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The scene shifts back home.

Liu Yuan had finally settled on the menu.

Two people, three dishes.

Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, old hen soup, and steamed sea bass.

Instantly energized, she dashed to the living room and opened the fridge.

Good news: There were eggs in the fridge.

Bad news: The tomatoes had rotted after Su Qi left them unattended.

And… the kitchen seemed to be missing some seasonings too.

Liu Yuan: "…"

Apparently, the first step wasn’t learning to cook but… grocery shopping.

She changed clothes, grabbed her phone, and headed straight for the nearby market.

Sure, she could’ve ordered delivery.

But since this was her first time… cooking,

she wanted to give her brother the best, most perfect dining experience.

The fish had to be fresh from the market, and the soup demanded an old hen.

Who knew how long a delivered fish had been dead?

There might be some leftover scallions and ginger at home, but never mind—she’d buy fresh ones.

As for light soy sauce for steaming fish and cooking wine… she’d need to hit the supermarket.

Half an hour later, Liu Yuan returned home laden with bags.

Tomatoes, eggs, scallions, ginger, garlic, cooking oil, salt, sugar, soy sauce, cooking wine… Following an online "kitchen essentials" list, she’d bought almost everything.

Taking a deep breath, she surveyed the piled-up ingredients and seasonings on the counter, psyching herself up.

She’d do a trial run first!

This would be her lunch!

Confidently, Liu Yuan tied on her newly purchased floral apron, rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, revealing slender, pale forearms.

She gazed at the plump, ruby-red tomatoes she’d handpicked.

A smile tugged at her lips.

"Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs? Pfft, easy!"

She muttered, as if hyping herself up—or convincing herself this basic dish couldn’t possibly go wrong.

Recalling the tutorial video, she mimicked the chef’s posture: left hand pinning the tomato, right hand gripping the knife.

Hmm… Step one: dice.

Liu Yuan cut cautiously, her uneven pressure yielding haphazard chunks of varying sizes—some downright whimsical.

No matter, they’d get mashed while cooking!

She consoled herself, sweeping the pieces onto a plate.

Next: beat the eggs.

Simple! With a crack, she tapped an egg against the bowl’s rim, watching the yolk slide in.

Wait… something else slipped in too?

Squinting, Liu Yuan spotted a tiny shell fragment floating in the egg mix.

Flustered, she fished for it with chopsticks, but the slippery liquid resisted, taking multiple attempts to retrieve.

Hmph, minor setback!

Gripping the chopsticks, she emulated the rapid whisking from the video.

Prep complete!

Liu Yuan turned on the gas stove. A whoosh of blue flames made her jump.

Steadying herself, she poured oil into the wok.

How much?

The video said "to taste"…

What did "to taste" even mean?

Hesitating, she eyeballed it.

The oil heated rapidly.

Now!

Holding her breath, Liu Yuan poured in the egg mixture.

Sizzle—

A loud hiss erupted as scalding oil spat, the eggs instantly puffing, solidifying into a golden mass.

"Quick, scramble it!"

She grabbed the spatula, clumsily stabbing and flipping the now-giant egg blob.

Her efforts left it in ragged clumps, some edges already browning ominously.

Whatever, add the tomatoes!

She dumped in the tomato chunks. Their juices hit the heat with a furious zizzle, filling the wok with steam.

Liu Yuan brandished the spatula like a sword, trying to blend everything evenly.

But ambition clashed with reality.

Maybe the heat was too high, the oil too scant, her stirring too delayed… Regardless, the unmistakable reek of burning soon wafted up, thickening by the second.

Panicked, she dialed down the flame—too late.

The eggs and tomatoes had fused into a dark, sticky mass at the bottom, emitting a sinister aura.

A forceful scrape of the spatula only dislodged charred debris.

"…"

She turned off the stove, spatula in hand, staring at the culinary disaster. Tears threatened. Was this the perfect meal she’d promised her brother?

If he saw this, he’d think she was trying to poison him over yesterday’s argument…

No giving up!

Liu Yuan shook her head vigorously, setting aside the ruined stir-fry.

There was still the soup!

Surely stewing was easier than frying? Prep the chicken, toss it in a pot with water and spices, let time do the work.

Reinvigorated, she hauled the hefty old hen from the largest bag—it looked relatively clean.

Placing it on the cutting board, she raised the knife.

Wait… the recipe mentioned blanching the chicken first to remove gaminess.

But before that… it needed chopping?

She eyed the whole bird, perplexed.

This… required some prep work.

Mimicking TV chefs, she hovered the blade near the chicken’s neck.

One chop!

Perhaps overestimating her knife’s sharpness,

it got stuck mid-neck.

The hen’s eyes bulged.

It might’ve pleaded: Just end me already!

Seizing Liu Yuan’s distraction, it flapped wildly, splattering blood across—

the counter, walls, even her pristine floral apron now dotted crimson.

The kitchen had become a bloodbath.

Instinctively, Liu Yuan wiped her face, smearing more gore onto her cheeks.

So much for her grand cooking debut: eggs scorched, chicken massacre turning her into a crime scene extra.

Her culinary dreams now lay shattered like the eggshell she’d failed to fish out earlier. Amid the carnage, the urge to trash everything and order takeout surged.

But the thought vanished as quickly as it came.

No! She couldn’t bail on her brother’s "made-with-love" dinner!

First, this mess needed cleaning before he returned and panicked.

Washing her hands, Liu Yuan pulled out her phone and searched:

"How to remove bloodstains without getting caught?"

Result: Inappropriate content blocked.

She rephrased:

"Massive blood spill on clothes/surfaces—how to eliminate traces fast and completely?"

Again: Inappropriate content blocked.

Resigned, she turned to the Cardholders’ Forum for help.

Those veterans must’ve dealt with similar scenarios in the Source Realm, right?

[HELP] Got blood everywhere at home—clothes, floors. How to clean up fast with no traces?

[Not my blood. Need to avoid raising alarms.]

She even attached a photo of the "crime scene."

Perhaps due to the graphic imagery—paired with keywords like "fast," "no traces," and "avoid alarms"—the post sparked wild assumptions.

Replies flooded in swiftly.

"Bro, that much blood—are you really just killing a chicken?"

"Holy shit, whose 'performance' is this?"

"Rinse it with cold water—never use hot water!"

"Stubborn bloodstains can be treated with hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice..."

"Dude, just get some specialized bloodstain remover..."

"Something’s off with the folks above—why are they all so knowledgeable?"

"You can still turn yourself in now!"

"@Cardholder Association Official Account"

...

Liu Yuan stared at the replies, utterly stunned.

What... what kind of mess is this?

She just wanted to wash off some bloodstains—how did it escalate to "turning herself in"?

Were these people overthinking things?

Then, a pop-up suddenly appeared.

"Dear user, we have noticed unusual activity on your account that may pose a risk to public safety. In accordance with relevant laws and regulations, we need to verify your situation. Please keep your communication channels open, as our staff will contact you shortly."