"Lingling, did you really cook all these dishes?" Wen ZheYuan asked, pulling everyone's attention toward him.
Before Xiang Ling could have answered, Xin Cheng decided to open his mouth and turn the atmosphere sour. "Even though you have been living here only for a few months, you should still know better than to believe something so audacious. Her and cooking... ridiculous!" He even went as far as to scoff at the end of the sentence.
"But Fu Xiao just said that-"
"Fu Xiao is just a maid who would do anything to impress her master. It's even more questionable that you are trusting someone who has been so dedicatedly serving her master while everyone else left her." Xin Cheng didn't let Wen ZheYuan finish speaking and called him out for trusting Fu Xiao's words. But amid all this, his actual target was Xiang Ling.
It would be an understatement to say that Xiang Ling was infuriated because of Xin Cheng but still, she managed to keep a calm facade and continued to enjoy the food. The dining hall suddenly turned silent and it forced her to finally look up at the men.
As she studied their faces one by one, she realized that each one possessed a different sort of expression at the moment - surprised, confused, suspicious, and even neutral. All four men were staring at her as if they were seeing her for the first time and it didn't take long before Xinag Ling realized the reason behind their unusual expressions.
If it had been the previous Xiang Ling, she would have already started shouting, cursing, and fighting with Xin Cheng after all the nonsense he just talked about her not being able to cook. Yet, the current Xiang Ling didn't even bet an eyelash and continued to enjoy her food in silence. This sudden shift in her attitude was more than enough to shock all four men.
Continuing her act, Xiang Ling put on a confused expression before shifting her gaze between all four men. "What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?" She raised one of her hands and wiped her fingers across her cheeks to wipe away the non-existent presence.
It was Wei Guang who pulled himself out of his trance first and quickly shook his head before replying, "It's nothing. There's nothing on your face." He looked hesitant for a moment before he added - "You seem to be enjoying the food."
A real small smile bloomed on Xiang Ling's lips as she nodded her head at his words. Since she was looking at her plate filled with fried rice, she failed to see the shift in the men's attitude when they saw her smile so beautifully. "I cooked all these with so much effort and after tasting them, I realized that even after not using my cooking skills for so long, I can still be considered a decent cook."
She looked up at Wei Guang and smiled at him warmly before shifting her gaze toward the other three men. She made sure to look at Xin Cheng for a second longer but didn't make it obvious that her words were directed more at him than at Wei Guang.
"So you really cooked these." Wei ZheYuan said from his seat as he took a bite of the rice cakes that she had made. A moan-like sound escaped his lips as he enjoyed the cake, making the others stare at him. When he was finished eating the cake, he looked at her with his sparkling purple eyes and said, "These are indeed tasty. I didn't know you could make something this tasty."
Xiang Ling just smiled awkwardly as she didn't know how to handle the compliment. What she thought was that despite his words sounding like a compliment, he was still somehow mocking her.
From the corner of her eyes, she noticed Wei Guang taking a sip of the chicken soup. He closed his eyes as soon as the rich flavor of the soup touched his taste buds and despite him keeping a straight face, Xiang Ling knew that she had impressed him as well with her cooking.
On the other hand, Xin Cheng and Li Dao Ming also picked up their chopsticks to try the food, and while both these kept their faces neutral just like Wei Guang, they made it pretty obvious that they too liked the food when they reached out for more.
It took quite some effort on Xiang Ling's part to keep a straight face and not let the smile spill on her lips. She picked up her chopsticks and was about to dig in when Wei ZheYuan suddenly attracted her attention toward him. The man suddenly stood up from his seat and moved to sit next to her.
"..."
Xiang Ling stared at him with wide eyes while she kept her mouth closed.
"Lingling, when did you learn to cook?" He asked while looking at her with his warm eyes.
"A long time ago." Xiang Ling answered in a single breath. She was feeling like she was being interrogated all of a sudden.
"Then why did you never cook before?" He asked next.
"I..." Xiang Ling wasn't sure how to answer this time. If she had known that cooking a simple meal would bring this much trouble, she would have given up on that idea the moment it popped up in her mind. However, it was quite late for her to regret now. "... I'm not sure."
Her response was greeted by a silence that lasted for a few moments before he again asked, "Lingling, have you really forgotten your memories?"
While Xiang Ling slowly nodded her head in response, Xin Cheng scoffed from the opposite end. The man still found the entire story of amnesia ridiculous. His dark gaze was fixed on Xiang Ling while Wei ZheYuan questioned her.
The Fifth Master once again stood up from his seat and turned his body to fully face Xiang Ling who too was now facing him while still seated. He walked closer until he was standing right in front of her and bent his upper body until he was hovering over her. "I think I might have to prove whether Lingling is telling the truth or not. Let me prove."
Xiang Ling watched with wide eyes as the man closed the remaining space between their faces and came closer until his lips were about to brush against hers.