Chapter 384: Only Listen to Mrs. Law
The man’s narrow, phoenix eyes sparkled, as if the entire galaxy was reflected in them.
Cecilia Vaughn initially found it a bit odd that Adrian Law wanted to monopolize a whole dish, but being stared at like this by Adrian, she felt embarrassed instead.
"Alright, alright, as long as you’re happy. I did learn to make it specifically for you. If you like it, you can have it all..."
As Cecilia spoke, she glanced rather unwillingly at the plate of Red Braised Lion’s Head. Seeing its glistening red appearance, she couldn’t help but mutter a bit.
"I only tasted a small piece while cooking... Is it really that good?"
Cecilia blinked her eyes, looking at Adrian with quite a bit of longing.
...
Delicious?
It’s already something that it’s not considered a disaster.
No one knows how much salt and sugar Cecilia put into that plate of Red Braised Lion’s Head; the taste was quite strange.
Fortunately, Adrian hadn’t had much hope for Cecilia’s cooking skills in the first place, just hoping that his young wife didn’t blow up the kitchen.
Adrian had very low expectations for Cecilia. Seeing the girl blinking her big, shimmering eyes, he gently coughed and had no choice but to bravely pick up his chopsticks, continuously grabbing three large pieces into his own bowl.
"Hmm... The taste is indeed... quite unique."
This evaluation wasn’t exactly a lie, was it?
At least, it was the first time in Adrian’s life that he had eaten Red Braised Lion’s Head that was both sweet to the point of cloying and salty to the point of bitterness.
The man’s smile, although carrying a hint of playfulness, was full of indulgence and affection.
So Cecilia didn’t notice at all how forced Adrian was in eating. She beamed brightly, her eyes sparkling, and even raised her eyebrows a bit smugly.
"Of course! This is the first Red Braised Lion’s Head of my life, and there’s no other like it in the world—it must be unique!"
"I am a bit upset that you took it all, though. Remember to finish it."
Cecilia watched the plate of Red Braised Lion’s Head like a wolf eyeing its prey, sighed a couple of times, and reluctantly picked some spicy chicken cubes with her chopsticks.
Knowing that this little miss was still coveting the dark culinary creation on his side, Adrian smiled and repressed the discomfort from his throat and stomach, silently eating another piece of Red Braised Lion’s Head.
But the taste was really way too sweet and salty, so astringent that it was hard to bear. Even with Adrian’s self-control, his eyebrows couldn’t help but furrow slightly.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Cecilia, being observant, instantly noticed the discomfort on Adrian’s face.
"Water."
A deep, slightly hoarse male voice came from in front of her.
Wanting water?
Clearly, when Adrian was eating the Red Braised Lion’s Head, he even ladled himself a bowl of spinach and vegetable soup. Could it be that this combination was still too salty?
Cecilia looked at Adrian in surprise and hurriedly poured him a large glass of water as he requested.
"Adrian, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
She remembered that Adrian typically didn’t have a habit of drinking water while eating since there was usually a soup dish at home...
"No, I just suddenly felt like drinking water."
Adrian swallowed with some discomfort. To avoid Cecilia noticing too much, he gradually relaxed his brow, his long slender fingers elegantly holding the glass as he sipped lightly.
Even though the man’s tone was so nonchalant, Cecilia was not that easy to fool.
She squinted her eyes, thinking of Adrian’s earlier actions, and felt something was off more than ever.
"Isn’t that Red Braised Lion’s Head not cooked right?"
"No, you’re overthinking."
Adrian shook his head indifferently.
Cecilia gave Adrian a strange look, unable to restrain her curiosity any longer, she picked up her chopsticks and picked up a piece of the Lion’s Head.
"Cecilia... that’s mine!"
Adrian’s eyes widened, trying to sternly stop her.
However, Cecilia’s movements were swifter than his words, and in less than two seconds, she quickly bit off a big chunk of the meatball.
"Ugh..."
In an instant, a strong salty flavor mixed with a cloying sweetness overwhelmed her, and Cecilia had to swallow hard, unable to control herself as she spat the piece out onto the floor.
Adrian: "..."
Cecilia: "..."
This was the Red Braised Lion’s Head that Adrian said was nicely cooked and tasted unique?
Cecilia had never doubted her life like this before.
She stared at the table, where about half of the Lion’s Head remained, and her heart felt like it was overturned by a jar of five flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, all spreading to her heart.
She only took a small taste and couldn’t help but spit it out.
How on earth did Adrian manage to eat a whole plate of it without changing his expression?
...
Having his lie exposed, Adrian’s eyes deepened slightly.
He leaned forward, taking a tissue from the box, gently wiping the stains from the corner of Cecilia’s mouth.
"Cecilia, actually, everyone has a first time cooking. Being able to complete a dish is already very commendable..."
Even at this point, Adrian was still trying to preserve her dignity, causing Cecilia’s face to turn red and white.
"Stop consoling me..."
Cecilia didn’t dare to look at the man’s eyes. Her eyes glistened slightly, and she cautiously lifted her head, seriously pulling on Adrian’s sleeve.
"For such a dark culinary creation, your stomach isn’t that good already, what if you make yourself sick?"
"Besides, I’m not that fragile. I can take a little criticism."
Adrian gently embraced Cecilia’s shoulders, laughing softly.
"Silly girl, how could I not like something you made?"
"But someone did say they would impress me so much..."
Cecilia blushed, cheekily shaking the man’s arm.
"It doesn’t matter... Throw it in the trash, let’s just forget about it. We won’t speak of it again."
"Anyway, I made four dishes. You can still eat the others after discarding this one."
The man smiled, sitting back down with the girl.
"Alright, I’ll do as Mrs. Law says."
...
After the meal, Cecilia remembered the matter with Florence Warner and Fiona Vaughn and finally spoke up solemnly.
"Adrian, regardless of whether Florence Warner serves time for Fiona, I think it’s time to expose what she did at Stellerton University under an alias."
She couldn’t stand watching those people craft a deep mother-daughter sentimental narrative.
How could one speak of deep affection with such a revolting mother-daughter pair?
...
According to official statistics, the proportion of women subjected to harassment or assault makes up nearly a third of the total. In Veridia, where conservative attitudes prevail, some misogynists even blame such incidents on the women’s supposed lack of moral integrity, claiming that "flies don’t land on seamless eggs."
Meeting Adrian was a blessing from heaven for her.
Thinking of this, Cecilia’s expression turned serious.
"Adrian, I want to establish a charitable association to offer support and financial assistance to women who have been assaulted. Do you think that’s feasible?"