What are you doing, Mr. President? I'm just an extra!

Lu Li's lips curled slightly as he picked up a thick-backed sword.

I lightly flicked the back of the knife with my finger.

"Buzz—"

Before the echo had faded, the wrist had already become a blur.

"Boom boom boom boom boom—"

The originally distinct sound of chopping vegetables was suddenly transformed into the sonic boom of a Gatling gun firing!

Robert's mocking smile froze instantly.

The as hard as stone, as well as the woody Atractylodes macrocephala, seemed to turn into tender tofu under Lu Li's knife.

As the blade flashed, the medicinal herb wasn't severed, but a terrifyingly subtle force shattered its internal fibers, turning it into a fluffy, downy texture.

The finer the pieces are cut, the faster the medicinal properties are released.

[Thanks to the system, thanks to CCTV, all that hard training for my muscular arm paid off.]

"Stop! What are you doing?!" Robert stormed up, completely exasperated. "This is century-old wild astragalus! You're destroying its medicinal structure; it'll just turn into a pot of bitter water! What a waste!"

"Get out of the way."

Lu Li didn't even raise his head, but his shoulders twitched slightly. A gentle force struck him, and Robert was pushed back three steps, almost falling on his backside.

He grabbed the prepared black-boned chicken with one hand, but instead of putting it directly into the pot, he used his hands to rapidly pat and knead the chicken.

[Master-level massage techniques, activated!]

The technique originally used to loosen the bones of a rich woman was now being used on this poor chicken.

Lu Li channeled his inner energy through his fingertips, precisely striking the lymph nodes and bruises on the chicken's body. With a few soft "plop" sounds, a few strands of foul-smelling black blood were forced out from the pores, and then ginger juice instantly sealed the wounds.

"Western cuisine emphasizes molecular gastronomy and uses sous-vide to lock in moisture. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the five elements and their mutual generation. I use internal energy to expel the fishy smell and use ginger juice to enhance the heat."

Lu Li tossed the prepared ingredients into the casserole dish with movements as smooth as conducting a symphony.

He glanced at Robert, whose jaw was practically dropping to the floor, and said in a flat tone:

"Besides, who told you I was going to stew it? I was going to fry it."

"Madman... This is simply unscientific witchcraft!" Robert muttered to himself, feeling that his career had been insulted.

Lu Li had no time to pay attention to this "tire salesman".

He ignored the fancy electronic slow cookers and turned on the gas stove directly.

Biggest fire!

Blue flames roared up and enveloped the entire base of the casserole.

Traditionally, stewing soup requires simmering over low heat, but Guabi always does the opposite.

He closed his eyes slightly, and the Ancient Sacred Body began to circulate.

At that moment, his hearing was amplified to its extreme.

Inside the casserole, every tumble of the water, every collision of the herbs and chicken, even the sound of bubbles bursting, was as clear as thunder in his mind.

[The water temperature is 98 degrees Celsius. The angelica root is releasing its sugars. The heat is too high. Reduce the heat!]

[At 100 degrees Celsius, the black-boned chicken fat begins to emulsify. Increase the heat and attack!]

Lu Li's fingers flew across the gas knob, sometimes igniting a powerful flame, sometimes letting it simmer gently.

The flames seemed to come alive in his hands, dancing in rhythm with the movement within the pot.

The only sound in the kitchen was the roar of the flames.

The kitchen helpers, who had been waiting to see the joke, were now gaping, not daring to even breathe.

Although they couldn't understand it, they were deeply moved.

This pretty boy... seems to actually have something going for him?

Twenty minutes later.

Suddenly, a straight wisp of white smoke shot out from the tightly closed vent of the clay pot.

Robert subconsciously sniffed, bracing himself for the expected bitter and burnt smell of Chinese medicine.

However, the next second, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

It has no bitter taste.

It was an indescribable, complex fragrance.

It has the richness of meat, mixed with the crispness of herbs and plants. What's even more amazing is that the sweetness of licorice and the earthy smell of angelica, which should be conflicting, are perfectly blended together to form a fragrance similar to amber after being burned by a raging fire.

"This... What the f...?" Robert exclaimed, "How could it have such richness in just twenty minutes?"

Lu Li suddenly opened his eyes.

"Now."

He picked up the "starter" he had prepared—a 30-year-old Moutai mixed with a trace amount of dried tangerine peel powder.

Uncover.

Pour it in.

Seal.

"boom!"

Although there was no open flame or explosion, it felt as if an atomic bomb had been detonated in the sense of smell of everyone present.

An intensely rich aroma, almost tangible, exploded out instantly!

The aroma was so overpowering that it ignored the powerful range hood and, like an invisible dragon, quickly filled the entire kitchen and spread wildly into the living room through the ventilation system and door gaps.

"My God..." Robert's legs went weak, and he grabbed the island counter for support, his eyes glazed over. "This taste...it's actually making my mouth water?"

