Chapter 332: Marry Me, Do You Dare?

Lin Yuan looked up at Qin Bore, his tone somewhat serious: "The kitchen fumes are too strong; go wait outside, it's bad for the skin."

Qin Bore blinked, then smiled and nodded: "Right, I'll wait for you in the private room."

After saying that, she turned and walked out of the kitchen, her steps lighter than when she came in.

Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze, picked up flour from the counter, and replayed the pasta method from the TikTok video he had just watched in his mind.

He didn't rush to start, but instead took a few dried herbs from his small cloth bag, pinched a bit with his fingertips, and lightly sniffed it.

Next, he crushed the herbs, mixed them with flour and egg in proportion, and repeatedly kneaded using the TCM "Quenching Freshness Method" to try to extract the deep umami of the ingredients.

The flour gradually formed a smooth dough in his hands; he didn't use a machine, but fermented it purely by hand, letting the warmth of his palms slowly seep into the dough.

After more than half an hour, Lin Yuan put the rolled noodles into boiling water, cooked them, fished them out, tossed them with his own sauce, and a bowl of pasta was ready.

It looked like just an ordinary plate of pasta, with no fancy garnish.

At the same time, Xu Danyan also put down his spatula; his pasta was served on a white porcelain plate, with sliced fruit arranged beside it.

When exactly half an hour had passed, Xu Danyan spoke first: "Time's up—who will bring out the dishes first?"

Lin Yuan said nothing, simply placing his pasta onto a plate.

Xu Danyan glanced at Lin Yuan's plate, curling his lip in a cold smile: "Just this plain? No decent decoration at all, and you dare to bring it out to compare?"

Lin Yuan still didn't respond, picking up his plate and walking toward the door.

Xu Danyan, unwilling to be outdone, also carried his plate and followed.

The two placed their dishes on the round table in the private room, each having prepared two plates—one for Qin Bore and one for the surrounding staff.

The people nearby gathered to look; Lin Yuan's pasta really had nothing special—the noodles were evenly coated in sauce, and the color was somewhat dark.

Xu Danyan's pasta, meanwhile, not only had carrots carved into little flowers, but also a drizzle of pale purple sauce around the plate's edge; the plating was extravagantly elaborate, clearly painstakingly prepared at a glance.

Qin Bore first picked up her chopsticks and reached for Xu Danyan's pasta.

She picked up a noodle, put it in her mouth, and the freshness of lobster and tenderness of abalone instantly spread, the various seafood flavors intertwining, the texture so rich it felt like a party had started in her mouth.

Qin Bore nodded in satisfaction, looking at Xu Danyan: "The taste is not bad; Chef Xu's skill is indeed impressive."

Xu Danyan's face showed a proud smile, his gaze unconsciously flicking toward Lin Yuan with a hint of provocation.

Qin Bore put down her chopsticks, picked up another pair, and reached for Lin Yuan's pasta.

The instant she bit down, her beautiful eyes suddenly widened, and the chopsticks in her hand froze.

The noodles were Q-elastic upon entry; the moment her teeth bit down, juice burst out inside, a rich umami instantly flooding her entire tongue.

Qin Bore was utterly shocked; she never expected that something looking so ordinary would taste this astonishing.

She chewed slowly, detecting mushrooms, various fungi, plus ham and cheese aromas; even more specially, these flavors hid a faint herbal note, blended to perfection.

Qin Bore couldn't help but take another few bites, eating nonstop, unable to stop.

Lin Yuan said softly: "Miss Qin, happy birthday."

Only then did Qin Bore slow down, lower her head, and suddenly discover something hidden beneath the noodles.

She carefully parted the noodles, and a vividly lifelike soft tofu rabbit appeared before her eyes, its ears straight up, its eyes round—exactly her zodiac animal.

Qin Bore instantly felt reluctant to eat it; even more surprising, the tofu rabbit's eyes gave a slight blink, looking incredibly lifelike.

