I glanced at the two influencers already livestreaming, tipped up the corner of my mouth, and smiled at Gwyneth.
"Gwyneth, you're so good to me. Pregnant, and still thinking of me like this."
When she saw I hadn't caught on, she looked at me like I was a complete fool, and her words turned even more false.
"Of course. We're best friends, aren't we? I just want everything to keep getting better for you."
With that, she led the two influencers inside, walking ahead as if the place were her own.
The moment she stepped through the door, she couldn't help stopping short, gasping.
"Oh my God, this place is gorgeous. How much did all this cost?"
I answered honestly.
"Three million."
A flicker of envy crossed her eyes, quickly smoothed away, and she beamed at me.
"Marrying a state-banquet chef really is something else. You want a restaurant, you get a restaurant. Three million, just like that."
Not waiting for me to respond, she quickly picked the most conspicuous seat, the one with the most foot traffic, and sat down.
She could hardly wait to speak.
"Hope, I'm starving. Go tell Dale James to cook me a few dishes, would you?"
"I came on an empty stomach on purpose, just to eat something made by a real state-banquet chef."
Her eyes glittered with anticipation. She clearly couldn't wait to ruin the good life I'd built.
I looked at her and nodded, smiling.
"Sit tight. I'll go arrange it right now."
With that, I turned and headed for the kitchen.
Inside, Dale was hard at work at the stove.
Today was the restaurant's grand opening, and the place was packed with customers.
As head chef, Dale barely had a moment to breathe.
In my last life, so as not to disappoint Gwyneth, I'd made a point of pulling Dale away from all that to cook her a few nutritional meals suited to a pregnant woman.
And it was that very meal that destroyed Dale's name, and cost him his life.
Now, watching his busy back at the stove, something in me trembled.
This time, no matter what, I would never let anything happen to him again.
As if he'd felt the heat of my stare, Dale turned his head, looked at me in confusion, and smiled gently.
"Hope, why are you looking at me like that?"
I shook my head, stepped forward, and wrapped my arms tightly around him.
"I'm just glad you're still here beside me."
Dale ruffled my hair, his voice soft with affection.
"Silly. We're husband and wife. If I'm not here with you, then who?"
"Oh, right, I think I saw Gwyneth come by to show her support just now. Want me to make her a few dishes separately?"
At that, I let go, rose onto my toes, leaned close to his ear, and said something in a low voice.
Dale's eyes went wide, fixed on me, and he asked in disbelief.
"You're sure?"
I nodded firmly.
"I'm sure."
Dale studied me, his expression grave. Seeing how serious I was, he fell silent for a few seconds, then said each word slowly and deliberately.
"All right. I'll do whatever you say."
Twenty minutes later, I carried four plates out from the back kitchen and set them down on Gwyneth's table.
All four were nutritional meals suited to an expectant mother.
The dishes were exquisite, carefully plated, perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
Gwyneth looked at the food in front of her, her eyes lighting up.
"Wow, Dale's cooking really is something else. You can tell from the plating alone, this is state-banquet level."
She couldn't wait to pick up a piece of braised pork belly, put it in her mouth, and as she chewed she narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
"So good! A state-banquet chef, no doubt about it. Hope, you really married the right man."
She was praising him with her mouth, but her gaze drifted instinctively toward the two influencers.
As if terrified the cameras over there might miss her, she made sure to gush straight into the lens.
"Everyone, look, this is what my best friend's husband cooked for me with his own hands. State-banquet quality, seriously not your ordinary good."
"From now on, this is the place to eat. Kids and pregnant women can eat here with total peace of mind!"
While she pitched hard to the livestream camera, she quickly sampled a few bites of the other dishes.
After she'd tasted a bit from all four, she suddenly, right there on camera, dropped her chopsticks, clutched her belly with a look of agony, and screamed in a shaking voice.
"Something's wrong! My stomach hurts so much, there's something wrong with this food……"
