Chapter 42: Ruined Feast

Hearing Thomas's scream, everyone imagined the worst—had he stumbled upon a corpse? An alien? A monster? A wild animal? Fueled by curiosity, they rushed toward the commotion.

But the sight that greeted them was far from extraordinary.

No corpse.

No aliens.

No two-headed beasts.

No bloodthirsty predators.

Just… a pile of garbage.

Qin Li stepped closer and gasped. "Wait… isn't this my food?!"

Scattered across the ground were the remains of her carefully prepared snacks—stomped flat, smeared with dirt, and barely recognizable. Someone had deliberately trampled them, turning delicious dumplings and shumai into a mess fit for a landfill.

Thomas dug through the ruined plastic bag, pulling out what was once a dumpling but now resembled roadkill. Furious, he roared, "Who the hell did this?! Wasting food like this—aren't you afraid of divine punishment?!"

For once, his usual goofy demeanor vanished, replaced by a rare display of rage. His anger was so intense that even the most clueless bystanders backed away.

The director arrived, calm as ever. "Check the footprints," he suggested. "That'll tell us who did it."

Thomas snapped his fingers. "Brilliant! Everyone, show me the soles of your shoes! I will find the culprit!"

Qu Dani leaned toward Qin Li and whispered, "Who do you think did it?"

Qin Li barely spared a glance before scoffing, "Who else?"

Her eyes flicked toward Jenny, who looked noticeably restless.

Before anyone could expose her, Jenny abruptly shoved Thomas's hand away and shrieked, "Get away from me! Why should I show you my shoes?!"

It was just a shoe check, not a strip search—why panic if you had nothing to hide?

The realization dawned on everyone at once.

Thomas's confusion turned to anger. "Why? Why would you do this?!"

Jenny, realizing she was caught, crossed her arms and snapped, "I was stopping foreign cultural invasion."

A beat of silence.

Then, laughter erupted.

Cultural invasion? What was she, a 19th-century revolutionary?

Thomas clutched his head, exasperated. "It's the 21st century! Wake up!"

Jenny wrenched free from his grip and stormed up to Yan Sen. "Why her? Do you have to be with her?"

Yan Sen's patience was wearing thin. "Who I choose has nothing to do with you."

Thomas piled on. "Yeah! You two are divorced. And you were the one who left my brother in the first place."

Jenny jutted her chin out defiantly. "Well, I've changed my mind."

Qu Dani nudged Qin Li. "What's happening now?"

Qin Li smirked. "A classic case of 'I cheated, but now I want my ex back'."

Qu Dani raised a brow. "Huh. You and Yan Sen are basically gender-swapped versions of each other."

Qin Li snorted. "And Jenny? She's like a deluxe edition of Sun Yi."

"How so?"

"She didn't just cheat with one person—she cheated with two. At the same time."

Qu Dani sucked in a breath. "Damn. That's not just deluxe—that's limited edition."

Meanwhile, Jenny clung to Yan Sen's arm like a barnacle. "I hate that woman."

The director, tired of the nonsense, cut in. "And who cares? The important thing is that Yan Sen likes her."

Heads nodded in agreement. Jenny was making a fool of herself. The marriage was over. Why couldn't she just move on? The world wasn't lacking men—why keep clinging to one who had long since let go?

But in Jenny's mind, things worked differently.

She had left Yan Sen.

She had made the choice.

Which meant that she should be the one to take him back.

Unfortunately for her, time changed people. Yan Sen wasn't an object she could reclaim at will.

She fixed him with teary eyes. "Do you love her?"

Silence.

Everyone held their breath, hungry for drama.

Qin Li's scalp tingled—again she was the center of attention.

At first, she had hated Jenny. Now? Now, she just found her exhausting. The woman was like an unstable bomb, unpredictable and dangerous.

Yan Sen turned to look at Qin Li.

She stood stiffly, making it clear she had no interest in being dragged into the mess.

He hesitated.

Truthfully, he wanted to say yes. He wanted to make his feelings for her crystal clear. But if he admitted it, would Jenny spiral further? Would she lash out at Qin Li?

For the first time, Yan Sen found himself hesitating over emotions—over something personal.

Jenny's hope flickered. "You do still love me, don't you?"

Yan Sen exhaled and shook his head.

Firm. Final. Unyielding.

