My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

noon

Little Sizi hugged a soft pillow, curled up on the carpet next to Li Chengqian's wheelchair, her little face buried in the pillow.

Only a pair of eyes, filled with "life is meaningless," were visible, glancing warily toward the kitchen every now and then.

Li Chengqian held a book, but his gaze lingered on the words, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the armrest of his wheelchair.

In the kitchen, there were sounds of spatulas clashing against iron pots, the sizzling of oil, and Li Lizhi occasionally humming a tune.

Each amplification or pause in the sound caused the two people in the hall, one large and one small, to stiffen slightly.

Finally, the door leading to the kitchen was pushed open.

Li Lizhi came out carrying two plates.

"Brother, Sizi, dinner's ready!"

Her voice was filled with obvious anticipation as she placed the two plates in the center of the table.

Li Chengqian and Xiao Sizi's eyes were fixed on the two dishes.

A plate, which seemed to be... some kind of meat slices stir-fried with... some kind of green, indistinctly shaped vegetable.

The meat slices were a color between light brown and dark yellow, with slightly curled edges. The sauce was thick and black, tightly coating each slice of meat and the already limp green plants.

The other dish was a relatively "safe" steamed egg. The surface of the custard was fairly smooth, but the color... seemed a little darker than a regular steamed egg, with some suspicious soy sauce-colored ripples, and the center was slightly bulging.

Li Chengqian's Adam's apple bobbed silently.

Little Si buried her face even deeper into the soft pillow and let out a very faint whimper.

Li Lizhi seemed quite satisfied with her "work".

She took off her apron, wiped her hands, and introduced herself with a mix of shyness and undisguised pride.

"Today I tried stir-fried pork with green peppers and steamed egg with minced pork. The recipe said to use high heat and reduce the sauce until thick... and the steamed egg should be tender and smooth, so I stirred it for a longer time and added some flavor-enhancing seasonings. Give it a try!"

She diligently set out the bowls and chopsticks, and even brought out a special little rabbit bowl and spoon for Xiao Sizi.

Li Chengqian and Xiao Sizi exchanged a glance.

In each other's eyes, they saw the resolute determination to rush to the "battlefield".

Li Chengqian slowly put down the book and maneuvered his wheelchair closer to the dining table.

Little Sizi also slowly got up, moved to her chair and sat down, her little hands tightly gripping the handle of the rabbit spoon, her knuckles turning white.

Li Lizhi had already placed some food in each of their bowls—a chopstickful of dark-colored green pepper and pork slices, and a spoonful of slightly dark-colored steamed egg.

"Eat it while it's hot."

She sat opposite them, her hands supporting her chin, staring at them intently.

Li Chengqian closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, everything was calm.

He picked up his chopsticks, like a knight raising a lance, and slowly reached for the piece of meat with the thickest sauce in the bowl...

Little Sizi stared at the trembling, strangely colored steamed egg in the bowl, her little nose wrinkling.

Just as the two were preparing to face each other.

"Squeak—!"

A sound came from outside.

Li Chengqian's action of picking up food suddenly froze in mid-air.

Little Sizi's little hand, which was about to bravely sacrifice itself as it put the steamed egg into its mouth, also stopped.

The two of them turned their heads sharply at almost the same time and looked towards the door.

Backlit, several figures of varying heights appeared at the doorway, blocking most of the light and making their outlines somewhat blurry for a moment.

But that familiar yet strange, powerful yet distinctive aura was already overwhelming.

"Hey, everyone's here? We're back."

It's Chen Mo!

Then, more voices and figures poured in:

"Haha, finally back! Those damn bastards really know how to rip people off!!!"

"Stop talking, we'll get our revenge later."

"Exactly! Once we get back, we'll start the Northern Expedition!!!"

The voices of the crowd could be heard.

But Little Sizi could no longer hear or see anything.

Her gaze instantly locked onto Chen Mo!

All the grievances, all the fears, all the longing, at this moment, like a flood bursting its banks, swept away her small psychological defenses.

