Chapter 191: The Complex Situation

“Are you hungry? Since you want to see my cooking skills, I’ll make a fool of myself.” Su Jie, without lingering, walked directly to the refrigerator in the kitchen.

He opened the refrigerator and glanced inside.

Within seconds, he analyzed everything in his mind: what ingredients and seasonings were inside.

What dishes should he make based on the ingredients? What ingredient combinations are best for nutritional balance? How to cook the dishes to maximize their color, aroma, and flavor? How to make them more appetizing?

Within half a minute, Su Jie had an idea. His cooking process appeared clearly in his mind—rhythm, procedure, how to operate—as seamlessly as a computer.

Swish, swish, swish…

Zhang Manman watched as Su Jie took a piece of fresh meat from the refrigerator and sliced it into thin slices with incredible skill. The cuts were invisible to the naked eye, yet in the blink of an eye, it seemed as if dozens of slices had been made.

Then a series of steps began: washing vegetables, cooking rice, preparing the dishes, frying, stewing, and deep-frying.

Watching him work, there was an exquisite sense of artistry. Every movement was fluid and seamless, like a pre-programmed workflow, a complete assembly line operation.

Yet, this assembly line work didn’t feel monotonous; instead, it felt as natural as flowing water.

Like a stream or spring, flowing day and night along a fixed path, yet without any mechanical feel.

Zhang Manman, watching Su Jie cook, gradually understood the changes in Su Jie after his advancement to the “Living Dead” realm.

The previous Su Jie, while also moving without pause, was like a mechanized factory, lifeless. The current Su Jie, like the rising and setting sun, though rhythmic, felt perfectly natural.

Both were unchanging, one mechanical, the other natural.

The difference in their levels was immediately apparent.

The previous Su Jie was strictly self-disciplined, but lacked humanity.

The current Su Jie, while still strictly self-disciplined, was lively and flexible.

Within an hour, a table laden with dishes appeared before Zhang Manman, the aroma wafting through the air, seemingly reaching her very soul and whetting her appetite.

“So much food?” Zhang Manman asked. “I can’t possibly finish it all.”

“Weren’t you waiting for someone? If I’m not mistaken, someone should be arriving, and quite a few at that. Just enough for everyone,” Su Jie said.

“How did you know? I didn’t tell you,” Zhang Manman asked with a slight smile.

“I could tell from your face,” Su Jie said half-jokingly.

Sure enough, just as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll open the door.” Zhang Manman opened the door, and there stood five young men and women.

“You’ve all arrived? Perfect timing, the food’s ready. Come and eat with us, and we can discuss the family annual meeting while we eat,” Zhang Manman greeted them warmly. Clearly, these were her close relatives.

Su Jie had long known that the Zhang family, as a large clan with five generations living under one roof, had far more descendants than the Xu family.

Ultimately, the Xu family’s development in China was affected by the birth control policy; their younger generation, though smaller, was already quite complex, let alone the Zhang family.

The Zhang family’s system was much larger than the Xu family’s, especially its younger generation, which was even more intricate.

The Xu family’s attempt to form a marriage alliance with the Zhang family had been fraught with complications.

While the Xu family’s strength was considerable in Su Jie’s eyes, it paled in comparison to the Zhang family’s.

With so many people, family resources were insufficient, and coupled with boundless desires, various factions naturally emerged, vying for more resources—this was a normal phenomenon.

Internal family struggles have always been brutal; even brothers turning against each other can be more ruthless than enemies.

Su Jie had no intention of getting involved in the Zhang family’s infighting, but for his sister’s safety, he had no choice but to make an exception and drag himself into the turmoil.

“Wow! It smells delicious!” Five young men and women walked in. One of the girls exclaimed in surprise. Then, all five noticed Su Jie, their eyes filled with doubt and inquiry.

“This is Su Jie, my business partner,” Zhang Manman began to introduce them. “This is my cousin Zhang Jia, my cousin Zhang Yun, my cousin Zhang Kaiye, my cousin Kong Guan, and my cousin Yuan Hui.”

Su Jie nodded and invited everyone to eat.

“Your cooking is truly superb! It definitely wasn’t Sister Manman who made this; it must be this Brother Su Jie. Are you perhaps from a family of master chefs? I think even Chef Bao from Yonghua Restaurant isn’t as skilled as you.”

The group sat down to eat. As the food entered their mouths, expressions of utter astonishment appeared on their faces, and they even chewed much faster, almost losing their composure.

Zhang Kaiye couldn’t help but ask.

“I just learned a bit of home cooking,” Su Jie observed. He could tell that Zhang Kaiye was the strongest among them, possessing a wild, untamed air. He clearly had military experience, but not as a regular soldier; rather, he was more like a mercenary or a member of a foreign legion.

Of the five, the other two men and two women showed Zhang Manman great respect, but Zhang Kaiye seemed to have other intentions.

In other words, this small clique within the family wasn’t entirely subservient to Zhang Manman.

