"Why are they all 'sisters'?"
Ivy Green blinked in confusion. "Because they're all older than me," she replied, clearly unsure why Kate Stone was asking.
Kate seemed dissatisfied with this answer and added, "Why am I 'Miss Stone'?"
"Uh?" Ivy's confusion deepened. "Because calling you just by your name seems… disrespectful to a senior."
This answer didn't seem to please Kate either. She stood in silence for a moment, then finally said, "Annie and I are the same age."
"I know!" Ivy nodded eagerly. "I even memorized all your birthdays so I can give you thoughtful gifts!"
"Oh!" She suddenly tapped her head, realizing what she'd said aloud. "Oops, so much for a surprise!"
Kate sighed, abandoning the conversation. "Forget it," she said, heading to the refrigerator and taking out eggs and bacon.
Ivy tilted her head, puzzled by Kate's strange questions. Did Kate want her to use her name casually? The idea made Ivy blush. After all, they weren't family.
Kate, rarely in the kitchen, seemed unfamiliar with everything. She placed the eggs and bacon on the counter, then pulled out her phone to search for a recipe: bacon and scrambled eggs with pasta.
As she set the ingredients on the counter, an egg began to roll toward the edge, nearly plunging to its doom. Ivy reacted instantly, rushing over and catching it mid-air as if she'd practiced the move.
"Phew!" Ivy sighed in relief, marveling at her reflexes. I'm a natural! Maybe I should be a kung fu actress, she thought, mentally striking a few heroic poses.
Kate looked down to find Ivy crouched on the floor, cradling the eggs in her hands, muttering something as if she were on a noble rescue mission.
"May I have the eggs back? Thank you." Kate's naturally cool voice, combined with the formal tone, created an even greater sense of distance.
Ivy looked up, her eyes wide and questioning, as if she couldn't understand the sudden shift in Kate's tone. Nevertheless, she obediently handed over the eggs and said proudly, "Look, aren't I amazing? I just saved these eggs from certain doom!"
Kate took the eggs, placing them safely back on the counter, and remarked, "These eggs have no life." Her tone was matter-of-fact, almost as if giving a science lesson.
Ivy was reminded of her shock when she'd first learned this as a child. She'd once stolen an egg from the fridge, trying to incubate it under her stomach in hopes it would hatch into a chick she could raise. When it broke, she'd mourned the "lost life" for days.
Kate, noticing Ivy had drifted into her thoughts, moved her aside gently and began following the recipe on her phone. She cracked eggs, fried bacon, and boiled pasta.
Every step was a small disaster.
One of the production staff had started setting up and, upon seeing Kate cook, had one thought: If God opens a door, He closes a window.
Watching Kate attempt to cook was like witnessing an epic struggle. But the staff member's eyes lit up in revelation: Cooking challenge next episode!
After a series of burned eggs, broken yolks, and general kitchen chaos, Kate managed to serve a plate of charred bacon, overcooked eggs, and undercooked pasta.
Annie and Sophia, who had missed the entire kitchen spectacle, exchanged nervous glances at the sight of the "meal" before them, both harboring the same dreadful thought: Eating this won't kill us… right?
Still, it was a meal cooked by Kate Stone herself—the industry's "White Moonlight" chef skills included. Ivy had already picked up her bowl and started eating, so they couldn't back out. Even if it meant going to the hospital, they couldn't embarrass their senior.
Annie gingerly took a small bite of… something, swallowing it whole without chewing.
Sophia held her breath, closed her eyes, and forced a bite down as though taking medicine.
On the other hand, Ivy sat unphased, devouring unrecognizable bits of egg, overly crisp bacon, and strangely colored pasta, her enthusiastic "Mmm, mmm!" adding to the bizarre scene.
Kate tried a tentative bite, immediately wrinkling her brow and putting down her utensils. She reached over, taking the bowl from Ivy. "Better not eat this."
Ivy swallowed a mouthful of egg and, unfazed, asked, "Why not?"
Kate replied, "It tastes awful."
"It's actually not that bad," Ivy said with genuine conviction, her expression sincere.
If Annie's palate hadn't been so finely tuned, she might have believed her. Meanwhile, Sophia began questioning her own taste buds. The first bite was so salty it nearly made her gag, but she'd forced it down for Kate's sake. Ivy, however, seemed to genuinely enjoy it.
Could anyone really not notice the pasta was raw?
Kate observed Ivy a moment longer, then handed the bowl back, saying, "If you like it, have some more."
Ivy's pupils dilated in shock, her lips trembling slightly. Yet, with the bowl in her hands again, she took another generous bite of "charred bacon with undercooked pasta," savoring it with an exaggerated "Mmm!"
Just then, a crew member came in carrying several large bags. "Everyone, Miss Stone ordered breakfast from Europe's Tea House! She asked us to bring it up!"
The crew members chimed in unison, "Thank you, Miss Stone!"
"The rest is still in the van; a few more hands would help."
Annie and Sophia shared looks of profound relief, knowing Kate wouldn't really let them end up in the hospital.
Ivy, having bravely eaten half a bowl of "culinary disaster," was less than thrilled, her eyes watering from the ordeal.