"Jenny, it doesn't matter if I'm single or not. You and I are over. Accept it and stop embarrassing yourself."

His words carried weight. A normal person would have backed off.

Jenny wasn't normal.

Tears welled up. "You don't want me anymore!"

Thomas groaned, rubbing his temples. "Please, for the love of sanity, stop."

But Jenny ignored him, staring only at Yan Sen.

Yan Sen, tired of the drama, turned to Thomas. "Call her brother."

Thomas, relieved, darted away to make the call. "Hey, your crazy sister is not our problem. Come get her. Now. And while you're at it, maybe book her a therapy session before it's too late."

Ruthless.

But not wrong.

The fun atmosphere had officially been ruined.

Qu Dani sighed. "Congrats, you've won the 'Crazy Ex Experience' lottery."

Qin Li cast Yan Sen a sympathetic look. Poor guy. What bad luck.

Yan Sen met her gaze, his expression unreadable.

Feeling guilty for her part in allowing Jenny to tag along, Qin Li waved a hand dismissively. Fine. Let's just move on.

Clearing her throat, she announced, "Let's barbecue."

Immediately, the mood lightened.

Thomas dumped his bundle of firewood into the pit. Yan Sen doused it with vodka and struck a match.

FWOOSH!

Flames roared, reaching half a meter high.

As the fire crackled, Qin Li fished out a pot from Thomas's bottomless luggage pile, filled it with lake water, and placed it over the flames.

One by one, she grabbed crabs and dropped them in.

As soon as they hit the boiling water, the crabs thrashed, trying to escape. Qin Li quickly slammed the lid shut.

Thomas, watching in horror, gasped. "You're a monster! Imagine if someone tossed you into boiling water—"

Qin Li shot him a warning look. "Say one more word, and you're not getting any."

Thomas huffed. "Fine! Not like I wanted any disgusting crab anyway."

Qu Dani pounced. "Great! I'll take his portion."

Thomas scoffed. "You Chinese people eat everything. First, you tried to make me eat crickets, and now this? What's next? Poop?"

Qu Dani clapped him on the shoulder. "If that's what you want, I can point you to Japan."

Thomas sputtered. "What?!"

Qin Li and Qu Dani burst into laughter.

Even though boiling crabs alive was normal for Qin Li and Qu Dani, to the delicate hearts of their German companions, it was nothing short of brutal. Even the seasoned director muttered to his crew, "Let's edit this part out."

Thomas, who had been chanting Hallelujah as if exorcising a demon, finally relaxed when the crabs stopped moving.

Qin Li dumped in chopped cabbage, mushrooms, garlic, and onions, then seasoned the soup with salt, pepper, curry powder, and a splash of cream.

Before long, a fragrant crab and vegetable cream soup was ready.

Predictably, only the two Chinese women were genuinely excited. The rest of the group stared at the pot with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

Qin Li took the first bite, savoring the creamy, umami-filled broth. "This is amazing."

Seeing everyone hesitate, she added, "Relax, it's not poisonous."

Yan Sen was the first to step up.

"Be careful, bro!" Thomas warned, looking as if his brother was about to ingest radioactive material.

Qu Dani rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. It's not like he's eating an alien."

As Yan Sen took a sip, all eyes were on him. The questions came rapid-fire.

"How is it?"

"Does it taste normal?"

"Is it safe?"

Qin Li was both amused and exasperated. If you're that curious, just try it yourself!

Yan Sen took another spoonful, savoring it in silence.

Thomas, impatient, demanded, "Well? Is it good or not?"

Yan Sen thought for a moment. "It's the most… interesting soup I've had in thirty years."

"That doesn't answer the question!"

Yan Sen shrugged. "I don't know how to describe it. But after the first bite, I wanted a second."

That was enough for Thomas. He grabbed the bowl and took a spoonful.

It wasn't at all like the nightmare fuel he had imagined. The broth was rich and velvety, carrying the sweetness of crab without any trace of fishiness. The hint of cream lingered on his tongue. Before he knew it, he had taken another bite.

Seeing the two brothers quietly devouring their portions, someone asked, "So… is it good?"

Qu Dani snorted. "Do they look like they hate it?"

Qin Li sat on a nearby rock, cracking open a crab. Seeing how effortlessly she handled it, Yan Sen asked, "Teach me."

She demonstrated, breaking open the shell with ease and extracting the meat with a flick of her tongue.

