Shen Lu was now living in the villa; she was a guest, and it wouldn't do if she didn't even get to eat.
Jiang Yi wasted no time and began cooking.
Before long, the aroma from the kitchen wafted out, causing the servants to swallow repeatedly.
Dongfang Mei, who had been sleeping, was woken by the enticing smell. She quickly washed up and went to the living room to wait for the meal, swallowing her saliva more times than she could count.
Dongfang Mei had grown up eating delicacies, but ever since she tasted Jiang Yi's cooking, those fine dishes tasted like nothing. They felt like chewing on wax.
"It smells so good!"
Shen Lu's voice came from her room. She sniffed the air and couldn't help but look towards the kitchen.
"Miss Dongfang, may I ask where you hired your chef from? This is the first time I've smelled such an fragrant aroma from food."
Shen Lu arrived in the living room and couldn't help but ask Dongfang Mei.
"We don't have a great chef!" Dongfang Mei replied.
Dongfang Mei directly referred to the place as 'our home.' This implied that Jiang Yi was hers, and no one else could have him.
"Then who is cooking?" Shen Lu asked, full of curiosity.
"It's Jiang Yi!" Dongfang Mei revealed with a hint of pride.
Shen Lu was a little stunned! She hadn't expected Jiang Yi to be able to cook. And not just cook, but cook so deliciously.
Before Shen Lu could recover, a servant ran in from outside.
"Miss Dongfang, several women have come from outside, saying they want to visit as guests, and each has brought many gifts," the servant reported.
"What women?"
Dongfang Mei frowned, then muttered, "You good-for-nothing Jiang Yi, daring to find other women behind my back."
"They aren't here for Mr. Jiang," the servant quickly corrected.
"If they aren't here for Jiang Yi, then what are they here for?" Dongfang Mei inquired.
"They are neighbors from around here, housewives. They probably smelled the fragrance wafting from our villa and want to mooch a meal!" the servant explained.
"Turn them all away!" Dongfang Mei commanded with a stern face.
"Yes!"
The servant acknowledged and turned to leave. They had no chance of getting a free meal. Jiang Yi rarely cooked, and when he did, he made very little. Dongfang Mei eagerly awaited Jiang Yi entering the kitchen, yet even she rarely got a chance to taste his cooking. How could they?
Dongfang Mei glanced at the kitchen. Seeing no activity, she stood up from the sofa and walked directly towards the kitchen. Dongfang Mei suspected Jiang Yi might be secretly eating himself. If she didn't hurry, he might finish it all.
Shen Lu was utterly bewildered! She thought, this is unbelievable! Is Jiang Yi's cooking that good? It actually made Dongfang Mei lose her composure, looking as if she hadn't eaten in years. Curious, Shen Lu followed. She wanted to see if Jiang Yi's culinary skills were truly that divine.
At that moment, Jiang Yi was arranging the dishes. Seeing Dongfang Mei and Shen Lu enter, he smiled, "You two are right on time. Sit down, we can eat!"
Dongfang Mei sat down first and immediately picked up her chopsticks, starting to eat. Shen Lu was much more reserved. She smiled at Jiang Yi before taking a seat. She picked up a piece of braised pork and was stunned after taking a bite. She had never tasted anything like it; her taste buds felt like they were about to boil. The braised pork she ate was fragrant all the way down to her stomach. Shen Lu loved braised pork and had tried it in every variety, but compared to Jiang Yi's, neither the texture nor the aroma could compare. Shen Lu felt that what she had eaten before wasn't braised pork but rather chewing on wax.
In less than ten minutes, four or five dishes were completely wiped clean. Dongfang Mei and Shen Lu still looked like they wanted more.
"Master Jiang, your cooking is simply extraordinary," Shen Lu praised from the bottom of her heart.
"They are just home-style dishes, not worth mentioning," Jiang Yi replied modestly.
"I truly envy Miss Dongfang, being able to eat such delicious food every day," Shen Lu said enviously, looking at Dongfang Mei.
"Of course!" Dongfang Mei's face lit up with pride. "Jiang Yi is my personal chef. Ordinary people don't get to taste his handmade meals. You're lucky to eat it upon your arrival."
Actually, Dongfang Mei had eaten it only a few times. Since moving into the villa, she had only tasted it four or five times, and each time, she hadn't eaten her fill.
Seeing Dongfang Mei's smug look, Jiang Yi almost burst out laughing. Dongfang Mei appeared quite shrewd and experienced, but the longer he interacted with her, the more he felt she was no different from an ordinary young woman. He even felt Dongfang Mei was somewhat childish.
"Beep, beep..."
Jiang Yi's phone suddenly rang. He took out his phone and saw a text message from Ye Yanran.
"Dad said you'll help me resolve my company's problems. Is that true?"
Jiang Yi didn't reply. Just as he was about to put his phone away, Ye Yanran sent another message.
"I'm waiting for you at home! Come quickly..."
Seeing this message, Jiang Yi bid farewell to Shen Lu and left the villa to head to the Ye family's residence. Jiang Yi intended to use this opportunity to clarify things with Ye Yanran, so she wouldn't misunderstand his intentions or think he was still infatuated with her when he offered help. He wasn't helping her for her sake! He was repaying the kindness of her father. After helping Ye Yanran, Jiang Yi would no longer have any contact with her.
An hour later, his car arrived at the entrance of Ye Yanran's villa. Jiang Yi rang the doorbell. A moment later, Ye Yanran came out from the living room and opened the door.
"You're here!" Ye Yanran greeted Jiang Yi politely.
"Mm," Jiang Yi responded and followed Ye Yanran into the living room. The living room was empty. Ye father, Ye mother, and Ye Xiaofeng were not present.
"Sit down!" Ye Yanran poured Jiang Yi a cup of tea, then sat down in a chair opposite him.
"Did you ask me to come for something?" Jiang Yi asked.
"Can't I ask you if there's nothing important?" Ye Yanran smiled. "Didn't you say that even though we're divorced, we can still be friends? Are we not even friends anymore?"
Jiang Yi didn't know what to say.
"I was just kidding." After Ye Yanran finished speaking, her expression turned solemn. "My company has run into big trouble. Dad said he went to see you last night, and you agreed to help me."
"Mm," Jiang Yi nodded.
"You should stay out of this. I don't want you to get implicated," Ye Yanran said, taking a deep breath. "The divorce from you already made me feel very guilty. If you get implicated by me again this time, I will feel even more remorseful."
"You misunderstand!" Jiang Yi looked at Ye Yanran and said, "I'm helping you solely to repay your father's kindness. It has nothing to do with you; it's not for you."
Ye Yanran couldn't help but freeze for a moment.