Chapter 131: Xue Tian'ai Cooking and the Hopeless Qiong

In Beiyang City, Huaxia, the leadership-exclusive dining room at the far end of the Meng-Hua Group’s fifth-floor canteen is, as the name suggests, reserved for managers, executives, and the like. Compared to the ordinary staff canteen outside, the appointments in this dining room are substantially more luxurious.

Originally commissioned by Qin Wanlan, the father of Qin Mengxue, this room was relegated to obscurity once Qin Mengxue took the helm of the Meng-Hua Group. In her view, only by eating alongside the staff could a leader truly grasp the company's real situation. Thus, the room sat unused—until today.

"I’m actually starting to believe this guy surnamed Xue really is that Cheng Qiankun’s master," Su Jiaqi said, sitting at the dining table with her chin resting on her hands, watching Xue Tian'ai through the transparent glass.

"Indeed. I have to say, Assistant Xue’s image right now is a bit of a shocker," Gan Bingning replied. Her beautiful eyes had been fixed on Xue Tian'ai for some time; though her expression remained neutral, her heart was already lost in a sea of infatuation.

Qin Mengxue said nothing, merely smiling faintly as she sat there. She had seen Xue Tian'ai like this more than once. While not particularly surprised, she had to admit that he looked rather dashing.

At that moment, Xue Tian'ai was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his hair tied into a small ponytail, and clad in a cartoon bear apron. Holding a razor-sharp kitchen knife, he was aggressively tackling a vibrant green bell pepper.

Though he appeared deeply focused, his inner monologue was a frantic stream of complaints:

[Damn it all! To think that the legendary God of Assassins has been reduced to a house-husband. Where is my dignity? Good heavens, so I forgot to cook last night, and so I didn't remember this morning—is it really necessary to toss me into the canteen to cook? This is inhumane! I want to file a complaint; this is an unscrupulous enterprise, guilty of serious labor exploitation and squeezing every drop of value from its workers!]

[I am, at the very least, the President’s Assistant at the Meng-Hua Group. In some ways, I’m second only to one and above ten thousand... why am I doing the cook’s job too? No, I need a raise. I need to start an uprising. I need to fire the first shot of protest...]

Of course, Xue Tian'ai only complained in the dark recesses of his mind to vent his frustration; he wouldn’t actually do any of those things. This was his wife’s company, and by extension his own property; he wasn’t foolish enough to sabotage himself.

Despite his internal grumbling, he went about the cooking "willingly." He had promised the three women he would bring them lunch boxes last night, but had completely forgotten, and even Qin Mengxue, who lived under the same roof, hadn't reminded him. Thus, they had cornered him in the canteen at noon to cook on the spot.

What Xue Tian'ai found fortunate, at least, was that Qin Mengxue had provided this private dining room. With only the four of them present, he avoided unwanted attention, which was a small mercy.

Just as he was about to slice into a piece of pork belly with the perfect fat-to-meat ratio, his phone rang.

Wiping his hands on his apron, he pulled out his phone. His face darkened upon seeing the caller ID. [What is this girl calling me for? Nothing good, I’m sure...] He promptly silenced the call and tossed the phone aside.

As he reached for the pork again, the phone rang once more. Xue Tian'ai was resolute; he reached out and hit the hang-up button again.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before it rang again. [This brat, what does she want?] Though it kept ringing, he wasn't worried; if it were truly urgent, they wouldn't use such a primitive method to reach him.

Deciding he should just get it over with, he checked to see that the three women outside were no longer looking his way, then crouched in the kitchen and answered.

"Xue Tian'ai! You actually dared to decline my call! You are way, way, way too much! And you hung up so many times! Did I interrupt you hitting on some woman? Or are you in the middle of some 'piston action' right now? Let me hear if she moans better than I do! @#￥%……&* (The rest is unsuitable for children)..." A furious female voice erupted the moment the line connected.

As expected, Xue Tian'ai knew that with Shinomiyya Tsukiyomi’s personality, she would start with a tantrum and ramble on—which was exactly why he hadn't wanted to pick up. "Alright, alright, Tsukiyomi, I’m not hitting on anyone, and I’m definitely not doing any 'primitive exercises.' I’m just cooking."

"Oh? Is that so? Is it really?" Tsukiyomi replied with a tone of extreme disbelief.

"Of course it's true. If I were flirting, I would have just turned the phone off."

"You heartless jerk! Waaaaah, you even thought about turning it off to avoid me! You really are a scumbag, a pervert, shameless, an idiot, *baka*, *chikan*, *hanchinarishi* (shameless), *dai-akuto* (great villain), *kuzuo* (scum)..." Her little mouth went on and on, growing more excited until she even slipped into her native tongue.

"..." If he had known this girl was so bored, he never would have answered. "Alright, Tsukiyomi, what do you actually want?"

"Hmph!" Tsukiyomi made a haughty sound. "That stinky piano-player went off to make money, so he handed your task to me. Joan and I have finished investigating that woman; the data has been sent to your phone."

"Oh..." Xue Tian'ai had a moment of realization, recalling the task he had given Weiss. "Weiss actually handed it over to you? And Joan is there too? That’s unexpected." A slender figure with silver hair flashed through his mind.

With the help of 'Lost Butterfly' Joan, tracking someone down wouldn't be difficult. Joan’s top-ten global assassin ranking wasn't due to her combat prowess, but her absolute mastery of network information.

"Got it, thanks. I’m going back to cooking. Give my regards to Joan. Bye." Without giving her a chance to react, he hung up, switched his phone to airplane mode, and returned to his cooking.

Meanwhile, at the European Butterfly base, inside Xue Tian'ai’s bedroom, Tsukiyomi’s face was flushed red with anger. One hand clutched her phone, while the other held a life-sized body pillow of Xue Tian'ai, squeezing its neck as if it were the man himself.

"Joan, look at him! He’s just too much! He hung up on me!" Tsukiyomi complained to the girl sitting next to her.

"Hmm..." Joan nodded silently, her face flushed a cute shade of pink.

"Seriously, just you wait! I’m calling him again!" Tsukiyomi dialed the only pinned number in her contact list, only to be met with the cold, automated voice: "The subscriber you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

"Joan! That guy actually turned his phone off!" Tsukiyomi’s little fist tightened, and she looked at Joan with a pitiful expression.

"Hmm..." Joan nodded blankly, still not offering an opinion.

"Joan, say something! Stop just 'hmm-ing' at me!" Tsukiyomi tossed the phone and pillow aside, draped her arms over Joan’s shoulders, and said earnestly: "Joan, men are fickle creatures. I’ve already mastered Tian'ai, so I might not be as much of a novelty anymore, but you’re different! You’re still a prize... you have to work hard! We can't let him get lost in that Huaxia gentle trap. Even if we’re just lovers, we have to be the number one lovers!"

"But... Ai-Ai mentioned me just now. He told you to pass on his regards," Joan said, staring at Tsukiyomi with deadpan sincerity.

"That’s all it takes to satisfy you?" Tsukiyomi gasped.

"Hmm... satisfied..." Joan nodded, adding as if to emphasize: "Very satisfied..."

[It’s over. There’s no saving her. This silver-haired, expressionless Joan is completely hopeless...] Tsukiyomi covered her face with her small hands, unable to bear the sight of Joan’s airheadedness, and muttered to herself.