Jiang Qiuran's curiosity about that mysterious masked woman largely stemmed from the other's demeanor—she was the classic sweetheart type. Among the girls around Su Bai, none really fit this archetype, meaning Jiang Qiuran had originally monopolized this niche. But now, another girl had beaten her to it!
In other words, if Su Bai grew tired of her, he might not need Jiang Qiuran at all anymore.
The mere thought of this was terrifying.
Yet Su Bai didn’t seem interested in chatting with her. He hadn’t replied to several of her messages, and fearing she might annoy him, Jiang Qiuran stopped sending more.
Meanwhile, at an American-style steakhouse...
A sizzling cast-iron platter was brought out, bearing a USDA Prime ribeye steak glistening with juices.
According to the server, the steak had undergone a 42-day dry-aging process—no one knew why it was exactly 42 days. Maybe because 42 was the ultimate answer to the universe?
In any case, it tasted fantastic—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a rich, buttery burst of flavor upon the first bite. When sliced open, the center revealed a delicate pink hue, the marbling of the beef clearly visible.
"So, what do you think of this place? Yangyang, you should be the judge."
"Huh? Why me?"
"You’ve lived abroad. Dishes like this are more common overseas, right?"
"Oh… yeah, it’s really good."
Yangyang cut a small piece of steak, took a bite, and gave her honest opinion: "The searing technique is solid, and the aging process is well-executed. The only downside is the flavor profile is a bit plain. I prefer more experimental aging methods."
"Ah, you mean when they add different ingredients to the wrapping during aging?"
"Mm-hmm. Common ones include cheese or avocado aging, but there are also flashier options, like Longjing green tea aging or fermented bamboo shoot aging..."
"Wait, you can really use fermented bamboo shoots?"
"Of course! Hehe, I tried it once when I was bored abroad. The result was… hard to describe. Let’s just say it’s an acquired taste."
Aging techniques essentially involve slow, controlled fermentation of meat.
There are two main types: dry-aging and wet-aging. Depending on what’s added to the aging wrap, the meat absorbs those flavors—though it’s not a straightforward one-to-one transfer, as temperature and fermentation time also play a role.
"That sounds fun. The penthouse at Yashige has plenty of space—maybe I’ll set up a couple of aging chambers for experimentation."
"You’re really going to try it? Can I come watch?"
The moment the words left her lips, a flicker of unease crossed Liu Chenyang’s face.
Being with Su Bai was so enjoyable that she sometimes forgot the complications of reality.
She couldn’t openly join Su Bai’s harem, could she? If that ever happened, her father would absolutely lose it!
Sure, Su Bai was wealthy, but the Liu family were established power players in Jiangcheng. If push came to shove, her father would inevitably clash with Su Bai.
So maybe it was better not to visit Su Bai’s home as Yangyang… Ugh…
Meanwhile, Su Bai noticed the hint of melancholy in Liu Chenyang’s expression and immediately understood.
He reached out, ruffling her hair reassuringly. "Don’t worry. Just come over when the time comes. I’ll handle everything."
"Really? Su Bai, you wouldn’t find it troublesome…?"
"Troublesome how?"
"Well… um…"
Su Bai pinched her cheek playfully, making her blush and stumble over her words.
Being pampered by such a considerate man was truly wonderful.
But Su Bai’s mind was already racing with bolder ideas.
Was there a way to convince Liu Chenhu to stop raising his daughter as a son?
Ideally, a gentle, harmless, and seamless transition.
For now, while Yangyang was studying at Jiangcheng University, Su Bai could easily spend time with her without raising the Liu family’s suspicions or getting tangled in their internal drama.
With four years to work with, Su Bai was confident he could find a solution—one that would allow Yangyang to exist openly as a girl.
Of course, he didn’t have a concrete plan yet, just some theories.
The key likely lay with that Old Taoist who had Liu Chenhu completely fooled…
If he could bypass Liu Chenhu and deal with the Old Taoist first, Yangyang’s problem would solve itself.
Su Bai thought this approach was brilliant, though he wasn’t sure if it was feasible yet.
But that was a concern for later.
Right now, the priority was enjoying the meal.
The steak was excellent—aside from the slightly monotonous flavor, it was one of the best in the Bada Plaza, though the price was a bit steep.
As for the side dish, truffle fries… Western cuisine really was predictable. Any time they wanted to inflate prices, they just slapped on truffle or caviar.
But when Su Bai took a bite, his eyes lit up.
These fries… had a cheese filling.
The rich, sweet cheese, balanced by the earthy truffle, cut through the grease perfectly.
Even by Su Bai’s recent high standards for gourmet food, this dish was impressively executed.
His expectations now heightened, he tried another side:
"Smoked Chili Creamed Spinach"
Now this was innovative.
Taking the traditional sweet creamed spinach and tossing it with Mexican-style chili sauce…
"Tastes like the two-and-a-half-yuan spicy oil-tossed spinach from the university cafeteria’s cold dish counter."
"Hahaha, I was thinking the same thing!"
Fusion cuisine was always a gamble—sometimes divine, sometimes disastrous.
…
Finally, the obligatory dessert.
Nothing remarkable—it tasted like something from a chain bakery on the mall’s first floor, probably from the same supplier.
Honestly, that was a good thing. For mid-tier Western restaurants, store-bought desserts often outperformed homemade ones.
After all, we were living in the era of mass-produced pre-made dishes.
A mediocre house-made dessert couldn’t compete with a professionally supplied one.
Dinner concluded, the bill came to over 1,300 yuan.
Su Bai only got a 2x cashback reward this time.
Oddly, he felt pleased seeing low-multiplier cashback on small purchases—luck had to balance out. If low-value spends yielded small multipliers, it meant high-value spends were more likely to hit big ones.
It was practically superstition at this point.
As for the afternoon’s plans, Su Bai already had an idea.
Parked in the underground lot of Bada Plaza, he turned to Yangyang and announced his intention to buy a tennis court.
"Buy what?"
"A tennis court."
"…"
What an obscure thing to say!
Even in Yangyang’s social circles, no one casually mentioned "buying a tennis court" while lounging in a car, fiddling with the infotainment system after a meal.
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
