Chapter 133: I Used to Make Films

"Damn it, how can you be this bad at cooking! I swear this is the absolute worst dish I have ever eaten in my entire life—no exceptions! And are you sure this greasy, unrecognizable mess is what you call braised pork? Let me tell you, I'm not blowing smoke here, but even an underage gorilla sitting down to make this dish would have done a better job than you!!!"

"Well, while you're busy badmouthing me, could you at least stop moving your hands and your mouth for a second? Besides, do you even have any shame? You've been mooching meals off me for days—don't you have any self-awareness?"

Xue Xiwen set down his chopsticks and glared at Qin Wanlan, who was busy stuffing his face across from him. "And you’ve been whining about this for days. Aren't you tired of it? My ears are practically calloused from listening to you..."

"Who cares what you think? As long as I'm happy..." Qin Wanlan perfectly embodied the "tsundere" personality, his chopsticks never pausing as he shoveled meat into his mouth. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, these potatoes are neither raw nor cooked, just terrible... It seems I overestimated you earlier. I bet a newborn monkey could cook better than you."

"You old geezer, are you looking for a fight?" Xue Xiwen slammed his hand on the table and stood up, "menacingly" gesturing at Qin Wanlan across the table.

"You think I'm afraid of you?! It’s been years since we last fought; I want to see if the arms and legs of a Commander like you have rusted away!" Qin Wanlan’s mouth was still stuffed full, his lips glistening with grease, but he didn't seem to care. Refusing to be outdone, he stood up as well, glaring back at Xue Xiwen.

Outside, the sounds of soldiers training and shouting roared like thunder. Inside, at the dining table, the two middle-aged men stood in a tense, silent standoff.

"Alright, alright, you two do this every single day. I'm tired of watching it." A gentle female voice broke the "volatile" silence.

The owner of the voice was Lan Yingyan, Qin Wanlan’s wife and Qin Mengxue’s mother. Although she was getting on in years, one could still see the elegance and beauty she possessed in her youth.

Lan Yingyan felt quite helpless. Ever since she and Qin Wanlan returned from Western Asia and moved into the residence of their relative-to-be, Commander Xue Xiwen, the two men bickered incessantly, constantly threatening to duel... Even though they were both getting old, they acted like children, bickering and scuffling all the time.

"Xiwen, you know how Wanlan is. He can't change. Truth be told, he actually quite likes your cooking..." Lan Yingyan stepped in as the peacemaker between these two "immature" middle-aged men.

"I do not like his cooking! It's garbage; it doesn't suit my palate at all!" Qin Wanlan sat back down after hearing his wife’s words, stabbing a piece of pork skin with his chopsticks and popping it into his mouth.

"Hmph! You think I enjoy cooking for you? If it weren't for Yingyan, I’d tell you to go chew on tree bark!" Xue Xiwen snorted and sat down as well, though he seemed full and stopped using his chopsticks. "It just so happens I was worried about who was going to deal with the scrap bark in my training yard!"

For a moment, the table fell into an unspoken silence. Xue Xiwen sat quietly, looking out the window, lost in thought. Qin Wanlan kept his head down, silently shoveling rice and vegetables into his mouth. Lan Yingyan sat elegantly at the corner of the table, watching them both with a faint, gentle smile.

"Is there anything you need me to prepare? As long as it's not anything too outrageous, I can manage," Xue Xiwen said, breaking the silence, though his eyes remained fixed on the window.

"Two plane tickets to the capital for today, two more from the capital back to Beiyang City for tomorrow, and give me three catties of that special tea reserved for your command," Qin Wanlan said, putting down his chopsticks and looking seriously at Xue Xiwen.

"None of those are a problem..." Xue Xiwen said calmly, then turned his head to ask, "But aren't you heading home? Why the detour to the capital?"

"Ahem..." Qin Wanlan cleared his throat, putting on a mysterious air. He leaned toward Xue Xiwen and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Actually... I... I'm craving Peking duck! So I’m planning to stop by the capital first to grab one..."

Xue Xiwen, who had been listening intently, watched his face darken instantly. Lan Yingyan looked as if she were deeply embarrassed, covering her eyes as if she couldn't bear to look...

...

Meanwhile, in the executive dining room of the Menghua Group in Beiyang City, the plates on the table were already empty.

"Xue, how on earth did you make this? Why is it so delicious?" Su Jiaqi rubbed her full stomach, wiped her mouth with a wet tissue, and looked at Xue Tian'ai.

