Deanna read his thoughts instantly.
She shrugged helplessly, looking somewhat adorable.
"Since it's medicinal cuisine, it naturally has a medicinal taste. However, medicinal cuisine and traditional medicines are different. Most edible herbs have a fragrant aroma. The cooking methods are also quite unique."
She thought for a moment, confident in her culinary skills.
So, she added, "With my cooking skills, it won't taste bad. Try it if you don't believe me!"
With that, she served Lance a bowl of soup.
She did it smoothly without spilling a single drop.
Lance was momentarily stunned. He seemed to see a wife serving her husband.
While he was lost in thought, she had finished serving the soup and handed it to him. "Here you go."
He snapped back to reality and couldn't help but laugh.
He must have been too tired from work, causing him to hallucinate.
Lance took the soup and drank a sip.
The taste was fresh with a slight sweetness.
She wasn't wrong; it wasn't bad at all.
He casually complimented, "Not bad."
Deanna was immediately satisfied, placing her hands on her hips and smiling brightly at him. "I told you so."
Her cooking skills were indeed reliable.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized it was time to go.
"Mr. Mercer, it's getting late. I should leave now."
She picked up her bag from the sofa and prepared to leave.
"Wait."
Lance called out to her. She turned around, looking puzzled. "Is there something else?"
Her family was waiting for her to return home.
She wondered if her grandmother was worried since she hadn't returned for so long.
The light shone on Lance, making him look even more handsome and fair-skinned.
He smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow at her. "Now that you're here, why not stay for dinner? Consider it my thanks to you for coming all this way to make medicinal soup for me."
In truth, even he didn't know why he felt a sudden reluctance when he saw her about to leave.
Stopping her and meeting her puzzled gaze, he found an excuse.
He wasn't sure why he wanted her to stay for dinner.
Perhaps it was because she cared about his illness.
He didn't want to overthink it.
Deanna hesitated. "This is my thank-you gift."
He asked back, "Thank me for what?"
He didn't feel that Deanna owed him anything.
She sighed and replied, "Thank you for saving me at the wedding and helping me get rid of those troublesome matters."
Lance raised an eyebrow. Why was she still so polite?
"I've told you before, no need to thank me."
She pursed her lips without expressing an opinion.
"I don't like owing others favors; otherwise, I feel uncomfortable."
Mr. Mercer had gone to great lengths to solve her family matters, even getting involved in public opinion.
Although making medicinal cuisine was troublesome and the herbs were expensive, and Old Hughes had put her through an awkward situation, it was nothing compared to Mr. Mercer's losses.
"If you really want to thank me, stay for dinner," Lance sighed and said.
Deanna thought for a moment and said, "Alright. Scotty hasn't started cooking yet, has he? I'll help him cook; that way, it won't be a free meal."
Lance chuckled and didn't stop her. "If you want to cook, go ahead."
She was stubborn; let her be.
Deanna called out towards the kitchen, "Scotty, what are you cooking? Let me help you."
"Thank you, Dr. Deanna!"
Scotty wasn't reserved and invited her in to help.
Just as she was about to enter the kitchen, she slipped and almost fell.
"Ah!" A cry of surprise escaped her lips.
If she fell like that, she'd be in a lot of pain.
Lance reacted quickly, stepping forward and catching her by the waist.
The expected pain didn't come; she breathed a sigh of relief.
When she came back to her senses, their eyes met.
His arm was strong and firm around her waist.
Being looked at like that by him made her face feel hot.
Clearing his throat, Lance let go of her.
"Dr. Deanna, be careful not to fall."
Lance spoke to cover up the subtle awkwardness.
He felt a bit annoyed; seeing her up close like that had made him momentarily dazed.
In terms of looks, she was indeed very beautiful.
"It's fine. Thank you, Mr. Mercer," she adjusted her hair and said.
At this moment, Scotty stood at the kitchen door, dumbfounded by what he saw.
Did he see it wrong?
Glancing at Mr. Mercer, he swallowed hard.
Meanwhile, after public opinion fermented for two days, Emily's reputation had completely collapsed.
The persona she had built up was thoroughly exposed and destroyed.
The internet was flooded with new scandals about her being uncovered.
"Emily deceives fans: Former staff reveals Emily's habitual lying. She never reads fan letters; she just throws them away like trash but tells reporters she reads every one."
"Emily's workplace bullying: Bullies newcomers on set, makes unreasonable demands to add scenes for herself, forces writers to change scripts."
"Emily's lack of professionalism: Never memorizes lines while acting; just mouths random words, relying entirely on post-production dubbing."
And so on and so forth.
She dominated the headlines.
The comment sections exploded as her fans turned against her en masse.
"How did I ever become a fan of this scum? I must have been blinded. Unfollowing immediately! Newcomers won't regret unfollowing!"
A flood of likes followed: "Unfollow! Emily should leave the entertainment industry!"
Her former fans revealed even more dirt on her.
The discussion on Emily got more heated, and no one paid attention to Deanna anymore.