"CEO Lu?"

Not wanting him to be angry again at her, Bao Bai politely called him by his title.

Lu Shen ignored Bao Bai and put down his chopsticks. Wiping the corner of his lips with a table napkin, he said in a curt tone, "Bolin."

The butler immediately appeared beside him and said in a respectful voice, "Sir?"

"Give me the list of names who cooked all of these dishes and put a mark beside those who were recently appointed and not part of the usual kitchen staff."

"Yes, sir."

Wu Bolin quickly did as he was told. Inside his head, his thoughts were whirling around in alarm. Maybe the boss didn't like his lunch? Would he fire the head chef? Wu Bolin liked the head chef's cooking. Or maybe the boss wouldn't fire the usual staff, but only the newly appointed ones. He specifically asked him to mark them.

Wu Bolin shuddered. CEO Lu was indeed a strict boss.

When Wu Bolin came back, all the plates were wiped clean without a single crumb left. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things. Miss Bao usually didn't eat much because she said she was on a diet, while the boss was a picky eater.

But why were all the empty plates near to boss? When did the boss become this gluttonous?

Lu Shen held out his hand, and Wu Bolin handed him the piece of paper with apprehension.

Lu Shen scanned through the list of names, and saw that only one person was recently added. The rest had been with the kitchen staff for months and years. The sous chef was absent today, so they substituted her with one of the maids.

Huian.

Lu Shen stared at her name for a beat longer before pointing her out to the butler. "Give me her file, and instruct her to cook dinner for me this evening. Don't allow anybody else help her, and don't say that I was the one who ordered you. Tell her to deliver it directly to my study."

Wu Bolin swallowed his saliva. Why did the boss wanted this maid to personally cook for him?

"Sir, what about Miss Bao? Are the two of you going to eat separately?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Lu Shen said irritatedly. "Don't bother Huian with her dinner, just let the head chef cook for her."

Without looking at Bao Bai who was biting her lower lip with enough force for it to bleed, Lu Shen left.

Staring at his distant back, Bao Bai looked down at her distorted face reflected on the porcelain plate. She had her face, she copied her personality, she called him by the same name...but why won't he love her the same way he loved his wife? Was that girl Hui Yin really irreplaceable in his heart?

He was even paying more attention to an insignificant maid than her...

Bao Bai was willing to be a substitute and take second place in his heart, but except for Hui Yin, she won't allow other women to steal Lu Shen away from her.

With a cold look in her eyes, Bao Bai stood up and left the dining room.

...

Hui Yin was busy working again the whole day. When the sun was about to set, the butler called her over.

Kneading her shoulders, Hui Yin approached him with a deferential look.

"You're Huian?"

Wu Bolin looked her over. Ever since she fell into the pool, this maid had been attracting attention again and again. There were so many maids in the household that he couldn't familiarize with all of them. When he handed her file to the boss earlier, he found that she had been working in the mansion for nearly five years. It was already amazing that she had eluded his notice for so long. For a maid with an inconspicuous personality like her, why is it that she was behaving as if she became an entirely another person?

"Yes."

Hui Yin didn't know why the butler called her over.

"Cook a simple dinner and deliver it to the boss' study. Don't make it too spicy and make sure it's something he can eat while working."

Hui Yin frowned. "I don't think I can cook food that will satisfy the boss, Butler Wu. I'm just a cleaning maid..."

"I don't have a choice. The head chef and the kitchen staff are busy with something else, so don't disturb them."

Wu Bolin's voice was casual. He had been in this job for ten years, and he had learned to obey the boss' instructions without asking too many questions. He didn't know why the boss would prefer her cooking over the head chef either.

At last, Hui Yin nodded. If it was a trip to his study, then it would be worth it.

The head chef and the kitchen staff were indeed busy. They were cooking desserts of every kind, from red bean paste to crystal cakes. Hui Yin wanted to ask what the special occasion was, but Butler Wu told her not to disturb them. It would be bad if that nutty Old Meng Guang found out, so she resisted the impulse.

The reason Hui Yin dared to help the head chef with lunch earlier was because the head chef was the final overseer of the dish. Even if she helped him a bit, her contribution would be negligible. Hui Yin didn't think Lu Shen would still remember the taste of her cooking, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

If Hui Yin had known that Lu Shen was already suspecting her after tasting a single spring roll, she would probably reject the butler's orders despite her fear of being scolded by Old Meng Guang.

Fortunately, Hui Yin was still cautious. She happily sat on the kitchen tasting various samples of different desserts. When the butler called her to deliver Lu Shen's dinner, Hui Yin took out a cup of instant noodles from the kitchen cabinet. After pouring boiling water and weighing down the plastic lid with a set of chopsticks, she went inside Lu Shen's study room.

Hui Yin laid down the cup noodles on his desk with her eyes stuck on the floor, hiding her look of schadenfreude.

"Butler Wu told me to cook a simple dinner, not too spicy, and something sir can eat while working. I hope sir likes it."

And not to mention, it was also impersonal! Hui Yin mentally patted herself on the chest.

Lu Shen: "..."

Cooking?

This was called cooking?