Chapter 40: So You Didn't Cook This Meal After All

"Huh?" As soon as Lin Yan's voice trailed off, Ye Ye stopped what she was doing, her brows furrowing even deeper. "Oh dear, how can the refrigerator be empty? Why don't you go down to the supermarket and buy some ingredients right now? I'll go see what we can prepare in the meantime."

Lin Yan glanced at Leng Mohan with a faint smile on her face and actually stood up, preparing to leave the dining table.

Leng Mohan stretched out a long arm and grabbed her wrist in one swift motion. "Where are you going?"

Lin Yan said nothing. Instead, she saw that Ye Ye had already picked up the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs from the table, intending to dump them straight into the trash can.

"Brother Mohan, just bear with it for a moment. I cook very fast, we'll have food in no time." After saying this with a beaming smile to Leng Mohan, she turned to Lin Yan with a frown. "It's not that I want to nag, Sister Lin Yan, but just look at this stuff—can this even be eaten? How could you make something like this for Brother Mohan to eat? Although the color and presentation are passable, it's completely unscientific, lacks nutrition, and does no good for the body at all."

After Ye Ye rattled on with a long speech, Leng Mohan finally reached the limit of his patience and said coldly, "Put it down."

Lin Yan cast a detached glance at Ye Ye, while Ye Ye froze, not knowing how to react.

Leng Mohan stood up, though he didn't let go of Lin Yan's hand. He just looked at Ye Ye coldly and indifferently, asking, "You tell me, why can't this food be eaten?"

"It's not nutritious... and it doesn't taste good... plus..."

Before Ye Ye could finish, Leng Mohan interrupted her.

"Since when is it your place to decide whether something tastes good or not?" Leng Mohan's voice dropped another degree, and then he turned to Lin Yan, his voice softening. "That's up to Yan Yan to decide."

Holding Lin Yan's hand with his left hand, he picked up a pair of chopsticks with his right, plucked a piece of sweet and sour pork rib right over Ye Ye's hands, and brought it to Lin Yan's lips. "Have a taste. You haven't tried my cooking yet."

Lin Yan's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but when she met Leng Mohan's slightly raised brows, she realized she had no choice but to eat it today, and she was bound to offend Miss Ye Ye as well.

She parted her lips and gently took the piece of pork rib into her mouth. The texture was sweet and savory, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, exceptionally delicious. She already loved this dish, and since Leng Mohan had prepared it just to her taste, it was sweet without being greasy.

"Is it good?" Leng Mohan asked softly.

"Mhm, sweet but not greasy, tender and juicy, very appetizing," Lin Yan answered truthfully.

Ye Ye stood frozen in place. What shocked her wasn't whether the dish actually tasted good or not, but the fact that this wasn't made by Lin Yan at all, but by Leng Mohan.

"Did, did Brother Mohan make this?" Ye Ye asked blankly.

"Is there a problem?" Leng Mohan let go of Lin Yan's hand, sat down first, and said coolly, "Sit down and eat."

"No, no problem at all." Ye Ye awkwardly placed the plate of ribs back onto the table.

Leng Mohan glanced down at his wristwatch and said, "It's long past mealtime, let's eat."

Lin Yan raised her eyes to look at Ye Ye, who was standing by the table in supreme awkwardness, but said nothing, lowering her head to take a bite of noodles.

Actually, she could have easily helped Ye Ye out of this awkward situation, but she was no saint, and she hadn't liked Ye Ye much from the very beginning, so she chose to watch coldly from the sidelines.

"Ha-ha, well... I haven't eaten either. You don't mind if I add a pair of chopsticks, do you, Sister Lin Yan?" Ye Ye forced out a couple of dry laughs and sat down in the seat next to Lin Yan.

She knew very well that at this moment only Lin Yan could save her from her embarrassment, so instead of asking Leng Mohan, she directed her question straight to Lin Yan.