Chapter 7: You Didn’t Put Salt in Your Soup
After the bumpy car ride, Chi Xiasheng felt his temperature was starting to rise again.
His afternoon nap was restless. He had only dozed off for about ten minutes before his phone rang, waking him up.
As soon as the call connected, his agent, Li Ge, started talking a mile a minute.
“Xiaosheng, what’s going on? Did you and Su Chimian have a falling out? Why were you giving him the cold shoulder the entire time on the show?”
Li Ge had stayed up late the previous night accompanying another female artist under his management for a night shoot. He had woken up around noon. He had planned to check in on Chi Xiasheng’s livestream, only to discover that Su Chimian was also on the show and that the two of them were trending on social media.
The trending topic had disappeared quickly, but the gossip about the brothers’ feud had already spread like wildfire.
Li Ge didn’t particularly like Su Chimian. Whenever he was involved, some of Chi Xiasheng’s endorsement deals would mysteriously fall through, and Chi Xiasheng would end up getting a lot of hate. But in his memory, Chi Xiasheng had always been very protective of his younger brother. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken the fall for Su Chimian for so long after that incident…
So, when Li Ge first saw the news, he assumed it was just a rumor.
But to his surprise, when he watched the livestream replay, he saw that Chi Xiasheng truly was giving Su Chimian the cold shoulder the entire time. His look of disgust and distance was anything but fake.
Chi Xiasheng’s reputation was already bad enough. Now, he was being torn apart by Su Chimian’s fans and some disapproving netizens, who called him unloving, cold, and jealous.
“Li Ge, I’ve left the Su family. From now on, I have nothing to do with them. And Su Chimian… is no longer my brother.”
Li Ge knew that Chi Xiasheng was the son the Su family had found and brought back a year ago. At that time, Li Ge had been on the verge of convincing Chi Xiasheng to sign with him and enter the entertainment industry. When he heard the news, he had thought life was stranger than fiction. No wonder he had always felt there was an indescribable air of nobility about Chi Xiasheng—he really was a runaway young master!
“What happened? Aren’t you the Su family’s son? Did they make a mistake?”
That was the only reason Li Cheng hai could think of. He held his phone in a daze, his shock almost as great as when he had first learned Chi Xiasheng was a Su.
“No, I…”
Chi Xiasheng opened his mouth but didn’t know how to explain. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Li Cheng hai. While his agent could be a bit shrewd, he was also warm-hearted and had helped Chi Xiasheng out many times. He was one of the few people Chi Xiasheng felt he could rely on. It was just that the whole situation was so ridiculously dramatic that he didn’t know where to begin.
“The truth is, Su Chimian and I were switched at birth.”
“Oh, so that’s what it is… What?!”
Li Cheng hai thought the previous revelations were strange enough, but he never expected something even more shocking. He leaped up from the sofa.
“So, Su Chimian is the fake young master? Then why were you the one to leave the Su family? Shouldn’t it be…”
At this point, Li Cheng hai had already figured it out. What other reason could there be? The Su family had chosen Su Chimian.
A pang of sympathy shot through Li Cheng hai’s heart. He felt genuinely sad for this young man who had grown up alone and had only just begun to experience the warmth of a family. He remembered clearly that Chi Xiasheng’s initial reason for entering the entertainment industry was to earn money to buy proper gifts for the family he had just been reunited with.
Sitting in the coffee shop back then, Chi Xiasheng had a rare smile on his face, his voice light and cheerful. “I just paid my tuition, so I don’t have much money left. I want to buy them a nice welcome gift.”
The young man had been shy back then. The mere mention of the word “family” made him light up. He was still wearing cheap clothes from street stalls, yet he had spent all the money he earned on gifts for his parents.
Thinking of this, Li Ge let out a heavy sigh.
“Then what will you do? How could the Su family do this? I really don’t understand.” Li Cheng hai thought for a moment and then said, “On the show, don’t get too close to Su Chimian. A lot of people online are criticizing your attitude towards him, but you… you still need to be wary of him.”