She lifted her head, puzzled, and asked Lin Yuan: "How… how does this tofu rabbit blink its eyes? How did you do that?"

Lin Yuan scratched his head, speaking calmly: "I infused a bit of chemically extracted herbal element inside; it produces a slight chemical reaction, so it moves."

Qin Bore leaned in for a closer look, then gently bit into a piece of the soft tofu.

The sensation instantly exploded in her mouth; the soft tofu actually contained a cheese filling, each chew pulling out fine strands of cheese.

Her eyes lit up, and she raised her head to ask Lin Yuan: "How did you know I love cheese?"

Lin Yuan's ears tinged slightly red, a bit embarrassed as he said: "From what I saw on your Moments..."

After saying that, he unconsciously scratched his head.

Qin Bore looked at his slightly embarrassed expression and couldn't help laughing: "I really like this bowl of noodles; thank you for the birthday pasta."

The hotel's female staff nearby had long been unable to restrain themselves; seeing Qin Bore finish, they all grabbed chopsticks and each took a portion of the two pastas.

The first female staff member to try Lin Yuan's pasta covered her mouth after just one bite, eyes wide: "Good heavens, this is too delicious!"

The other female staff also took a bite, and instantly the pot boiled over.

"I've never eaten pasta this delicious in my whole life!"

"This flavor is too amazing; the broth inside is too fresh!"

"That tofu rabbit is too cute, plus the cheese filling—it totally hits my sweet spot!"

The female staff chattered excitedly, their tones full of amazement, and their gazes toward Lin Yuan changed.

Xu Danyan stared at the female staff's amazed expressions, somewhat disbelieving.

"Could it really be that delicious??"

Xu Danyan gritted his teeth, reached out and pinched a noodle from Lin Yuan's pasta, and the moment it entered his mouth, his previously tense face suddenly collapsed!

Xu Danyan's Adam's apple jerked twice, his eyes filled with disbelief—

This umami seemed to seep from the very bones of the ingredients, richer than the flavor he had built with lobster and abalone, and even carried an indescribable clear-moist sensation!

Xu Danyan clenched his chopsticks tighter, still unwilling to concede, and slammed his plate onto the table: "Just being able to make pasta means nothing! Western cuisine values carving knife skills most—dare to compete with me?"

No sooner had he spoken than Xu Danyan pulled a silver engraving knife from his personal toolbox, his wrist flashing as a carrot quickly transformed in his hand!

In less than two minutes, a carp with distinct scales and claws lay reclined in the white porcelain plate!

The fish's eyes were dotted with black goji berries, as if it were about to wag its tail and swim away any second.

Lin Yuan said nothing, picked up a block of soft tofu from the nearby ingredient rack, pressed it with his left hand, and lifted an ordinary kitchen knife with his right.

The blade rose and fell swiftly on the tofu's surface, only a soft "shush" sound could be heard…

Yet the tofu remained a perfect square, not a single crumb falling off.

Xu Danyan watched, amused, arms crossed, smirking: "Lin Yuan, are you just giving the tofu a 'massage'? You haven't even touched a carving edge, and you dare to compare knife skills with me?"

The few chefs following beside Xu Dainian also joined in the laughter……

Someone even pulled out a phone to film Lin Yuan, muttering, "He must be here to embarrass himself."

Chef Xu's knife skills are top-notch in the city; how dare he compare?

But amidst the crowd's laughter, that block of tofu began to split gently from the edge…

Slice after slice of tofu, thin enough to let light through, unfolded layer by layer, slowly forming a spreading-winged phoenix, its tail feathers drooping like tassels, even the patterns on its wings clearly visible.

Even more shocking, as a slight air current moved through the private room, the phoenix's wings began to tremble ever so slightly, as if brushed by wind, ready to take flight at any moment!

Everyone's laughter in the venue stopped abruptly, and even their breathing grew shallow.