Xue Tian'ai held up his slender index finger and wagged it at her. "This is Tian'ai’s secret, proprietary recipe. The secrets of heaven must not be revealed..."

"Pfft, keep it then..." Su Jiaqi wiped her mouth again and continued, "But Xue, what exactly did you do before you became an assistant? You're so good at fighting, and your cooking is amazing. I’m really curious."

She had originally wanted to add that he was also incredibly rich, but since Qin Mengxue and Gan Bingning were present, she held back. However, Su Jiaqi couldn't have known that even without that comment, her words had already successfully piqued the wary attention of both Qin Mengxue and Gan Bingning.

"Well..." The question Xue Tian'ai dreaded most had surfaced again. He suddenly put on a look of profound sorrow, his eyes dark and deep as he looked at Su Jiaqi. "Truth be told, I used to be in the film industry..."

The expressions of the three women changed instantly. Gan Bingning and Su Jiaqi’s eyes widened in surprise; they hadn't expected him to answer so readily.

Qin Mengxue, however, turned her head away, suppressing a laugh. Gan Bingning and Su Jiaqi might not have understood what Xue Tian'ai meant by "film industry," but she certainly did... This guy didn't even bother to change his lies.

"The film industry?" Gan Bingning, clearly not catching the implication, looked at him innocently. "Assistant Xue, were you an actor?"

Su Jiaqi stared at Xue Tian'ai’s sharp, defined features and nodded thoughtfully. Given his natural, superior looks, it was certainly possible. Even she had to admit he was incredibly handsome—better looking than even the most popular young idols, even with their makeup.

"An actor... I suppose that’s one way to put it..." Xue Tian'ai mused, nodding. "If you really want to call it that, then yes, it was technically film."

"But does being an actor make you good at fighting? Or cooking?" Su Jiaqi asked the real question. Many action stars were skilled, but she had never seen one with the terrifying, uncanny combat ability Xue Tian'ai possessed. And his cooking level was simply beyond what an average person could achieve.

"Of course! Being a professional means having a dedicated spirit!" Xue Tian'ai said with conviction. "You should know that the places I worked weren't just common sets like swimming pools, hot springs, or cabins!"

"Sometimes it was in the kitchen, sometimes there were scenes involving thugs or violent S&M roles! Plus, the stunts required were often high-difficulty! I had to coordinate with the lead actresses for those moves, so over time, those skills became second nature!" Xue Tian'ai said passionately.

Even though Xue Tian'ai was speaking with immense excitement, Gan Bingning and Su Jiaqi were completely lost. They couldn't understand what he was talking about—swimming pools? Hot springs? Why would he need to coordinate high-difficulty moves with the lead actress...

Although Qin Mengxue didn't fully understand the technical jargon either, she knew that not a single word coming out of Xue Tian'ai's mouth was decent.

"Xue, what kind of movies did you shoot? Action sci-fi?" Su Jiaqi tilted her head and asked.

"Action sci-fi? Hmm... sometimes there might be plots involving things like time-freezing..." Xue Tian'ai nodded, neither denying nor confirming. "But most of the time, it was just pure action."

"Is it the kind of intense, martial arts-style action movie where every punch lands?" Gan Bingning stared at him, not wanting to let this opportunity to learn about his past slip away.

"Not exactly... If you want to call it fighting, sure, but it's more like a man and a woman fighting..." Xue Tian'ai's expression remained unchanged, maintaining his thoughtful look.

"A man and a woman fighting? Xue, what kind of movie was that?" Su Jiaqi felt more confused than ever. A man and a woman fighting, usually in a hot spring or a swimming pool... What kind of movie was this?

"Japanese adult films," Xue Tian'ai said, proudly raising his head. "The kind where a man and a woman are in bed ******************."

As Gan Bingning and Su Jiaqi realized he was telling a lewd story, their faces flushed bright red. This Xue Tian'ai was truly shameless—to speak so casually about such things right in front of women...

"Pervert!" "Sex maniac!" "Shameless!" "Filth!" Su Jiaqi’s mouth became a machine gun, firing insults at him. She had thought he might be serious for once, but he was just messing with her again...

Gan Bingning, naturally, thought of the intimate moments she had shared with him. Her face burned red as a monkey's bottom. She covered her face with her hands, sitting there in silence, though she peeked through her fingers at him with a mix of shame and curiosity.

Qin Mengxue, somewhat prepared, was doing better, though she glared at him with a pout. Even if she knew he was joking, the joke was just too vulgar for a girl to handle...