara, carrying a stack of papers, brushed past Mr. Raikawa. Hagiwara had intended to chat with his future father-in-law, but Mr. Raikawa seemed completely absorbed in his own world, walking briskly with his hands behind his back, and didn't even notice Hagiwara greeting him.
Hagiwara Kenji:...?
Kenji Hagiwara didn't pay much attention. He pushed open the door to the ward and smiled as he placed the oden into Yomi Laichuan's hand: "What did you do to Mr. Laichuan?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan stuffed a dumpling into his mouth and said, "I kissed him."
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and said, "It looks like it's going to be a big bite."
In Kenji Hagiwara's memory, he was always the one being kicked out by Mr. Raikawa. This was the first time he had ever seen Mr. Raikawa slip away at a speed of ten meters per second, his footsteps so rapid that he was almost leaving a trail of afterimages.
This experience was probably a first for Mr. Raikawa's subordinates as well.
Kenji Hagiwara pulled a folding comb from his bag and sat behind Yomi Laichuan, beginning to comb her messy curly hair: "I heard you got accepted into a graduate program?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan, gnawing on half a crispy sausage, mumbled, "I don't know who told the news that Nichibumi TV planned to turn me into a star. When the dean found out, fearing I would drop out, he brought a bunch of mechanical engineering professors and, yelling, blocked the classroom door, refusing to let me leave."
Upon hearing this, Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow: "Familiar move."
He and Kenji Hagiwara were blocked before, but unfortunately the professors failed to retain the talent as they wished.
Kenji Hagiwara lowered his head and carefully tidied up Yomi Lai's matted hair: "So what are you planning to do? The penalty for breach of contract with Nichiri TV must be quite high."
"Hmm..."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan stopped chewing and fell into deep thought. She only needed to save another 50,000 yuan to make a down payment on a sports car. If she chose to cancel the contract now, not only would she lose the car, but all the money she had painstakingly saved up like a hamster during winter would be gone. She would even end up owing 180,000 yuan.
If given a choice, Lai Chuanhuangquan would certainly prefer to pursue graduate studies and become a better version of himself.
But she didn't want to lose all the money she had painstakingly saved to buy a car. Hagiwara Kenji had done so much for her, and this made her feel like a selfish person—at least, it would make her conscience prick her.
“Soft bread,” Kenji Hagiwara said, putting his arm around Yomi Rikawa from behind. “Go to graduate school. I can tell you really love this major.”
"But……"
Before he could finish speaking, Kenji Hagiwara suddenly tightened his arms and rubbed his chin against Yomi Raikawa's head repeatedly, his tone forceful and brooking no refusal: "Be good!"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan pouted: "You stupid officer, you're being mean to me."
"Yeah, I was rude to you," Kenji Hagiwara said with a smile. "It's rare for a stupid police officer to be rude. I wonder if Softie would be willing to give him a way out?"
How should I give it to you?
"Why don't you go and study for your master's degree? Otherwise, you'll lose face if you yell at that stupid, soft-hearted police officer."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan pouted and reluctantly uttered an "Oh".
On the other side, Matsuda Jinpei, who had been looking sour since earlier, turned his head to the other side and said, "I mean... you two have maxed out your dispel skills, haven't you?"
Not only Mr. Raikawa, but he also wants to break out of the house now, and before he escapes, he'd better beat up Kenji Hagiwara first.
Yomi Laichuan realized that her and Kenji Hagiwara's behavior was somewhat inappropriate, so she used a bamboo skewer to pick up one of her favorite dumplings: "Jinpei, want some?"
The man, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, glanced at her, thought for a moment, then took two steps forward, biting the meatball into his mouth and chewing it up with the bamboo skewer in his mouth: "Hmph, I forgive you."
Behind Yomi Laichuan, Kenji Hagiwara held the person in his arms, constantly shooting waves of resentment at Jinpei Matsuda from his eyes.
As for Lai Chuan Huang Quan herself, staring at the smooth bamboo skewer in her hand, she suddenly had a new idea. She flashed a bright, energetic smile: "How about I become an internet celebrity?"
Matsuda Jinpei frowned: "Internet celebrity?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's face is indeed very suitable for becoming an internet celebrity. She has already accumulated a certain amount of popularity and fame, so she might really become a hit online.
However, it's said that attractive online celebrities are easily subjected to sexual harassment and cyberbullying. Matsuda Jinpei, out of a protective instinct, doesn't really want Yomi Yorikawa to become an online celebrity.
Kenji Hagiwara has a better understanding of how the "internet celebrity" sector operates than Jinpei Matsuda—even if he's not particularly interested, he's always quick to catch up on new developments.
