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

Su Feiyan didn't even look at him.

Even just a glance.

From the moment he entered the room until now, Su Feiyan's gaze has not lingered on the pile of expensive gifts for even a second.

She stood up abruptly, walked up to Lu Li in her high heels, and stood very close.

"Why are you sweating so much?"

The usually decisive and efficient female CEO casually pulled a tissue from the coffee table and reached out to touch Lu Li's forehead.

Their movements were gentle, as if no one else was around.

Lu Li was stunned for a moment, and was about to take action himself, but was stopped by a look from Su Feiyan.

Don't move, cooperate with me. If you dare to hide, you'll be sleeping on the floor tonight.

Lu Li understood that look in his eyes.

So he lowered his head slightly with a clear conscience, letting the female CEO, worth hundreds of billions, wipe the fine sweat from his forehead like a little wife.

This scene was a hundred times more ruthless than any verbal rebuttal.

Gu Ciyuan stood to the side, his entire being like a dried-up sculpture. The humiliation of being completely ignored caused his handsome face to contort slightly.

But it's not over yet.

After wiping away her sweat, Su Feiyan didn't even glance at the tissue in her hand. She turned slightly to the side and very naturally handed the wad of tissue, soaked with Lu Li's sweat, to the person closest to her—Gu Ciyuan.

"Young Master Gu, could you please throw this away for me? Thank you."

The tone was polite, distant, and matter-of-fact.

It's like using a handy trash can.

The entire room fell silent.

Even Shen Suyun, who was drinking soup, paused slightly.

Gu Ciyuan's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at the crumpled paper handed to him.

His manners and demeanor were devastated at this moment.

Accepting it means admitting you're a dumping ground for trash.

Refusing to accept would be to publicly embarrass Su Feiyan and make one appear petty.

Looking at Gu Ciyuan's face, which alternated between pale and flushed, Lu Li inwardly cheered for Su Feiyan:

[Holy crap! That's awesome, honey! This move isn't very damaging, but it's incredibly humiliating! If there were background music for this, it would definitely be "A Spray of Plum Blossoms."]

"What?" Su Feiyan frowned slightly, her eyes cold. "Now that Young Master Gu is here, you're not even willing to help with this small favor?"

Gu Ciyuan clenched his teeth so hard they made a grinding sound.

Finally, he reached out with trembling hands and took the wad of tissues.

"Of course...it would be my honor."

These words were squeezed out from between his teeth.

Seeing this, Lu Li delivered the final blow at the opportune moment.

He took off his apron, casually draped it over the back of the chair, then pulled out the chair next to Shen Suyun and made a perfectly standard "please" gesture to Gu Ciyuan:

"Young Master Gu, don't stand there. Now that you've taken out the trash, sit down and have some soup with us. Although it's not as precious as your 'century-old ginseng,' this soup..."

Lu Li glanced at Shen Suyun, who was savoring the memory with her eyes closed, and a playful smile curved his lips:

"A cure for all kinds of dissent."

"...Oh no, it's specifically for treating poor blood circulation."

Shen Suyun slowly opened her eyes, her gaze shifting between the so-called "century-old wild ginseng" and the half-empty soup bowl in front of her.

Finally, she looked at Lu Li, her gaze complex yet unusually gentle.

"Lu Li is right."

Shen Suyun put down her spoon and pointed to the bowl of soup: "Ciyuan, you should try some too. Some things look expensive, but they may not be useful. Some things look ordinary..."

She felt that the migraine that had been bothering her for days had miraculously disappeared after she drank the soup.

"...yet it's surprisingly comforting."

……

Gu Ciyuan held the sweat-soaked tissue, unsure whether to throw it away or keep it. In the end, he could only toss it into the wastebasket at his feet with a look of utter dismay.

In order to salvage his image in front of Shen Suyun, Gu Ciyuan displayed the composure expected of a wealthy heir.