Xu Danyan's carving knife clanged to the floor with a "clang"!

He rushed forward two steps, squatted before the tofu phoenix, eyes wide, fingers hovering in midair afraid to touch, his voice trembling:

"How... how thin must these tofu slices be— a few tenths of a millimeter? And still hold shape without breaking— such knife skill… I'm convinced!"

Xu Danyan straightened up, bowed deeply to Lin Yuan, his waist bent almost to the ground, his tone full of respect:

"Master Lin, I was blind before, spoke many offensive words; please accept me as your disciple—I want to learn true skill from you!"

Qin Bore, sitting nearby, added: "Lin Yuan, our Four Seasons Hotel's back kitchen has long lacked a skilled chef to guide; if you're willing to come, you can name your salary and set your own hours."

Lin Yuan, however, lightly shook his head, fingertips rubbing the edge of the empty plate, his tone still calm: "Master Xu, I cannot accept taking on an apprentice—I lack patience and am not good at teaching others."

He turned to Qin Bore, apologetic: "Miss Qin, I appreciate your kindness, but I really don't have time to work at the hotel right now."

He truly has no time to teach someone how to cook a dish.

He works too much—daytime at the Su Group, nighttime managing a bar, weekends teaching at university.

He can't keep up.

Moreover, as someone mixed up in the underworld, working at the Four Seasons Hotel might bring bad influence to the hotel.

"All right." Seeing Lin Yuan refuse, Qin Bore did not press further.

But she muttered to herself:

"You big idiot, this is a money-making chance I'm giving you—if you don't cherish it, don't blame me."

After dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel.

The sky was dark, Qin Bore's cheeks flushed from alcohol, her steps slightly unsteady as the two left the hotel.

Lin Yuan naturally took her bag, pointed to the Meituan bike parked by the road: "You've been drinking, can't drive—shall I ride the bike and give you a lift?"

"Sure, I've never ridden a Meituan bike before." Qin Bore smiled and nodded.

Lin Yuan scanned a bike, Qin Bore sat on the rear seat, one hand holding onto Lin Yuan's rear rack; the night breeze brushed her hair, swept over his arm, making him unconsciously slow his pedaling.

At that moment, even the evening wind turned gentle.

Lin Yuan could feel the soft warmth behind him, and he rode the bike carefully.

At this moment, Lin Yuan wished time would slow; he wanted to stay with Qin Bore much longer.

When the bike reached the corner where a cake shop glowed with warm light, Lin Yuan suddenly braked to a stop.

He told Qin Bore, "Wait for me two minutes."

Having said that, Lin Yuan hurried into the shop…

When he came out again, Lin Yuan held a palm-sized strawberry cake, the lid still dotted with warm steam.

Qin Bore blinked, then her eyes curved with a smile: "How did you know I still wanted cake?"

Lin Yuan scratched his head, ears tinged red: "Earlier at the birthday celebration I only ate noodles, felt like something was missing."

The two pushed the bike to a bench by Xi Hu, Lin Yuan fished a lighter from his pocket and lit the small candle on the cake.

The warm yellow light shone on Qin Bore's brows and eyes; she pressed her palms together and whispered a wish.

As she blew out the candle, an evening breeze swept across the lake, lifting the stray hairs at her temples.

While eating cake, Lin Yuan couldn't help asking: "Miss Qin, you don't look like someone who enjoys staying at school—how did you end up as a teacher at Zhijiang University?"

Qin Bore wiped cream from the corner of her mouth, smiled faintly: "The president of Zhijiang University is a friend of my advisor; the university's School of Economics is expanding, and they specially invited me back to help."

"May I ask, what is your academic background?" Lin Yuan asked curiously.

He really found it strange—Qin Bore is so young, in her twenties, how could she become an associate professor at Zhijiang University?

That rank is too high.

Generally, university associate professors are middle-aged people in their forties or fifties.

