The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 128: Ian Rowe Makes Soup

Justin Morgan was the first to lash out, "What do you mean by that? Miles Wallace, do you have any respect for your seniors at all?! What do you mean you don’t like it? Who do you think you are to not like something? I think you..."

Justin Morgan was doing well in the industry, always a favorite of the investors, and had never been treated with such disdain before.

The tour guide, sitting leisurely at the front, suddenly spoke up, "The live broadcast is still ongoing, please keep it down a little, everyone, so as not to scare the audience."

Justin lowered his voice, but was still unwilling to give up, "You better know your place. You’re just living off your looks, think you can stay popular forever? Dream on..."

Miles Wallace turned a blind eye to everything around him, putting on his blue headphones again, his aloof and cool demeanor remaining praiseworthy as ever to those who saw him as a genius youth.

[MeiMeiIsMine: What’s wrong with this Justin Morgan! Does he really think he’s the boss? Doesn’t he know who he is? How dare he not let others speak the truth!]

[HulaHoops: Like MeiMei, I don’t like Jessica Young and Justin Morgan, especially Justin!]

[RiddleExpert: MeiMei seems much more cheerful this time around, and he even asked for the seniors’ contact info. Hope MeiMei keeps getting better...]

[CluelessWhatToName: Miles Wallace seems to really like Maya Monroe]

*

The Rowe Family Villa:

"Ian... is this the chicken soup you spent two hours simmering?"

Vincent Summers looked at the chicken soup on the dining table, the murky thick black broth leaving him in silence.

Ian Rowe had changed into more casual attire, his previously icy aura significantly diminished.

Next came the two words Vincent Summers feared most.

"Have a taste."

Vincent Summers, holding the soup spoon, hesitated for a long time, not daring to probe into the "chicken soup."

"Ian, first answer my previous question, is this black chicken soup? No, even if it was, it shouldn’t look this black, right?"

Ian Rowe said, "No."

Vincent Summers found it difficult to maintain even the most basic smile, his mouth forming a bitter line, "So, is it that you added too much soy sauce and oyster sauce?"

Ian Rowe still shook his head.

Vincent Summers’ expression grew complicated, "Ian, you... why did you suddenly start cooking again? Didn’t the old lady say she didn’t want to eat your food anymore, so why are you at it again?"

Ian paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over to him, "Try it first, see if I’ve improved."

Vincent Summers felt his breath stop, looking at the pitch-black chicken soup that didn’t seem to show any sign of improvement.

Ian Rowe was a culinary disaster and a master of dark cuisine. Vincent Summers had often wanted to persuade Ian to give it a rest, to stop tormenting both himself and others.

But Vincent Summers didn’t dare, because in some sense, Ian was the provider of his lifestyle.

He tentatively asked, "Ian, you’ve prepared this soup so meticulously, it’s got to be for someone important, right? So has the old lady changed her mind to drink your homemade soup again?"

Ian was silent for a few seconds, his deep eyes flickering with emotion, "I made it for Maya Monroe."

"For, for Maya, huh?"

Upon hearing it was for Maya, Vincent Summers immediately breathed a sigh of relief, initially worried that the elderly lady might not be able to handle the harsh taste.

But if it’s Maya, there’s no problem. After all, Maya has an iron stomach, and she’s always praised Ian’s dark cuisine.

Actually, in some ways, the two of them made a perfect pair, one daring to cook, and the other daring to eat.

Vincent Summers breathed a sigh of relief, "Ian, then you don’t need to taste it. Hasn’t Maya always liked your cooking before? You don’t need to change, she likes you the way you are no matter what."

Ian Rowe was pleased by the last sentence, but still insisted that Vincent Summers taste it.

Ian wasn’t entirely unacquainted with his culinary skills. Initially, watching Maya drink his soup without changing her expression, he was just amazed. But now it was different; Ian didn’t want Maya to have to drink that level of soup anymore.

Vincent Summers found himself without a choice, so he took a small sip, his expression changing afterward, eventually gagging and covering his throat, "Good... delicious... urgh..."

Ian’s expression cooled, and he returned to the kitchen once more, beginning a new battle.

Earlier that morning, Maya had sent him a message saying she’d be coming home today.

At that moment, he wasn’t quite sure how he felt, just that the sunlight outside seemed much brighter all of a sudden.

During this period, he’d occasionally reflect on his behavior. Maya liked him so much, and since he also had feelings for her, he couldn’t remain indifferent any longer. He wanted Maya to see his response.

Once Vincent’s throat felt a bit better, he went to the kitchen again to check on Ian, only to find thick smoke everywhere, making it impossible to see anything. One might have thought they had mistakingly entered a clouded celestial realm. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Vincent covered his nose with a bout of intense coughing, and once he could make out where he was, he quickly rushed to turn off the stove, pulling Ian out.

"Cough, cough cough... Ian, don’t get too worked up. If this doesn’t work out, there will be other things. You don’t need to fixate on this issue!"

Ian’s white shirt was now smeared with oil and smoke. If you looked past his face, who would believe the renowned holding company mogul would end up in a kitchen, and in such a sorry state at that?

He ignored Vincent, and a moment later brought out another serving of the soup from the kitchen.

Vincent was about to refuse, but saw that Ian intended to taste it himself.

His hands, with their distinct bones, were a sight to behold, and his movements were elegant and pleasing. Yet, his handsome brows furrowed.

Ian casually tossed the spoon into the soup bowl, making black broth splash around like thick ink.

His expression was cold. After a while, he spoke, "Tell the staff to prepare more of the dishes Maya likes."

In the end, he gave up. He was worried his soup might bring about adverse effects for Maya.

He didn’t care before, but now he instinctively started to worry.

Vincent quietly breathed a sigh of relief, for Ian’s decision to abandon cooking was indeed a good one.

*

When Maya Monroe got off the plane, Scott was already there to pick her up. Carrying two large suitcases of snacks given by the show’s crew, she headed directly to the company.

It was an old tradition, with Ryan Spencer frequently engaging her in heartfelt talks.

As she was loading the suitcases into the car, Scott exclaimed, "So strange, Miss Monroe, I remember you didn’t have this much luggage when you left. Is it all snacks?"

Scott had gotten to know Maya quite well by now.

Once in the car, Maya couldn’t wait to tear open a packet of beef jerky, munching as she said, "No, it’s from the show crew."