He didn't lose his composure. Instead, he took a deep breath, quickly adjusted his facial expression, and forced out an impeccable, elegant smile.

"Since Auntie has so kindly invited me, I will gladly accept."

Gu Ciyuan sat down, his gaze sweeping over Lu Li imperceptibly, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

When he was studying abroad, he was a regular at Michelin-starred restaurants, and his pickiness about ingredients was comparable to that of a professional judge. If there was even the slightest flaw in the soup, he could use the most professional terminology to criticize it as worthless, making Lu Li completely lose face in this family.

Lu Li ignored this and even thoughtfully pushed the soup bowl towards Gu Ciyuan, his smile so genuine that no one could find fault with it.

"Go ahead and drink, Da Lang."

This is a special edition with double the amount of radish seeds. Radish seeds dispel stagnation and relieve indigestion, perfect for a hypocrite like you who's full of bad intentions... oh no, I mean, full of bloating.

Su Feiyan, who was elegantly sipping her soup, trembled upon hearing this, and the spoon almost hit the rim of the bowl.

She calmly put down her cutlery and, under the guise of adjusting her skirt, moved herself and her chair back half a meter.

Shen Weilan went even further, blinking her big eyes and shrinking into the corner of the table like a frightened little rabbit, clutching her napkin tightly in her hand, as if ready to cover her nose at any moment.

Only Gu Ciyuan was completely unaware of his impending fate.

He picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of the golden, translucent soup, and put it in his mouth.

The moment it enters your mouth, the umami flavor explodes on your taste buds like a bomb.

It has none of the bitterness of traditional Chinese medicine, only the rich and sweet essence of the ingredients.

Gu Ciyuan's pupils contracted slightly—this damn taste was even better than what he had at the state banquet last week!

But how can that be?

Admitting it tastes good is admitting that this gigolo is better than you!

Gu Ciyuan forcefully suppressed the exclamation that was about to escape his throat, put down the spoon, took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth, his brows furrowed, as if he had just drunk some hot pot water.

"Auntie," Gu Ciyuan ignored Lu Li and looked directly at Shen Suyun, his tone sincere and tinged with worry, "This soup is indeed delicious at first taste, but... it's a bit too stimulating."

He pointed to the soup bowl and began his performance: "Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes 'moderation and balance.' But this soup has a very strong medicinal flavor, which masks the original taste of the ingredients and even has a strange earthy smell. This kind of 'strong medicine' may feel refreshing at first sip, but it is actually depleting your body's vital energy. Long-term consumption may not only be unhelpful to your health, but also harmful."

This tactic is called "killing someone by destroying their spirit."

He didn't attack Lu Li's cooking skills, but rather Lu Li's "dedication." He was implying to Shen Suyun: This kid is willing to give you strong medicine just to please you, and he doesn't care whether you live or die.

Upon hearing this, Shen Suyun's relaxed brows furrowed slightly.

The soup had just cured her migraine, and Gu Ciyuan's words were not only a slap in the face to Lu Li, but also a questioning of her sense of taste and palate.

Before Shen Suyun could speak, Lu Li interrupted with concern, "Strong earthy smell? Young Master Gu, how could that be? This is clear soup that has been filtered through three sieves."

Lu Li looked Gu Ciyuan up and down, his gaze finally settling on his slightly tense lower abdomen. He said sincerely, "Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes that 'taste follows the mind, and qi is generated by the body.' The reason you feel the taste is off is probably not the soup itself, but rather that you have too much 'waste qi' accumulated in your body, causing turbid qi to rise and block your clear orifices."

"That's utter nonsense!" Gu Ciyuan snorted coldly, his attitude still arrogant. "I have a full physical examination every six months, and all my indicators are perfect. You say I have turbid qi? Lu Li, it's not shameful to admit that your skills are not good, but to fabricate illnesses to save face, that's a matter of character."

"Gurgle—"

A muffled thud abruptly interrupted Gu Ciyuan's long-winded speech.