CHAPTER 84

"What?" Ye Lianyin reached out and pinched the soft flesh around Qin Zhaoci's waist, blushing at her words.

Qin Zhaoci laughed and dodged her touch. "I said the milk tea was sweet. Don't misunderstand me."

"Tsk." Ye Lianyin rolled her eyes at her, then looked at the vegetables on the table and picked them up, preparing to wash them.

"Let the housekeeping robot do the washing." Qin Zhaoci held Ye Lianyin's hand. "Go to the doorstep and get the meat and fish I ordered. They should have been delivered by now."

Judging by the time, it should be around now.

As expected, just as Qin Zhaoci finished speaking, the doorbell rang. Ye Lianyin quickly ran out and saw a robot delivering the items at the front door.

She immediately took them and carried them into the kitchen.

"For dinner tonight, I plan to make boiled fish, tomato-braised beef brisket, preserved vegetable pork belly, red-braised pork, stir-fried baby bokchoy, braised eggplant, potato and pork rib stew, and winter melon soup with pork ribs." Qin Zhaoci took the meat and fish that were delivered and listed the dishes she planned to make to Ye Lianyin.

"That sounds great, but I don't know if Mom and the others can handle spicy food." Ye Lianyin had gotten used to eating a bit spicy during this time when she had been eating Qin Zhaoci's cooking. However, she wasn't sure if the others could handle it.

Qin Zhaoci shook her head. "It's okay. I'll divide the boiled fish in half. I'll make one half spicy and the other half with pickled vegetables. If they can't handle spicy, they can have the pickled vegetable boiled fish."

"What should I do then?" Ye Lianyin glanced at the housekeeping robot washing the vegetables.

"You can go out and spend time with them. After all, it's their first time here, and I'll be cooking. As another hostess, you should entertain them." Qin Zhaoci suggested.

"Okay." Ye Lianyin pursed her lips, feeling a bit disappointed.

Qin Zhaoci noticed her expression and smiled, changing the subject. "Do you still like milk tea? I'll make you a glass tomorrow. Do you want to take it to school?"

Ye Lianyin's eyes brightened slightly, and she nodded. "Yes, that would be nice."

"But, are you planning to sell only this kind of milk tea at the milk tea shop you mentioned?" Qin Zhaoci pondered. "It could be one of the options, but there could be more varieties. We'll also need to customize some cups and tools. I plan to sketch a simple design tonight and give it directly to Secretary Sun, so she can find someone to make them."

"As for the milk tea-making robot, the housekeeping robot should be sufficient." Qin Zhaoci looked at the housekeeping robot washing the vegetables efficiently. "However, when it comes to programming the milk tea-making process, I'll need your help, Yinyin." 

"Is there no benefit to me for helping?" Ye Lianyin tilted her head.

"Benefits?" Qin Zhaoci smiled. "Well, in the future, when you go to drink milk tea, you can just show your face, no need to queue, no need to pay, and there will be no limit. How's that for a benefit?"

"That's fair enough." Ye Lianyin nodded satisfactorily. "I reluctantly agree then."

"Thank you, darling." Qin Zhaoci smiled and leaned in to give a kiss on the corner of Ye Lianyin's lips before nudging her back. "Alright, go to the living room quickly. The kitchen is filled with cooking fumes."

"Don't call me darling." Ye Lianyin pinched her own burning earlobe and calmly walked out of the kitchen, taking a seat in the living room.

Two hours later, the aroma of the dishes wafted out from the kitchen.

Ye Yici sniffed in surprise and looked at Ye Lianyin with admiration. "Wow, this smells incredible. I've never smelled anything so delicious even in fancy restaurants."

Ye Lianyin didn't say anything, but she saw the same expressions of astonishment on the faces of the others.

"I'll go help with serving the dishes. We should be ready to eat." Ye Lianyin stood up and walked into the kitchen to assist Qin Zhaoci in plating the food.

Five minutes later, Qin Zhongying and Rao Antong looked somewhat stunned at the table full of aromatic dishes.

Song Xinchu and Ye Yufeng weren't faring much better either. Many of the ingredients used in Qin Zhaoci's cooking were unfamiliar to them.

"Try it quickly, Mother, Mom." Qin Zhaoci picked up a piece of braised pork and served each of them. "Taste my culinary skills."

The group took the chopsticks with a mix of skepticism and curiosity. After taking a bite of the meat, they couldn't help but continue eating earnestly.

It was the first time Ye Lianyin had seen everyone eating so quietly. Apart from the sound of utensils clinking, everyone was focused on their meal, without a single conversation.

Especially her sister, who had already finished two bowls of rice, and her plate of food was already half-empty.

"Have some soup." Qin Zhaoci noticed that they were too engrossed in their meal to pay attention to her and Ye Lianyin. She picked up an empty bowl and filled it with soup for Ye Lianyin. Then, she scooped a spoonful of tomato beef stew for her. "If you don't eat quickly, your sister will finish everything."

"Oh, okay." Ye Lianyin glanced at her and quickly lowered her head to eat.   

"Burp~ I'm so full." Ye Yici put down her chopsticks and looked at the empty plates in front of her with a satisfied expression.

The others were equally stuffed and leaned back in their chairs, contented.

Qin Zhaoci looked at the mostly empty plates and soup pot and blinked rapidly, her eyes filled with surprise.

"Are you full?" As a polite hostess, Qin Zhaoci still asked.

"We're full! Xiaoci, where did you get these ingredients from and how did you cook them? Even the chefs in the Empire couldn't create such flavors." this was the most delicious meal Qin Zhongying had ever had.

