"Ah! What are you guys doing here?" She was really surprised to see them standing before her. "Weren’t you out of country Wang? And Lin Shen, you had some surgeries, you promised in S City. As for you He Jian, I thought you had to stay at your family home." In all her rambling, she didn’t notice the way they were looking at her.

  He Jian moved forward and pulled her in for a hug making her stop rambling. "You didn’t even bother to tell us that you were at the hospital yesterday. Are we that unimportant now?" The downcasted tone of He Jian was very new to Xu Mey. He was a mysterious person who never let his emotions show.

  "And we had to know of it through someone who saw you leaving the hospital last night." Lin Shen said. He seemed dispirited.

  "And I took the first flight to get here and you’re asking why are we here?" Wu Wang’s voice made her realize how much she must have let them down.

  "Sorry! I was going to tell you, today. It was very late last night and I didn’t want to disturb you all." Xu Mey replied while looking down guiltily.

  "What happened?" Li Qiao had to get to the point. First, because he didn’t like her guilty look and second, because he needed to know the reason.

  Xu Mey had to relate all the events from entering the Xu Residence to leaving it along with the hospital escapade. While she was at it, she explained the nightmare as well only leaving the part where Ye Jie talked about ’Kun Village’. She knew they will end up beating him and she didn’t want that. Especially, because he hurt her unintentionally and she was also the one who hurt him in the end.

  Although their anger for Ye Jie thawed a bit the anger for Xu Liqing and Fu Lan reached a new pinnacle. If only their Xu Mey gave them permission to take her revenge, they wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

  "Let us help you with the food," Li Qiao offered and all of them nodded indicating their agreement.

  "No…… No…… Stop!" Xu Mey stopped them from touching anything. "You guys go back. I don’t your help at all. I’ll see you later." She pushed them out of the kitchen literally asking them to get out of the house.

  "You barely cook for us anything. What’s so special about your mother-in-law?" Wu Wang was being childish for no reason.

  She groaned in exasperation. "Auntie Li said mothers-in-law are very cunning. I have to be in her good books. She seems hostile for some reason." She replied.

  "Tell me, I’ll take care of your mother-in-law for you, " All of them cracked their knuckles when Wu Wang said that.

  Xu Mey knew they were not kidding at all. If they want, they can take very special care of her mother-in-law. But she didn’t want to get to that level…… Not yet.

  "Forget it…… Go back now……" She had to push them again.

  They were dejected for being treated this way by their Xu Mey but they didn’t want to make anything worse for her. Therefore, they chose to leave.

  As they were about to leave when Father Ye bumped into them. Seeing Mass Media King Li Qiao, World renowned Surgeon Lin Shen, one of the youngest heir to a conglomerate family Wu Wang and the CEO of the famous Architecture Firm who had a mysterious background He Jian, Father Ye was in a daze for a minute. He blinked repeatedly to assure himself that he wasn’t dreaming.

  "Hello, Mr. Ye!" All of them greeted Father Ye before walking past him.

  When Father Ye came out of his daze, he called them from behind. "You guys should stay for some food, It’s already lunchtime anyway." He invited them to join not because of politeness but because of making connections. There was no need to mention their individual families, they were powerful people themselves.

  Father Ye guided them to the back garden and Mother Ye was also surprised to see them. At the wedding, she saw them but to both parents, they were just casual friends. They didn’t notice them much because of their low-profile lifestyle but after asking around, they realized how important these four people were.

  "What’s taking your wife so long?" Mother Ye said with an unpleasant face after waiting for a long time.

  "I’ll check up on her." Ye Jie walked inside the house and different aromas assaulted his senses making his mouth watery.

  As he headed to the kitchen, he saw a line up of porcelainware placed neatly on the dining table. Seeing the line up which seemed to be for a festival, Ye Jie’s jaw dropped.

  Xu Mey was standing beside the table cracking her knuckles in nervousness. Seeing Ye Jie she asked, "Do you think it’ll be enough?"

  Ye Jie looked at her in horror. "Enough? It’s more than enough." He barely got that out of his mouth. "I thought, you couldn’t cook."

  "I never said I can’t. I said I don’t cook." She replied righteously.

  "There is a difference?"

  "Of course there is. I can’t cook means I don’t know how to. But I don’t cook means I just don’t like cooking in general." She was talking animatedly with exaggerated hand gestures.

  Ye Jie cleared his throat. "So, What did you cook?" His eyes were following the colorful dishes on the table increasing his curiosity along with his hunger.

  Xu Mey smiled weirdly. "I made Sesame Ginger Chicken with slightly sticky sweet and spicy sauce which I garnished with toasted sesame seeds and scallions." She pointed at a dish and continued, "This is Shrimp Lo Mein, in this, I used Stir-fried shrimp, assorted veggies and hearty egg noodle which are coated in salty and spicy soy-sesame-oyster-chili sauce. Then I seasoned it with garlic, ginger, and scallions."

  Then she moved forward, " This is Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef- Flavorful beef simmered in a fragrant sauce with bright crisp broccoli over a bed of white rice. Doesn’t it entice your hunger?" Ye Jie nodded completely agreeing with her. Just the look of it was making Ye Jie want to pick it up and devour it. "Over here I have Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers with provolone and crusty rolls. It has a bit of Italian touch for a change." Xu Mey was explaining in detail with ease.

  "Right here is Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta. Like Pasta + chicken + parmesan — can we get it any better than this?" Ye Jie shook his head with a warm-hearted look. He was enjoying how she loved to talk about food. Surprisingly, she said she doesn’t like cooking. Who would believe her if she appeared this enthusiastic?

  "Here we have, Posh Chopped Suey. Simply put, Fragrant Chicken and Mushroom Stir-Fry. It’s loaded with fresh vegetables and lean strips of chicken. It’s quick to make but healthy to eat. But it has a very authentic flavor. You won’t forget it." She assured him with a challenge.

  "I count on it," He replied.

  "Ah! This is Clay Pot Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms and Chinese Sausage. But you didn’t have a clay pot. So, I used a metal pot. But I’m sure it will taste not any different." She said confidently. "Hopefully." Losing confidence in the next minute.

  "Here is Bacon, Egg and Prawn Fried Rice which is garnished with chopped spring onions. Along we have Golden Gate Chilli Ribs which I’m serving with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and a mixed salad. Just look at that fresh color of the ribs making me want to eat it right here." She gulped down her saliva.

  "Other things are Prawn and Chive Potstickers. Serving alongside the dipping sauce. Perfect Pot Stickers which I made sure that they stay moist while prepping." She took a break catching her breath. "Mapo Dofu is here. You have eaten it for sure before. It has a spicy, salty bean paste. I also made Sweet and Sour Pork topping the pork loins with pineapple juice and lime mixture. I thought seafood will be missed so I wanted to make Grilled Coconut Lobster. But first, we didn’t have lobster at home and even if we did, that would need hours to marinate."

  "In desserts, we have, Homemade Chinese Doughnuts and Egg tarts." She finished talking and looked at Ye Jie gazing at her with an indescribable look. "What do you think?" She asked nervously.

  Ye Jie walked up to her and whispered near her ear. "The exotic flavors your hands added would definitely make these sizzling dishes come alive."