……

A low-pressure atmosphere hung over the living room.

Shen Suyun sat in the center of the sofa, holding a red pen, and was drawing circles on a financial statement.

"Our marketing budget exceeded our target by 15% this quarter. Are the marketing department just sitting around doing nothing?"

The more she looked, the more agitated she became. The veins on her temples throbbed, and her migraine felt like a steel needle churning in her head.

Uncle Wang stood to the side, even his breathing was very careful.

Su Feiyan sat on a single sofa to the side, seemingly reading a magazine, but her eyes were actually wandering and her ears were constantly listening to the sounds coming from the kitchen.

[It's been an hour... why is there still no movement?]

If I mess this up, Mom will definitely use it as an excuse to make a scene. Should I throw a tantrum, or carry Lu Li and run away tonight?

As for Shen Weilan, she was huddled in a corner, secretly sending Lu Li a WeChat emoji—a picture of a cat drooling, captioned: [Brother Lu, do you want me to order takeout for you and sneak you in?]

Just then.

Shen Weilan's delicate nostrils twitched suddenly.

"Holy crap?"

As a top-tier foodie, her radar for delicious food is instantly activated.

"What's that smell? It smells amazing!" Shen Weilan jumped up, her eyes wide, staring intently at the kitchen. "This is the smell of Chinese medicine? If this is what Chinese medicine smells like, I'd be willing to be a walking medicine cabinet!"

Shen Suyun frowned, about to reprimand her niece for her indecent behavior.

"Wei Lan, sit up straight. What kind of behavior is this, shouting like that..."

Before she could finish speaking, the strange fragrance had already wafted in front of her.

Shen Suyun was stunned.

The scent isn't overpowering like cheap perfumes; rather, it's a subtle, pervasive fragrance.

Take the first inhale.

The pent-up frustration in my chest melted away like ice and snow meeting the warm sun.

Take a second breath.

The churning needle in my brain miraculously stopped? My tense nerves felt like they were soaking in a hot spring, every cell screaming with comfort.

Shen Suyun's hand holding the red pen froze in mid-air.

Can simply smelling something relieve pain?

How is that possible?

When that renowned physician from Beijing prescribed this formula, he only said it was for "regulating qi and blood," never mentioning its immediate and miraculous effects!

Is it a coincidence?

Is that young man she considered a "useless gigolo" really so accomplished in medicinal cuisine?

Shen Suyun slowly put down her pen, her gaze turning complicated as she looked at the tightly closed carved wooden door of the kitchen.

For the first time, she began to doubt her own judgment of people.

Click, the kitchen door opens.

Lu Li came out carrying a white porcelain tray.

His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, his face was slightly flushed, and the cuffs of his shirt were rolled up high, revealing his well-defined forearms.

It doesn't have the fancy plating of Michelin.

Only a simple, unadorned white porcelain stew pot.

But as he approached, even the air seemed to become sweet.

"It smells so good! Brother Lu, I want to have a taste first!" Shen Weilan couldn't resist and was about to pounce on him.

Lu Li stepped aside, saying, "Sit down properly. This is for your aunt."

Shen Weilan shrank back, looking aggrieved: [Waaaaah, Brother Lu was mean to me! But he looks so handsome when he's being mean! I want to eat him even more, what should I do!]

Lu Li walked up to Shen Suyun, put down the stew pot, and lifted the lid.

The soup has a perfect amber-gold color, is crystal clear, and has no impurities.

Pieces of black-boned chicken meat, like white jade, sank into the base color, while the medicinal herbs had completely dissolved and blended into the soup.

"Auntie, please enjoy the Eight Treasures Qi-Boosting Soup." Lu Li bowed slightly, displaying impeccable manners.

Shen Suyun looked at the bowl of soup, and her throat moved involuntarily.

That primal, physical desire made it almost impossible for her to maintain her aloof demeanor.

She picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in her mouth.

The next second, Shen Suyun slightly opened her eyes.

fresh!

The freshest of all!

Then a warm current slid into her stomach, bursting open and spreading throughout her body. The feeling wasn't just pleasant; it was more like a pair of gentle, large hands smoothing out every wrinkle in her body.

The headache has really stopped.

The only sound in the living room was the occasional soft noise of Shen Suyun drinking soup.

Su Feiyan was stunned when she saw her mother's relaxed brows.

[He...he really did it?]

Just how many other skills does this guy have up his sleeve? Massage, treasure hunting, racing cars, and now even his cooking is this outrageous?!

I've struck gold...

Just as Lu Li was preparing to retire successfully and mentally give the system a five-star rating,

A deep engine roar suddenly came from outside the villa.

Immediately afterwards, hurried and confident footsteps came from the entrance hall, followed by a gentle and refined male voice.

"Aunt Shen, Feiyan, I'm sorry I'm late."