Ah Sha did ask everyone about the meal with Wen Pintang. Alas, neither Wan Qingsi nor Xin Qing gave told her much.
Ying Qingcang, however, had more than one harsh word to say about it: “Don’t speak of that Mr. Wen again. None of you are allowed to receive him if he comes again next time!”
Wen Pintang never came to S City again after that. Ah Sha chalked it up to his busy end-of-year schedules. Well, her own schedule was pretty busy as well. She had to take part in a cooking show for celebrities, and she had no idea how to cook.
“I really don’t understand why you decided to take part in the cooking show,” Zhou Na said. “I think the one about cosmetics isn’t bad at all!”
Ah Sha looked up from her laptop screen. She’d been browsing for plates online just now; she had this idea that delicious foods needed to be artfully presented. “Because I want to learn how to cook! I mean, the TV station had invited several chefs from Michelin restaurants to the show, right?”
A look of understanding formed on Zhou Na’s face. “Oh, I see. You want to cook for the boss!” she said. “All the best then! You know, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
When those words reached Wan Qingsi’s ears, he felt touched and worried at the same time. What if she got burnt? What if she cut her finger? But he couldn’t do sh*t against Ah Sha’s enthusiasm. The girl was spending every afternoon with the chef.
Indeed, Ah Sha was so into her sudden culinary excursions that she even declined when Xin Qing called to ask her to join the family in an overseas trip. Apparently, Ying Qingcang had decided to celebrate Xin Qing’s birthday overseas this year. Well, some alone time with Xin Qing was Ying Qingcang’s favorite thing in the world anyway. Plus, Ah Sha didn’t even have to come up with an excuse since the trip just so happened to clash with the days when Ah Sha had to be at the TV studio for the cooking show’s live recording session.
The cooking show’s airing would take place on New Year’s day. An hour before the show, video clips would be played to show the learning progress and preparations that the six partic.i.p.ating celebrities had done for the show. After that, they had to each prepare four dishes onstage.
When Ah Sha was waiting backstage for the show to start, Tang Yue came over to greet her. “Long time no see!”
Ah Sha appraised Tang Yue for a moment or two. Tang Yue wore minimal make-up. She didn’t even wear her usual perfume. Now, Tang Yue seemed more like a little girl than a woman.
“From the looks of it, you haven’t been living a bad life,” Ah Sha commented. “I heard Young Master Wen hasn’t returned to the capital yet?”
“Well, it’s not like there’s anything I can do if he doesn’t want to return.” Tang Yue smiled. “You, on the other hand, are in trouble. Ying Xin will return after Chinese New Year. You know, you should come to Sky Entertainment when Stars Entertainment kicks you out!”
Ah Sha glanced furtively at the other celebrities hanging around nearby. Lowering her voice, Ah Sha said, “Looks like you’re going to be that type of mother who gains status through her child. In that case, I wish you have a boy.” Tang Yue’s smile faltered, the sight of which prompted Ah Sha to go on, “But you should be more careful. You know how it’s like. They usually just want the child, not the mother.”
“How did you know that I’m-” Tang Yue suddenly covered her mouth and glanced around a few times. “Who told you that?”
Ah Sha snorted. “It’s not like I need anyone to tell me. It’s so obvious. You’re wearing light make-up, and you’re not using any perfume.”
Tang Yue snorted. “At least there’s still a chance for me,” Tang Yue said, glaring at Ah Sha in annoyance. “You? Wan Qingsi wouldn’t marry you even if you’re carrying his child.”
“I’d worry more about yourself if I were you. You better find a way to make sure that it’s a boy!” Just then, Ah Sha saw a crew member giving her the cue to go on stage. Ah Sha picked up her toolbox and walked out.
There would be six celebrities partic.i.p.ating in the show. First, all six partic.i.p.ants would be split into groups of two. Then, the partic.i.p.ants in each group would prepare their dishes at the same time after which their dishes would be judge by the audience. The winner would then advance to the final round.
Ah Sha was in the same group as Li Bi’er, the actress who replaced An Ru in the latter’s movie. Now, two male celebrities was competing onstage, after which it would be their turn. Onstage, Ah Sha and Li Bi’er smiled at each other and began preparing their dishes.
