Chapter 94: Schemes

Chapter 94: Schemes
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A minute of intense scrutiny passed before He Zhou looked away, a faint smile tugging at his cheeks, “Of course not.”
He Jing plastered a smile and stopped talking. She returned to the kitchen to help He Sui with the winter melon soup.
He Zhou had prepared four dishes: dry-roasted chicken drumsticks, stir-fried beef with green peppers, pickled vegetables, and a winter melon soup.
It was quite a sumptuous meal. At least, it was much better than the plain porridge He Ning whipped up when he came home. He Sui inhaled the food, devouring the dishes as if he had never eaten anything so delicious in his eight lifetimes.
He Ning pulled out a chair and called He Jing, “Sit here and eat with us.”
He Jing did as she was bade to do.
He Ning deliberately sat between He Jing and He Zhou, separating the two. As He Zhou ladled some soup for He Xiaoguo, he spoke as if he were talking about the weather. “It’s a pity Xiao Yi isn’t here with us. If she were, I would have cooked a little more. Braised chicken drumsticks were always her favorite.”
He Jing would have to be a dunce not to know He Zhou was trying to make things difficult for her. Her head bowed, she continued eating as if she had not heard him. He Zhou was a perverted sis-con, and this encounter merely solidified what the novel she had read had had to say about him.
He Zhou’s perversion went deeper than He Ning’s. If He Ning was the big brother figure to the real daughter, then He Zhou claimed the spot of a controlling and possessive father figure.
He Zhou decided everything from the clothes the real daughter wore to the shoes she paraded in. No one else had any say on the matter. Things only worsened when he struck it rich, making a fortune for himself. At this point, he even decided on the bags and jewelry she donned.
He Jing remembered feeling confused. She always felt that He Zhou did not treat the real heiress as a sister but rather as a daughter, or perhaps, for better or worse, a dress-up doll he could play with and do as he wished. The real heiress was just a toy to him – a toy he held deep affection for, but still a toy, regardless. Life outside of playing dress-up with the real heiress for He Zhou was a monochrome monotony; he did not have any hobbies or interests aside from the time he spent making the real heiress his plaything.
He Jing suddenly felt a wave of pity for He Zhou. He Zhou had become the way he was because he did not have a happy childhood, one embittered by his life’s experience. It was a tragedy.
He Zhou’s anger spiked as he realized he had not gotten a rise out of He Jing. With his teeth clenched, he wondered what He Jing was scheming. His thoughts were confirmed by the indulgent smile He Jing shot him.
So much was conveyed in that smile that it stunned He Zhou, but he could not mistake the warmth or gentility it seemed to evoke.
He Zhou glared at his food, his eyes lidded and dark. No wonder Cheng Yi had fallen out of favor with He Ning and He Sui so quickly. Though he had a thousand grievances, there was no one he could turn to to vent, so he suffered in silence. This new sister of his was a wily fox. He could not show weakness to her!
The meal passed peacefully. After the meal, He Sui took the initiative to wash the dishes.
He Jing went into the kitchen to help, but He Sui shooed her out. “Out, out! We don’t have enough bowls for you to break them willy-nilly, neither do we have the money to spare on such trivial expenses.”
Helplessly, He Jing allowed herself to be ushered out of the kitchen.
He Ning had already retired to his room, while He Xiaogue was sprawled on the dining table doing his homework. He Zhou was the only one free. He was watching the Kitchen King Competition. He Sui had not been discreet in chasing He Jing out of the kitchen, drawing He Zhou’s attention. He eyed He Jing with indifference.
Taking the initiative, He Jing began, “Third Brother, this episode of the Kitchen King Competition isn’t very good. Some chef surnamed Wang won the competition; it’s obvious that the result was staged.”
He Zhou hated spoilers, so his brows furrowed into a tight knot when he heard what He Jing had to say. Still…
He turned back to the television. “Who are you to say Chef Wang won the championship through underhanded means? If you don’t understand how he won, there’s no need to force an explanation when none is needed..”