As a symbiotic being, I raise children amidst the chaos.

As soon as she finished speaking, Himeko immediately shared her opinion. She took a small sip of her beer before slowly saying, "Hmm... to be honest, I think Rita's cooking is more delicious."

After saying this, Himeko seemed to still be enjoying herself, and took another big gulp of beer. Perhaps she was so engrossed in the meal and having so much fun that she had even forgotten to drink.

Finally, Himeko added, half-jokingly, "Oh, if I could, I really wish they could just keep taking care of me like this, so I could live a comfortable life forever!"

Just then, Yae Sakura and the others, along with Bianca, cast their votes. Fu Hua, who had been silently observing everyone's actions, turned her gaze to Chen Yuan, who was sitting in the corner.

At this moment, Chen Yuan sat quietly, showing no intention of getting up to vote. Fu Hua, filled with curiosity, asked Chen Yuan, "Master Chen, why don't you cast your vote?"

When Fu Hua asked him a question, Chen Yuan simply waved his hand casually, signaling her to calm down. At the same time, his eyes inadvertently glanced towards the kitchen.

It turned out that the two figures who had been busy in the kitchen had quietly stopped what they were doing and were standing there silently.

At that moment, Mei and Rita stood quietly in the kitchen, waiting for the final result to be revealed. In stark contrast to the calm and composed Rita, Raiden Mei appeared somewhat anxious and restless.

She gently bit her pink lower lip, and her fair hands involuntarily clenched the hem of her clothes, trembling slightly, looking quite nervous.

After a brief silence, Raiden Mei finally broke the stillness. Taking a deep breath to calm her inner turmoil, she smiled and spoke to Rita beside her.

"Miss Rita, regardless of how the cooking turned out, I'm really happy to have cooked with you today." After saying this, Mei seemed to have more to say, paused for a moment, and then added.

"I must admit, you are truly the perfect maid! Unlike me, who is so clumsy and always makes mistakes and messes things up."

"But you, Miss Rita, are completely different. From the very beginning of preparing the ingredients to the subsequent cooking process, every movement was so crisp and efficient. You are truly amazing!"

Actually, Mei wasn't saying this out of modesty or politeness. It's simply the truth—if you really want to be precise, at least 80% of the credit for these delicious-looking dishes should go to Rita!

Whether it's the tedious and complicated pre-processing of ingredients, such as chopping and washing vegetables, or the crucial subsequent cooking steps, such as controlling the heat, seasoning, and stir-frying, etc.

Rita handled everything with ease, and she also made sure to give Mei, who was a little inexperienced, pointers at all times. It could be said that from beginning to end, Rita was the one teaching Mei step by step.

Hearing Mei's lavish praise, Rita maintained her signature gentle smile and responded softly, "Ms. Mei, you flatter me too much."

"As a qualified maid, it is my duty to prepare delicious meals for my master. As long as I can see my master's satisfied smile, it is all worth it, no matter how hard I work."

After a pause, Rita suddenly changed the subject, looking at Mei with interest as she continued, "But speaking of which, Miss Mei, it has been quite a challenging competition for me to have the opportunity to prepare these dishes with you today."

Rita's words eased Mei's mind a little, and she smiled, though there was a hint of forcedness in her smile. "Ms. Rita, thank you for saying that. Actually, I also think it would be fun to cook with you. However, I'm really nervous right now, and I don't know how everyone will choose."

"Miss Mei, whatever the outcome, we must accept it with equanimity." Rita gently patted Mei's shoulder. "At least we've done our best, haven't we?"

"Yes, I know." Mei nodded, trying to calm herself down. However, the tension in her heart still surged like a tide, making it impossible for her to relax.

My gaze involuntarily drifted toward the kitchen doorway, where a commotion was taking place, seemingly as everyone was enthusiastically discussing the voting results.

"Thinking too much often makes people more irritable, Miss Mei. As an elegant lady, you should be able to maintain your composure at all times."

Rita gently covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a clear and melodious laugh like a silver bell, as if she didn't care about any outcome from the outside world.