Wan Qingsi was there in the VIP seating. His eyes never once left Ah Sha as she whipped out four dishes in total: pineapple sweet and sour pork; baked beancurd; squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish; stir fried pork with bamboo shoots. She also prepared Tong Sui, though that wouldn’t count as a dish. Everything she had prepared were common home-made dishes that were her and Wan Qingsi’s favorites.
The show’s MC stopped the timer after two hours. Li Bi’er had obviously embraced the “go big or go home” mindset; every single one of her dishes were exquisite, restaurant-worthy dishes. Even though she lost out to Ah Sha by only a few points, she took the loss in stride. After tasting Ah Sha’s dishes, she grinned and commented on how delicious they were.
Up next was the third group, which consisted of Tang Yue and a model. When Ah Sha was getting off the stage, Tang Yue brushed past her. Ah Sha frowned when she noticed the strange smile Tang Yue had just given her. “What on earth is she up to?”
Then again, Ah Sha quickly received the answer to that question.
When Tang Yue was stir frying vegetables, the flames from her stove suddenly rose up high; her entire pan caught fire, and the oil inside the pan only made things worse. Tang Yue released a scream, raised her arms, and flinched back from the heat of the orange flames that had been inches away from her face just now. The show’s MC and the crew rushed onto the stage and put out the fire. “Yueyue!” Wen Pinyu was already making his way over from the VIP seating.
Tang Yue dipped her arms into the sink, which was filled with cold water. There were first-degree burns all along her skin, as evident from the row of blistered along her forearm. Around the blisters, her skin was red. “Pinyu, it hurts so much!” Tang Yue sobbed.
Wen Pinyu picked her up into his arms. “This is definitely not an accident!” Wen Pinyu yelled at the show’s MC. “Look into it! I want answers!” Mo Nan ran up to the stage just then. “You should send Tang Yue to the hospital. I’ll stay behind and investigate.”
While the audience was being cleared from the scene, Mo Nan made a phone call. After a while, the police and a few expert arson investigators arrived on the scene.
“The spark plug was removed,” said the arson expert after his examination of the stove. “That’s why the flames of the stove went out of control. This is definitely sabotage.”
“Who’s the person who last used the stove?” asked a police officer.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Ah Sha.
Ah Sha chuckled humorlessly. She had underestimated Tang Yue indeed. She never expected Tang Yue to be so cruel to herself. That woman would risk her life just to frame Ah Sha.
“You guys suspect Mei Jing?” Wan Qingsi’s eyes swept past everyone. “Where’s the evidence?”
Mo Nan met Wan Qingsi’s gaze head on. “She was the one who used the stove before Tang Yue! She’s the only one with the means and opportunity!”
“And motive? What about my motive?” Ah Sha stared at Mo Nan. “What reason would I possible have to harm her?”
Wan Qingsi squeezed Ah Sha’s hand and shielded her body in front. “You can say whatever you want,” Wan Qingsi said. “Without proof, I can sue you for slander.”
“Mr. Wan, do we have permission to examine Miss Mei Jing’s handbag?” asked a police officer. “It’s just as you said, everything depends on the proof. We just need to find where the spark plug is.”
Before Ah Sha had the chance to say anything, another officer had carried her purse from the backstage. Xiao Hua stormed after the officer angrily.
“It isn’t here,” said the police officer. “I’ve already looked. There’s no spark plug.”
Mo Nan frowned. “What now?”
Just then, an officer who looked like the squad leader stepped forward. “Bring the belongings of those who were onstage just now. Gather them here and examine them thoroughly.” Two other officers hurried to the backstage after the order.
Soon, the belongings of other partic.i.p.ating celebrities as well as the MC were brought over. The two officers began going through the things. All of a sudden, one of the officers shouted: “Found it!”
The officer raised an object which looked like a nail. Mo Nan’s jaw dropped open in shock. “But this…” he said. “This is Tang Yue’s bag!”
At that moment, everyone froze. Tang Yue’s bag? She tried to burn herself? What the h.e.l.l?
n.o.body was willing to believe it, not even when the truth was right there in front of their eyes.
