Chapter 192 This Is the Dish She Made
Cecilia returned to the apartment.
She hadn't used this kitchen much since her rebirth. Mabel was a diligent person who never let Cecilia touch any housework.
But at this moment, standing in this small space, Cecilia felt a long-lost sense of familiarity.
In her previous life, to please Rufus, she had confined herself to the kitchen, studying recipes day after day. His taste was extremely picky—he had almost obsessive demands about the freshness of ingredients, the precision of cooking heat, and the ratio of seasonings.
Those years, her cooking skills had been forced out by him just like that.
How ironic.
That Rufus she had tried so hard to please had never given her a word of praise, not even a gentle look.
And now...
Cecilia pulled open the refrigerator door, the cool white light illuminating her calm face.
The ingredients inside had all been bought fresh from the market by Mabel this morning.
Almost without thinking, a menu had already formed in her mind.
A fresh fish—Cecilia skillfully deboned it, keeping only the most tender belly meat.
The fish went into the pot to make a rich soup, milky white in color. She added no extra seasoning, just a few slices of ginger and a handful of scallions to remove any fishy smell and enhance the freshness.
Then a smooth steamed egg with shrimp.
A few bright green peas dotted the golden custard, looking fresh and pleasing to the eye.
Finally, a simple stir-fried asparagus, using the most basic cooking method to preserve the ingredient's natural sweet and crisp taste.
Her movements were smooth and practiced, without a moment's hesitation.
Whether it was her knife work or her handling of ingredients, everything showed the kind of muscle memory that only forms after years of practice.
Those memories she had deliberately suppressed and forcibly forgotten all came flooding back through her fingertips at this moment.
In less than an hour, three dishes and a soup were ready.
She silently packed the food into several elegant insulated containers.
Carrying the containers back to the hospital, Cecilia had just stepped out of the elevator when she saw Garth standing at the door of room V809, talking quietly with a doctor in a white coat. He looked quite serious.
Seeing Cecilia, Garth immediately stopped the conversation and quickly walked over.
"Ms. Martinez."
"What happened to him?" Cecilia's brow furrowed instinctively.
"Nothing serious," Garth quickly explained. "Mr. Hensley insisted on working, but the doctor and I forced him to stop. The doctor's worried and came to give him another warning."
Hearing this, Cecilia's expression darkened a bit. She nodded and pushed open the door to the hospital room.
Inside, Stefan was indeed sitting up against the headboard.
A slim laptop sat prominently on his lap, the screen filled with dense data reports.
Hearing the door open, Stefan looked up.
When his eyes fell on the insulated containers in Cecilia's hands, they lit up with amazing brightness.
He immediately closed the laptop and quickly placed it on the bedside table.
The whole process was surprisingly fast, even carrying a hint of guilt and eagerness to please, like being caught by a parent.
"You're back?" Stefan voluntarily confessed, "I promise, I just looked at one email, really."
Cecilia ignored his explanation and simply pulled out the small table, then took out the containers one by one and arranged them in front of him.
The lids came off one by one.
The unique aroma of food mixed with warm steam instantly filled the hospital room that reeked of disinfectant.
Milky white fish soup, golden steamed egg, bright green asparagus.
Just a few simple dishes, yet perfect in color, aroma, and taste. Just looking at them was enough to make one's mouth water.
Stefan's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
"Amelia..." he gazed at the dishes, half-joking, "Are you trying to bribe me with good food so I'll be discharged early and work for you?"
Cecilia didn't respond.
She ladled out a small bowl of fish soup, carefully skimmed off the last bit of oil from the surface, then handed the bowl to him.
"Drink it."
Stefan looked at her deeply, then obediently lowered his head.
He first smelled the sweet, fresh aroma, his face showing an extremely satisfied expression. Then he scooped up a spoonful and carefully brought it to his mouth.
The fish was tender, melting on his tongue almost without needing to chew.
The soup was delicious and rich, without a trace of fishiness, only the natural sweetness of the ingredients.
A warmth slid down his throat all the way to his stomach.
"It's good," he praised sincerely.
Stefan tried the steamed egg—it was incredibly smooth, melting in his mouth. The fresh shrimp was tender, mixed with a subtle fragrance. The layers of flavor were rich yet perfectly harmonious.
Stefan's stomach was completely won over by these simple dishes.
He looked up, staring at Cecilia. Those eyes that usually carried a hint of playfulness now showed undisguised amazement.
"Amelia Martinez."
Rarely, he clearly called out her full name.
Not with polite distance, nor with the tone of testing or business cooperation.
This phrase from his mouth carried a strange sense of intimacy.
Cecilia's heart jumped at his sudden use of her full name.
What made her even more uncomfortable was his overly direct gaze, burning with heat. His eyes held appreciation, curiosity, and something deeper that she couldn't understand.
His stare made her feel awkward. She looked away unnaturally, her tone becoming stiff as a result.
"Just eat. Why so much talk?"
Her contradictory manner only deepened the smile on Stefan's lips.
He didn't tease her further, but lowered his head and quietly, bite by bite, ate every bit of the special meal she had prepared for him.
After finishing the meal, Stefan leaned back against the headboard contentedly, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"This is the best meal I've ever had in my life." He looked at Cecilia, who was clearing the dishes, speaking with complete seriousness.
Just then, his phone rang abruptly from where it lay nearby.
Stefan glanced at the caller ID, mouthed "sorry" to Cecilia, then answered the call.
"What is it?"
The voice on the other end seemed very urgent. As Stefan listened, his expression gradually grew serious, and his whole demeanor became cold and stern.
"I understand. I'll be right there."
He hung up, his face already back to its usual calm and detached state.
"There's a situation at the company. I need to join a video conference." As he spoke, he threw back the covers, about to get out of bed.
"Are you crazy?" Cecilia immediately reached out to stop him. "You just had surgery!"
"Don't worry," Stefan patted the back of her hand reassuringly, his tone soothing. "It's just in the empty room next door. Garth already arranged it. Remote meeting—I'll just be sitting."
Stefan added, "Half an hour at most. Very quick."
Without waiting for Cecilia to object further, he had already put on his jacket and, supported by Garth who had come in at the sound, left with steady steps.
In the hospital room, only Cecilia remained.
She looked at the food containers that had been eaten clean, and an indescribable feeling welled up inside her.
She sighed softly and began to clean up.
Just as Cecilia was pouring the remaining half pot of fish soup from the container into a thermos, preparing to wash it, the hospital room door was quietly pushed open.
Cecilia thought it was a nurse coming to check, so she didn't turn around.
"Please wait a moment, I'll be done in a..."
Her words stopped abruptly.
Something was wrong.
An instinctive unease swept over her instantly.
Cecilia's body stiffened for a moment, then she slowly turned around.
At the door stood Rufus.
He had changed out of his oversized hospital gown and was wearing a well-made black silk robe. His face was still deathly pale, but those deep eyes were staring fixedly at her—at the thermos by her hand.
More precisely, at the remaining half pot of milky white fish soup in the thermos.
His gaze was crazed, shocked, incredulous.
That look wasn't like he was looking at a pot of soup.
It was like he was looking at someone he'd wronged his entire life, crawling out of a grave.
Cecilia's heart skipped a beat violently.
An ominous premonition gripped her.
"This soup..."
Rufus finally spoke, each word trembling violently, impossible to suppress.
"This fish soup recipe—who did you learn it from?"