He worriedly said, "Without the support of capital to promote them, it may be very difficult for ordinary people to become internet celebrities. In addition to their own strength, they also need absolute luck."
Kenji Hagiwara, not wanting to dampen Yomi's spirits, immediately added, "But you can try the soft bread first. Jinpei and I will help you out."
Matsuda Jinpei had been standing for a while, so he stretched his shoulders, dragged a chair over, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "If anyone dares to harass you, just tell me."
He said this while cracking his knuckles, looking as if he was about to rush up and start a fight.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan was silent for a moment: "Jin Ping, don't sit there flexing your wrists while saying these things to support me. I'll think someone is harassing me and you're planning to rush over and fight them by following their IP address."
Matsuda Jinpei stopped what he was doing and stared at Raikawa Yomi with an expression that said, "You're overthinking it." He said, "Dream on. I'm not going to lose my job just to help you get revenge."
Kenji Hagiwara chuckled silently. He wouldn't necessarily beat someone up, but if someone actually said something vulgar to Yomi Yorikawa, Jinpei Matsuda might actually rush over and knock on their door.
This guy is just as fiercely protective of his own as he is.
Kenji Hagiwara: "By the way, Soft Bread, what kind of influencer are you planning to become? Live streaming, Twitter, or YouTube?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan stroked his chin and thought for a while before saying seriously, "Twitter, I'll become a food blogger who shares her life, the kind where I don't have to show my face."
...?
As soon as he finished speaking, the two remaining men in the room simultaneously wore subtle expressions: "You just said... you wanted to be a blogger?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan repeated with a serious expression: "Food blogger."
...? ? ?
"Are you... serious?"
...
Lai Chuan Huang Quan truly became a food blogger and became an internet sensation in just three months.
The reason is simple: the food she made looked absolutely delicious!
Every time they see the netizens yelling and screaming under their tweets, as if they want to crawl over the internet to show off the food in the photos, Hagi and Matsu would give each other a subtle, hesitant expression.
Thankfully, they can't actually crawl over via the internet, otherwise, after tasting Lai Chuan Huang Quan's food that makes people lose sanity like crazy, she might lose two million followers overnight.
Two weeks ago, a sharp-eyed netizen spotted Lai Chuan Huangquan's figure on a reflective metal mixer, and Lai Chuan Huangquan's Twitter account gained a million followers overnight.
Netizens also expressed that when Nichiri TV initially promoted Yomi Laikawa, they thought she was just a cute pretty face, but they didn't expect her to have real talent. Fans even turned into screaming chickens, praising Yomi Laikawa as worthy of being a food connoisseur who was once highly recommended by mainstream media.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan was so flattered that she became even more enthusiastic, wanting to spend every single hour of the day in the kitchen. She was so smug that when a fan asked to see a video of the entire process, Lai Chuan Huang Quan readily agreed.
Yomi Laichuan may not be very smart, but he has a natural talent for learning new things.
It was only 2 PM when Kenji Hagiwara saw Yomi Raikawa's reply on his phone that she had agreed to film the video. By the time he grabbed his coat and got ready to leave work, his daughter had already finished the video and uploaded it to YouTube.
Hagiwara Kenji:...?
You've never learned video editing, and you even came to ask me about the difference between Premiere Pro and After Effects! How did you manage to create a finished product so quickly, and with such high quality!?
Kenji Hagiwara covered his face, feeling utterly overwhelmed. He carefully recalled the taste of the bento boxes that Yomi Raikawa had once made for him, thinking that he was doomed; the soft bread was definitely going to lose its appeal, and he might even be cyberbullied.
Kenji Hagiwara even quickly devised two plans to comfort the crying little rascal on his drive home, ready to open the door and comfort him.
When he got home, Kenji Hagiwara stood at the door, took a few deep breaths, and smiled as he unlocked the door: "Softie, I'm home~"
Welcome back!
As a result, Lai Chuan Huang Quan was not sad at all. Instead, he held his face in his hands and was so happy that several little flowers sprouted from the top of his head.
Kenji Hagiwara's smile froze: ...?
Kenji Hagiwara: "...Aren't you sad?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan tilted his head, his bright almond-shaped eyes forming a huge question mark: "Why should I be sad?"
"You are not...you...I..."
Kenji Hagiwara was speechless for once; after stammering for a while, he decided to read it himself. He opened Twitter and saw the comments section was filled with praise.
—[Huang Quan is amazing! I recreated it 1:1 according to the video, and it tastes absolutely amazing!]
—[I tried it with some skepticism, but the taste was absolutely amazing!]
—[I won't allow anyone to miss out on this spicy and sour chicken!]