Qin Zhaoci knew that Qin Zhongying would ask. The excuse she had given Ye Lianyin earlier about it being a research project wouldn't work because Sun Sui knew she had only recently started building the research institute.

So Qin Zhaoci teased, "Mom, you know what I've been up to lately, right? I've been working on these things, so the source of the ingredients can't be revealed. It's confidential."

"Our Xiaoci has really made us proud." Qin Zhongying thought of the meal they just had and knew that her daughter would definitely succeed this time.  

Qin Zhaoci smiled and didn't say anything, only replied, "I'm preparing."

"Was the robot you customized last time also for this project?" Ye Yici thought of the robots specially tailored for agricultural purposes. "Can I invest in your project?"

Qin Zhaoci glanced at her and shook her head. "No, I don't need funding."

"Uh..." Thinking of the wealthy Qin Group behind Qin Zhaoci, Ye Yici realized that she had made a fool of herself.

"But I can collaborate with the Ye family. The Ye family can customize the robots, and they have a mature production chain, which I need." Qin Zhaoci thought for a moment. "However, my current demand is not high, if you're willing to take it on."

"Sure," Ye Yici nodded. "I can offer you the lowest price and priority, but I have one request."

Qin Zhaoci looked at her, somewhat hesitant. "What request?"

Without hesitation, Ye Yici blurted out, "Can I come over for meals often?"

"No, you can't." Ye Lianyin grabbed Qin Zhaoci's hand and cut her off before she could respond.

Qin Zhaoci glanced at her with a smile, but before she could say anything, Ye Yufeng's face turned cold, and she glared at Ye Lianyin. "Why are you interfering when your sister is discussing business with Qin Zhaoci? Is it appropriate for an Omega like you to interrupt?"   

Rao Antong and Song Xinchu's expressions changed slightly at Ye Yufeng's words, clearly feeling offended by her remark.

Qin Zhongying had always known that the Ye family held a strong bias towards Alphas and looked down upon Omegas. She had seen the older generation of the Ye family who doted endlessly on Alphas. Seeing that Ye Yici hadn't been spoiled and had such impressive business capabilities, she was genuinely surprised.

After all, in their family, Qin Zhaoci, being the only daughter, had been excessively spoiled by her two grandmothers during her childhood, and they had lost control over her later on.

Of course, she and Rao Antong also had a significant responsibility in this matter. If they had been stricter in their upbringing of Qin Zhaoci earlier, she might not have turned out that way.

But now things were fine. Qin Zhongying was very satisfied with the present Qin Zhaoci, who had become much more mature.

With these thoughts in mind, Qin Zhongying held her wife's hand, gently patting the back of her hand to soothe her, and then looked at Qin Zhaoci, curious to see how she would respond.

Qin Zhaoci's expression also changed slightly upon hearing Ye Yufeng's interruption, as she could clearly feel Ye Lianyin's hand tightening around hers.

Seeing this reaction, Qin Zhaoci instantly felt a pang of heartache. She gently rubbed the back of Ye Lianyin's hand with her thumb, comforting her with her gaze before turning her attention back to Ye Yufeng.

Qin Zhaoci spoke up, "In that case, let's cancel the collaboration. Since we are discussing business, mutual respect should be expected. I feel that the Ye family has shown a lack of respect towards their potential partners by using such condescending and offensive language. I feel offended by it."

Ye Yufeng didn't expect Qin Zhaoci to be so compassionate, and furrowed her brow. "Ye Lianyin is not an employee of your company."

"She is." Qin Zhaoci looked at Ye Yufeng seriously. "We're already married. According to the laws of the Empire, our assets are shared, with each of us having an equal share."

Ye Yici, seeing that Qin Zhaoci was willing to forgo the collaboration just to protect her sister, felt a touch of emotion in her eyes. She hadn't expected her mother's unilateral decision-making to lead her sister to find someone worthy of entrusting her life to.

"In that case, let's drop the matter." Ye Yici curled her lips and nodded. "Can I come over to mooch meals as an older sister then?"

"That depends on whether Yinyin agrees or not." Qin Zhaoci pinched Ye Lianyin's fingertip. "If she agrees, then there's no problem."

Ye Lianyin lowered her gaze, listening to the conversation between Qin Zhaoci and her mother. Her eyes slightly reddened, and she suppressed the sour feeling at the tip of her nose, refusing to let her tears fall.    

Ever since the differentiation was confirmed at the age of sixteen, there had been no one in the family who could protect her like this anymore.

Her mother was helpless, and her sister, due to her lack of independence, couldn't protect her at all. She could only endure silently and strive to become independent. Any grievances she experienced could only be silently endured.

After listening to Qin Zhaoci's words just now, even if it was to appease her, to go against what her mother said, she was already very satisfied.

As Ye Yufeng listened to her daughter completely giving up on the project, her expression turned cold, and she felt a sense of urgency. She understood very well how immense the business opportunity was once Qin Zhaoci got involved.

However, the control over the majority of the Ye family had long been handed over to Ye Yici. In recent years, the Ye family had thrived under Ye Yici's leadership, and the board members held her in high regard.

Especially after she married Ye Lianyin to Qin Zhaoci, Ye Yici seemed to have gained a new vigor and carried out significant reforms and gaining more control over the company.

Now she could only be considered a relatively powerless chairwoman, and unable to say much. Moreover, the words she had just spoken came from her own mouth, so she was also in the wrong.   

So Ye Yufeng could only shift her gaze towards Qin Zhongying, hoping that she could persuade Qin Zhaoci.

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