Mama's Princess is Daddy's Beloved

Li Xue's eyes snapped to look at Ning Meiling when heard her words. She was sure that she has yet to let Ning Meiling know about the pdf of the dessert dish sent by Chen Yujian. Her brows raised in slight suspicion as she asked, "Chef Ning, have you known this dish from before? How do you know that what I am cooking does not look like the one made in the past?"

Ning Meiling was almost caught off guard. She never knew that her overexcitement would ruin things for her. Stammering a little in her words, she said, "Ah that … of course I know what the dish looks like! To help you, I thought hard and then suddenly it popped up in my mind that I have the number of the librarian from Chef's library. So I called him to ask if he could send me the picture of the dessert dish from that years' old file?"

"…", Li Xue did not say anything but her eyes at Chef Ning was enough to make her thoughts stumble one after the other.

"He sent me the pictures and that's where I came to see how the dessert looks like. I was …", before she could complete her words, Li Xue interrupted her. Her tone not yielding anything of her expressions, leaving Ning Meiling more and more in confusion.

"The librarian himself sent you the snaps of that file? How come he has simply refused us to give? Okay, did he tell you anything about the recipes?" Li Xue asked suddenly, maintaining her sharp eyes on her. Earlier on the call with Chen Yujian, she has clearly heard him mention his suspicion against the librarian. And for some reasons, now that suspicions were seeming all right to her.

With Ning Meiling involved, there might be some hidden chances that she can just assume without needing to see any evidence.

"Recipe … ah … I have not yet asked about it. Didn't Chen Yujian also send you the snapshots of that file?" Chef Ning replied, trying her best to maintain the things at the right place.

Li Xue looked at her and let out a low chuckle. "Oh … how can I forget that the great professional chefs have different ways to see and read things. You must have got a habit to research the presentation pictures of dishes without asking for its recipes. I must say that's quite a unique way of studying a dish". Her words were simple but it was shot perfectly to aim something hard.

And it definitely struck the bullseye as in the next moment, Ning Meiling flared up with a loss. "Chef Li, are you intending to say that I am involved in making the recipes go missing from the library? What are you meaning by such allegations? I have been so nice to you lately but you are still choosing to accuse me of such hideous things?"

When one has already lost her form and composure, the other only has a plain, beautiful smile intact on her lips. That smile was like a single bloomed green leaf amidst the drought land, one corner tilted beautifully upwards. "I never mentioned that the recipe is missing, Chef Ning!"

Ning Meiling's face instantly paled. "That... that … Chef Li, I …"

"Chef Ning, I think we will get plenty of time to discuss that, once I am done with this dessert. I hope you won't mind giving me some time to handle the mess which is definitely not created by me." Li Xue said and went to look back into the work, she was having in the hand.

She was not surprised. It would have been more surprising if Ning Meiling would not have done something to ruin the things for her. It would have really made her think that the woman has really changed. She was so satisfied that at the end of the day she was not holding any delusion about things and people around her.

Being delusional can be the worst thing one can ever experience!

Ning Meiling stormed off at once. No doubt that she has been exposed but still there was still satisfaction in her expression. 'I may not have won. But I have not let you win too, Chef Li. This dessert dish of yours is going to be nothing but just an absurd failure. I am just so excited to see you fall'.

As Chef Ning left, Mia came flying back to Li Xue's side with her wings full-fledged. "Li Xue, does that mean that Chef Ning has deliberately made someone remove the recipe from the Chef Library?"

"…", Li Xue did not say anything. She just concentrated on blowing the balloon first and then dipping it deep into the portion of chocolate liquid she has kept aside to cool down. Once done, she lifted her head up, smiled gently and then walked to the freezer to keep the balloon inside.

"How can she be such a vicious one? Didn't she say that a little mistake can ruin the years earned reputation? Still, she hid that recipe. People say rightly that sometimes insecurity can bring the worst disaster around."

Li Xue smiled as she shook her head at words. Sometimes? How insecurity can ever be beneficial for anyone. It is doomed to bring disaster sooner or later. But then again everyone has different perceptions.

"It's okay Mia. Nothing will change if we keep on blaming things on others. Let's not think about all that right now, when we already have so much left to do". She said as she came back to prepare some balls from the prior prepared ingredients.

"Li Xue, do you think that this will work. I mean your idea does not seem to be matching exactly with the picture we have seen earlier. What if that customer had just twisted her words to make it hard for you? Then we will lose and ultimately you have to take everyone's backlash. I can't see you like that", Mia said, her eyes holding genuine worry.

Li Xue looked at her for a moment with a very firm serious expression, multiplying Mia's worries tenfold. "That time you take all my blames. I will escape from the scene". Saying that a peal of soft laughter broke at the scene that eased all the panicking nerves of the girl.

Mia too smiled and then nodded, "I will definitely do that when the time comes. But before that, I have to keep all my confidence in you. You will definitely win the game. And the presentation you have thought is not looking that bad." She said as her eyes looked at the counter, seeing all the preparations, Li Xue had arranged for the dish.

"Mia, every chef has got different creativeness. You can copy everything but not his thoughts and creativeness. So why try when you know that ultimately you will fail. Furthermore, with the idea I have got about the dish, I think my thoughts won't be wrong. They can be different but …"

Li Xue's voice died down before completing her words as her mind drifted again to share the memories the woman customer has shared with her earlier. For some reason, she just could not bring herself to doubt her words and intentions.

"Anyway, we can only depend on our own efforts. I have tried my best. Let's see how things will turn out at the end!" She concluded with a smile and Mia too agreed to her words with a nod.