"Microcystis aeruginosa—!!!"

A scream, tinged with tears yet brimming with boundless joy and relief, pierced the stagnant air in the hall.

Little Sizi slid off the chair using both hands and feet, and stumbled a bit because she was in such a hurry.

But she didn't care at all. Like a milky white cannonball launched with all her might, she rushed toward the door with a thud, and then jumped suddenly.

"Whoa!"

Little Sizi buried her head in Chen Mo's arms!

The immense force caused Chen Mo to stagger back half a step before regaining his balance.

He instinctively bent down and caught the little guy who was clinging tightly to his neck, burying his face in his shoulder, and trembling slightly all over.

"Little cyst fungus! Little cyst fungus, you're back! You're really back! Waaaaah..."

Little Sizi sobbed, her voice thick with nasal congestion and the excitement of surviving a disaster, tears and snot probably smeared on Chen Mo's shoulder.

But does she not care at all? All she wants right now is for the little cyst to cook her a normal meal!

Does anyone know how she spent these past few days?

Chen Mo looked at the little Sizi in his arms, and was first taken aback.

What's going on?

But seeing Xiao Sizi's aggrieved expression, he gently patted her to comfort her.

"Yes, I'm back. Don't cry, Sizi, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

After speaking, he looked up, his gaze sweeping across the hall, past the two "uniquely presented" dishes on the table, past Li Lizhi's astonished and somewhat helpless expression, and finally landing on Li Chengqian's face in the wheelchair.

Li Chengqian also put down his chopsticks and looked at him with excitement.

Chen Mo even suspected that if he hadn't been in a wheelchair, he probably would have rushed up and hugged him too!

Men should not touch each other.

fine……

Chen Mo coughed lightly and asked in surprise.

"What's wrong? Did someone bully you?"

"No!"

"Did we come back at the wrong time?"

"And...they came back at just the right time!!!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo looked at Li Chengqian again, and became even more puzzled.

How come Li Chengqian looks like he's eaten shit after only a few days of my absence?

Just as Chen Mo was wondering what was going on, Li Lizhi quickly stepped forward, a bright smile blooming on her face.

"Manager Chen! You're back!"

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers, and whispered.

"Just in time... I cooked some food. Although... well, it might be a little little, but... I think it's alright."

Then, seemingly feeling that inviting only Chen Mo wasn't quite appropriate, Li Lizhi invited other people as well.

"Since you've all come from a long journey, you must be quite hungry. If you don't mind, why don't we have something to eat together first?"

The air seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Little Sizi was still sobbing in Chen Mo's arms, but upon hearing this, she buried her head even deeper and secretly tugged at Chen Mo's collar with her little hands.

Li Chengqian sat in his wheelchair, and the corner of his mouth, which had been relaxed, twitched almost imperceptibly.

He glanced quickly at the two dishes and hurriedly maneuvered his wheelchair back a few steps to make room for the others.

The others exchanged glances but remained silent.

"Haha, Princess, you're too kind! I've traveled for so long and I'm quite hungry! Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Only Zhu Gaoxu didn't care about any of this. He walked to the table in a very natural manner and picked up a slice of meat.

After getting off the plane, they went straight to the hotel without eating.

They must be starving by now.

As for whether a face is good or bad?

joke!

What kind of food didn't he eat while he was fighting outside?

Even if Li Lizhi's cooking is terrible, at least it's been prepared.

Surely food prepared by Li Lizhi can't taste worse than unprocessed food, right?

mere...

"Click... Hmm?"

The first bite is of the crispy, caramelized outer layer of sauce.

Zhu Gaoxu raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem to care.

Be firmer!

Her Highness probably hasn't cooked much, so it's only right that we tolerate it.

He was a rough-and-tumble soldier; what tough stuff hadn't he tackled?

The second time, the teeth cut into the meat slice itself.

His chewing motions suddenly slowed down.

The third time... it stopped completely.