Late in the evening, Han Jiaxue came to visit Bai Zhongqi at Lingxiao Palace. This thoughtful and considerate girl brought a lot of ingredients to cook something delicious for Bai Zhongqi, who was always busy.
Bai Zhongqi had been squatting at home, so obsessed with studying the Homeland Stone that he only stopped his work when Han Jiaxue arrived. By that time, he had already gone without sleep for two days, incessantly tinkering with that Homeland Stone.
Going without sleep for two days wasn't much of an issue for the Chancellor's physique anymore. He greeted Han Jiaxue with a smile and watched as she laid out a heap of items on the table.
When Han Jiaxue took out the hot pot base, Bai Zhongqi realized something and said, "Are we two going to have hot pot?"
Han Jiaxue laughed, her eyes squinting into crescents, and said, "Yes, I bought a lot of stuff. Ruyi City has more people now, just like a large city. Everything that can be bought on Earth is available here too, which is really convenient."
Of course, Bai Zhongqi knew that he was the driving force behind it all. The current permanent and transient population of Ruyi City was nearing fifty thousand. While still incomparable to larger towns in the country, it very much looked like a city.
More and more people were coming to Ruyi City to work and live, plus with the development of universe tourism, Ruyi City was continuously welcoming tourists.
"You bought so much, the two of us might not be able to finish it all."
Han Jiaxue laughed and said, "No worries, you can invite some friends over to join us."
Bai Zhongqi fell silent for a bit, as he was quite lonely now. The gap in status had left him with almost no new contact with former friends, and the people of Iridium Star always treated him as the exalted Chancellor, making an equal friendship impossible.
Nevertheless, Bai Zhongqi thought it over and privately asked Xu Lanzhou, Linyin, and Nan Ma and others if they would like to come over for hot pot. These were the people he was closer to, and even if they were mainly connections through work, to some extent, they could be considered his friends now.
An informal dinner was set up, inviting Xu Lanzhou and others. Bai Zhongqi wasn't worried that Han Jiaxue would be annoyed that he called over two beautiful girls—she knew them both and was familiar with them. Of course, the main reason was that Han Jiaxue really trusted Bai Zhongqi's character.
Xu Lanzhou and Linyin arrived together, both dressed casually, a stark contrast to how Bai Zhongqi usually saw them. Xu Lanzhou wore sleek trousers and a short jacket, while Linyin donned an off-shoulder top and a pair of denim shorts. As for Nan Ma, he too was fashionably dressed, clearly showing that the people of Iridium Star adopted Earth fashion incredibly quickly.
Linyin was the most outgoing of the group, hooking her arm through Han Jiaxue's as she walked in, laughing as she said, "Thanks for inviting us over, haha, Jiaxue, your cooking must be delicious."
Han Jiaxue responded with a smile, "It's just hot pot, nothing complicated."
Xu Lanzhou exchanged a few polite words before quickly spotting Bai Zhongqi, who was arranging the food and setting up the table and chairs.
She approached him somewhat nervously and said, "Your Highness, let me do that."
Bai Zhongqi replied helplessly, "It's just a small task. We do have domestic robots, but I always feel it's quite sad for people to become detached from labour. Anyway, don't be so formal. Even a Chancellor is human, after all; being tense all the time is so uncomfortable."
Xu Lanzhou indeed saw a side of Bai Zhongqi she hadn't expected, observing him attentively slicing frozen tofu with a kitchen knife, and she suddenly realized she had never envisaged the Chancellor in such a light.
Touched by something deep inside, Xu Lanzhou volunteered eagerly, washed her hands, and insisted on helping Bai Zhongqi and Han Jiaxue with the food preparation.
Nan Ma slumped onto the couch, chuckling and saying, "Since I've never cooked before, I'll just sit here."
Linyin's attention was captured by the Sacred Falcon, knowing only a few were aware that the Soul Stone had been inserted into the body of the Sacred Falcon. Being part of the Scientific Research Institute, she certainly knew, but Bai Zhongqi forbid them from conducting any excessive experiments on the Sacred Falcon, leaving the curious beauty of a scientist scratching her head in frustration.
Looking at Xu Lanzhou, who had washed her hands and tied on an apron, ready for battle with unwavering determination, Bai Zhongqi couldn't help but smile and said, "Don't be so tense, we're just whipping up something to eat. Although you are my Knight, I don't wish for our relationship to be merely that of superiors and subordinates, there should also be equality."
Bai Zhongqi's words caused Xu Lanzhou's face to redden slightly, and she asked in a fluster, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Bai Zhongqi pointed and instructed, "Wash those crown daisy greens."
Faced with a table full of vegetables, Xu Lanzhou felt somewhat overwhelmed; she couldn't distinguish Earth's vegetables, as in the language of Iridium Star 'crown' and 'daisy' were different things entirely.
Bai Zhongqi realized this problem, picked out the crown daisy for her, and then demonstrated personally, "These are all organic vegetables. They have been disinfected since arriving in Ruyi City, so a simple rinse is fine. Watch, just ..."
Xu Lanzhou was highly tensed, finding it more challenging than the tactics she had learned back in the Fleet Academy.
When it was her turn to wash them, the clumsy beauty of the Universe Army splashed water all over her face and even spilled a whole basin of vegetables in the sink.
Afterward, Bai Zhongqi had her mix the hot pot sauces, which was obviously a bit difficult for her. In no time, Xu Lanzhou had splattered the various sauces all over the workbench, and even her own fair and delicate face was stained with quite a few drops.
Bai Zhongqi couldn't help but want to laugh at the sight and instinctively reached out to wipe her face. But as soon as he stretched out his hand, he felt it inappropriate and awkwardly handed her a wet cloth, saying, "Wipe it off."
Xu Lanzhou felt disheartened and said, "Your Majesty, am I really that useless?"
Her pretty face was now filled with disappointment, and with traces of sauce on it, she looked like a forlorn little kitten.
Bai Zhongqi shook his head and said, "It's just your first time doing these things, you're doing much better than I did on my first try."
Xu Lanzhou couldn't believe it and said, "That's impossible, you must be exceptionally skilled at everything, Chancellor."
Bai Zhongqi shrugged and said, "Stop calling me Chancellor this and Chancellor that in private, just take it easy."
In Xu Lanzhou's heart, a voice was shouting that it was critical to maintain the proper order of respect and to be extremely courteous to the Chancellor, but another voice was tempting her to break taboos and explore an equal relationship with Bai Zhongqi.
She opened her mouth, but in the end, she could not utter a word.
Bai Zhongqi smiled and did not force her, saying, "All right, no need to be embarrassed, the preparations are almost done, we can have our feast now."