Qin Bore said calmly: "I got my bachelor's at UC Berkeley as the year's top graduate, then did a combined master's and PhD at MIT, studying finance."

Lin Yuan opened his mouth, unable to speak for a while—

The woman before him turned out to be a top-tier academic ace?!

MIT, that's the world's top physics institution!

And I'm just someone who's been mixed up in the underworld, scraping by with a bit of cooking skill.

The gap between them is as deep as Xi Hu's waters, making him suddenly feel a bit inferior.

As silence spread, a silver-gray carp suddenly leapt from the lake surface, splashing water onto the shore.

Qin Bore's eyes lit up, she tugged Lin Yuan's sleeve, voice bright with childlike joy: "Look at that fish! Its scales shine brightly in the moonlight—I really want to bring it home to keep."

Lin Yuan didn't respond, just quickly took off his coat and tossed it onto the bench.

Before Qin Bore could react, Lin Yuan went "plop" and jumped into Xi Hu.

The icy lake water instantly washed over his chest, startling the night birds by the shore into flapping their wings and taking flight.

Qin Bore was so frightened her cake box went "pop" and fell to the ground…

She rushed to the lakeside, tiptoed and shouted into the dark water, voice trembling: "Lin Yuan! Are you crazy? There are undercurrents in the lake—come up quickly!"

But Lin Yuan in the water was agile; he followed the direction the carp had leapt, swam a few meters, then suddenly reached out and scooped—his fingertips touched the slippery scales, and he promptly grabbed the still-flopping fish.

He walked through the water toward the shore, droplets dripping from his soaked hair onto his face.

Lin Yuan held the carp high in his hand, a somewhat foolish smile on his face: "I caught it, look, it's still alive."

Qin Bore looked at his lips purple from the cold and his soaked clothes, both angry and distressed, quickly grabbed her coat and wrapped it around him.

Qin Bore reached out and touched his forehead: "Are you stupid? Jumping into the lake in this cold—what if you get sick?"

Lin Yuan tightened his coat, placed the carp into the plastic bag Qin Bore handed him, his ears frozen red yet still smiling: "You said you wanted to raise it, so I wanted to help you catch it—I didn't think of anything else."

Qin Bore looked at his reddened ears, her heart felt as if lightly tapped by something, both angry and warm.

She took out a tissue from her bag, tiptoed to wipe the water droplets from his face: "You, you never think about the consequences—what if you catch a chill?"

Lin Yuan let her wipe his face, his ears quietly turning red, he lowered his voice: "It's fine, I'm strong, this chill is nothing—look at this fish, so lively, bringing it home to keep in an aquarium will definitely look nice."

Qin Bore lowered her head to look at the carp in the cake box…

The silvery scales reflected under the streetlight, the tail occasionally brushing the box wall.

She couldn't help laughing, mixed with a hint of helplessness: "Alright, I'll admit you're impressive, but next time you're not allowed to be so impulsive, got it?"

Lin Yuan nodded, took the towel Qin Bore handed him and wiped his hair, then draped the coat over himself—

The coat carried Qin Bore's faint perfume, mixed with the lake's dampness, and actually wasn't unpleasant at all.

Qin Bore crouched beside him, looking at the fish in the box, then at Lin Yuan, soaked through yet earnest, suddenly felt that her earlier panic had turned into an indescribable warmth.

She whispered: "Actually… I just said it offhand, I didn't expect you to really jump in."

Lin Yuan lifted his head to look at her, the streetlight falling on his face, his eyes bright: "I take your words seriously."

At that moment, Qin Bore froze.

Her beautiful eyes were a bit dazed, she just stared foolishly at Lin Yuan.

This guy…

Still, just like back then.

Silly and simple.

The atmosphere, as if suddenly became quiet and still.

Even the wind turned gentle.

Qin Bore's beautiful eyes fixed on Lin Yuan, she suddenly asked:

"If I said… let you marry me, would you dare?"