Chapter 2: Emotional Tactics and Culinary Seduction

Chapter 2: Playing the Heartstrings and Food as Bait

The bathroom led straight into the bedroom.

Jian Ye remembered he had to face the butler soon, so he yanked open the wardrobe, planning to grab some comfortable loungewear.

But when he pulled it open, the peacock parade of clothes inside made his eyes burn.

Did this V-neck really dive straight to the belly button?

Wouldn’t these tiny leopard-print skinnies crush his family jewels?

And why the hell did these boxers have lace??

Jian Ye smacked the wardrobe shut hard.

“System, are you *sure* the original owner was a green tea? Not a—(censored) bleep—bleep!”

System 748: “Banned word detected. *Bleep*.”

Jian Ye: ???

System 748: “This system runs on a PG-13 filter. Please watch your language, Host.”

Jian Ye: ……

He gaped, then glared at the system for a moment before reluctantly reopening the wardrobe seconds later.

No way was he heading down in just a towel…

Then again… the original owner probably *had*.

Looking at all these flashy outfits, Jian Ye could easily imagine how incriminating they’d look if worn outside.

No shocker why *everyone*, leads and extras included, looked down on or even hated the original owner.

Who’d *not* think these were hooker gear? At first glance, anyone would peg the wearer as trashy.

After digging forever, Jian Ye finally found the only decent silk pajamas in the whole closet.

Even if they were nuclear pink…

Good enough for tonight. Tomorrow, he was torching this wardrobe!

……

Once dressed, Jian Ye stood in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom.

The steam earlier had fogged up the bathroom mirror, so he hadn’t gotten a proper look at the original owner’s face yet.

Now that he did—

His mouth hung open like a broken elevator.

The reflection showed a slim young man with a face balanced like a math equation. His puppy-dog eyes, shiny and guilt-free, paired with skin like a TikTok filter gone wild—flawless and pale, almost glowing. A textbook pretty boy.

But here’s the kicker—

The whole look was ruined by that head of vibrant green hair!

Jian Ye's hair had a natural wave to it, now stained green—just like pond scum floating in a river.

Staring at his reflection, Jian Ye almost burst out reciting—

"The green reeds on the silty bed,

Glistening, dancing under the stream;

In the gentle ripples of the Cam,

I’d *love* to be a waterweed! [1]

...

The summer insects hush for me,

Tonight’s Jian Ye falls silent."

...

OMG!

Jian Ye facepalmed in despair, even tugging at his "green pond scum" a few times.

"Jian Ye: Sys748, does the author have some kind of misunderstanding about ‘green tea’ stereotypes? Does dying your hair green really make you one? This is such a shoehorned trope! So cringe!"

"Sys748: That’s because you haven’t seen the circle lenses on his desk."

"Jian Ye: What about them?"

"Sys748: All green tea-colored. OG Jian Ye wore them every time he went out."

"Jian Ye: ..."

At least the system was down to clown with him over this novel’s setting, so Jian Ye kept ranting.

"Jian Ye: Compared to this glowing green hair, tea-colored contacts are weak sauce, okay?"

"Sys748: Then what about cheetah-print skinny jeans versus the green hair? You pick."

"Jian Ye: I pick—neither! How are these even comparable? Both are total fashion crimes!"

Only after answering did he realize—the system could actually ask questions? Like it was baiting him.

"Sys748: What can I say? He swore this was *lewk*."

Jian Ye understood "he" referred to the OG Jian Ye, but wait—wasn't this book written by the author?

So were those choices really the author’s doing, or…

"Sys748: The author sets up the character framework, but once inside the world, they gain free will. Otherwise, why would OG Jian Ye peace out?"

"Jian Ye: Got it! He must’ve hated the ‘green tea’ act the author gave him, so he dipped!"

"Sys748: But dyeing his hair green and wearing cheetah-print jeans—that was all his bad taste."

