Custard Tart and Cream

In the study, Xie Yuling stared fixedly at an empty plastic cup on the desk, fine beads of sweat forming on the tip of her nose.

Earlier, she had merely focused her mind in front of Lin Mo, and the cup in her hand had slightly dented.

But now, no matter how hard she strained her eyes until they ached, the cup remained perfectly intact, as if silently mocking her.

"This is weird..."

Refusing to give up, she shifted her posture, even mimicking the mages she'd seen on TV, pointing two fingers at the cup in the air.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Apparate! Guardian, appear!"

The cup didn't budge.

She gave up. She was certain she had done it before; she just hadn't grasped the trick yet.

Just then, an overwhelming aroma boldly pierced through the door and invaded her nostrils.

First came the rich scent of butter, followed immediately by an even stronger, more aggressive wave of durian.

Xie Yuling's attention was instantly diverted. Mind-over-matter cup crushing, superpowers—all were tossed to the back of her mind.

She dropped the plastic cup and dashed into the kitchen like a gust of wind.

"That durian smell is so strong!!!"

In the kitchen, Chu Miaomiao was methodically conducting her culinary creation.

A golden, flaky croissant was sliced open in the middle but not severed, forming a natural pocket.

The fried egg's yolk was still in that tempting runny state, which she carefully slid into the croissant's pocket with a spatula.

She then layered the previously fried bacon on top of the egg.

On another plate were sliced tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and a thick beef patty.

Assembled together, it became Chu Miaomiao's signature croissant-style "roujiamo" (meat burger).

She refused to call it a hamburger, insisting it was a "roujiamo."

Seeing Xie Yuling rush in, Chu Miaomiao looked up and smiled, "Food's ready!"

Lin Mo leaned against the oven, watching Xie Yuling's soul-captivated-by-food expression and recalling her silly struggle with a plastic cup in the study moments ago. He couldn't help but find it amusing.

He knew, of course, that it wasn't an illusion; it was the effect of the "Huangting Nourishing Spirit Sutra."

If not for the system items being bound, Lin Mo would have definitely fed Xie Yuling a few elixir pills to help her feel the effects of the sutra faster.

"Ding—"

The oven emitted a crisp chime.

Five minutes were up. The freshly baked durian croissants had their aroma intensity elevated another notch.

Chu Miaomiao put on thick oven mitts and carefully pulled out the baking tray.

The golden surface of the croissants was dotted with slightly caramelized durian flesh, steaming hot, the fragrance so intoxicating it made one's scalp tingle.

"Try it quickly. This is my latest creation. Guaranteed you'll love it. I'll bake some egg tarts this afternoon."

Hearing "egg tarts," Lin Mo was reminded of his past life experience working as a server in a bakery.

He had to proactively help customers pick bread, and when someone came to buy egg tarts, he was responsible for picking them up.

If the egg tarts were almost sold out, he had to start making them.

Take the pre-prepared tart shells from the fridge, pour in the pre-mixed egg custard.

Put them in the large oven, and when done, take them out, needing to add some cold water to the tray so the tarts with their foil cups could be easily removed.

But one careless move, and you'd burn your hand.

"Lin Mo... Lin Mo!"

Xie Yuling's voice pulled Lin Mo back from his memories.

"Why the sudden daze?"

Lin Mo smiled, "Just remembered some things from the past."

As he spoke, Xie Yuling had already handed him a durian croissant.

By this time, bread and pizza using durian as filling had already appeared on the market.

It was hard to imagine that something like durian pizza was actually developed by a Malaysian and an Italian in Hong Kong.

Probably that Italian knew he'd be drowned in spit if he made such pizza in his own country.

Later, everyone discovered that durian actually paired very well with many desserts.

Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao only ate one durian croissant each, then shared one croissant "roujiamo" before they were full.

Lin Mo, the human incinerator for food, pretty much polished off the rest.

After eating, Chu Miaomiao went back to her room to write her novel, while Xie Yuling redirected her focus to her drawings.

Only Lin Mo was the most leisurely.

He cut a piece from the raw jade stone, then divided it into three.

These three pieces of raw jadeite, whether in size or fineness, were far superior to the five casually connected pieces from before.

After all, Lin Mo had specially prepared them for the girls.

Time passed until the city lights began to twinkle.

A soft click of a key turning came from the entryway. Chu Lintian pushed the door open, dragging in weariness, both hands laden with heavy shopping bags.

As soon as she entered, she saw Lin Mo sitting on the sofa.

"Lin Mo? What are you doing here?" Chu Lintian asked while changing her shoes, her tone full of unconcealed surprise.

Lin Mo didn't answer. Instead, he picked up a golden egg tart: "Here, Miaomiao's new creation, pork floss cream egg tart. Come try it."

Chu Lintian's gaze shifted between the exceptionally good-looking egg tart and Lin Mo's smiling face.

Her hands were full, with no way to free them up, leaving her somewhat awkwardly rooted to the spot.

"Ah..."

With both hands occupied, Chu Lintian could only open her mouth and let Lin Mo feed her.

He held the egg tart and brought it directly to Chu Lintian's lips.

The slightly cooled, flaky crust touched her lips, carrying a hint of sweet, rich fragrance.

Chu Lintian instinctively wanted to take a bite. As Lin Mo pushed the whole tart into her mouth, filling it all at once, the savory pork floss and sweet, smooth cream exploded on her taste buds—the texture was truly stunning.

But the next second, she had no mind to savor it.

As Lin Mo withdrew his hand, his slender fingertips inevitably caught a bit of the overflowing cream.

Under Chu Lintian's wide-eyed gaze, he brought that finger to his own lips with utter naturalness, his tongue lightly flicking out to lick the bit of creamy white clean.

The whole motion was fluid, even carrying a hint of lingering enjoyment.

Boom!

Chu Lintian felt her cheeks instantly burn like hot iron. The pounding of her heart was like a drum, thundering in her ears.

She practically fled in panic, carrying those several large bags, rushing into the kitchen without looking back, her retreating figure radiating fluster.

In the kitchen, Chu Lintian set the things down heavily on the countertop. Leaning against the cool marble table, she took deep, frantic breaths, trying to calm her heart, which felt ready to leap out of her throat.

That guy... he definitely did that on purpose!

After all, one more look, and she would have exploded.

Chu Lintian cooked dinner that evening. It must be said, her culinary skills were actually slightly inferior to Auntie Zheng's.

But Auntie Zheng was a genuine Hakka, capable of making authentic Hakka cuisine.

Hakka cuisine also holds a very important position within Cantonese cuisine.

For Chu Lintian to cook this well based solely on interest was already quite impressive.

However, at the dinner table, Chu Lintian didn't dare to look up at Lin Mo the entire time.

After the meal, Lin Mo and Xie Yuling headed home.

Only after entering the elevator did Xie Yuling look at Lin Mo and ask, "What about that piece of jadeite?"

Lin Mo turned his hand, and a large piece of raw jadeite appeared in his palm. With another turn of his hand, it vanished once more.