Chapter Forty-Five: The Smoke-Filled 'War'

"Hey, you can't remember, can you?" Her face was lit with unmistakable pride. Although it wasn't truly her own ability, Erina Nakiri's divine transformation was unique to her, and her culinary skills could, by extension, be considered her own. How could Xiao Yuan not feel pleased and triumphant when her cooking could elicit such a range of expressions from her friends?

"How is this possible? It doesn't taste particularly special, yet it completely masks the flavors of what I tasted before. Could it be controlling my sense of taste?" Wen Hui stared in disbelief at the golden egg and corn soup before her. Unconvinced, she took another bite of the Panda Magic Mapo Tofu she had tasted earlier. The rich, spicy flavor burst in her mouth—her sense of taste was clearly intact. Yet, after another spoonful of the egg and corn soup, the robust flavor of the Mapo Tofu lingering in her mouth vanished without a trace, leaving only a subtle, fragrant aftertaste.

"Alright, I told you, this newborn Golden Elixir is the final dish—specifically prepared for this. So let's hurry up and eat; I'm starving," Xiao Yuan said, tapping her chopsticks on the table to remind Wen Hui. She then helped herself to a piece of the crispy fried dragon fish, every bone perfectly fried to a delicate crunch, took a bite, and followed it with a mouthful of white rice, savoring both together.

"Hey, save me some!" Wen Hui cried out as she saw Xiao Yuan start eating, and quickly reached for the dragon fish with her chopsticks, snatching several pieces as if afraid Xiao Yuan would finish them all.

"Hey, don't take so much! Can you really finish all that? Put some back," Xiao Yuan protested, displeased that Wen Hui had taken most of the fish into her own bowl, and reached out with her own chopsticks to reclaim some.

"No way, they're mine, all mine! I can definitely eat them all, don't you dare take any from me," Wen Hui said, guarding her bowl and reaching for the plate of shredded pork with green peppers.

"As if they're yours—I made them, remember? Spit them out! And you’re still trying to snatch—" Xiao Yuan retorted, not to be outdone, as she reached into Wen Hui's bowl and simultaneously scrambled for the pork and the Panda Magic Mapo Tofu.

For a while, the dining table in the kitchen became a battlefield—the Great Dinner War. In an instant, it was as if smoke rose and fog filled the air, chopsticks and spoons flying, plates and bowls clinking in a cacophony.

This war raged on for quite some time, only gradually ceasing when every last dish on the table had been devoured.

"Ah... so full," Xiao Yuan muttered, rubbing her noticeably rounded belly, half-reclining in her chair, unwilling to move.

"Yeah, stuffed. It's all your fault—if you hadn't fought with me over the food, I wouldn't have eaten so much," Wen Hui complained, sprawled in her own chair, rubbing her distended stomach.

"Who started snatching first? We could have had a peaceful dinner, but you had to turn it into this," Xiao Yuan shot back.

Though their words were sharp, their expressions and eyes betrayed no real annoyance—only a shared, satisfied smile, as if they both relished this banter.

"Ah, it's still your fault. If you hadn't made the food so delicious, I wouldn't have overeaten," Wen Hui said, staring up at the white ceiling, her stomach tight and uncomfortable, whining like a child.

"Blame me, then? Next time, I won't invite you to dinner," Xiao Yuan retorted, rolling her eyes at Wen Hui's childishness and deploying her ultimate weapon.

"Wait, don't say that! Xiao Yuan, you're the best—if you cook again next time, even if I burst, I still want to eat," Wen Hui immediately changed her tone. Such delicious food was too much to experience only once. She recalled the saying: to win a woman's heart, win her stomach first. Wen Hui felt her own had been thoroughly captured.

If only Xiao Yuan knew what Wen Hui was thinking, she would have been over the moon—after all, after years as a single man, she had finally managed to charm a girl. No more old friends from her past life, but if she couldn't have romance, she could go for a bit of girl-on-girl, couldn't she?

"Xiao Hui, can you still eat?" Xiao Yuan asked, exhaling softly, feeling her own stomach had finally digested a little.

"Eat more... how could I? I feel like I won't need breakfast tomorrow," Wen Hui replied, patting her stuffed belly. She wanted to say yes, but it was simply impossible.

"What a pity. I actually prepared dessert for after the meal. Miscalculated and made too much dinner," Xiao Yuan sighed, looking at the empty plates on the table with a speechless expression. If they hadn’t finished the egg and corn soup, perhaps they could have managed some dessert, but the gleaming, empty soup bowl reminded her of the consequences of their food fight.

"Dessert? I want some! Is it cake, ice cream, or pudding?" At the mention of dessert, Wen Hui perked up instantly—if one ignored her bulging belly and her struggles to sit up.

Truly, desserts are a girl's greatest weakness; few could resist their allure, and Wen Hui was no exception. Especially after experiencing Xiao Yuan's cooking, she looked forward to her desserts even more.

"Forget it, can you really eat more? Besides, it's a pastry, and those fill you up fast. Be careful or you'll burst," Xiao Yuan teased, glancing at Wen Hui’s belly, though she herself was in a similar predicament.

"Ugh, so unfair! You should have said there was dessert—if I'd known, I would have eaten less," Wen Hui pouted, sulking. Had she known, she’d have saved room for dessert, at least tasted it before returning to the main dishes.

"Ha, blame me, huh? It’s not my fault someone wouldn't stop snatching food," Xiao Yuan refused to take the blame for that.

"So what now? Will it spoil if we leave it overnight?" Wen Hui asked, worry clouding her face at the thought of her favorite dessert going bad.

"Don't worry, it'll keep for several days. Since we can't eat any more tonight, I'll just take it to the command base tomorrow morning when I visit Sister Jing. I'll let them try it as well; after all, she's my savior, and good things should be shared. Besides, homemade treats show the most sincerity," Xiao Yuan mused, having decided how to handle the remaining dessert.