"It's simple," she said. "You pull it apart, follow the natural ridges, and use your tongue to separate the meat from the shell."

Yan Sen gave it a try. He got nothing but bits of shell.

Watching her work, he smirked. "You're pretty skilled with your tongue. I expect the same level of expertise next time we kiss."

Qin Li nearly choked, her face burning red. Suddenly, even the most delicious crab lost its appeal.

Despite their initial hesitations, the group quickly polished off the soup.

Thomas, licking his fingers, declared, "It's good, but crab is way too much work. And the shells are murder on my teeth."

The director nodded. "Every day with you two, my worldview expands."

Of course, crab soup was just the appetizer. It wasn't nearly enough to satisfy everyone's hunger.

"Let's grill!" Thomas declared.

Meat was the true king of German cuisine, and his words were met with cheers.

Grilling was simple—just place the meat on the rack and flip it occasionally. The scent of sizzling pork and beef soon filled the air, making mouths water.

Qin Li, not a fan of heavy slabs of meat, focused on chicken wings instead. She had marinated them in a homemade honey glaze, ensuring they were crispy on the outside yet juicy inside. The caramelized honey gave off a tantalizing aroma, drawing even the self-proclaimed "meat purists" over.

Thomas, gnawing on a wing, marveled, "How the hell do you make even chicken wings taste this good? What's in this sauce?"

Qu Dani rapped his head with a stick. "Even if she told you, you wouldn't be able to make it."

Thomas sighed. "True. I'm hopeless in the kitchen."

"Then marry a chef," Qu Dani suggested.

"Nah. No chef could compare to Qin Li. If my brother hadn't claimed her first, I'd be all over her."

Qu Dani burst into laughter. "Unless you can go seven rounds in one night, don't bother."

Thomas scowled. "That's a myth! Biologically speaking, it's impossible."

"Sounds like an excuse from someone who can't even do two," Qu Dani taunted.

Thomas shot back, "If you tried to go seven times in eight hours, you'd die from dehydration before anything else."

Qu Dani had no comeback.

With her stomach full, Qin Li grabbed her DSLR and went off to explore. The soft lighting filtering through the trees made for perfect photos.

She crouched, adjusting her lens, when footsteps approached.

Turning, she found Yan Sen.

She hushed him with a finger before returning to her camera.

Yan Sen leaned closer and noticed her subject—a small hedgehog, curled up among the leaves.

Qin Li, following Qu Dani's amateur photography lessons, wasn't exactly a pro, but she was good enough to impress her friends on social media. She experimented with a new filter, capturing the hedgehog from multiple angles.

Satisfied, she stood and stretched. "I want to explore more. Want to come?"

Yan Sen nodded.

The deeper they walked into the forest, the quieter it became. The temperature dropped slightly, the rustling leaves the only sound. Birds occasionally flitted past.

Despite their earlier kiss—and their plans for the night—Yan Sen remained as silent as ever.

Trying to break the awkwardness, Qin Li asked, "Why is this place called the Enchanted Forest?"

Yan Sen shrugged. "No idea."

"Is it because it's especially beautiful?"

"Maybe."

"How far is it from Königssee?"

"Not far."

Qin Li sighed. "Talking to you is work."

Yan Sen raised an eyebrow.

"Can't you be more… expressive? Say more than one word at a time?"

"I'll try."

The forest grew denser, the canopy filtering the sunlight into soft patches on the ground. The deeper they went, the eerier it felt.

Qin Li found herself wondering—was there actually something magical here?

She stole a glance at Yan Sen. A sudden urge struck her—to reach for his hand.

But just as she hesitated, debating whether to make the move, Yan Sen casually shoved his hands into his pockets.

Her fingers twitched in mid-air, grasping at nothing.

Embarrassment flooded her.

Sensing her pause, Yan Sen glanced over.

Forcing a smile, Qin Li pointed at a tree. "Stand over there. I'll take a photo of you."

He didn't question it and moved as directed.

She lifted her camera, adjusting the focus—only to spot something moving behind him.

A cluster of small, dark brown mounds.

Wait… are those… ants?

The pile seemed to shift.

Intrigued, she pointed. "Hey, what's that?"

Yan Sen turned. The moment he laid eyes on it, his expression changed.

"Don't move!" he barked.

Qin Li froze.

Before she could react, something dark lunged toward her.

What the hell is THAT?!