Chapter 4: The Hidden Culinary Master?

The live stream chat flooded with rapid comments.

“Pfft… I can’t stop laughing! I wanted to tease my daughter, but ended up getting caught myself!”

“Since the stream started, I haven’t stopped laughing. My jaw hurts… and my stomach!”

“Oh my goodness! What kind of dad is this? How can he be a role model for his daughter?”

“I heard he’s the husband of a celebrity. I wonder which beauty he’s married to… How did she even fall for this guy?”

Meanwhile, inside the VIP hospital room, Ziyun Jiang wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground under her father’s fiery glare and her younger brother’s mocking sneers.

“Enough already! It’s just sand in your eye. Hurry up and eat breakfast—I already cooked it for you!” Chen Yu said, refusing to dwell on the matter.

“That’s Dad’s secret recipe: oil-free egg fried rice. It’s really delicious!”

Without leaving room for argument, Chen Yu grabbed Nian Nian’s small hand and headed toward the dining room.

The moment she heard “egg fried rice,” Nian Nian’s little face immediately fell.

She eyed him warily. “Daddy, did you… wash your hands?”

Chen Yu was momentarily stunned, then puffed out his chest. “Of course I did! Daddy is very hygienic!”

Though caught red-handed, he refused to lose face.

Nian Nian remained skeptical, scrunching her little nose. “I don’t believe it. Whatever you made won’t taste good. I’m not eating!”

“Hey! You little brat, how dare you be picky?” Chen Yu glared, trying to assert his fatherly authority.

But Nian Nian wasn’t buying it.

She pouted and turned her head away, wearing a stubborn look that said, “I just won’t eat it. What are you gonna do about it?”

Chen Yu was at a loss.

When sternness failed, he tried softness.

He crouched down and pleaded, voice almost begging, “Nian Nian, this is Daddy’s first time cooking. Just try one bite, just one, okay? Give Daddy some face.”

Still unmoved, Nian Nian held her ground.

Chen Yu’s eyes flickered as he switched tactics, trying bribery: “If you eat this egg fried rice, Daddy will… take you to play Honor of Kings! I promise to get you to the Glory King rank!”

Nian Nian blinked, her big eyes full of confusion. “What’s Honor of Kings? Can you eat it?”

Chen Yu was speechless.

Seeing his daughter immune to all persuasion, he felt utterly frustrated.

He was once a real man… forget it, best not to dwell on past glories.

He sighed and put on a pitiful expression. “Nian Nian, Daddy worked hard cooking this whole morning. My hands nearly gave out. Can you really not try even one bite?”

Looking at Chen Yu’s downcast face, a flicker of sympathy crossed Nian Nian’s cheeks.

After hesitating, she whispered, “Okay… I’ll try just a tiny bite. Just a little.”

“All right, all right! Just a little bite!” Chen Yu beamed, quickly pushing the bowl of egg fried rice toward her.

In the VIP suite, Haoyu Jiang was bent over laughing, unable to straighten up. “Is this coaxing a kid or acting in a tearjerker? Too funny!”

Beside him, Gu Ningning, a glamorous wealthy heiress and Ziyun Jiang’s close friend, couldn’t help but comment, “Ziyun, do you even know whose husband this guy is? After this, I wonder if they’ll file for divorce!”

The Gu family wielded influence in Yunhai City on par with the Jiang family.

Ziyun Jiang’s face remained thunderous, but her eyes betrayed a complex emotion.

On the screen, Nian Nian carefully scooped a small spoonful of egg fried rice and, with a resolute expression, slowly put it into her mouth.

To everyone’s surprise, her eyes suddenly widened.

As if tasting a culinary masterpiece, she chewed quickly and her face lit up with delight.

“Mmm! So tasty!” she mumbled, then scooped up a large spoonful and devoured it eagerly.

Her little gluttonous look made viewers in the live stream hungry just watching.

“No way! Is it really that good? Judging by that girl’s face, she’s not pretending!”

“This twist is way too sudden! I thought it was going to be some disaster dish!”

“Could this ‘silly’ dad actually be a hidden cooking genius?”

Ziyun Jiang was stunned too.

She knew her daughter well. Though young, Nian Nian was picky, and it was rare for her to show such an expression over any food.

Could it be… Chen Yu really can cook? And so well?

Before long, Nian Nian had finished the entire bowl of egg fried rice. She even licked her lips with longing and looked up at Chen Yu, “Daddy, is there any more?”

Chen Yu smugly lifted his chin. “See? Daddy didn’t lie to you, did he?”

At that moment, a mechanical voice echoed in Chen Yu’s mind:

“Ding! Congratulations, host successfully fed daughter a loving breakfast. Daughter’s favorability increased to 40%. Soft Rice points +100.”

“Ding! Congratulations, host acquired essential skill for Soft Rice King: Mastery of Music (max level).”

Suddenly, Chen Yu’s mind was flooded with vast knowledge about music theory and instrument techniques, as if he were born to master this art.

“This system is really something!” Chen Yu admired silently, though his face remained composed.

As a proper “househusband,” after cooking, he naturally had to clean up the kitchen.

He gently ruffled Nian Nian’s hair. “Nian Nian, now that you’re full, go take a little nap. Kids need plenty of sleep to grow tall. Daddy’s going to wash the dishes first.”

Unexpectedly, Nian Nian put on a serious face and said, “Daddy, I’m not sleepy. I want to practice piano.”

Chen Yu was taken aback, awkwardly scratching his head. “Uh… okay then, Nian Nian, go practice. Daddy won’t disturb you.”

He felt a twinge of disappointment. He had hoped that after eating his cooking, she’d be a little clingier, but this little girl remained so independent.

The live stream audience erupted again upon seeing this scene.

“What the heck? This dad looks like he barely knows his daughter!”

“As expected, men taking care of kids just means keeping them alive. Don’t expect them to be attentive.”

“Don’t say that. I think this dad tried really hard. At least he cooked for his daughter, unlike some absentee dads.”

“Effort? What effort? It’s already morning and he’s telling the kid to go sleep? What kind of bizarre parenting is that? And he still calls himself a househusband? That’s an insult to the term!”

“Exactly! Being a househusband isn’t just about cooking. What about education? Accompaniment? None of that is visible here!”