Why do I feel like you're insulting me

After finishing their conversation, Su Yang turned off his phone and looked at Pan Ning and Meng Qianyu.

"Are you guys hungry?"

Pan Ning shook her head. "Not yet~"

Meng Qianyu grinned. "I am a little~"

"You really are a little foodie, aren’t you?"

"Who’s a foodie? It’s just that the noodles this morning weren’t very good, so I didn’t finish them."

Su Yang chuckled. "I’m really worried about how you’ll manage when we get to the uninhabited area."

"I adapt based on the situation. Honestly, I’m pretty resilient. Right now, we haven’t even set off yet, but once we’re in the wild, I won’t be picky at all. I’ll take whatever’s given to me."

"Really?"

Meng Qianyu tilted her head up. "Of course~"

"Alright then, let’s grab something to eat now and then head home~"

"Su Yang, can we just go home and cook instead~?"

Su Yang paused, then laughed. "Sure~"

......

About twenty minutes later, the three of them returned to the villa.

Su Yang brought the ingredients into the kitchen, whipped up a few simple dishes, and the three had lunch together.

After eating their fill, they went to the backyard, lay down on the lawn chairs, and enjoyed the breeze while basking in the sunlight for a short nap.

By around four in the afternoon, the others started arriving one after another.

Su Yang went to the front door and opened the gate just as Meng Wenzhou and Liu Bo drove up in their cars.

Su Yang waved at them and called out, "Over here~"

"Yang!" Liu Bo stuck his head out and shouted.

"Hey, drive in and park inside~"

"Got it~"

The two drove their cars into the courtyard through the villa’s right-side gate.

Soon after, Tang Ziyun, Su Qingci, Ji Bo, Chu Qiunan, and Zhang Ziming arrived by taxi.

The guys helped everyone load their luggage and equipment into Liu Bo’s Navigator before finally heading inside to rest.

The living room quickly filled with laughter and lively chatter.

This was the first time Su Yang’s villa had hosted so many people since he bought it.

He took the initiative to step behind the bar and started making coffee for everyone.

Meanwhile, Su Qingci and Tang Ziyun, impressed by Su Yang’s luxurious villa, asked Meng Qianyu to give them a tour.

Pan Ning returned to the living room and curled up on the couch alone, scrolling through her phone, while the other guys went to the backyard to smoke.

Chu Qiunan had always thought Su Yang was just moderately well-off—until yesterday, when he saw his Mansory Cullinan. That changed his perspective.

Now, standing in this villa, his opinion of Su Yang completely shifted.

The group sat on the lounge chairs by the pool, smoking and chatting.

Su Yang turned to Liu Bo with a grin. "Hey, Liu Bo, did you manage to get those self-defense items?"

Liu Bo took a drag from his cigarette before answering. "Of course. But now that you mention it, I almost forgot to show you guys. Hold on, let me finish this smoke, then I’ll grab them from the car."

"Put it out, put it out! Go get them now—I’m dying to see what you brought!" Meng Wenzhou urged impatiently.

Liu Bo sighed and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Fine, fine. You’ll be impressed!"

With that, he got up and hurried back to the living room.

The others continued chatting while they waited. Two minutes later, Liu Bo returned, carrying two wooden boxes—each about a meter long, thirty to forty centimeters wide, and twenty centimeters tall.

He grinned as he placed the boxes on the round table beside the lounge chairs. "Alright, guess what’s inside?"

Meng Wenzhou eyed the dimensions of the boxes. "With boxes this big… eh, never mind, I can’t guess. Just open them already."

Ji Bo reached out and touched one of the boxes. "Liu Bo, judging by the size, you didn’t actually get guns, did you?"

"Guns? Where the hell would I get those?"

"Then what else could it be? Probably just different kinds of knives."

"Enough suspense—here, take a look."

Liu Bo flipped open a metal clasp in the middle of the first box and lifted the lid.

