Chapter 93: The Meal

"Are you alright?" Vincent crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Su Wan Ning as if she were a fool.

"Alright, alright, there's no need to take this so seriously. Although I made the suggestion, it was the production team who donated the items, so I didn't actually contribute much. Besides, things are good as they are now. If anything goes wrong in the future, no one can blame me, right?"

Su Wan Ning had once been unwilling to miss out on her share of fame and fortune, but gradually, her perspective on the matter had changed.

Vincent was swayed by her words, his anger dissipating.

"None of these people are good eggs. Just wait—one day, when we're famous, we'll expose all the disgusting things they've done!"

Su Wan Ning found his words amusing and nodded in agreement, "Alright, I'll work hard so you can hold your head high soon."

The donation ceremony lasted until nearly noon. No one could resist the principal's warm invitation, so they stayed to eat in the school cafeteria. When they returned, they happened upon Su Wan Ning having lunch with the children.

Yet, despite her culinary skills always being popular with the kids, today's lunch was not going smoothly.

This time, Su Wan Ning implemented a separate meal system—each child had their own plate with a staple and vegetables. Most of the children had nutritious, colorful meals, but the plate in front of Ming Ming held only a small portion of brown rice and some vegetables and meat.

Ming Ming, a notoriously picky eater, refused to let go of his chopsticks after finishing the meat, still complaining he wasn't full.

"No, you must finish everything on your plate," Su Wan Ning insisted, sticking to the principles of a diet meal. Ming Ming didn't throw a tantrum, but he angrily poked at the food with his chopsticks, refusing to eat properly.

With one child leading the way, the others soon followed suit, eating absent-mindedly, their attention quickly drifting elsewhere.

Even Nian Nian hadn't finished the food in her plate—the only one showing any resolve was Sui Sui.

Su Wan Ning didn't intervene at first, allowing the children to bring picture books to the table and play.

It wasn't until the other guests returned and walked in to see the scene that they nearly dropped their jaws in shock.

Shan Shan was the first to react. She glanced at Yang Yang's plate, still half full, and though displeased, said nothing, instead looking to Su Wan Ning.

Yu Xin instinctively opened her mouth to educate Da Xi, but Shan Shan stopped her with a look.

Feng Rui, for her part, was delighted to watch the drama unfold. As the group entered, the children rushed to greet them—all except Ming Ming.

Feng Rui deliberately walked over, picked up some greens from Ming Ming's plate, and tried to feed him.

"Ming Ming, be good. Aunt Su made this especially for you—you must eat it all."

Ming Ming frowned impatiently and swatted her chopsticks away with his chubby hand. "I don't want this! I want meat!"

The other children followed suit. Da Xi chimed in, "I'm not eating either. I'm full and need to diet."

Nian Nian added, "Right, I want to diet too!"

Su Wan Ning burst out laughing, "Nian Nian, why do you need to diet?"

The little one replied earnestly, "I want to be a model when I grow up, so I need to keep my figure. Mom, you said so."

Su Wan Ning nodded, acknowledging her daughter's words.

At this moment, Shan Shan spoke in a measured tone, "Xiao Su, you've been looking after so many children all morning—you must be tired. Thank you for your hard work. If the food doesn't suit their tastes, perhaps Yu Xin could prepare something else? The children are still growing; they need to eat."

Yu Xin immediately stood up upon hearing this—here was her chance to reclaim her 'Kitchen Goddess' persona!

But Su Wan Ning didn't give her the opportunity. She smiled and went to the kitchen, returning shortly with a large tray.

The tray held five delicate white porcelain bowls, intricately carved. In each bowl was a scoop of ice cream, garnished with mint leaves and fresh strawberries and raspberries, looking creamy and delicious.

"Wow, ice cream!"

No child could resist the allure of ice cream. Ming Ming was the first to leap up, charging toward Su Wan Ning like a hungry tiger.

Su Wan Ning, holding the large tray, deftly sidestepped.

"Ice cream is the reward for those who finish their meals. Let's see who finishes first!"

Ming Ming rushed to the table. "Me!" He grabbed a spoon and began gobbling down his food, no longer caring whether it was vegetables or meat.

"Chew slowly, or you'll lose the right to eat ice cream," Su Wan Ning warned.

The other children, driven by their love and longing for ice cream and a spirit of competition, dived into their meals. The table fell silent, filled only with the sound of children eating.

Shan Shan and the others watched, their expressions varied, as the scene before them transformed dramatically. Shan Shan felt her face burn with embarrassment.

Soon, Ming Ming was the first to put down his chopsticks and raise his hand, "I'm done!"

Su Wan Ning walked over to check, praising him, "Very good!" She handed him an ice cream, then noticed Nian Nian still eating slowly.

"Nian Nian, why aren't you finishing your food?"

The little one looked troubled. "But I'm supposed to diet."

Su Wan Ning's smile deepened. Yu Xin interjected, "Exactly! Ice cream is so high in calories. You're making Ming Ming eat diet food to lose weight, but then let him have high-calorie ice cream? Isn't that pointless? Might as well just eat properly."

[Yeah, what kind of logic is that from Su Wan Ning?]

[If you can't do it right, don't mess with other people's kids, okay?]

Su Wan Ning smiled calmly, "This ice cream is made from yogurt—homemade, fermented from fresh milk. It's natural and healthy. I did add a little sugar substitute for taste, but overall, it's low in calories—only a tenth of what's in store-bought ice cream."

Ming Ming didn't care about any of this. In a few bites, he finished the ice cream, even licking the bowl clean for the last drops.

"Aunt Su, can I eat this every day to diet?"

Seeing how much Ming Ming enjoyed it, the mood in the streaming chat shifted quickly.

[It looks so delicious and it's low-fat? I want to learn too!]

[Su Wan Ning is amazing!]

[Isn't this just happy weight loss? Will pay good money for the ice cream recipe.]

Yu Xin struggled to maintain her composure, "Even if it's yogurt, it's still cold. Kids shouldn't eat too much of that."