Chapter 47: The Lifelong Cook (1)

Sharan’s irritation, after accumulating for such a long time, finally erupted. She spoke coldly, “Hmph, still giggling and fooling around here—I see you never intended to win. Of course, women like you, so overweight, could never win. You’d better give up early and spare yourself the embarrassment.”

It was a rather ordinary remark, certainly nothing compared to what Ye Lang had said before. But the words still stung Zhen Xiaoyan, simply because they came from someone else’s mouth.

No matter how sharp Ye Lang’s words were, she never minded, knowing he meant no harm. But when it was someone else—especially her rival—the effect was different.

“Don’t worry, I won’t give up. I will win, and not just against you—I’ll win the championship!” Zhen Xiaoyan retorted, unwilling to be outdone.

Silence settled over the room. At that moment, everyone was quiet.

Then, laughter erupted. Though everyone knew Zhen Xiaoyan was entering the contest, they also knew she was provoked—so they didn’t laugh at her directly. But now, the situation was different. Zhen Xiaoyan had just declared she would win, that she would take the championship—that was simply too amusing, as if they’d heard the funniest joke in the world.

“Haha, you? You think you can beat me, win the championship? Unless everyone’s blind, you’d better wait for your next life and hope you come back with a different look. Haha…” Sharan laughed recklessly, crushing Zhen Xiaoyan beneath her words.

But that wasn’t the cruelest blow. Sharan continued, twisting the knife: “In this life, you can only compete with pigs for beauty—you belong in a pigsty! Zhen Xiaoyan, you should be called ‘Pig Without Beauty’!”

“You…” Zhen Xiaoyan was so hurt she couldn’t utter a word; tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

At this moment, the entire classroom was silent. Even if they’d laughed at Zhen Xiaoyan before, no one approved of such humiliating words. After all, they’d been classmates for years—there was some affection among them.

In fact, Zhen Xiaoyan was generally liked; she’d never offended anyone. Appearance was no obstacle to friendship—personality was key, and hers was universally regarded as good, as seen in her attitude toward Ye Lang.

“Yes, that’s right—she’s competing with pigs for beauty, which is why she’s entering the contest,” Ye Lang’s indifferent voice sounded.

Everyone froze for a moment, puzzled. Then, realization dawned.

A few people couldn’t help but laugh, secretly admiring the perfect comeback—a classic case of someone hoisting themselves with their own petard.

“Ye Lang! Who are you calling a pig?” Sharan demanded angrily.

“You!” Ye Lang replied bluntly. “I’m just explaining your words literally—she’s competing with you for beauty in the pigsty!”

“Ye Lang, stop it, you’ll offend people,” Zhen Xiaoyan interjected.

She didn’t mean Sharan—Ye Lang had already offended her plenty. She meant that Ye Lang, with one swipe, had insulted all the talented women entering the contest, calling them pigs.

“What’s there to fear about offending people? Who dares to provoke me? I am the thirteenth young master of the Ye family! If the tiger doesn’t show its claws, do they think I’m a sick cat?” Ye Lang boasted arrogantly, revealing his notorious playboy side.

His words reminded everyone in the room: this was the thirteenth young master of the Ye family, not someone to be trifled with. Even if he pointed at the noble ladies entering the contest and called them pigs, they could only swallow their anger.

In recent years, Ye Lang’s status was often overlooked—not only because he kept a low profile, but also because his frequent blunders made him seem approachable and amusing. Most importantly, he rarely used his identity to intimidate others.

Those in the classroom especially tended to forget his status. After so much time together, it was natural to treat Ye Lang as nothing more than a fellow classmate.

Now, Sharan’s expression turned ugly; she seemed to realize this as well. Her boyfriend, Moya, was known as one of the academy’s four young masters, but even all four together might not outweigh Ye Lang.

To put it simply, Ye Lang was like a hidden boss.

“Well, you’re right—ordinary people can’t afford to provoke you. But others can plot against you in secret, and you’re always muddle-headed, easily falling for their tricks!” Zhen Xiaoyan retorted bluntly.

“Come on! I’m sharp as can be—how could I be confused? If someone wants to trick me, maybe they’ll have to wait for their next life!” Ye Lang shook his head in denial.

“Sharp? Then who blundered into the girls’ changing room yesterday and got chased as a pervert for half the day?”

“That’s not my fault! They didn’t put up a sign—I thought it was all guys.”

“Anyone would know there’s a separate room for each. If it were all guys, there wouldn’t be two rooms. You’re just muddle-headed—and it’s not the first time!”

“If you keep talking, I won’t help you anymore! I was going to help you beat those pigs, but now I’ll have to reconsider,” Ye Lang said, both embarrassed and angry.

Zhen Xiaoyan retorted grumpily, “You’re still calling them pigs—that’s… Wait, what did you just say?”

“Nothing much. Just said I’d have to think about whether to help you,” Ye Lang replied, waving his hand.

“Help me? Do you have a way to help me?” Zhen Xiaoyan asked skeptically.

“There are plenty of ways—it depends on your choice,” Ye Lang said, acting mysterious, hands behind his back, gazing at the crowd with a lofty air.

“What ways?” Zhen Xiaoyan ignored his antics, asking nervously. Of course, she hoped to win, even if it seemed impossible.

“There’s an easy way that takes no effort, and a hard way that’s painful—which do you choose?”

“The easy one!” Zhen Xiaoyan answered decisively, as anyone would.

“The easy way is for me to bribe the judges and the audience, threaten them a bit, and under pressure, the championship will be yours for the taking,” Ye Lang offered a solution so bold everyone was stunned—only he would dare suggest such a thing.

After a moment’s silence, Zhen Xiaoyan said, “Let’s try something else—that’s not good!”

Though the idea left everyone speechless, no one doubted Ye Lang could pull it off. With his extravagant nature, this was exactly the kind of thing he liked to do, regardless of whether it would succeed.