CHAPTER 196: CHESS AND ROYALTY.

"No way." Chi Lian pushed Mei Mei aside and she also pinched the pancake, getting a small piece just to taste.

The blue berries exploded in her mouth creating and she felt pops as she chewed, as if she a bubble created by blowing gum was bursting. With every burst, there was a deliciousness of strawberry, blueberry and rich milk.

"Holy cow!" She exclaimed.

So, the pancakes that Tao Xiaotong had cooked were passed around and everyone was impressed. The only thing not to like was the fact that she had cooked too few to go around.

Chi Lian rushed to the machine Tao Xiaotong had been playing on and she logged in quickly. Unfortunately, to prevent others from stealing recipes or sabotaging others, a facial scan was required every time a player logged into the account, not just that but eyes too and finger prints.

"I got this." T4 said proudly, attempting to hack into the game.

But even when he did so, Tao Xiaotong had already deleted all of her records. There was no recipe to find. The little girl knew the value of secret recipes and she took them very seriously.

C4 kicked T4 out of the game and said. "This is a violation of player’s privacy. You will compromise the integrity of the game and renowned chefs will not visit the camp if they are worried that someone will steal their recipes. Please, respect yourselves."

Sulking, Chi Lian turned and faced the hopeful family and she shook her head. Most of them sighed and for some, their shoulders fell.

Jingzhe and madam Feng were puzzled. It seemed this family really loved to eat.

Mei Mei just laughed. If she could hear Jingzhe and madam Feng’s thoughts, she would gladly tell them that it was not random eating. They loved to eat good things, extraordinary things, things whose taste made their tongues do the jazz hands dance.

Chi Lian swiped her smart watch. "I am calling Tao Li, he should give me his daughter for a while."

"Right, we have Tao Xiaotong." Chi Zimo snapped his fingers and his gleeful eyes widened.

"Thank God we can afford her." Jun Jie laughed.

Jingzhe and madam Feng traded confused looks. They wondered if these people heard themselves when they were talking.

"Oh for heavens sake." Chi Wei belted out in a frustration. "Stop talking like that, learn to finish your sentences and be clear. Saying we can afford Tao Xiaotong will make people think we are trying to buy her."

"But we want to buy her recipe." Jun Jie said.

"Exactly." Chi Wei drove his point home. "Next time, say it like that or we will scare Mei Mei’s puppy and his mother." He looked at his younger brother. "And you Zimo, stop saying that we have people, it sounds off."

Chi Zimo slowly wagged his finger from side to side. "No it doesn’t. It is just like saying thank God I own a television."

Everyone started to disperse. The argument between Chi Zimo and Chi Wei would be a long one. Long and frustrating because none wanted to give in to the other.

"Because you own the television." Chi Wei growled.

"Thank God I own this shirt." Chi Zimo laughed.

"It is your shirt, you bought it." Chi Wei growled again.

Mei Mei tugged on Jingzhe’s arm, pulling him towards the elevator. He walked backwards, facing the Chi brothers that remained glued to the floor shouting back and forth.

"Thank God we have the sun." Chi Zimo snickered.

"OOH, I can’t deal with you." Chi Wei stormed off.

Jingzhe turned and entered the elevator, squeezing next to Mei Mei as if the empty elevator which could hold up to forty people had no space. "Is your family always this chaotic?"

"Yes." She answered with no hesitation.

"Will the empress mother really...." He did not want to say the words as the elevator had a camera so she just passed his hand over his neck, making a kill sign. "You know...the conversation in the lounge."

"Yes." She answered flatly, also without hesitation.

"Has it happened before? Things like this ...in the royal family."

"Yes." She lifted her eyes and looked at him. "A Zhe, my family is complicated and the people that marry into our family or those we marry are complicated too. My family likes you, the empress mother approves of you. Even the emperor likes you, he even ordered for Hua Qi to be the official cake provider for next week’s national liberation day celebrations.

There are families in our circle that are interwoven. We do favors for each other, we watch out for each other, we are like strings which are connected and to cut one means affecting the rest so we protect each other. When you become one of us, there will be expectations of you."

"The emperor didn’t protect you." Jingzhe reminded her.

She sighed and replied calmly, "Junjie’s mistake is his mistake. It is not the mistake of the grand emperor, empress mother, princess Rize or the other members of the royal family. His screw up does not mean that our relationship with the royal family will end. Heck, my grandmother is from the royal family so....."

"So you do share some little blood with them." He said.

She nodded. "The reason why I am telling you this is because being with me means being involved in the royal family’s affairs. It means you will be pulled into conspiracies and cover ups. Maybe, you might even have to kill someone because we are all targets, some more than others."

"I know what it means to be a target, don’t worry." He assured her.

He knew what it was like to kill a man. Life after being sent to juvenile detention had not been easy at all. And he knew all too well about some of those royal conspiracies she spoke of. But he would never tell her that. Some memories, he preferred to forget.

The elevator reached the top floor and they stepped out, maintaining their linked hands as they walked to the lounge.

Mei Mei continued to elaborate on what she was explaining to Jingzhe. "A Zhe, I am not talking about being a target in the form of espionage or silly schemes of the Mo family. I mean being a target on an international level.

When I was six years old, my grandfather taught me how to play chess. I hated it but he forced me to learn and made sure that I excelled at it so much that I am now a grand master of the game.

When I asked him why he wanted me to learn chess, go and other games which involved critical thinking he told me that from the day I was born, I became a chess piece, a stone on someone’s gaming board.

People that I did not know and people that I knew were out there scheming ways on how to move me around to achieve their interests.

He was right, of course and the easiest example I can give you in everyday life is Mo Liang. I was a chess piece to him, a pawn meant to elevate him into a life of wealth."

"But he failed." Jingzhe mumbled.