"Jian Ye: ..." [1] Adapted from Xu Zhimo’s 1928 poem *"Saying Goodbye to Cambridge Again."*

In other words, the original master truly enjoyed dressing like this.

Jian Ye was speechless.

Another thought suddenly came to him.

[Jian Ye: So if I change out of this outfit, does that count as breaking character?]

[System 748: As long as you don’t deviate from the green tea act the author created, the original master’s other preferences and personality traits can be adjusted within a certain range.]

Great! There's a way out!

Which meant he just had to maintain the green tea act in public—what he did privately was up to him.

It was just like acting. As long as he didn't slip up in front of others, it would be fine.

—

When Jian Ye came downstairs from his second-floor bedroom, not a single servant was around.

As he approached the dining room, he smelled something burning.

The dishes on the table were black as sludge, resembling slime, and made Jian Ye’s stomach turn.

Looking up, he saw Butler Zhang in the kitchen wearing a frazzled and exhausted look.

Jian Ye: …

Was there not even a cook in this villa?

Didn’t they say dinner was ready? Why was Butler Zhang cooking now? What’s the deal?

Still stunned, he watched as Butler Zhang brought out the last dish.

With smooth talk, the butler began making excuses: “Master Jian, I reheated the cold dishes earlier—it seems I might have overcooked them a bit.”

Jian Ye stared at the charred food and grimly picked up his chopsticks for a taste.

He dropped them after one bite and marched into the kitchen.

“Ah! Master Jian! What do you need? Let me help!”

Seeing Jian Ye’s displeased expression, Butler Zhang figured his little trick had been seen through and was about to apologize sincerely—

Only to watch his young master quickly tie on an apron, turn on the stove, wash the wok, pour in oil, throw in ingredients, stir-fry with a flick of the spatula, and then plate everything neatly.

Each movement was effortless, leaving Butler Zhang completely floored.

Since when had their useless young master learned how to cook? He was only finding out today.

Half an hour later, three dishes with a soup were set on the table. Butler Zhang swallowed hard, speechless for a moment.

He had assumed Jian Ye was just showing off, doing it for show—but the mouthwatering smell alone had already won him over.

Clearly, this wasn’t just for appearances—the food had to be good.

Given what had just happened, Jian Ye figured it all out with just a little thought.

Given the current situation—where the original owner had always been neglected in the Jian family—Butler Zhang was likely someone who paid lip service while secretly undermining him.

He said he'd prepared a meal, but clearly, nothing had been made.

Probably thought I wouldn't even come down to eat, so he dared to lie like that?

But as a proper "green tea" (someone who feigns innocence while being manipulative), now wasn’t the time to confront Butler Zhang head-on.

“Uncle Zhang, I’ve been dabbling in cooking lately. This is my first try—what do you think?”

Butler Zhang: “This…”

This seriously looks like something a first-time cook would make??

Young master, yeah right—

As if I’d believe that!

Still, his hands moved on instinct as he picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. A burst of rich umami instantly spread across his tongue.

Butler Zhang’s eyes lit up with surprise: “Master Jian! This is incredible!”

Jian Ye inwardly smirked. In his previous life, he had learned to fend for himself at an early age, and cooking was second nature to him.

Years of practice meant he naturally gained some skill.

Not quite Michelin-star level, but definitely comparable to dishes from a small restaurant.

The villa Jian Ye currently lived in had been left behind by the original owner’s deceased parents, while Butler Zhang had been sent by the main Jian household to monitor and manipulate the boy.

Speaking of the Jian family, those so-called uncles, aunts, and cousins were all schemers.

They each wanted Jian Ye to remain a good-for-nothing, too useless to ever compete for the family fortune.

Ever since the original owner’s parents died in a car accident a year ago, he had carried deep emotional scars.

That pain lingered until half a year ago, when the original owner—just starting university—was “rescued” by a scumbag named Yu Wei.

Perhaps because he was starved for love after losing his parents, the slightest care or comfort from Yu Wei caused him to fall recklessly in love, sinking deeper and deeper.