Everyone leaned in to see—inside were two black tactical shovels, two folding outdoor knives, two expandable batons, and two sets of brass knuckles.

"Whoa~ Not bad at all!" Meng Wenzhou picked up one of the shovels, examining it with approval.

Liu Bo smirked. "Heh, of course. I told you, when it comes to self-defense gear, I’m the expert."

"Everyone, pick what you like. Once we’re in the uninhabited area, you can choose what to carry."

Su Yang grabbed the pair of silver brass knuckles. "I’ll take these."

"Hah, I knew you’d go for those. That’s why I got them especially for you."

"Guess you know me pretty well."

"Damn right."

Ji Bo glanced at the second box. "Liu Bo, is the other box the same stuff?"

"Nope." Liu Bo lifted the second box and opened it.

Inside were four bottles of pepper spray, a baseball bat, a triangular spike dagger, a tactical defense rod, and a hammer.

"Whoa~ You really went all out!"

"Better to be overprepared than underprepared. Learned that from last time—some things you might not need, but it’s good to have them just in case."

"Fair enough. I’ll take one of the pepper sprays." Ji Bo reached for a bottle.

Smack!

Liu Bo slapped his hand away. "What’re you, a damsel in distress? This stuff is for the girls—Su Yang specifically asked me to get it for them. Pick something else."

Ji Bo pulled his hand back, scratching his head awkwardly. "Heh, my bad. Thought it was up for grabs."

"Then I’ll take one of the batons."

"Sure, but no rush—we’ll distribute everything once we’re actually in the wild."

"Got it~"

After examining the gear for a while, they packed everything back into the boxes.

Su Yang checked the time—it was already past five. He turned to the group. "Alright, enough playing around. Liu Bo, Ji Bo, you two come with me to the kitchen. We’ve got a lot of dishes to prepare for dinner."

"On it!"

......

By eight in the evening, a lavish spread covered the dining table.

There were all kinds of seafood, nine home-style stir-fried dishes, and a large pot of chicken soup with Chinese yam.

Su Yang cracked open a case of Moutai and lined up the bottles on the table.

"Alright, dig in!!"

"Six bottles of baijiu? Are you guys alcohol gods?" Chu Qiunan gaped at the liquor.

Liu Bo grabbed one of the bottles and tossed it playfully. "Heh, you clearly don’t know Su Yang and Pan Ning’s drinking skills. Hell, I could down a whole bottle myself."

"No way?"

"Wanna bet?"

Chu Qiunan quickly waved his hands. "No thanks. If I drank that much, I’d be checking into the hospital, not going anywhere else."

Su Yang laughed. "Just drink what you can handle. No pressure here~ Come on, everyone, sit down!"

"Su Yang, your cooking’s gotten even better. These dishes don’t just look amazing—they smell incredible too." Meng Wenzhou leaned over, fanning the steam rising from the dishes toward his nose.

At this moment, Meng Qianyu, standing nearby, flashed a smug smile, as if she had cooked the entire table of dishes herself.

"Bro, don’t just smell it. Once you take a bite, you’ll realize how amazing it is. I guarantee you’ve never tasted anything this delicious in your life."

Meng Wenzhou turned to Meng Qianyu with skepticism. "What? It’s not like I’ve never had Su Yang’s cooking before. Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Don’t believe me? Then try it~"

"Fine, I’ll take that challenge." Without waiting for the others to sit down, Meng Wenzhou picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of stir-fried beef, popping it into his mouth.

After just a couple of chews, his expression suddenly changed, and his jaw froze mid-bite.

The others held their breath, watching for his reaction.

Suddenly—

Meng Wenzhou straightened up, his eyes widening as he rushed over to Su Yang, gripping his shoulders and exclaiming, "Su Yang!!! Are you some kind of culinary god??"

"Feels more like you’re insulting me," Su Yang replied with a helpless laugh.

"No, no, I mean it—culinary god!! The god of cooking!!"