Huo Mingjun indeed fell for his bluff. He flicked a finger against his palm, "Alright, let go. Your idol baggage is so heavy, and it's not like I've ever minded."

Xie Guan sheepishly let go. Feeling that he would definitely expose himself if he stayed any longer, he tucked his tail between his legs and scurried into the bathroom.

The cool water eased the heart-in-his-throat tension. Xie Guan wiped the water from his face, repeatedly hypnotizing himself in his mind: "There are plenty of people in this world who have a secret crush on you, and it's not like you have to be responsible for them. Calm down, don't chicken out..."

But Huo Mingjun wasn't just 'anyone.' His usual indulgence of Xie Guan came into play at this critical moment. The moment Xie Guan thought about not having to be responsible, he immediately launched into a round of self-loathing: "No, that sounds too scummy..."

He was in such anguish he wanted to claw at the walls, wishing he could rush out and ask Huo Mingjun, 'What on earth do you see in me? Can't I just change it?' After thinking it over and over, he felt the situation could still be salvaged. Harboring a sliver of wishful thinking, he secretly thought, "What if it's a misunderstanding? Maybe he's just starved for affection, and since this is his first time making a friend, it's completely understandable that he's imprinted on me a little."

It was really something that a semi-illiterate person like him even knew what "imprinting" was.

Unfortunately, Huo Mingjun was neither a fledgling nor a bird. He was a great demon king with a meticulous mind and his own course of action. Xie Guan couldn't just kick him out of the nest and tell him to learn to fly on his own. Being soft-hearted toward Huo Mingjun was his greatest weakness. Other than playing dumb, there was really no better way.

Xie Guan finished breakfast with Huo Mingjun as if nothing had happened. Huang Cheng arrived to take him to the show's recording. Just before getting in the car, he pretended to glance back unintentionally. As expected, there was a blurry figure by the window.

So self-evident, yet so discreet.

The level-8 earthquake-proof mental fortitude he had painstakingly constructed this morning didn't even last half an hour before a few pieces of plaster flaked off.

Once at the studio, he first met the other three guests for the recording. The host was Gao Yong, who had hosted several household-name TV shows in his early years but had since fallen out of popularity. The production team had taken a fancy to his cooking skills and invited him to anchor the show. Another permanent guest was the young artist Tan Xiaotian, who debuted overseas and returned to China to further his career. He had blazed a new trail, accumulating considerable popularity through this show. He specialized in Western cuisine and was known as the "Little Prince of Western Desserts." The two temporary guests were Xie Guan and Wu Kai. Wu Kai was a television actor, somewhere between second and third-tier status, already married with a child, and positioned as "a good family man who knows how to live well." The young idol Xie Guan was replacing had been positioned as the "King of Horrible Cooking."

Xie Guan thought to himself, 'Damn, this production team is really something else.' They actually saved a spot for horrible cooking. Aren't they afraid of being a bad influence on the audience?

As its name implied, Super Husband invited only male guests who could cook. Each episode had a theme, which the guests could interpret freely, and they also had to pair their dish with a heartwarming story. It was touted as "the most heartwarming food show."

This episode was scheduled to air around the Qixi Festival, so the theme was "Bridge of Love." There were no limits on time, cuisine, or ingredients.

The guests each chose their ingredients while Gao Yong conducted random interviews. Tan Xiaotian chose mascarpone cheese, cocoa powder, and other raw ingredients to make tiramisu. It was a very fitting dessert for the occasion, as there was a well-known love story behind tiramisu, and its name meant "take me with you" in Italian. Tan Xiaotian mentioned that when he was courting his girlfriend, he made her tiramisu. Later, his girlfriend resolutely gave up her career abroad to return to China with him.

Wu Kai, sticking to his "good man" persona, prepared to make vegetarian shark fin. When his wife was pregnant, she was an extremely picky eater and also had high blood pressure, so her family didn't dare let her eat too much meat. Wu Kai would come up with all sorts of vegetarian dishes for her. The vegetarian shark fin was made using daylily buds shaped like shark fins, supplemented with shiitake mushrooms and dried bamboo shoots, and served with a vegetarian broth made from simmered bean sprouts. It looked just like real shark fin soup.

Xie Guan, on the other hand, chose radish, beef, flour, and winter melon. Gao Yong couldn't tell what he was planning to make. The horrible cooking contestant was always the most suspenseful segment, so he asked with great interest, "What does Little Xie plan on making?"

Washing the vegetables, Xie Guan said, "How about calling it 'The Giant Ship of Love Has Capsized'? After all, I don't even have a girlfriend."

All the guests burst out laughing. Gao Yong raised an eyebrow and said to the camera, "Friends in the audience, we have a traitor in our midst."

As Xie Guan chopped the beef, his mind wandered. He thought dejectedly, 'I don't have a girlfriend, but I might have a potential boyfriend.'

Halfway through the recording, Tan Xiaotian's tiramisu was already in the refrigerator, and Wu Kai's "shark fins" were fried. Only Xie Guan was still slowly carving a winter melon tureen. He used to be a kitchen hand, carving decorative patterns and soup tureens for people every day. Even after so many years, his skills hadn't gotten rusty. But Gao Yong was getting anxious just watching him and reminded him, "Little Xie, this is a proper food show. Are you planning on winning the Best Garnish Sculpture Award?"

