Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots
Chapter 1192 - 011 Traces (Ten more updates)

Chapter 1192: 011 Traces (Ten more updates)

However, now seeing Lin Yuan greet her actively, her mood did not improve in the slightest, it only became more infuriated.

In her eyes, Lin Yuan’s smile at this moment was completely scheming, a deliberate act to mock her!

"Slut!" she cursed inwardly, but Yao Hanai still put on a perfect, impeccable mask of enthusiasm on her face, smiling as she exchanged a few words with Lin Yuan.

"Miss Lin, if there has been any lack of hospitality today, please forgive me. Be sure to look me up when you have time for some fun."

Although the invitation wasn’t very enthusiastic, Lin Yuan still accepted it "enthusiastically." Suddenly, she remembered some mischief she had done before and said pitifully, "Certainly, certainly, I must invite Miss Lin to my humble abode one day. Oh, right, about the table and dishes I broke?"

Yao Hanai would have been fine if she hadn’t mentioned those things, but the moment she did, her headache worsened. The cups and dishes were one thing, but that small table was something her mother had specially reserved for entertaining distinguished guests. Today, in order to show off her superiority in front of Su Qiuyu, Yan Ruchun, and of course, Lin Yuan, she had gone to great lengths to borrow it from her mother, not expecting it to be ruined now!

However, she couldn’t possibly demand Lin Yuan to pay for damages in front of so many young ladies.

Seeing Lin Yuan’s genuinely remorseful appearance, Yao Hanai steeled her heart, waved her hand generously, and said with an unconcerned smile, "It doesn’t matter, it’s just a table, no harm done. Miss Lin mustn’t worry about it, do remember to visit often when you are free!"

Having received "forgiveness," Lin Yuan immediately changed her expression and thanked Yao Hanai profusely, with Lin Wei and the others making their way out of the Yao Mansion.

Once they left, Yao Hanai could no longer keep up her façade. After speaking a word to Yao Zhilan, she prepared to return to her room to rest. But as she turned around, she caught sight of Su Qiuyu looking at her with a seemingly amused expression.

Yao Hanai sneered inwardly, approached her, and smiled, "Miss Su, are you satisfied with today’s fare? Was the food to your liking?"

Su Qiuyu’s lips curled up coldly, her gaze equally icy, "Thanks to Miss Yao for today’s hospitality, I am very satisfied. Of course, compared to the food, what I’m more pleased with is probably Miss Yao’s cooperation."

Yao Hanai paused, blinking her eyes, somewhat confused.

Her perplexed look utterly annoyed Su Qiuyu, who, grinding her teeth, said coldly, "Yao Hanai, I thought you were truly noble! It turns out you’re just another pretender! Hmph, let me tell you, Brother Zheng is mine, and whether it is you or Lin Yuan, no one is going to steal him away from me!"

Faced with Su Qiuyu’s accusation, Yao Hanai stopped pretending, but compared to Su Qiuyu’s irritation, she was calmer.

With a light laugh, Yao Hanai shook her head gently and looked directly into Su Qiuyu’s eyes, reminding, "I think Miss Su has been angered by that little country girl today, unable to distinguish who your real enemy is. But then again, I don’t mind reminding you once more, it is Lin Yuan who Xia Zheng truly likes. Whether it is you or me, we can only possess Xia Zheng’s body but never his heart."

After a pause, Yao Hanai continued, "However, I am different from you, Miss Su. Your goal is to have both Xia Zheng’s body and heart, while I, I’m content with just his body. So, Miss Su, Lin Yuan is indeed your biggest enemy."

Body and heart?

Su Qiuyu coldly raised her eyes, her sharp gaze piercing Yao Hanai like a sword, she said fiercely, "Yao Hanai! I warn you, don’t set your sights on Xia Zheng! He is not a stepping stone for you to climb to a higher position!"

Yao Hanai’s lips curled slightly, as if she had just heard a very amusing joke, "A stepping stone? No, you are mistaken. While you may all long for that exalted position, I do not want it, I just want a man that I don’t need to share with others. And that man is naturally Xia Zheng!"

Listening to Yao Hanai’s words, laced with scornful mockery, Su Qiuyu really wanted to slap her! She didn’t like Xia Zheng, she just liked to conquer things that others couldn’t have!

Yes, an object! In Yao Hanai’s eyes, Xia Zheng was nothing more than an object!

"Yao Hanai, you will regret this!" The words almost seemed to squeeze out from between her teeth as Su Qiuyu brushed past Yao Hanai’s shoulder and stormed out the door.

Yao Hanai stroked her somewhat sore shoulder, but she didn’t show any sign of irritation; instead, she laughed, "Regret? I, Yao Hanai, will never do anything that I’ll regret."

Emerging from Yao Mansion, she saw Lin Yi with the horse-drawn carriage, having been waiting for quite a while.

Seeing the curtains of the carriage sway and Lin Yi’s wordless gaze towards the sky, Lin Yuan curved her lips, knowing full well that someone must be inside the carriage.

"Xuanxuan, can you get back home by yourself? I’ll go back to the estate and get some guards to escort you home!"

Although it was not very late and there were still quite a few pedestrians on the street, Lin Yuan was still somewhat worried about Tian Xuan going back to Tian Mansion alone.

Tian Xuan, however, waved her hand nonchalantly with a smile that curved her eyes, "Sister Yuan, rest assured. Don’t underestimate my coachman; he’s not just any coachman, but one specially chosen by my father to protect me."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan turned to look at Tian Xuan’s carriage and indeed saw that the coachman, although not tall, was agile and held the whip in a strong and powerful hand, clearly well-trained.

In that case, Lin Yuan’s mind was put at ease.

Before leaving, Tian Xuan gave Lin Wei a radiant smile, "Weiwei, let’s go check the shortlist at the Red Smoke Pavilion together someday!"

Lin Wei nodded, smiling and waving her off.

Both women shared a passion for embroidery, and upon meeting today, they felt an instant kinship. Yet, when compared to Lin Wei’s embroidery skills, Tian Xuan was far less skilled; Lin Yuan wondered whether Tian Xuan’s name would be on the list for the final selection.

At the entrance of Yao Mansion, there weren’t only the two carriages from Lin Yuan’s house; knowing that Xia Zheng should not show himself, Lin Yuan had Lin Wei and the others board the other carriage while she climbed into the one driven by Lin Yi.

Sure enough, the moment she slipped into the carriage, a strong hand pulled her over.

Even though she already knew someone was inside the carriage, such an abrupt pull caught Lin Yuan by surprise, causing her to gasp and her head to bump into Xia Zheng’s warm and broad chest.

"Why so late?" Xia Zheng’s voice was suppressed as he wrapped one arm around Lin Yuan’s waist and used the other hand to guide her face up towards him.

In the dimness of the carriage, Xia Zheng used his exceptional eyesight to carefully examine Lin Yuan’s cheeks and expressions.

Lin Yuan was speechless, looking into Xia Zheng’s restless eyes, she couldn’t help but ask, "What are you looking at?"

As he looked, Xia Zheng responded earnestly, "I’m checking to see if there are any signs of you being bullied on your face!"

Lin Yuan almost choked on her saliva with a sound of disbelief; was this guy actually looking for any marks of being slapped on her face? Or searching for traces of tears from being bullied?