"Where are you going?" Pei Muchan couldn't help but call out to him.
"Oh, heading to the kitchen to fry the steak a bit," Xu Qingyan turned his head and replied, "This steak is too raw for me; I like mine more cooked."
As soon as he spoke, the male guests exchanged glances and burst into laughter, with Rich Bro You Zijun even starting to educate.
"This is seared beef, which requires very high quality raw meat. After the fresh beef is frozen and then thawed to remove the blood, it's briefly cooked for thirty seconds to achieve what they call 'blue rare.'"
"Although the quality of this particular steak isn't that high, in my experience, 'blue rare' tastes better than refrying."
"Is that so?" Xu Qingyan replied politely while still heading toward the kitchen, "My mom's always told me not to eat raw meat casually."
"Dude, you're awesome, it's my first time seeing someone re-cook high-end ingredients," Bai Jinze said jokingly, "Shall we all give it a try?"
At this, the other guys started laughing uproariously, finding Xu Qingyan's behavior quite unsophisticated.
"Maybe he just prefers it well-done, and we're being too nosy," Chen Feiyu tried to show off his humor, "Though I think it would taste better with some green onion and ginger."
Shen Jinyue thought they were all joking and laughed heartily along. Song Enya curled her lips into a cold smile but did not speak, while Nian Shuyu felt a bit regretful.
She was the one who had brought up the topic and wished she hadn't been so talkative.
Pei Muchan frowned slightly; Xu Qingyan's cold response upon entry had made her not want to bother with him initially. But now, clearly unable to just stand by and watch, she actually picked up a piece of steak and headed towards the kitchen.
Seeing this, the mature Liu Renzhi, who was initially laughing happily, suddenly had his expression freeze in the next second.
Bai Jinze's expression wasn't any better, since he had just jokingly suggested trying to fry the steak, only to find Pei Muchan, whom he failed to engage, actually going to do it.
Fortunately, he was good at hiding his feelings, and his frown melted away in an instant as he rationalized.
"Perhaps Pei Jie is going to persuade him."
Chen Feiyu's gaze was solely on Song Enya, wanting to impress, and he chimed in.
"Speaking of which, last month I ordered a piece of A5 Wagyu at a Japanese restaurant, spent two hundred bucks, but it really melted in my mouth with a rich buttery flavor."
"Yes, yes, I also tried it when I was traveling in Neon City; A5 only needs black pepper and salt crystals to be absolutely perfect," Song Enya turned to Chen Feiyu and said in a delicate voice.
That interested look almost melted Chen Feiyu's heart.
"Shall we go sit over there and eat, what do you say?" Chen Feiyu's heart was pounding hard, but he managed to maintain his composure and extended the invitation with a smile.
"Sure," Song Zhiya replied enchantingly, seemingly without any pretense.
You Zijun and Shen Jinyue struck up a conversation and found a table to sit down and chat, while Bai Jinze approached Nian Shuyu, suggesting they join Liu Renzhi and sit together at a table for three.
Nian Shuyu agreed, but then noticed that Mature Bro Liu Renzhi seemed a bit distracted.
"He..."
"Just leave it, don't mind him," Bai Jinze was somewhat speechless but didn't want to ruin somebody else's mood, especially since they were going to be together for the coming seven days.
The open kitchen.
Compared to the lively scene in the adjacent living room, this area was much quieter.
Pei Muchan stood outside the kitchen with a small white dish in hand, quietly watching Xu Qingyan, who was undistractedly washing the pot and turning on the stove. The orange light fell on his head like soft threads of silk.
"Could you help me fry it a bit?" she asked.
"Sure," he said.
His hand slowly lifted in the light, turned over, and took the dish from Pei Muchan. His arms were muscled and clearly defined, and his hands were large, fingers long and cold-looking, with distinct knuckles.
Such hands were a pity not to play the piano, Pei Muchan couldn't help but think.
"Why did you come over?"
"I don't want to stay with them." Pei Muchan was quite straightforward, she didn't seem afraid of offending anyone, "I came here for some fresh air, and by the way, to cook a steak."
Most women seem to have a special fondness for men's hands, probably because caressing is an important way to convey love, and it could even replace other kinds of pleasures.
Xu Qingyan looked down as he cooked the steak, quickly searing it in olive oil, then melting butter to mix with rosemary, and drizzled the combined juices over the steak's surface.
Her eyes slightly lowered, she couldn't help but be surprised by his skilled technique.
"Do you often cook steak for yourself?"
"Learned it." Xu Qingyan's reply was ambiguous, but in fact, he had learned it from working odd jobs.
Sometimes when the kitchen was too busy, he would occasionally cook the steak. Although it wasn't a high-end western restaurant, the techniques and procedures were similar, and the doneness could be judged by the touch when pressed with tongs.
"You're really amazing!" Pei Muchan smiled, her gaze as if confirming something.
Hearing this, Xu Qingyan just pulled at the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself, could the king of part-timers be anything but impressive?
At his peak, he could handle three jobs at once. Working at a company during the day, a part-time kitchen job after hours, and then playing ranked games for someone until the wee hours in a dimly lit rental.
"You're not chatting in the living room; aren't you afraid of being left out tomorrow?" He asked without lifting his head.
"What?"
"Tomorrow the male guests are driving to invite their preferred female guests to the love cottage, and you're here wasting time with me in the kitchen, you might end up not being invited by anyone."
She chuckled, her beautiful eyes gleaming, and asked with enthusiasm.
"In that case, who are you planning to invite?"
"No one, I don't have a car."
Xu Qingyan flipped the steak in the pan, as steaks only needed to be turned once. The kitchen was exceptionally quiet, except for the occasional laughter from next door, and the sizzling of the oil.
"Then, do you have any female guests you are interested in?" Pei Muchan's fingers rested on the marble kitchen countertop, her face hung with a smile, her eyes slightly downcast.
"Shen Jinyue is pretty and also an internet celebrity, I could ask her for you."
"No, not her."
"Song Enya? Do you like someone with a good figure?"
"No, not her either."
"Nian Shuyu seems quite gentle, probably the type that boys would like." Pei Muchan's fingers moved slowly across the clean countertop, leaving a trail as sinuous as a green snake.
When she asked this question, she subconsciously held her breath.
"Don't know them, can't speak of liking."
"Oh." Pei Muchan tilted her head slightly and glanced at him with lips pursed, her eyes complex and indistinct.
The questions she asked felt like punches landing on cotton, which made her feel uncomfortable. Since her debut, she rarely experienced this sense of defeat.
Until last year, when Lin Wanzhou, known for her cool and pure image, dominated the charts with her album "Spring Cold" and rolled over her like a storm.
And now on this reality show, Xu Qingyan gave her that same stifling feeling, inexplicably... irritating.