Chapter 59: Chapter Fifty-Nine
Because the firefighting had taken up some time, Chen Heyan didn’t aim for perfection with his cooking this time; he simply aimed for speed.
He sent Luo Shizhen off to rest and pulled Sui An along to help with the meal.
The canteen at Yongzhou was massive, providing enough space for both him and Sui An to have their own cooking stations. After a flurry of activity, two bowls of egg-fried rice were placed on the dining table.
One bowl of egg-fried rice was a brilliant golden hue, each grain of rice plump and distinct. Green onions and slices of ham were tossed in, giving off a savory, mouth-watering aroma.
The other bowl was dull in color. Some of the rice looked undercooked, while other parts were charred blackâgrossly overcooked. There was even a faint, lingering scent of raw egg.
Luo Shizhen looked at the bowl on the left, then at the one on the right.
It was immediately obvious who had made which.
He wonderedâsince they were both Rank 3 Awakeners, their bodies should be physically enhanced, right? They wouldn’t get food poisoning, would they?
Noticing Luo Shizhenâs little eyes darting back and forth, Sui An sat down nonchalantly and took a bite of his own fried rice.
Then, he put down his chopsticks just as nonchalantly.
Next, he pulled his own pot of rice toward him and, with the same calm demeanor, pushed Chen Heyanâs pot toward Luo Shizhen.
“Eat.”
Luo Shizhen was afraid of hurting Professor Suiâs self-esteem and said tentatively:
“Professor, actually, I can eat it. When I was a kid, I even pulled grass out of the ground to eat and I was perfectly fine!”
His intention was to comfort Sui An, but the way it sounded was that Sui Anâs cooking was somehow worse than the grass on the ground.
Fortunately, both men present could tell he meant well.
Chen Heyan couldn’t help himself and let out a snort of laughter.
“Cough… Shizhen, itâs fine. Don’t mind Professor Sui. Itâs his first time cooking; itâs normal for it to taste bad. Heâll get better.”
He looked at Sui An teasingly. “Captain Sui, with your abilities, surely it shouldn’t be like this?”
Sui An always seemed unaffected by whatever others said.
At that moment, he simply scooped up another bite of his own fried rice, swallowed it without a change in expression, and then spoke:
“My mental energy is interfering.”
“The gases and the flames during cooking are all sensed by the mental energy. It instinctively tries to suppress and extinguish them. I didn’t watch TV for the first time until ten years after my awakening, because before that, as soon as I got near a television, it would self-destruct on the spot.”
So, even though Sui An had followed Chen Heyanâs steps exactly, because his mental energy was constantly wreaking havoc, the result was this mess of a dish.
He spoke calmly. “Itâs only temporary. Iâm only out of control because I haven’t trained in this area before. With more practice, Iâll be able to control it soon.”
Luo Shizhen felt a wave of shame for his shallow assumption that Professor Sui was just a bad cook.
“So thatâs why. It makes sense; Professor Sui, youâre so amazing, you can surely do anything.”
He felt he should support Professor Sui, so he used a serving spoon to scoop a portion of the dull-colored rice into a separate bowl.
Even if the appearance was mediocre, Professor Sui ate it without being affected, so the taste had to be okay, right?
Even if it was bad, it probably wasn’t that bad.
Luo Shizhen was not a picky eater; he could stomach all kinds of food with equal enthusiasm.
Thus, he took a large, confident bite.
In the next second, a stream of tears rolled down his face.
Sui An was stunned. He, who never doubted himself, looked down at the rice and then back at Luo Shizhen.
“Is it really that bad?”
Luo Shizhen didn’t want to waste food. Even in his current state, he forced himself to swallow before saying with great difficulty through his tears:
“Spicy… so spicy… Professor, why did you put mustard in the fried rice?”
Sui An: “…Is there mustard? I might have accidentally put the wrong thing in while focusing on controlling my mental energy.”
He still appeared calm, but his mental energy threads immediately snatched a carton of milk from the corner.
Chen Heyan hurriedly handed over the milk, feeling pity. “Quick, quick! Drink some milk to cut the spice.”
Luo Shizhen gulped down a whole bottle before he finally recovered. He looked at Sui An in disbelief.
“Professor, your spice tolerance is incredible. You ate so much and were perfectly fine.”
Sui An, who had actually been using his mental energy to temporarily block his sensory perception: “…”
Luo Shizhen had just finished crying, and though they were physiological tears, his voice sounded unintentionally choked up. He wiped his tears while trying his best to give a positive review of Sui Anâs egg-fried rice.