At this point, Li Cheng hai felt that what the production team had done was also disgusting. They hadn’t revealed that Su Chimian would be on the show, clearly planning to use Chi Xiasheng as a stepping stone for him.
Chi Xiasheng could imagine it. The online trolls must be targeting him. But it was impossible for him to pretend to be close with Su Chimian. The sight of his face made him sick.
Just as Li Cheng hai hung up with a sigh, there was a knock on Chi Xiasheng’s door.
Su Chimian stood outside. When he saw Chi Xiasheng, the corners of his mouth lifted, revealing his small dimples. In terms of looks, Su Chimian wasn’t as exquisite as Chi Xiasheng. Chi Xiasheng was like a rich, vibrant oil painting, capable of capturing everyone’s attention in a crowd. Su Chimian was more like plain congee and side dishes—a bit bland, but well-behaved and likable.
Su Chimian knew his strengths and used them to his advantage, often smiling with his sweet dimples to win over the audience. But when he saw Chi Xiasheng’s stunningly beautiful face, a flicker of jealousy still appeared in his eyes.
“We didn’t get to eat properly on the bus ride. I made you some soup. Do you want to come down and have some?”
Su Chimian smiled obediently, and the cameraman behind him dutifully captured the scene. In the livestream, some viewers who disliked Chi Xiasheng immediately started cooing, saying they wished they had such a warm-hearted little angel for a brother.
[What is Chi Xiasheng’s problem? If I had a brother like that, I’d be secretly overjoyed. Why is he always pulling a long face?!]
Chi Xiasheng’s eyes were half-closed. He felt his fever was getting worse, and his skin was uncomfortably dry. Leaning against the doorframe, he tilted his head up slightly. His clear eyes were now tinged with a captivating charm. When he looked at the camera, it made people’s hearts pound.
The cameraman’s heart skipped a beat. He felt dazed, as if he had just seen a siren leaping from the deep blue sea under a bright moon. He almost fell captive to Chi Xiasheng’s gaze.
The viewers in the livestream also felt as if they had been shot in the heart.
[What’s happening? I feel like Chi Xiasheng is so beautiful! I don’t think I want to hate him anymore.]
Some of the more impressionable viewers even started to think that even if Chi Xiasheng did something wrong, it must be someone else’s fault.
But it was only for a moment. Chi Xiasheng quickly averted his gaze.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Chi Xiasheng didn’t want to be with Su Chimian, but he was incredibly thirsty and needed to get some water from the kitchen. He figured he might as well see what kind of trick Su Chimian was up to.
Su Chimian never expected Chi Xiasheng to agree. The smile on his face froze for a second.
“What, are you not going?” Chi Xiasheng had already walked to the top of the stairs and turned to look at him.
Su Chimian couldn’t possibly say no. He nodded and followed him downstairs.
On the dining table below, two sets of bowls and chopsticks were already laid out, along with a pot of soup.
Chi Xiasheng drank a glass of water before sitting down at the table, staring at the pot of soup for a moment.
In the year he had spent with the Su family, he had never once seen Su Chimian enter the kitchen. It was always Chi Xiasheng who was busy helping the auntie with the cooking at mealtimes. The first time Mother Su had tried his soup, she had been amazed and praised his cooking skills. At the time, Chi Xiasheng had been overjoyed by the praise, thinking he was getting closer to his family. So, whenever he wasn’t busy, he would make them soup.
To think that Su Chimian, who was afraid of getting hurt by knives, would one day enter the kitchen, and for his sake no less. Even Mother Su probably hadn’t been so fortunate, Chi Xiasheng couldn’t help but think.
“Did you make this yourself?” Chi Xiasheng didn’t believe for a second that Su Chimian could cook. He looked up at him.
Su Chimian nodded. “I made it myself. About what happened this morning… never mind, let’s not talk about it. I’ll be happy as long as you enjoy the soup.”