"Regardless of the final outcome, we should be deeply proud of our efforts and achievements!"

"After all, all of this delicious food today was meticulously prepared by us. Moreover, His Highness personally praised the taste, isn't that the most important thing?"

Meanwhile, on the other side, after the voting process concluded successfully, Chen Yuan and Fu Hua began to carefully count all the votes.

After a lot of work, the final conclusion was quite surprising—Rita and Mei's dishes received almost the same number of votes.

However, at this very moment, the extra, crucial vote, or more precisely, the final two votes that would determine the outcome, were firmly in the hands of Chen Yuan and Fu Hua.

"Hehe, it seems that our unique cooking competition has ended in a draw." Chen Yuan stared at the statistics in front of him, a slightly teasing smile appearing on his lips.

"A draw?" Kiana was visibly taken aback when she heard the result, but then a bright smile bloomed on her face, and she clapped her hands excitedly and shouted, "That's the best! No one will be sad anymore!" Her cheerful voice seemed to dispel all unhappiness.

Just then, Chen Yuan, who had been sitting quietly to the side, slowly stood up. In an instant, everyone's gaze was drawn to him as if by a magnet.

Chen Yuan walked forward at a leisurely pace, finally stopping at the kitchen doorway. There, separated only by a thin wall, stood Raiden Mei and Rita.

Chen Yuan cleared his throat and then said, "Actually, in my heart, there is a third option." As soon as he finished speaking, a look of doubt appeared on the faces of everyone present, who were very curious about the "third option" that Chen Yuan mentioned.

However, Chen Yuan didn't rush to explain. Instead, he paused briefly, keeping everyone in suspense, before continuing, "While the dishes you two made each have their own merits, my crucial vote will naturally go to the dish you two created together!"

After hearing Chen Yuan's words, the crowd, who were initially somewhat confused, suddenly understood and burst into enthusiastic applause, indicating their agreement with the idea.

Theresa was so excited that she jumped up from her seat, waving her hands and shouting, "Yes, why didn't we think of that before!"

Even Himeko couldn't help but chuckle, teasing, "Oh my, you truly are the most sinful man in our family! Your mind is so meticulous; you've got everything under control!"

"So that's how it is... As expected of Mr. Chenyuan, he's always so gentle." Mei and Rita exchanged a smile after hearing Chenyuan's words. Mei's eyes showed a hint of surprise, she had never expected things to develop in this way.

Rita smiled slightly upon hearing Mei's words and replied softly, "Actually, I had already guessed this outcome before I even started cooking. After all, His Highness's way of thinking has always been unconventional." After saying this, Rita chuckled softly.

Immediately afterwards, Rita lazily stretched out her arms, yawned widely, and stretched as she did so. As her body relaxed, her graceful figure was fully displayed.

Like a beautiful and moving painting, Rita exuded a captivating charm that made everyone swoon.

"In that case, it can be considered a win-win situation," Rita said with a smile, her gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present, her tone relaxed and cheerful.

However, at that moment, Kiana, who had been sitting quietly to the side, suddenly raised her hand, blinked her innocent big eyes, and asked with a naive expression, "But, doesn't the class monitor still have a ticket?"

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattering the harmonious atmosphere. The air in the entire living room seemed to become heavy because of this sudden question, and everyone's eyes were focused on Fu Hua.

"You... white fluffy dumpling!!!" Chen Yuan was extremely frustrated at this moment, wishing he could immediately drag Kiana over and give her a good beating!

You know, if she hadn't mentioned that matter, perhaps none of the people present would have paid attention to those minor details.

However, why does this usually silly, dim-witted white fluffy creature become so quick-witted when it comes to such strange things?

Just then, Fu Hua, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Actually, in my opinion, this is nothing to be surprised about at all. Didn't we come here to enjoy delicious food in the first place?"

Upon hearing Fu Hua's words, everyone was taken aback at first, then began to whisper among themselves. Meanwhile, Chen Yuan continued to glare at Kiana with a sullen expression.

"I choose... to abstain!" The speaker was none other than Fu Hua, who had just spoken. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head away, refusing to look at anyone.