Volume 1, Chapter 33: A-Ke! What the hell is this absolute nonsense!

As soon as Lin Yiming appeared, Lin Xiaolu felt a wave of dread. As his wife, how could she not know the extent of Ji Ming’s culinary skills? At home, the nanny usually handled the cooking, though occasionally, if they were both hungry in the middle of the night, Ji Ming would step into the kitchen. But even Lin Yiming had admitted that not even he could necessarily outperform Shen Qi. If that were true, how many people in all of China could actually surpass him?

Thinking of this, Lin Xiaolu gritted her teeth. How could Shen Qi be so skilled at cooking? He had single-handedly raised the bar for home-cooked meals. Damn it! It would have been fine if he just made something decent. Before the show began, Lin Xiaolu had even touted Ji Ming’s cooking as a highlight. Now, she could no longer guarantee what the netizens would think.

...

Ji Taotao had eaten very little that morning and was already hungry. However, Ji Ming was still sitting on the sofa, fiddling with his tablet, showing no intention of cooking. Following instructions from Hong Tao, Fang Qian smiled and asked, “Best Actress Lin, may we zoom in to see what work King Ji is busy with?”

Lin Xiaolu nodded. Ji Ming had no current projects, so there were no confidentiality agreements to worry about. She assumed he was working on creative pursuits; seeing his screen might even boost his popularity. “Of course. My husband usually works on his creative projects. He must be studying lyrics or scores.”

As the camera zoomed in, the studio erupted in gasps. The tablet screen was clearly displaying a video of a busty woman gyrating provocatively. It was a scene they were all too familiar with—Shen Qi had been watching the same thing yesterday!

Lin Xiaolu was stunned. “This... my husband is a superstar; he must be listening to different genres of music! And he is very skilled in dance, so he must be... drawing inspiration from various styles...” Her voice grew lower and lower, trailing off into a whisper.

Everyone was no fool. Did a superstar watch female influencers dance to "study" choreography? Was listening to trashy DJ remixes and viral background music a way to find inspiration? Li Huangge offered a faint, knowing smile. Though she said nothing, everyone seemed to understand exactly what she meant. When Shen Qi was watching that yesterday, what hadn’t Lin Xiaolu said? Li Huangge hadn’t been as hypocritical as Lin Xiaolu, who had mocked Shen Qi for being a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

[Yesterday, when Shen Qi was watching, he seemed somewhat repulsed by the beauty videos, saying they weren't as good as Diva Huangge.]
[Shen Qi’s feed looked like it was just pushed by the algorithm, not something he was intentionally searching for, and he swiped past every dancing video quickly.]
[Shen Qi could say that even without knowing the circumstances, yet look at King Ji’s performance now.]

Ji Ming didn’t look obsessed, but he lingered on certain videos of sexy women for far too long. In fact, whenever there was a particularly suggestive move or a near-wardrobe malfunction, he would actually rewind the video.

Lin Xiaolu was absolutely livid. The reaction from the netizens was far too intense; this was the kind of topic that could hit the trending lists, and now it was playing out live on screen.

[I’ve seen it all now. Are you sure this is the upright, righteous King Ji we know?]
[Not cooking for his son, but busy scrolling through beauty videos? Unbelievable.]
[Hello everyone, I’m the woman in the video. Thanks to King Ji for being interested in me! Please follow me for more perks!]
[If I knew King Ji was this lecherous, I’d have dressed up in black silk to seduce him myself.]
[Whatever else you say, King Ji has an eye for quality. The timing of those rewinds was pinpoint accurate!]

Li Huangge stayed silent, and Zhuo Yiyi remained even quieter. Bai Qinghe chose to keep her head down. Lin Xiaolu’s expression turned ghastly, and she trembled with rage.

Li Lei quickly interjected, “It’s time for our phone call segment, but I must remind Best Actress Lin: you absolutely cannot reveal that we are broadcasting live.”

Lin Xiaolu, already at her limit, gritted her teeth and dialed Ji Ming’s number. Once connected, Ji Ming’s gentle voice filled the air: “Hello? Wifey, did you miss me?”

Li Huangge and Zhuo Yiyi’s mouths twitched simultaneously; they nearly burst out laughing. Lin Xiaolu gritted her teeth, trying her best to keep her tone calm. “Honey, has Taotao finished his tasks for the morning?”

On screen, Ji Taotao’s eyes darted around, and he quickly looked toward Ji Ming.

“He finished them! Taotao’s handwriting has improved a lot, and he learned all his math problems and got them right! He’s also made great progress in piano and practiced his vocals. He’s done a great job.”

[Pffft, hahahaha! Talk about embarrassing.]
[I really liked King Ji and Best Actress Lin, but I’m unfollowing.]
[So fake. I never expected King Ji to lie through his teeth like this. His acting is just as good as the Best Actress’s.]
[What King Ji? That’s Best Actor Ji!]

“Then what are you planning to make for Taotao’s lunch?” Lin Xiaolu asked, her tone heavy with implication. “Honey, Taotao is at a growing age. You really need to cook something good for him. We don’t need anything fancy or complicated, just something nutritious and tasty...”

Ji Ming smiled slightly, immediately catching her drift. “Don’t worry, wifey...” As he spoke, his finger swiped, and a new video of a beauty shaking her backside appeared on the pad. “I was just about to start making lunch for Taotao.”

“That’s good...” Lin Xiaolu said with a dark expression, reminding him once more, “Stop playing around with your phone and tablet...”

Ji Ming felt a jolt of alarm and naturally locked the screen of his tablet. “Alright, don’t worry.”

After the call ended, Ji Ming stood up and went into the kitchen, pulling ingredients out of the fridge. Lin Xiaolu sighed in slight relief. The counter was covered in ingredients, and the comments began to fill with praise from Ji Ming’s fans. While Ji Ming’s actions might have seemed fine under normal circumstances, compared to the way Shen Qi had prepared the "Bean Sprout Inlay" and the "Three-Fresh Deboned Fish" the day before, he looked rather clumsy.

Fortunately, the camera shifted to Ji Taotao. Taotao was hiding in the piano room like a little thief, his head bowed, doing something unknown. Lin Xiaolu’s expression shifted slightly, but she remained confident. Her husband had told her that Taotao rarely used his phone at home and was strictly disciplined; even if he played occasionally, it was only with permission.

Li Huangge smiled and asked, “Best Actress Lin, I remember you speaking about the children’s phone usage yesterday. Do you remember?”

Lin Xiaolu nodded and smiled. “Taotao rarely plays with his phone, and even when he does, it’s only with my husband’s consent.”

“Then what is Taotao doing right now?” Li Huangge asked with a smile.

“He’s just a child; he’s bound to have his own little secrets...”

Before Lin Xiaolu could finish, the scene on the big screen shifted dramatically. Ji Taotao looked up, his face twisted in frustration, and he slammed his little fist onto the table.

*Bang!*

“Ah Ke! You f***ing b*tch!”