To make this soup, Su Chimian had skipped his afternoon nap and spent the whole time battling with the kitchen. Since it was a self-built house in the countryside, the owner still used a wood-fired stove. Su Chimian had even burned his hand, raising a blister that almost made him cry out in pain. He could only hope this act would be effective; otherwise, it would be a huge waste.
In Su Chimian’s mind, since Chi Xiasheng knew about them being switched at birth, he would surely be filled with resentment and would absolutely refuse to drink the soup he made. When they had a falling out, he would naturally gain the audience’s sympathy and concern.
But he never expected that not only did Chi Xiasheng come downstairs, he even pulled out a chair and sat down.
Picking up the ladle, Chi Xiasheng lifted the lid and took a look.
Steam rose from the soup. Floating inside were a few undercooked green vegetables and tofu dregs that had been stewed for too long. The cameraman even gave it a close-up, and the viewers in the livestream were speechless.
[I was really touched for a moment, but his cooking skills… um, maybe he shouldn’t cook anymore.]
But Su Chimian was, after all, a young master of the Su family. It was understandable that he couldn’t cook, so the audience wasn’t too surprised.
“Vegetable and tofu soup? This is a simple enough soup, but your vegetables are undercooked, and the tofu has fallen apart. And most importantly,” Chi Xiasheng lifted his eyes to look at Su Chimian, “you didn’t put in any salt.”
Su Chimian loathed Chi Xiasheng’s cold and superior attitude, as if everyone else was an ant that should be groveling at his feet.
“How do you know I didn’t put any in if you haven’t even tasted it? I’m sure I did!” Su Chimian lost his temper for a moment, his tone laced with anger.
Chi Xiasheng let out a soft laugh. He had been cooking for so many years that he could tell what was in the soup just by smelling it.
“This soup smells sweet. You put in sugar instead.”
The cameraman following them couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
Su Chimian’s face was flushed with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. “I’m sorry, I messed up. I was just trying to improve our relationship. We used to get along so well…”
Taking advantage of the fact that the audience didn’t know the truth, Su Chimian was a master at playing the victim, and he could guarantee that the audience would be on his side.
Before Chi Xiasheng could respond to this nauseating display, Qiao Ning, who had woken up from his nap, shouted with a frown, “Mianmian, why are you apologizing? You made him soup and all you get is complaints. You’re spoiling him too much! Chi Xiasheng, you talk a big game. If you’re so good, why don’t you cook!”
Chi Xiasheng had already been planning to make something to eat. Hearing this, he took the opportunity and walked into the kitchen.
Su Chimian’s heart sank. He had no reason to stop Chi Xiasheng from going in, so he could only shoot a resentful glare at Qiao Ning.
Qiao Ning was confused. He rubbed his head and asked cautiously, “What’s wrong? Chi Xiasheng is bound to make a fool of himself in the kitchen. It’s the perfect chance for you to get some revenge.”
In Qiao Ning’s and the audience’s minds, both were young masters of the Su family. Judging by Su Chimian’s skills, Chi Xiasheng probably wasn’t much better.
But the result was completely different.
Chi Xiasheng was a seasoned pro. Unlike the clumsy Su Chimian, he was adept at starting a fire and cooking. His movements were as smooth as flowing water, a sight to behold.
It was the same vegetable and tofu soup, but the one Chi Xiasheng brought out was a clear, bright broth. The green vegetables in it were like jade, and the tofu was neatly and delicately placed in the bowl. The faint, fragrant aroma was intoxicating.
[Oh my god, that soup looks so beautiful, like a landscape painting!]
[Compared to Chi Xiasheng’s, the soup Su Chimian made earlier really looks like pig slop…]
“Xiaosheng, you’re such a good cook! Are you two really brothers? How come Su Chimian looks like he’s never been in a kitchen before?” The two female guests had also woken up by now and exclaimed in surprise at the soup.
Su Chimian, who had been trying to tear Chi Xiasheng down, froze.
Chi Xiasheng glanced at him. “I’m not a Su. My surname is Chi.”