“Actually… itâs quite good. Although itâs a bit pungent, itâs very stimulating. Plus, crying is good for detoxing; itâs very healthy.”
Chen Heyan felt that Luo Shizhen had been spiced into a state of nonsensical rambling.
Sui An didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Throughout his life, he had succeeded in everything he put his hand to; this was the first time he had truly failed at something.
Yet, surprisingly, the feeling wasn’t bad.
Sui An decided he would practice his culinary skills diligently from now on.
In the end, having regained his strength, Luo Shizhen finished half a pot of Chen Heyanâs fried rice before being led back to the rest area.
While he rested, Sui An continued to toil over his cooking skills in the newly set-up kitchen nearby.
By the time he was on his second batch, Yin Qing appeared silently.
Sui Anâs mental energy was always spread outward, so he had noticed him long ago but was too lazy to acknowledge him.
Yin Qing still wore a stern face. “What was that about with the robot?”
Sui An cracked an egg. “What robot?”
“Don’t play dumb. With your abilities, even at your worst, you wouldn’t start a fire. Thereâs definitely something going on.”
Sui An poured the egg mixture into the pan; the golden liquid turned charred black in an instant.
Yin Qing: “…An Inspector of the Oversight Directorate cooking is truly a waste of heaven’s gifts.”
Sui An: “I like cooking. Is that not allowed?”
Yin Qing frowned sternly. “First, explain what happened with the robot. I didn’t ask earlier because there were so many people around, but if you don’t explain this clearly, I can’t just ignore it.”
Sui An, holding a bowl of rice, suddenly turned around and looked at Yin Qing with a half-smile.
“While I can’t tell you, I can share some good news.”
He put down the rice and tapped rapidly on his watch.
“Major Yin Qing, you have triggered a Level 1 Confidentiality Protocol. Although you have not learned the core content of the secret, you have engaged in further questioning. I have reported your behavior. Congratulationsâyouâll have to sign a stack of non-disclosure agreements nearly as tall as a table, and youâll be under surveillance for over thirty days.”
“You won’t have to eat alone from now on; youâll have wood spirits for company.”
Yin Qing: “…Sui An, youâre still as insufferable as ever.”
If he had known this was an official classified matter, would he have even asked?
This man was clearly doing this on purpose.
Back in school, he knew Sui An never took a loss, but he never imagined he would experience it himself today.
“Thank you for letting me know that my skills are as sharp as ever.” Sui An poured the bowl of rice into the pan.
Accompanied by the sound of frying rice, a squad of fully armed Yongzhou guards wearing epaulettes pushed open the door and entered.
“Major Yin Qing, we have received orders. You are required to report to the security room for questioning. Please come with us.”
Yin Qing: “…”
The Major, always stern and serious, gritted his teeth in fury. “I only said a couple of things to you! Is this really necessary?”
He didn’t contact Sui An often, but he remembered that Sui An wasn’t this petty. Back in their school days, they used to beat each other half to death, only to act as if nothing had happened the moment the training class ended.
He had finally caught Sui An making a mistake and took the chance to mock him a bit, only for it to end like this.
“You didn’t just say ‘a couple’ of things; you said three things.”
The tall, broad-shouldered man had only practiced twice, yet he could already toss the wok with great skill. He even held up three fingers for emphasis.
“And you said them in front of my student. Iâm a teacher now; I have a reputation to maintain.”
Yin Qing: “…”
The idea of Sui An caring about his “reputation” was the biggest joke in the world.
He suspected that the well-behaved Luo Shizhen must be living a life of misery under Sui Anâs thumb.
As he planned to poach the boy for the Special Task Force once he finished signing the NDAs, the stern-faced Yin Qing was led away by the guard team.
Sui An turned back lazily, still seeing him off with a wave to the departing Yin Qing:
“Take care, old classmate.”
“Oh, and by the way, the Special Task Force values experience and isn’t suitable for young people. Don’t get any ideas about my student in the future. Heâll make his own decisions after graduation, but if you try to pull any secret tricks to lure him away…”
The tall, slender man was still holding a wok, his waistline accentuated by the pretty curve of the apron strings. When he smiled, he made no effort to hide the intense warning in his eyes:
“You know, this is my first time being a teacher. Itâs only natural for me to have a bit of a protective urge toward my student.”
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