Chapter 321: Hot potato
"I thought you came to plead for them."
Rory accepted the fruit from Yuel’s hand and took a bite.
Sweet juice burst across her tongue, washing away a little of the irritation and heat still lingering in her chest.
The moment he saw her finally eat something, Yuel quietly let out a breath of relief.
As long as she was willing to eat, that was enough.
What frightened him most was the possibility that Rory would become so angry she’d stop eating altogether.
How could her body endure that?
The moment she finished the fruit, Yuel immediately took out another one from his spatial ring. He carefully peeled it again before offering it to her with gentle patience.
"Rory, have another."
"Alright."
Now she was completely certain Yuel hadn’t come to plead on Vincent and the others’ behalf. He had come to feed her.
At that moment, Jasper walked over carrying a chilled glass of fruit juice and an exquisitely decorated little cake.
"Rory, I made this cake and juice for you."
His dark eyes softened slightly.
"Try them and see if you like them."
Jasper set everything down in front of her before sitting on her other side. His purple-black snake tail quietly curled around Rory’s waist.
Rory reached down and pinched the snake tail wrapped around her before picking up the juice and taking a sip.
Another one here to feed her.
The two of them were seriously overthinking things. She wasn’t the type to stop eating and drinking just because she was angry.
No matter what happened, Rory would never mistreat herself.
The moment Jasper saw her drink the juice, he immediately handed her the small fork beside the cake.
"Rory, eat some cake too."
Then his voice softened further.
"If you’re still angry, you can squeeze my tail and vent all your frustration on me. Just don’t make yourself sick."
"Jasper’s right." Yuel nodded seriously.
At the same time, deep blue vines slowly wrapped around Rory’s wrist like soft restraints.
"If you’re angry, use the vines to whip us instead."
He looked genuinely sincere.
"We’re sturdy. A few hits won’t matter."
Whip them? Did she really look that much like a pervert?
Speechless, Rory grabbed both Yuel’s vines and Jasper’s snake tail, tied them together in a knot, and tossed them back toward the two men.
"I don’t have hobbies that twisted."
Yuel: "..."
Jasper: "..."
"Enough already." Rory shook her head helplessly. "You two don’t need to worry about me. I’m not angry anymore. I’m not going to starve myself, and I’m definitely not going to damage my body over this."
Rory wasn’t stupid.
After calming down and thinking about it carefully, she already understood why Vincent had done what he did.
She understood him. But understanding him didn’t mean she approved of his actions. If Vincent truly didn’t want the position of first partner, he could have simply talked to her directly. There had been absolutely no need for such ridiculous methods.
This time, she had to teach them a proper lesson. Otherwise, what would happen in the future?
If they continued doing whatever they wanted whenever they pleased, how was this household supposed to function at all?
As Rory slowly ate the cake Jasper had made, her gaze moved thoughtfully back and forth between him and Yuel.
Yuel quietly pulled his vines back from Jasper’s tail.
The moment he noticed Rory studying them so intently, an uneasy feeling suddenly crept into his chest.
"Rory..." He smiled cautiously. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
"No."
Rory shook her head before turning her attention toward Jasper instead.
Being watched like that made Jasper instinctively nervous.
"Rory... do you have something you want to say to me?"
For some reason, he had the distinct feeling Rory was planning something dangerous.
Rory slowly set down the fork in her hand and straightened her posture.
Seeing her suddenly become serious, both Jasper and Yuel unconsciously sat up straighter as well, their expressions instantly turning solemn.
"Rory," Yuel said gently, "if there’s something you want to say, just say it."
"We’ll listen to whatever you decide."
Inwardly, he guessed Rory was probably about to discuss the position of first partner.
Since Vincent no longer wanted the role, someone else would eventually have to take it.
And within the household, aside from himself, the most suitable candidate was probably Jasper.
As for Nix... His personality simply wasn’t suited for that kind of position at all.
Yuel glanced sideways at Jasper.
Truthfully, Jasper wasn’t particularly suited for the position either. His rank was too low. Though his mind worked a little better than Nix’s, it still wasn’t enough. He simply couldn’t suppress the others in the household.
The most suitable person was actually Yuel himself.
And honestly? Yuel didn’t want the position of first partner either, because he wasn’t nearly as generous as he appeared to be.
But if Rory wanted him to take the role, he wouldn’t refuse.
"Rory, Yuel’s right."
Jasper looked at her nervously, unconsciously clenching his fists.
"We’ll listen to whatever you decide."
He had also guessed what Rory intended to say. And truthfully, he didn’t want to become first partner either.
Part of it was because he knew his rank was low. But more importantly, he simply wasn’t that selfless.
Back when Vincent had suddenly become first partner, Jasper had secretly felt relieved.
But now that things had escalated to this point, if Rory wanted him to take the role, there was no way he could refuse.
Otherwise, she would definitely become even angrier.
Looking at the expressions on both their faces, Rory immediately understood exactly what they were thinking.
To them now, the title of first partner was basically a burning hot potato nobody wanted to touch.
That was fine.
Her cooking skills were excellent.
Even if it was a hot potato, she could still smash it apart, season it properly, and turn it into something delicious enough that they’d all fight over it later.
Rory looked at Yuel and Jasper before speaking calmly.
"Since Vincent doesn’t want to remain first partner anymore, someone else still has to take the position."
She paused briefly. "Right now, excluding the three of them, I’m planning to choose between you two and Nix."
As she spoke, Rory opened her communicator and initiated a video call.
The connection came through quickly. Nix’s exhausted appearance immediately projected into the air before them.
He wore a torn, ragged work uniform. One lens of his glasses was missing, his hair was a complete mess, and he looked like he’d just survived an explosion.
"Rory!"
The moment he saw her, the exhaustion on his face vanished instantly. His eyes lit up brightly.
"Rory, do you need something?"
Seeing the serious expression on her face, Nix blinked in confusion. It was the first time he had ever seen her look this solemn.
And honestly? He thought she looked incredibly imposing.
He liked it.
"Yeah." Rory looked at him with slight concern. "Do you have time to talk right now?"
Seeing the state he was in made her heart ache a little. He must have been working himself to death in that laboratory lately. He had even lost weight.
Tomorrow, no matter what, she was definitely going to visit him personally.
"I have time now." Nix nodded quickly. "What happened?"
Rory didn’t waste time. She briefly explained Vincent’s refusal to continue being first partner and summarized everything that had happened.
"And now," she concluded, "I need to choose a new first partner from the three of you."
Then Rory looked at Yuel, Jasper, and Nix at the same time before asking directly:
"So. Which one of you is willing to become first partner?"
First partner?! Nix nearly stumbled backward in shock. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do it. It was that he genuinely wasn’t suited for it at all.
Normally, just seeing Vincent already made him nervous. And now there was an even more terrifying Vangar in the household too.
Nix sincerely felt that if he somehow became first partner, he probably wouldn’t survive more than three days.
"Rory, I..." He wanted to refuse, but he also didn’t dare refuse outright.
For a moment, he looked utterly conflicted, unable to figure out how to answer.
Jasper hesitated, uncertain whether he should step forward. But before he could speak, Yuel calmly took the initiative.
"Rory, I want to try." He smiled faintly. "If you really want to choose among the three of us... I think I’m the most suitable."
Jasper turned to look at Yuel in shock. He genuinely hadn’t expected Yuel to step forward so decisively.
Meanwhile, the moment Nix saw Yuel volunteer himself, gratitude instantly filled his eyes.
"Rory, I also think Yuel is the most suitable."
He sounded completely sincere.
Just as expected—the best person in this entire household was definitely Yuel.