Xie Guan smiled mysteriously. "Don't worry, there will definitely be an edible part to this dish in the end."

Forty minutes later, all three dishes were complete. The production team, being deliberately mysterious, set up a reveal segment. Tan Xiaotian's tiramisu and Wu Kai's vegetarian shark fin were presented one by one. Finally, it was time for the biggest suspense of the episode: Xie Guan.

When the cover was lifted, the entire studio let out a collective "Wow!"

He had split the winter melon in half. The top part was carved with figurines of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, while the green skin below was hollowed out into a circle of magpies. The design was exceedingly exquisite, a true pinnacle of skill for this show. The cameraman couldn't hold back at all, rushing up to shoot close-ups from every angle. Wu Kai asked in astonishment, "Xie Guan, this has to be professional-level work, right?"

Xie Guan humbly and casually joked, "There's something I have to confess to everyone. Actually, I'm an outstanding graduate of New Oriental Cooking Academy."

After the cameraman had taken enough pictures, the others gathered around again, waiting with bated breath for Xie Guan to lift the lid of the winter melon tureen.

The aroma of hot soup wafted out of the melon tureen. Everyone looked down and let out a collective "Huh?"

Gao Yong asked hesitantly, "Are these... wontons?"

Xie Guan nodded.

Tan Xiaotian, not ready to give up, asked, "Is there anything special about these wontons?"

"No," Xie Guan said with a smile. "They're just ordinary wontons."

While Wu Kai and Tan Xiaotian were still bewildered, Gao Yong had already figured it out. "So, the concept for your dish is to use such a beautiful winter melon tureen to hold a bowl of ordinary wontons? Can you explain your thought process?"

"The Bridge of Love... is the process of two people going from being strangers to becoming familiar. You could also say it's the transition from the expectations and fantasies of love to gradually discovering its true form," Xie Guan organized his thoughts and explained with some difficulty. "What I'm saying might be a bit abstract. In terms of this dish, the outside is especially ornate and beautiful, like two young people who have just met. They have good feelings for each other; it's romantic, new, and full of flair. Both of them are dressed up beautifully. But just like this winter melon tureen, it's only for looking at, not for eating. When you start actually living life together, there's not so much flashy stuff. It's just a very ordinary bowl of simple fare."

"After the celestial maiden takes off her feathered robe, she becomes a mortal. A passionate, earth-shattering love will eventually become the plainness of daily trifles. That's probably the meaning."

"Brilliantly said," Gao Yong said, leading the applause. "So, is this your view on love?"

Xie Guan: "I currently only have the 'view,' not the love."

The guests roared with laughter. Gao Yong said, "Well then, let's try these wontons."

A staff member brought over small bowls. Tan Xiaotian scooped one up with a spoon and popped it into his mouth, hissing as he sucked in air from the heat. "Delicious!"

The beef and radish wontons were juicy and savory. The filling was firm and flavorful but not tough to chew. Amidst the savory freshness was a faint, sweet taste from the radish. The texture was rich—it was the kind of home-cooked flavor that you'd keep thinking about after eating.

Tan Xiaotian had completely become Xie Guan's die-hard fan, unable to stop eating. "These are the best wontons I've ever had!"

Xie Guan smiled and said, "It might not look like much, but simple fare isn't necessarily unappetizing."

He pulled off this cool, profound act with an air of great enlightenment, as if he had seen through the mortal world and returned to a state of pure simplicity. In post-production, they added sound effects from God of Cookery, and when the show aired, this moment immediately hit a peak in viewership ratings.

After the recording, Xie Guan went to wash his hands and remove his makeup. The production team and the other guests praised him lavishly, feeling that not only could he cook, but he could also serve up chicken soup for the soul. He had single-handedly elevated the show's philosophical depth. Not only was he creative, but he hadn't even broken his 'King of Horrible Cooking' persona. A guest who came with his own halo was truly a blessing for the production team.

He exchanged contact information with Tan Xiaotian and the others, then took group photos and signed autographs for the production staff. It wasn't until around one in the afternoon that things wrapped up.

Huang Cheng, who had accompanied him through the whole recording, went to get the car first. Outside, the sun was blazing. Xie Guan stood in the shade of the building, replaying the recording process in his mind. He couldn't help but find it funny when he thought about the nonsense philosophy on love he had spouted. But after laughing, a wave of indescribable melancholy washed over him.

What marriage and love? When he was cooking, his mind had been filled with nothing but Huo Mingjun.

There were so many kinds of simple fare. The winter melon tureen could have held fried rice, noodles, or congee. Why did he specifically choose a bowl of wontons?

When choosing this symbolically rich image, he had subconsciously picked the one that was closest to Huo Mingjun.

When they first met, Xie Guan had made him a restaurant-quality meal of six dishes and one soup. At the time, he thought Huo Mingjun was a young master with a picky and hard-to-please palate. It was only after they became familiar that he learned that a simple bowl of wontons was enough to make him perfectly content.

When you strip away the gorgeous exterior, the formal titles and social connections, and are left with only a warm, soft core, whose shadow would be reflected on it?

Huang Cheng drove the car to the entrance. Xie Guan got in and said, "To the Hengrui Group headquarters."

Huang Cheng asked, "Aren't you going to eat first?"

Xie Guan shook his head. "Go straight there."

I need to see him, he thought to himself. Right now.