"That's right."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Xia Mi's face. She had hoped Chu Zihang came specifically to see her.
Chu Zihang naturally caught the disappointment in her eyes, so he quickly added:
"Junior sister, Finger and I bought quite a lot of groceries today. Take a look and see what you'd like to eat. I'll cook it for you."
"Okay! Let me see what you bought, senior brother!"
Xia Mi pushed past Finger, who was blocking the doorway, and headed straight into the kitchen. She was eager to see what vegetables Chu Zihang had purchased.
As Xia Mi bent down to examine the groceries, both Finger and Chu Zihang noticed the stick she'd been hiding behind her back.
"Junior Sister Xia Mi, what are you doing with that stick?" Finger asked directly.
"Oh no!"
Xia Mi, who had been happily inspecting the ingredients, froze. She turned around with a forced smile plastered across her face.
"Oh, this? I was planning to make dumplings tonight!"
"But what you're holding doesn't really look like a rolling pin, does it?"
Although Finger wasn't particularly skilled at cooking, he knew what a rolling pin was supposed to look like. The stick in Xia Mi's hand had several spikes protruding from the top—more like a crude mace than any kitchen tool.
"This... well... you see..."
Xia Mi stammered, unable to come up with a convincing explanation. Was she supposed to admit she thought there was an intruder in the house and planned to knock them unconscious with this makeshift weapon?
"Finger, could you head down to wait by the community entrance? We need someone to watch for the principal and the others when they arrive," Chu Zihang interjected smoothly.
"But I haven't finished washing the vegetables yet?"
"It's fine. Xia Mi can help me with that."
"Alright then."
How could someone as perceptive as Finger not understand why Xia Mi was hiding a wooden stick behind her back? He'd only asked to tease her, but he hadn't expected Chu Zihang to step in and defend her so quickly.
Left with no choice, Finger headed out to the community gate to wait for Principal Anjou and the others, leaving the space for Chu Zihang and Xia Mi.
"Thank you, senior brother."
After Finger left, Xia Mi thanked Chu Zihang with visible embarrassment, tossing the stick aside.
"Don't worry about it. Now, let's see what dishes you'd like to eat."
Chu Zihang maintained his usual stoic expression.
"I want cumin beef, hot and sour cabbage, and blanched asparagus!"
"Just those three?"
"Three is plenty for now. Besides, aren't you hosting a banquet for your classmates and Principal Anjou tonight? With so many people attending, you'll need to prepare a lot of dishes anyway. Three from me is enough!"
"Alright. Could you help me sort and wash the vegetables then?"
"No problem, senior brother!"
Xia Mi changed her shoes, tied on an apron, rolled up her sleeves, and dove into the kitchen to assist Chu Zihang.
The coordination between Chu Zihang and Xia Mi in the kitchen was remarkably smooth—far better than working with Finger. Finger was clumsy and inefficient, and if Chu Zihang hadn't worried about the time it would take to cook everything alone, he wouldn't have asked him over at all. But Xia Mi was different. She worked quickly and efficiently, even helping with vegetable prep and cutting, which allowed Chu Zihang to focus entirely on the actual cooking.
Meanwhile, Finger stood outside the community entrance like a fool, with no idea when Anjou and the others would actually arrive.
"May I help you?"
The security guards in this villa district were well-trained and cultured. Seeing Finger emerge from the community and linger by the gate, one guard approached, thinking he might be having some difficulty, and politely asked in English.
"Thank you, but I'm fine. I'm just waiting for someone. Also, I'm German."
Finger replied.
"German? Unfortunately, I don't speak German."
The security guard looked confused for a moment after hearing Finger's response. Then, after a brief pause, he suddenly realized that Finger had answered him in fluent Chinese.
"Your Chinese is really excellent!"
The guard gave Finger an enthusiastic thumbs up.
"Haha, well, I think your English is quite good as well."
The security guard felt genuinely pleased by the compliment, so he offered:
"Would you like to wait in the security office for a while? There are stools inside, and you can still see what's happening outside the community entrance from there."
Finger thought it over and followed the guard into the security room. Since they had no idea when Anjou would arrive, standing uselessly at the gate really did seem rather foolish. Wouldn't sitting down be better?
Fortunately, Principal Anjou didn't keep Finger waiting long. Just over ten minutes later, two extended S-class vehicles pulled up to the community gate. One by one, Anjou, Chen Motong, Caesar, and Stroev stepped out of the cars.
"You're dismissed for now. I'll contact you if we need the cars again this evening," Chen Motong said, waving the two vehicles away.
Finger, who had been sitting in the security room chatting with the guard, spotted Anjou and the others arriving. He immediately stood up, bid farewell to the security guard, and rushed out to greet them.
"Principal! Principal!"
At that moment, Finger resembled an overeager servant, bowing and nodding as he trotted toward Anjou.
When Anjou and the others saw Finger, they naturally walked in his direction.
"Principal, let's head inside quickly! My junior brother's cooking should be almost ready!"
Finger led Anjou and the group into the villa district. They turned left and right through several winding paths before finally arriving at Chu Zihang's residence.
While the central villa district might seem extravagant to ordinary people, to someone like Anjou it was merely adequate. After surveying their surroundings, none of the group showed any particular surprise or amazement.
If Lu Mingfei had been the one to visit, the reaction would have been completely different. He likely would have been as wide-eyed and curious as Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time.
The group entered the villa following Finger's lead.
"Junior brother! The principal and the others have arrived!"
After stepping inside, Finger called toward the kitchen. Chu Zihang, hearing the announcement, emerged carrying a plate of food. He greeted Anjou respectfully:
"Principal."
Anjou nodded in acknowledgment, then pointed at the dish in Chu Zihang's hands and asked:
"Is that pickled cabbage pork elbow?"
"Yes, it's a Chinese pickled cabbage pork elbow. Finger requested it."
Chu Zihang couldn't quite understand why Finger was so obsessed with pickled cabbage pork elbow. It was one thing to eat it daily at the academy, but even after coming to China, he still insisted on having it.
"Heh heh."
Finger could only respond with an awkward laugh.
"Principal, please have a seat. The food will be ready shortly."
Chu Zihang said this after placing the pickled cabbage pork elbow on the table.
"Junior brother, do you need any help?" Stroev asked.
"It's alright, senior brother. Someone's already helping me."
As if on cue, Xia Mi emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly prepared mouth-watering chicken.
"So our Lionheart Society president has been keeping a mistress hidden in his golden house," Chen Motong teased, her playful nature on full display.
"This is Xia Mi. She's currently enrolled in Cassel Academy's preparatory program in the Imperial Capital," Chu Zihang said, completely ignoring Chen Motong's teasing and directly introducing Xia Mi to the others.
"Hello, Principal!"
"Hello, senior brothers!"
Xia Mi greeted everyone with a bright smile—everyone except Chen Motong, that is, as a subtle response to her earlier teasing of Chu Zihang.
"What about me, junior sister?" Chen Motong asked directly, not bothered in the slightest.
"Hello, senior sister."
Xia Mi had no choice but to acknowledge Chen Motong. In their first exchange, Xia Mi found herself temporarily at a disadvantage.