Chapter 59: No Comparison, No Pain

Whoosh—

A cluster of orange-red flames leaped up cheerfully.

The entire process took mere minutes.

[Ahhhhh! Brother Chen is awesome! (Voice cracking)]

[Zhao Kai, you should just retire from the group chat, seriously.]

[This gap in tier is practically the difference between Bronze and Grandmaster!]

[Lin Weiwei's expression has already shifted from disappointment to despair, hahahaha!]

[Gu Ningning's eyes aren't shining with light anymore; they're searchlights! The way she looks at Chen Yu is like a starving wolf seeing a little lamb!]

[I declare Chen Yu the MVP of today! Who agrees? Who objects?]

The fire was lit, and next came lunchtime.

Lin Weiwei's family took out a few exquisitely packaged burgers from the insulated box they brought along.

Only, those burgers looked rather deflated, and the meat patties inside appeared completely lifeless—at first glance, they were clearly products of some fast-food chain.

In this world, these already counted as presentable, convenient food.

Zhao Jie took the burger, bit into it twice, and tossed it aside, clearly having little appetite.

On the other side, Chen Yu had already set up his station.

From the boxes he brought, he took out pieces of pre-marinated meat, freshly cleaned vegetables, and various mystery spice powders.

He placed the meat skewers and vegetables over the charcoal fire, evenly brushing a thin layer of oil on them, then turned them over and sprinkled seasonings at intervals as the temperature rose.

Soon, an overbearing fragrance, riding wisps of pale smoke, rudely forced its way into everyone's noses.

"Sizzle—"

Fat dripped onto the glowing red charcoal, emitting an enticing sound.

The surface of the meat chunks was roasted to a crispy, golden-brown perfection, while the inside remained tender and juicy.

The combined scent of cumin, chili powder, and various complex spices was nothing short of the ultimate bombardment on the olfactory nerves.

"So... so fragrant..."

The first one to give way was little fatty Zhao Jie. Abandoning the tasteless burger in his hand, he scampered over on his short legs, staring longingly at the skewers on the grill with drool practically spilling out.

"Uncle, can this be eaten yet?"

Chen Yu smiled, picked up a freshly grilled chicken wing, blew on it, and handed it to him. "Careful, it's hot."

Zhao Jie eagerly accepted it. Disregarding the heat, he took a huge bite.

"Mmph! Delicious! So delicious!"

He cried out indistinctly, both eyes squinting in bliss.

This taste was a hundred times better than anything he had ever eaten at the most high-end restaurants!

Lin Weiwei and Zhao Kai watched their son's ravenous display, then looked down at the cold burgers in their own hands, instantly feeling a sense of utter insipidity.

Gu Ningning had long since sidled up to Chen Yu, cooing in a cloyingly sweet voice, "Mr. Chen, your grilling skills are simply amazing! You're even better than the chefs at a five-star hotel! May I have a taste?"

Chen Yu nodded and handed her a skewer of grilled pork belly.

Gu Ningning took it, took a cautious bite, and immediately her eyes lit up, letting out an exaggerated gasp of praise, "Oh heaven! It's too delicious! Zhiyun, you are truly so blessed to have found such a perfect man like Mr. Chen!"

As she spoke, she cast a pointed glance at Jiang Zhiyun.

Jiang Zhiyun expressionlessly accepted another skewer of grilled meat handed to her by Chen Yu and took a bite.

Delicious.

It was indeed faultlessly, impeccably delicious.

Yet, looking at Gu Ningning, who looked as though she wished she could plaster her entire body onto Chen Yu, for some reason, the grilled meat in her mouth tasted slightly sour.

Everyone could clearly see what was on this woman's mind.

A single barbecue meal ultimately evolved into Chen Yu's personal culinary show.

Everyone swarmed around him; even the driver and bodyguards brought by Jiang Zhiyun were given a share, each eating with oil dripping from their chins and offering endless praise.

Only Zhao Kai sat quietly alone in a corner, gnawing on his neglected burger, his retreating figure appearing exceptionally desolate.

[Public execution is the deadliest kind.]

[Zhao Kai: I didn't come for an outing; I came to undergo a tribulation.]

[Praying for the square footage of Zhao Kai's psychological shadow.]

[This woman Gu Ningning—she praises Jiang Zhiyun with her mouth, but her eyes never leave Chen Yu. A true master of green tea arts!]

[Is it only me who noticed? Brother Chen's first skewer went to Niannian, and the second skewer went to President Jiang. He knows what he's doing! I'm shipping this!]

...

Night fell, and the night at Star Moon Lake was exceptionally tranquil.

Having eaten and drunk their fill, the group began pitching their tents on the grassy lawn by the lake.

Jiang Zhiyun had prepared well in advance, bringing several top-tier outdoor tents that were spacious and fully equipped.

According to the arrangement, Chen Yu's tent was on the far left, right next to Niannian's independent small tent, making it convenient for him to tend to her at any time.

Further down were the tents of Zhao Kai and his son Zhao Jie, while Gu Ningning's was on the far right.

As for Jiang Zhiyun herself, she planned to sleep with Lin Weiwei tonight for a long-overdue girls' midnight chat.

Inside the women's tent, a camping light glowed softly.

Jiang Zhiyun and Lin Weiwei sat cross-legged on the soft sleeping bags, each holding a can of beer.

After chatting about work and gossip within their social circle, Lin Weiwei finally couldn't help letting out a sigh, steering the topic toward today's "disaster zone"—her good-for-nothing husband.

"Zhiyun, I am seriously about to be driven to death by Zhao Kai."

Lin Weiwei took a large gulp of beer, her face etched with worry. "Tell me, how can a man change so much before and after marriage?"

"Back when he was courting me, he put on such an attentive and capable act."

"When the car broke down, he said he could fix it; when a lightbulb broke at home, he climbed right up without a second word to replace it; when I said I wanted to eat something, he would run half the city to buy it back for me. I thought I had struck gold."

"And the result?" She laughed self-deprecatingly. "You saw it today too. Once we got married and had a child, all his fake skin completely peeled off. Forget about taking care of his son, he can't even take care of himself!"

"At home, he's a complete hands-off boss—he wouldn't even bother to lift a finger if a bottle of oil tipped over! If your Chen Yu hadn't been here today, our whole family would be chewing on cold burgers over there!"

The more she spoke, the angrier she grew, and she took another fierce swig of alcohol: "It wasn't until I watched this show that I realized he has hardly ever taken care of Xiao Jie! He doesn't even know what the child likes or what he's allergic to! I must have been blind!"

After venting her grievances, she looked at Jiang Zhiyun with an expression of envy. "Zhiyun, tell me honestly, how on earth did you train your husband? How did you manage to discipline him into someone so all-around competent? Great stamina, can cook, and knows how to take care of kids so well... Quick! Teach me a few tricks! Let me go back and properly whip Zhao Kai into shape!"

"Uh..."

Jiang Zhiyun was stunned by the question, her hand holding the beer can freezing mid-air.

Train? Discipline?

How could she train him? The two of them were in a fake marriage to begin with, merely strangers bound together by a contract.