And just a week ago, the scumbag finally grew bored and dumped him.

To add insult to injury, the Jian family notified him that he was expected to brace for a marriage alliance with the Yi family.

This one-two punch shattered what little willpower he had left, leaving him completely broken.

That’s why he came up with desperate measures like refusing to eat or trying to kill himself in the bathroom.

With no one trustworthy around him, and under the protagonist's spotlight in this novel world, Jian Ye—as a side character doomed to fail—would struggle at every turn.

He needed to change the fact that “everyone despised him.”

Since they were all one-dimensional characters anyway, he might as well treat it like a game—tackle them like levels, one at a time.

Now, watching Butler Zhang—who looked clearly impressed after tasting his dish—Jian Ye barely perceptibly smirked before quickly smoothing his expression.

“Uncle Zhang, come eat with me. There’s plenty of rice.”

The young man met his eyes with an earnest look.

Butler Zhang hadn't expected to be invited to dine together. He was now somewhat unsure of the young master's intentions.

In the past, Jian Ye had always worn all his emotions on his sleeve—his heartbreak after a breakup was real, his affectations were real, and his complete domestic helplessness was also real.

But today’s skillful cooking made Butler Zhang question some of his assumptions.

It seemed… the young master before him wasn’t as utterly useless as he had imagined.

After all, who would have thought that a pampered young master who had never lifted a finger could prepare such a delicious meal?

Jian Ye pressed warmly, and Butler Zhang couldn’t refuse. He hadn’t eaten much at noon and was hungry now, but in front of his master, he didn’t dare overstep. He could only sit upright and take small bites.

"Uncle Zhang, don’t just eat rice. Here, have some ribs!" Jian Ye greeted him with a smile, his refined face appearing even more youthful and radiant under the soft dining room lights.

"Thank you, young master. You should eat more too. Today’s incident is my fault—I dismissed the kitchen staff, and my own cooking skills are lacking, forcing you to cook yourself..."

Looking at Jian Ye’s delicate features and clear eyes, Butler Zhang couldn’t help but feel a swell of affection for the younger man.

After all, the young master was a pitiable child—just turned eighteen, yet his parents had already passed away.

Despite this, the Jian family had still sent him to watch the young master, fearing he might covet the family’s wealth.

"Uncle Zhang, don’t say that. I know everything."

Jian Ye’s expression suddenly dimmed, his lashes lowering like a fragile doll’s.

"Grandfather and the others don’t like me. They sent you to keep an eye on me."

Butler Zhang felt guilty. "Young master, I..."

"Uncle Zhang, I don’t blame you. You’re just doing your job. Those are their thoughts, not yours. They think I’m useless, but you surely don’t think so, right?"

Butler Zhang: "..."

He didn’t dare answer that.

"I’m grateful they sent you to take care of me. If even you hadn’t come, this enormous villa would have been left with only me inside."

The young man’s voice grew quieter as he spoke, with a faint tremble by the end.

"Since my parents passed away, you’ve been the closest person to me in this house. Even though you’ve only been here for less than a year, I’ve long considered you family."

"..."

"Uncle Zhang, I’ll cook delicious food for you every day from now on. Can you stay here with me forever?"

These words made Butler Zhang’s eyes grow moist. There was no denying that some shared human emotions struck deepest in the heart.

Jian Ye’s eyes held both longing and a hint of fear, as if afraid of rejection.

At this moment, Butler Zhang suddenly felt ashamed of his past disparagement of the boy.

The young master was clearly so sincere, a kind soul yearning for familial warmth.

Butler Zhang tightened his grip on his chopsticks, as if making a firm decision, and raised his gaze. "Young master, I must apologize for the past. From now on, I will take orders only from you."

YES!

The emotional appeal combined with culinary temptation truly never fails!

[1] Quote from Xu Zhimo’s "Saying Goodbye to Cambridge Again."