Su Jie now judged people with uncanny insight, discerning their worth and character at a glance, much like Jiu Fanggao judging horses—regardless of gender or color, focusing solely on inner spirit and temperament.

“Manman, you handled that order from the Xu family brilliantly. You persuaded the warlord Awasi without shedding a drop of blood and even opened up trade routes. The older generation in the family speaks very highly of you.” Zhang Kaiye nodded. “This brother’s cooking is quite good. Want to partner with you to open a restaurant?”

“Cousin, you really misjudged him this time,” Zhang Manman laughed. “He’s not a master chef I hired. He’s going to attend the family conference to gain more business share and authority. Do you want to team up with me?”

“Nonsense,” Zhang Kaiye put down his chopsticks, his expression displeased. “Outsiders aren’t allowed to attend the family annual meeting. Kong Guan and Yuan Hui aren’t surnamed Zhang, so they can only wait outside the ancestral hall. Although your father is the head of the family, doing things this way will only make you a target of public criticism.”

“Don’t worry about this matter. I’ll handle the older generation in the family. Besides, even if they know I’ve invited such a master, they won’t say much. For example, I know that our Zhang family’s annual meeting seems to have invited some important figures from the Mao family. The rules have already been broken; are we just going to stand by and wait to suffer?” Zhang Manman’s few words made Su Jie sense that this Zhang family’s annual meeting was fraught with tension and hidden danger.

“The Mao family is a powerful force that has crossed the river; this is different.” Zhang Kaiye suddenly understood the meaning behind Zhang Manman’s words: “A master?”

He looked sharply at Su Jie, but couldn’t see any masterly aura in this person.

“Cousin, you can try if you don’t believe me,” Zhang Manman said with a smile, intentionally using Su Jie to intimidate her small group. “I know you spent a long time in the honey badger training camp and participated in several mercenary battles, accumulating a lot of practical experience, but compared to my friend, you’re still far behind.”

“Is that so?” Zhang Kaiye smiled dismissively. Suddenly, he moved, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at Su Jie. “I remember a master in a movie who, to show off his martial arts skills, shot himself in the head, then cocked the bullet, saying that speed is the only way to break through all martial arts. I wonder if you can do that? In America, everyone has a gun. No matter how good your kung fu is, it’s not as good as your marksmanship, don’t you think?”

“That makes some sense.” Su Jie wasn’t afraid at all, nor was he worried about the gun going off accidentally. Besides, he had already seen that the safety was off, only… With a flick of his wrist, the bullet fired instantly. He smiled and spoke eloquently: “In ancient martial arts, archery and horsemanship were first, concealed weapons second, spears and staffs third, swords and shields fourth, and finally, hand-to-hand combat. Hand-to-hand combat was merely a street performer’s art. Your gun-drawing speed is fast, your hand is perfectly steady; you’ve received rigorous shooting training and have real combat experience, which is quite rare.”

“Interesting.” Zhang Kaiye still pointed the gun at Su Jie: “To remain calm even with a gun pointed at you shows first-rate mental fortitude, but that’s still useless. What will you do when I fire?”

“Sure.” Su Jie nodded: “You can try firing. No problem. If you kill me, it’s because I’m not skilled enough. I definitely won’t blame you.”

“Manman, is this appropriate?” Zhang Jia frowned, but she wasn’t alarmed. As expected of someone from the Zhang family, even the younger generation of girls seemed accustomed to some fighting and killing.

“It’s nothing.” Zhang Manman wasn’t bothered. She knew Su Jie’s strength and seemed very confident: “Cousin, I know your marksmanship is unparalleled, you have the five-star combo technique. Five people, standing in different positions, simultaneously throw small balls in their hands, and you fire five shots in a row, all exploding in mid-air, not to mention how people can dodge.”

“Are you reminding him of my special skill, making him wary?” Zhang Kaiye chuckled: “Manman, I know you’ve always wanted that important position in the family, but you’re a girl, and once you get married, you won’t belong to the Zhang family anymore…Bringing outside reinforcements wouldn’t really help much. How about you help me seize that position? My biggest threats right now are Zhang Kaiyu, Zhang Kaiyuan, Zhang Kailin, Zhang Kaiqian, and your brother Zhang Kaitai—five people in total. But if you help me, my chances of success will be much higher if you express your support at the family annual meeting. That way, you can still exercise power. Why bother fighting for it?”

“Cousin, what era are we living in? Playing these games? Even if it were my brother, I wouldn’t support him. Let alone you!” Zhang Manman completely ignored Zhang Kaiye’s offer.

“How about this, let’s make a bet,” Zhang Kaiye said. “If I hit this ‘expert’ you brought, you’ll support me at the family meeting, okay? Conversely, if I miss, I’ll support you. How about it? Also, don’t worry, my marksmanship is excellent. At most, I’ll hit non-lethal areas. He’ll only need a month or two of rest to recover.”

“Okay.” Su Jie nodded, agreeing without waiting for Zhang Manman’s opinion.

Swish! His outstretched finger moved on the trigger!