Hiraeth ; Meteor Garden 2018

Chapter 23

"They're all her opponents." Ximen pointed out as I leaned in closer to Meizuo to read what was on the laptop.

"Junior champion of Chinese Delicacies Competition, finalist of Le Cordon Bleu Girls Competition..." Lei read out and my jaw slightly dropped. This girl was no joke.

"Even without those titles, Shancai is nothing compared to her." Ximen added.

"You're still drinking milk? Are you even listening to us?"Meizuo said as Ah Si downed the glass of milk in his hands.

"Do you want some? It's in the fridge. Get some for yourself." Ah Si nonchalantly said with his back faced to us, holding up the glass he finished.

"Is that supposed to be funny? If Shancai loses, don't come complaining to us." Meizuo added which made Ah Si stand up and look at the four of us who were huddled around Meizuo's laptop.

"Did you guys forget? She's the only girl that dares stand up to F4. What can't she do? I believe she can do it. Just wait and see Shancai surprises everyone." Ah Si said confidently and I smiled in agreement. I noticed Meizuo kept staring at Caina's picture.

"What is it Zuo?" I asked curiously.

"She's pretty don't you think?" He said and I felt my heart crack a little.

"Y-yeah. She is." I answered, trying to hide the sadness in my voice. I cleared my throat and sipped on my juice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Over the next few days, I helped out Zhuang jie and Ah Si in training Shancai and did my best to help her out in whatever situation. She was doing so well and we all felt she was ready. She stayed at Ah Si's house most of the time.

At the moment, I was at Mingde with the guys. They just finished class and Ah Si was talking about Shancai's progress. To be honest, I wasn't really feeling the greatest and I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep since Dad keeps piling up the work I have to finish and Mom keeps pestering me to keep seeing Jongin.

"So Ah Si, how's Shancai doing?" Lei asked.

"It's going great. My sister and I are very confident. Shuijing told me that the chef also said that Shancai has made a tremendous improvement." Ah Si reported happily and I smiled.

"Really? Zhuang jie thinks she'll win?" Meizuo asked.

"Especially that dish called "The Bird Returns from Familiar Days." It's better than any dish I've ever had
made by famous cooks." Ah Si bragged as he thought of Shancai.

"Isn't it "The Swallow Returns from Familiar Days"? It's a famous poem by Yan Shu." Meizuo corrected which made me laugh.

"Whatever. It's just chicken. I don't understand what the fancy name is for." Ah Si dismissed.

"Food is not just for the taste buds, it's a form of cultural exchange. Shancai has really improved." Lei added.

"But even if she cooked rat poison, Ah Si would gobble it up right away." Ximen joked.

"Shut up. I'm very objective, okay? It's really tasty." Ah Si protested.

"Here. This is tasty too." Ximen said as he gave Ah Si the bottle of juice he was drinking.

"More importantly, this Zhou Caina seems to be the most likely to win." Ximen said as he continued to read on his phone.

"I read about her. She's smart, pretty, and elegant. I wonder if she has a boyfriend." Meizuo beamed and I felt Lei wrap an arm around me. I leaned closer and gave him a small smile as a sign of thanks. I've never heard Zuo talk about a woman like that before and he seems to really like her.