The Dishes I Personally Cooked for Them

"Where has Young Master Li gone?"

"I don’t know. Maybe he went next door."

"What’s he doing next door? Unless..."

"He bought the place next door too. At this rate, the whole street might soon bear the Li name."

"Oh, by the way, I just saw Tu Yan changing her clothes earlier. She even mentioned... inviting Li Mo to see the lanterns tonight?"

Amid the lively chatter, many were quietly probing for Li Mo’s whereabouts.

Luo Ji, ever the instigator, fanned the flames without lifting a finger.

Li Mo had struck a deal with her, offering a generous sum, but the Wanchun Pavilion was her life’s work. To have her people taken away with a single word—

And that brat treated her like air.

True, she wasn’t exactly virtuous, but men lining up from the inner city to the outer walls dreamed of winning her wealth and beauty.

How infuriating was that kid?

What woman could tolerate such disrespect? Especially a woman like her—now she just wanted to see Li Mo scrambling to put out fires.

Truthfully, she didn’t need to lift a finger. The women of the Hundred Flowers Ranking were peerless beauties, each with their own allure, none willing to admit inferiority.

This wasn’t about whether they could be "blessed" by some so-called "wife-fortune soul."

This was the innate rivalry among women, the unspoken war of the Hundred Flowers Ranking!

After a brief lull, many had retreated to freshen up, donning new attire—except Lan Tian, who was still munching away with gusto.

"Hey, they seem... prettier?"

"To be precise, their clothes got skimpier..."

"Damn, Li Mo isn’t even here, yet they’re going all out. Could it be... they’ve got eyes for me?"

The brothers watched the blossoming spectacle, feeling like they’d stumbled into a dream.

A sight they’d never forget...

"Amitabha... today’s vow of celibacy fails again. Last time, this is definitely the last time..." Murong Xiao sighed to the heavens.

Xiao Qin suddenly felt his aura surge, a faint divine shadow manifesting behind him.

"Master, why’d you show up? It’s risky—if anyone realizes you’re not a true divine will, we’re done for."

"Then why don’t we swap control for a bit?" Thousand Forms Martial Venerable murmured.

Xiao Qin paused. "I’m just concerned for your recovery... not that I want to see..."

"Tsk... that little vixen from the Hehuan Sect..."

Xiao Qin’s neck twisted reflexively, his breath hitching.

Tu Yan of the Hehuan Sect was truly a succubus.

Her outfit—how to put it—revealed nothing outright, yet the artful hints of concealment only accentuated her curves, leaving little to the imagination.

"Witch," Lady Shen sneered.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Tu Yan smiled sweetly, her words dripping with provocation:

"Oh, by the way, remember that talented Scholar Zhao who played such refined music with you?"

"What did you do to him?"

"He has a mole on his chest," Tu Yan purred, her eyes half-lidded.

"You—!"

Even Luo Ji, the master stirrer, was caught off guard.

She hadn’t even made her move, and the situation was already spiraling.

"Li Mo, Li Mo... if you return any later, there’ll be no saving this..."

Luo Ji chuckled, glancing toward the entrance—

Only to find Li Mo already back, staring blankly at the scene.

"What’s going on here?"

"Jealousy, plain and simple. You’re finally back. Not much I can do—after all, you’re the boss now."

"Huh?"

Young Master Li was floored. He wasn’t even present, and still, chaos erupted?

"Young Master, she despises me, even threatened to ruin my face. So uncivilized," Tu Yan whimpered, a delicate flower begging for protection.

As she spoke, she tried to slip behind Li Mo—a masterstroke to paint Lady Shen as a shrew while stoking male protectiveness. Tea-artistry at its finest.

"?"

But Tu Yan never saw it coming.

Before she could take shelter, the top-ranked Hidden Dragon executed flawless positional control.

Zero protection offered.

"You’re the benefactor here... won’t you stand up for little old me?"

Tu Yan’s hand ghosted toward him—

Only for Li Mo to sidestep just as soundlessly.

"???"

Was this man’s heart carved from ice?

She looked up and froze. Li Mo’s eyes held nothing but wariness. And the entire Wanchun Pavilion had fallen deathly silent.

The Hundred Flowers lowered their proud heads; even the furious Lady Shen quieted.

For they’d all seen the figure trailing Li Mo.

Before, their rivalry stemmed from believing their beauty was comparable—subjective, varying in different eyes.

But sometimes, one person’s presence renders subjectivity obsolete...

Lady Shen was speechless. She recalled a local belle from her hometown, famed for miles as a stunning beauty—until she met her, called her a goddess, and wilted in shame.

Now she understood that girl’s bizarre feeling.

"Wow, I thought Fairy Han would look just like the illustrations in The Tyrannical Empress Falls for Me," Lan Tian chirped around a mouthful of skewers, bouncing over like an eager fan.

"Why’d you think that?"

Li Mo was amused.

"Because you, Benefactor Daddy, look exactly like Jiang Chen! Why?" Lan Tian tilted her head.

Li Mo suddenly remembered—Senior Brother Ouyang had indeed agonized over this, losing clumps of hair, lamenting his inability to capture the "ice block’s" natural grace.

Damn, was he the true painting prodigy all along?

"Then... should I call you Benefactor Mommy?" Lan Tian blinked.

Ying Bing’s frosty gaze softened. "You’ll have Li Mo’s cooking tonight."

"Eh? What about the other sisters?"

"They’ll enjoy my personal hospitality."

Ying Bing surveyed the springtime splendor before her.

Her flawless face wore a smile, her tone as gentle as a vernal breeze.

Li Mo: "!"