Chapter 13: The Best Actor’s Household Has a Scheming Femme Fatale
Su Tang moved with practiced ease, never a moment wasted.
She first went to wash the chicken, relieved that Lu Yu had already prepared the ingredients, sparing her the trouble of plucking the feathers.
After cleaning the chicken, she prepared the seasonings, mixing them carefully before crushing the garlic and slicing the onions, ginger, and lemon.
Watching Su Tang’s fluid, effortless movements, everyone was quite surprised.
Shen Lü stood awkwardly on the side, hesitant to join in.
“Do you need help?” he asked, lowering his head.
Su Tang nodded. “Sure.”
She placed the chicken and the prepared seasonings into a basin and said, “Massage the chicken for ten minutes.” Then, she dropped a whole green onion into the basin.
Shen Lü took the basin, momentarily doubting he had heard correctly. “Massage it for ten minutes?” he asked uncertainly.
Su Tang nodded earnestly. “Yes, massage it for ten minutes to let the flavors seep in better. You heard me right.”
“Oh…” Shen Lü nodded, a little dazed, staring at the basin, unsure how to begin.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth and went straight to work.
“Pfft…” Chang Qinghua couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s the first time I’ve seen Xiao Shen cook.”
Even Song Heqing chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, who would have thought Shen Lü’s first time would be massaging a chicken?”
Chang Qinghua laughed heartily. “Hahaha, this is killing me.”
Su Tang smiled, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Shen Lü. “Actually, from the side, Shen Lü looks pretty professional—if you ignore his expression.”
Chang Qinghua laughed even harder. “Hahahahahaha…”
Shen Lü’s face flushed slightly, his movements stiff as he massaged the chicken, clearly displeased.
While they joked, Song Heqing watched Su Tang with interest, having seen everything clearly.
Su Tang was different from before—had she suddenly found her spark?
After Shen Lü finished massaging the chicken, Su Tang began marinating it. Seizing the moment, she started preparing the other ingredients.
---
While the others made fruit salad, Song Heqing fetched two bottles of yogurt sponsored by the show.
“Here, have one later,” he said, placing a bottle beside Su Tang.
Surprised by his approach, Su Tang looked up and smiled warmly. “Thank you, Brother Song.”
Song Heqing lingered, leaning against a nearby table. “Watch your hands when cutting,” he reminded her.
Startled, Su Tang quickly looked at the cutting board and resumed slicing potatoes.
Regret flickered in her mind—ah, beauty is a dangerous distraction.
How long would it take for her to truly win over such a remarkable man? She wished she could seek guidance from her predecessors, but now that was impossible.
Song Heqing finished his yogurt in a few gulps and tossed the empty bottle into the kitchen bin. “You handle these ingredients well. Do you cook often?”
Su Tang immediately grew cautious. The original character had once admitted on the show that she couldn’t cook.
In truth, Su Tang wasn’t skilled either; she was just familiar with wild game from frequent hunts.
Most ingredients she only knew how to roast simply, except this Beggar’s Chicken, which she’d made for centuries and was quite adept at.
After all, foxes did have a special fondness for chicken.
“Actually, I’m not good at cooking, only this Beggar’s Chicken. Honestly, I wasn’t confident this time either. Before, I had someone watching me, but now I’m a bit scared doing it alone,” she sighed.
Song Heqing didn’t reply immediately. Su Tang feigned indifference and set aside the sliced potatoes.
“No worries. I’ll watch you from the side, so it shouldn’t be a problem,” Song Heqing offered politely.
“Really?” Su Tang’s eyes lit up. “Brother Song, you’ll help me? Thank you!” She beamed with gratitude.
Song Heqing was caught off guard; he had only meant to keep an eye on things to prevent the chicken from burning, yet Su Tang took him seriously. “You’re welcome.”
Amused, Su Tang washed her hands. “By the way, I haven’t finished with that pit yet. Brother Song, help me with it.”
Before Song Heqing could respond, she turned and headed outside. He had no choice but to follow.
Why did he feel Su Tang was both clever and naive? And these irregular heartbeats still unsettled him.
---
Su Tang led Song Heqing to the pit she had just dug and handed him a small shovel. “Brother Song, dig about this size. I’ll go find firewood.” She showed him a picture on her phone.
Song Heqing nodded. Before he could say anything, Su Tang had already put away her phone and run off to gather firewood.
Reluctantly, Song Heqing crouched down with the shovel, staring at the pit.
He felt uncertain, trying to recall the image he had seen, unsure if the pit’s size was right.
He glanced instinctively toward Su Tang, who happened to be looking back at him as she selected firewood.
In an instant, Su Tang gave him a dazzling smile, and a familiar feeling washed over him.
Song Heqing hurriedly turned his head away, lowering it to avoid the camera, though his heart was again thrown into turmoil.
Just like before, the fluttering sensation lasted only seconds before fading.
When he looked back at Su Tang, the feeling did not return.
Song Heqing found himself increasingly preoccupied by this.
Su Tang stood up with the firewood, noticing Song Heqing still watching her. She tilted her head innocently and asked, “Brother Song, why aren’t you moving? Don’t you know how to dig a pit?”
Song Heqing: “...I do, but I’m worried about the size. I wanted to ask you.”
Su Tang came over, put down the firewood, and crouched beside him. She gestured the approximate size and said, “About this big is fine, and the depth is good as it is now.”
Song Heqing nodded and started digging. Su Tang stayed crouched beside him.
Their unexpected closeness only made Wen Tian, standing idly nearby, more displeased.
She bit her lip and rose, feeling deeply unsettled, then walked over to them.
She crouched down on the other side of Song Heqing, closer to him than Su Tang was. “Brother Song, you seem to know so much. You’re amazing, aren’t you?”