“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. I hope you weren’t waiting for too long.” Liu Jinfei took a seat at the armchair across from Shen Lingqing who was busy sipping her newly brewed tea.
“It’s fine. I should be the one who needs to apologize. I require a short nap to lessen my headache. You didn’t mind, right?” She said in response.
Liu Jinfei shook his head. Even if he did mind, who was he to reprimand Shen Lingqing for making him wait today?
“Not all.” He laughed awkwardly. How come when he was facing Shen Lingqing, he couldn’t calm down?
Shen Lingqing was obviously younger than him by several years, but she looked more mature and calmer than he was. Even at his current age, he wasn’t still certain what to do with his life and how he should deal with his persisting problems, like his family.
Family. Unlike Shen Lingqing who obviously had a very supportive family, Liu Jinfei had long lost the family he cared for the most. Facing the Shen princess, who seemed to have everything,it only made him aware of what he didn’t have and what he lost.
“So what do you want to talk about?” Shen Lingqing asked, pulling him out of his trance.
Liu Jinfei blinked and stared at her. Did she really want him to voice it out when she was already aware of it?
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and avoided her gaze. This wasn’t easy to say at all. To come clean and let Shen Lingqing know of his vital flaw, could he really tell it to her face?
“I do wish I can just keep the truth to myself, Director Shen, but I feel like you should know that I have problems regarding my taste buds.”
There. He said it. Whether Shen Lingqing believed it or not, he could only blame himself for prolonging this confession from her.
Shen Lingqing didn’t immediately respond to his words and only looked at him with the same impassive face she always had instead.
“Is this why you couldn’t focus fully on your training?” She asked.
“So you know, and yet…”
“Of course, I know the moment I tasted your first dish, but I wasn’t certain how serious the problem was,” Shen Lingqing replied, her eyes never leaving his, “You have been paying great attention to the amount of seasonings you were putting on your dishes, going as far as making sure that the measurements are accurate.
“Initially, I didn’t find it suspicious, but when I saw you cook for the second time, I realized I might have overlooked something.”
Liu Jinfei released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. So she did know. Give it to Shen Lingqing who seemed to have eyes everywhere. For a person like the Shen princess, she would never allow herself to be at a disadvantage.
“Like I said, it wasn’t my intention to deceive you, Director Shen.”
Shen Lingqing poured herself another cup of tea. The way she poured the tea slightly put Liu Jinfei in a trance. Her confident movement told him that she had been doing this for a long time, that brewing and serving tea had been a natural part of her.
“I know. I also know that you are the last one to leave the kitchen ever since you started working with us. Do you really think you can hide anything from me?”
“Then, why didn’t you confront me the moment you noticed it?” He asked in return.
The Shen princess hummed and eyed him through her thick lashes. She then pushed another cup of tea in his direction.
“Because I wanted to see if you are manly enough to admit your shortcomings. You didn’t disappoint me, Liu Jinfei,” she told him with a slight smile on her face.
“So aren’t you going to terminate my contract?”
Since Shen Lingqing was already aware of his problem, Liu Jinfei wanted to know what was on her mind now.
“Do you have enough funds to cover the penalty for breaking your contract?” Shen Lingqing retorted, which rendered Liu Jinfei speechless.
No. Of course, he could not afford that! Although he had saved enough money during the years he worked as a wandering chef, Liu Jinfei wouldn’t want to waste it just to pay his penalties.
“I thought so.” He heard Shen Lingqing speak. “Not that we need to terminate your contract prematurely.”
“Are you sure, Director Shen? I would hate to drag you down with me.”
“Do you usually run away from your problems instead of facing them on your own?”
Liu Jinfei flinched at that. What was Shen Lingqing trying to say this time?
Was she talking about his inability to taste, or was she talking about something else this time? She wasn’t talking about his choice not to reclaim his position at the Liu family, right?
It didn’t matter if he wasn’t a young master anymore. It didn’t matter if he didn’t inherit the Liu family business. The moment he lost his family, he also lost the will to continue their legacy.
“I don’t easily admit defeat, Liu Jinfei. Since I was the one who overlooked your flaw the first time, I should at least see to it if I can mend it,” Shen Lingqing nonchalantly said.
Liu Jinfei had never thought that she could be this overbearing. She certainly wouldn’t accept ‘no’ for an answer.
“What do you mean?” He frowned. If she wasn’t planning to terminate his contract, wouldn’t this mean he was bound to serve Shen Lingqing for years to come?
“You heard me. I wouldn’t let this end here, Liu Jinfei. If I need to drag you to get a thorough medical checkup, I will do so. If you are indeed losing your sense of taste, I need to know how bad it is and how it’s progressing. I might not be a chef like you, but I do know the importance of one’s palate when it comes to cooking.”