The further down Hagiwara Kenji scrolled, the tighter his brows furrowed. He glanced at Yomi Laichuan, then at the comments section, his gaze darting back and forth between the two.
Having suffered a huge cognitive shock, Kenji Hagiwara raised his hand to rub his brow, which was so furrowed it could trap a mosquito, and sighed, "Where is your spicy and sour chicken? Can I have a bite?"
"Huh?" Lai Chuan Huang Quan was stunned, then gave a hesitant look. "This isn't a good idea."
"Please let me try some soft bread, please, please."
"Oh well."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan pouted, turned around and brought out a bento box that she had already packed from the kitchen, "You wanted to try it yourself."
The chicken, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, was drizzled with a light brown, sweet and sour sauce. The enticing aroma wafted into the nostrils, making one's mouth water. Kenji Hagiwara's eyes lit up as he picked up a piece of chicken and excitedly, expectantly, and nervously put it into his mouth.
Then he froze.
Hagihara Kenji: "..."
Although she was still smiling, she was actually frozen in place, her brain and taste buds completely gone.
His Adam's apple bobbed as Kenji Hagiwara tried to swallow it whole, but the object in his mouth was too large; he couldn't swallow it without chewing it thoroughly. But chewing meant that the terrifying taste of this soul-shattering thing would spread through his mouth again.
Just as Kenji Hagiwara's brain was racing, agonizing over whether Yomi's face and temperament were more important, or his own life, Yomi spoke up plaintively: "I warned you, you were the one who wanted to eat it."
Kenji Hagiwara shrugged, not daring to speak.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan frowned, his eyes full of disgust: "Go spit it out, you idiot."
After receiving permission, Kenji Hagiwara hesitated for a while before finally deciding to go to the bathroom to spit out the chicken in his mouth. He really wanted to swallow it, but his esophagus wouldn't allow it.
Kenji Hagiwara thought to himself, "Maybe people online are just being sarcastic. It's like accidentally eating a super sour orange segment; you have to pretend to be calm and act like the orange is sweet until the next victim appears, and the next victim after that, before you finally show the sour expression."
Those netizens who gave positive reviews must be deliberately saying the opposite of what they mean in the hopes that more victims will emerge.
By the time Kenji Hagiwara finished rinsing his mouth and came out, Yomi Lai had already packed the bento box into a bag and was humming a song, in a great mood, ready to set off.
Kenji Hagiwara: "Where are you going? I'll take you."
Lai Chuan, Yomi, and Hagiwara Kenji waved the bento box containing chicken in their hands: "Go to the Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau and deliver the Truth Bento for interrogation to Kazami."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan is now quite well-known within the Ministry of Public Security. Everyone in the ministry knows the power of his "Truth Bento"—a magical interrogation tool that can make prisoners confess willingly—though none of them have ever tasted it and stubbornly believe it must contain some strange potion comparable to black magic. After all, who would have thought that Lai Chuan Huang Quan only needs a tube of ketchup to make prisoners confess?
"Okay, let's go."
As he got into the car, Kenji Hagiwara received a call from Jinpei Matsuda. There was a long and eerie silence on the other end of the line before Jinpei Matsuda's voice came through.
Matsuda Jinpei lowered his voice, as if he had heard something terrible: "Hagi, I have something terrible to tell you."
Kenji Hagiwara: "What?"
Matsuda Jinpei: "Zero just called me and said he tried the hot and sour chicken with toppings that Yomi shared online, and it tasted amazing."
Hagiwara Kenji:...?
After a two-second pause, Kenji Hagiwara's lips twitched: "What did you say?"
"Zero said that the recipes Huang Quan shared tasted amazing. He even asked me why I called Huang Quan the Queen of Dark Cuisine, which is such a slanderous thing."
Kenji Hagiwara: "...Is Furuya really not messing with us?"
Matsuda Jinpei: "I don't think so, because Natalie and the class president also said it tasted great, and they don't seem like the kind of people who would make such a joke."
Hagihara Kenji: "..."
After a long silence, Kenji Hagiwara turned his head with a subtle expression to look at the woman sitting in the passenger seat, blinking her almond-shaped eyes with an innocent expression: "So... you really can't cook at all?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan paused for a moment, whistling as he silently looked up.
"Eh..."
Kenji Hagiwara sighed helplessly.
He kept reassuring himself:
Well, being able to turn absolutely delicious food into a deadly poison that kills without leaving a trace is, in a sense, a rare talent in this world.
but!
Why!
Same ingredients, same recipe, same steps! And yet what you're making is poisonous!?
[Author's Note]
Sorry I'm late!
-
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