[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-a-villain-so-what":3,"chapter-i-am-a-villain-so-what-i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-28":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Am a Villain, So What?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1506353,1956,"Chapter 28: Talking business","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-28",28,"\u003Cp>As they stepped out of the bathroom — steam still clinging faintly to their hair — the aroma hit them like a physical force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They froze mid-step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alicia’s empty eyes... flickered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not much. Barely there. Like a broken fluorescent light trying to spark once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasemotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tiny, tiny spark of emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They both — without even realizing — drifted toward the kitchen like they were being pulled by an invisible thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned, spatula in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, you girls are back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that they were clean — the difference was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily looked... human again. Still thin, still worn — but her features were actually pretty refined under the dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Alicia... with the grime washed off, her scar was clearer — ugly but striking — yet her natural beauty was undeniable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two... after some time and proper nourishment...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah. They’d turn heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good timing,\" I said, shutting off the burner. \"Go wait in the dining hall. The food’s almost ready.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily stepped forward immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How can boss serve us, slaves. We should be the ones—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"First of all,\" I cut her off, stern. \"Stop calling yourselves slaves. You’re my employees now. Not slaves. Understood?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She flinched — then nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And second — relax. I can carry a plate or two. I’m not crippled.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lily looked almost distressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please, Boss... letmedo it. If I don’t help... I’ll feel like you’re stealing our job.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine. Set the table. I’ll go wash up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time I came back from the bathroom, steam still clinging to my skin, the dining table was set neatly — utensils aligned, water poured, napkins folded. Lily stood ramrod straight behind her chair, Alicia sat silently, the faintest tremor of hunger visible in her fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of them had their eyes glued to the pot of steaming fried rice I placed at the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their stomachs growled in stereo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t help but laugh. \"Why didn’t you start eating?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How could we eat before you?\" Lily said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right. Noble-world etiquette. Servant hierarchy. This world’s sense of ’commonsense.’ Fine. I wasn’t going to waste a decade fighting it in one dinner. I sat, scooped a generous portion, and gestured. \"Alright, then eat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They served themselves. Very tiny portions — Like squirrels trying to ration acorns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wouldn’t stay modest after one bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took my first bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even I paused mid-chew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t just good — this was divine. The Culinary Creator passive wasn’t a joke. The balance of sesame, soy, salt, the vegetables — everything fused perfectly. Like a seven-star chef had slapped me aside and taken control of my hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then — the moment the food touched their tongues — both of them jerked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alicia’s spoon clattered softly against the bowl. Her dead gaze trembled — her lips parted — her breath hitched — her eyes shimmered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a girl whose emotions were murdered out of her, this one spoonful was enough to wake something in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Lily — she practically froze solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t even chew at first. She just sat there, eyes wide, spoon still in her mouth — overwhelmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mind wasn’t just tasting — it wasanalyzing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had cooking skill at level 5. She could taste every component distinctly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could identify the heat of the pepper blend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nutty lift of sesame oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The delicate sear of hare meat cut to perfect grain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fluff of rice grains individually coated but never soggy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that soy — that flavor didn’t exist in this world — it shot through her palate like divine revelation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand trembled. Her throat tightened. Then she exhaled — slowly — like she had just been released from starvation and ascended to a higher dimension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked at me — eyes wide, full of awe — as if I was something godlike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a noble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a boss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a higher being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man who created miracles out of a simple pan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Why are you looking at me like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily swallowed hard — tears actually forming. \"...Boss... is this really cooking?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. That wasn’t the tone of someone asking a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was devotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was faith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had just found her god — and unfortunately — that god was me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Alicia silently took a second spoonful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a third.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hands still trembled faintly — but she never stopped eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chairs creaked as we all leaned back and just... existed. There wasn’t a single grain of rice left in the pot. They scraped that thing to the metal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both girls looked like they wanted to eat a second round but their bodies simply couldn’t fit another spoonful. They looked drunk on food — eyes half-glazed, shoulders heavy, breathing slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily eventually stood, shaky but determined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I will get the dishes cleaned.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waved her off. \"That can wait. We need to talk first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Talk...?\" she blinked, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Alicia looked up at me, expression faintly curious — like she was only now capable of feeling curiosity again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah.\" I crossed my arms. \"First tell me — what do you honestly think of my cooking?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily answered instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was heavenly, boss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice trembled with sincerity. \"Even after being full... my mouth didn’t want to stop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alicia nodded — not a tiny nod — a full, meaningful agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laughed. \"Good. Because I’m thinking of opening a diner.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily stared at me like I’d just asked if water was wet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Profit...?\" she repeated. \"Boss, with cooking like this you’ll flood the market. There won’t be a competitor left standing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t exaggerating — she was stating it like fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I traveled for years with merchant caravans,\" she said quietly, \"I’ve tasted food from many regions. Nothing comes close to what you just served us. This isn’t just good — it changes how food should taste.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hah.\" I leaned back, smirking. \"Fried rice was just housekeeping. Barely even a warm-up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of them stared at me like wide–eyed animals who’ve finally discovered oxygen existed. There wasn’t a shred of doubt in their eyes — only expectation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hope, hunger, anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Alicia — the hollow ghost — was looking at me with light in her eyes now. That alone made the gamble worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily swallowed once before speaking — nervous, almost reverent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boss... if you don’t mind... could I observe you while you cook? Not to steal... just to learn. Even a little...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I snorted and flicked her forehead lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Observe?\" I snorted. \"You’re not observing. You’re learning. You think I hired you for washing dishes? As of tomorrow — you’re my trainee chef. You’re learning every recipe in my head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her entire face lit up as if she’d been blessed by a goddess. She bowed so hard her forehead nearly hit the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you—Boss! I’ll devote myself to it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good. Training starts tomorrow. Now you can go wash.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She grabbed the plates with the enthusiasm of someone about to ascend to heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alicia stood to follow, but I raised my voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alicia, stay. I need a word.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused — turned — then slowly sat back down, hands folding in her lap.\u003C\u002Fp>",1230,"2026-06-06T04:52:01.856Z",1,"novelbin.me","1cad541ed1dcc5218ad856a872eb46b546d1a71a857a4998761bfb956d867880","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-29","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-27",230,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-a-villain-so-what-cover.jpg"]