The squad leader was obviously someone who had a lot of experience under his belt. He gave everyone there a meaningful look and said, “In that case, we’ll let Miss Tang Yue decide the next course of action. Now, our work here is done.”
Mo Nan sneered when he walked past Wan Qingsi. “Well-played!” Mo Nan said to Ah Sha.
It wasn’t just Mo Nan though; everyone was giving Ah Sha strange looks now. Neither Wan Qingsi nor Ah Sha wanted to linger at the studio for long. “When did that woman become so good?” Wan Qingsi said after they got into the car.
“I feel like paying her a visit at the hospital and then cripple her arms!” Ah Sha leaned back against her seat, wave a needle through the air lazily.
Tang Yue had played it perfectly, Ah Sha would give her that. Tang Yue never intended for the cops to arrest Ah Sha. Instead, Tang Yue purposely slipped the spark plug into her own handbag. That way, everyone would cast their suspicion on Ah Sha, thinking that she had deliberately tampered with the stove and then tried to make it look as if Tang Yue was staging her own accident.
The idea that Ah Sha had planned the whole thing was more conceivable that its alternative; because n.o.body would believe that Tang Yue would try to harm herself.
“But when did she manage to put the spark plug into her handbag?” Ah Sha asked, puzzled. “She didn’t have the chance!”
“Maybe she’d placed it there before the show even began,” Wan Qingsi said after a moment of thought. “I think the actual spark plug is still with her now.”
“I still can’t figure out why,” Ah Sha said, sighing. “Isn’t it better to have the cops arrest me? I mean, that’s going to give me more negative publicity, right? But at this rate, only the live audience know about this. Even if they post or talk about it on social media, it’ll go away in a few days. It’s not going to affect me all that much.”
Wan Qingsi started the car, then leaned over to kiss her. “Stop worrying about it,” he said. “With me here, n.o.body can touch you!”
At the hospital, the doctor brought Tang Yue’s medication to her room. It turned out that the burns on Tang Yue’s arms were pretty severe, so the doctor asked her to stay at the hospital for one night. She would be allowed to leave if she didn’t experience any fever by tomorrow.
“Pinyu, you should go home! I don’t think the hospital’s bed is comfortable for you,” Tang Yue said, staring at Wen Pinyu tenderly.
Wen Pinyu felt a sharp pang in his heart followed by anger when he saw just how pale and sunken his woman looked. She couldn’t even move her arms at this point.
“It’s okay, I’ll stay with you here,” Wen Pinyu said. His phone conversation with Mo Nan came to mind, and he said, “The police found the spark plug in your handbag, so they couldn’t charge Mei Jing with anything.” There was a scowl on Wen Pinyu face when he stopped speaking.
Tang Yue’s eyes widened in disbelief. “My handbag? How’s that even possible!”
“Of course it isn’t possible,” Wen Pinyu said through gritted teeth. “Everyone knew it was Mei Jing. She removed the spark plug and placed it in your bag.”
Shaking her head, Tang Yue sniffed and allowed her tears to fall. “Why would she do that to me? I never even tried to hurt her.”
“Don’t cry. She’s just jealous of you!” Wen Pinyu said in contempt. “You’re prettier than her, and your status is higher than hers. Let me tell you something. That woman wouldn’t even be able to last a single day in s...o...b..z if it weren’t for Wan Qingsi. Not only is she foolish, but she’s shameless as well.”
Tang Yue sighed. “It’s better if I try my best to avoid all the places where I might run into her. It’s only my arm this time. Who knows what it will be next time.”
“Why should you be the one to avoid her?” Wen Pinyu took her hand. “You’re my woman. Do you think I’d just sit around and watch you be bullied by others? Don’t worry! I won’t let you suffer for nothing. Sooner or later, I’ll make her pay!”
Tang Yue leaned into his arms. “Mm. You’re so nice!”
With her head lowered, a devious smirk formed on Tang Yue’s lips. An evil look flickered in her eyes. “Mei Jing, let’s see if Wan Qingsi would risk p.i.s.sing off the Wen family for your sake… After all the suffering I put myself through, I’ve finally convinced Wen Pinyu that you have a vendetta against me. Prepare yourself, because he’s coming for you!”
“Oh, and also, I can’t wait to see the look on your face when your man throws you under the bus!”