Chapter 36: The Sweet Taste of Revenge

Yu Xunge neatly packed away her equipment and treated herself to a chocolate puff she had baked. It was a simple F-grade dish, yet she discovered that since acquiring the "God of Cooking" talent, a numerical score now appeared alongside the dish's rating—presumably a unique evaluation system exclusive to this talent.

【Chocolate Puff】(F-Grade | 64 points): Restores a total of 30 HP over 5 seconds. If you spend 10 seconds savoring it, you will be well-fed, gaining +3 Constitution for 5 minutes.

It was a simple, low-level dessert. However, under the effects of the "God of Cooking" talent, the consumption effects were tripled. After eating the puff, her Constitution increased by 9. Her original stats of [Constitution: 11 → 4.4] had now shifted to [Constitution: 20 → 8]. Although her HP remained unchanged, she felt an immediate surge of strength, dispelling her previous frailty. She followed it up with a glass of milk that boosted her Spirit.

It was a slight disappointment that the effect only tripled; it seemed that once the "God of Cooking" buff was triggered, the effects of the "God of Cooking’s Bib" could no longer be activated. Still, the item served as a decent cover.

Two minutes later, Yu Xunge vanished from the Yu residence. With a few Apparitions, she returned to her villa. She was in no hurry to contact Yu Xunhuan and the others. After all, once the closed beta ended, phones and SIM cards would turn to ash, leading to a period of forced disconnection. Yu Xunge locked her door and fell into a deep sleep.

Once the cooldown for her disguise skill expired, she disguised herself as an elderly person and Apparated into the restroom of the airport. After locating a flight to Xinjiang, she slipped into a bathroom stall. Using the Disillusionment Charm to turn invisible, she entered the aircraft’s pressurized pet compartment, crawled to the very back, and used "Animagus" to transform into a small kitten. She hid in a crevice to rest. Her first priority upon finally settling down was to bind the Soros Pocket Watch using a Binding Stone. Only then could she relax and curl up.

The flight included a layover. It took off at 17:45 and arrived in Xinjiang at 9:00 the next morning. After landing, she returned to her hotel, walked out the front entrance, and went to a nearby service center to replace her SIM card. She bought a new phone, turned it on, and immediately checked the group chat, asking if Yu Xunhuan had succeeded the previous day.

Yu Xunhuan was not yet online. Only Yu Qingshan and Yi Qiuguo were in the chat. After a brief exchange, Yu Xunge initiated a video call to ask if they had played the day before. Yu Qingshan and Yi Qiuguo were beaming, nodding repeatedly as they showered her with concern and praise for being such a thoughtful daughter who remembered her parents.

Yu Xunge felt a bitter ache in her heart. In her previous life, she had treated them so well—did she ever receive a kind word? No. She admitted that she couldn't give her all to anyone, not even her own parents or brother, yet whenever she acquired something good, she always thought of them. Everything she could give, she gave. She handed over equipment that could have been sold for resources because they said they needed it; she gave away pets that boosted combat power because they claimed they were afraid to go out and fight without protection.

High-level quest items that were priceless on the market were handed over because Su Yitong wanted them, and they had even helped restrain her to make it happen. They had even urged her to marry her Uncle Liang Yuchuan, knowing full well that his God-given talent was to drain the attributes of his bed partners.

Yu Xunge wiped her reddened eyes and smiled at the people on the screen. "Good. As long as you are well, that’s all that matters."

Seeing their daughter moved by their sweet words, Yu Qingshan and Yi Qiuguo ended the call, satisfied. *As long as you are satisfied,* Yu Xunge thought, sniffing and forcing a smile. She began to wolf down the lamb in front of her, finding it the most delicious meal she had eaten since her rebirth.

As for Yu Xunhuan, he had fallen asleep from exhaustion after throwing a tantrum the night before. No matter how powerful the passive of the "God of Thieves" was, it couldn't compete with the owner of the item constantly coveting it. Almost the moment the closed beta ended, Yu Xunhuan had begun frantically trying to summon his God-given talent.

He succeeded.

Good heavens—of the five shimmering skills, only one remained. The first four, the most important ones, had all turned gray! What was the most painful thing? It was losing something precious before he had even had the chance to enjoy it! It was an SS-grade talent! Now, it was worth nothing!

Yu Xunhuan lost control instantly, smashing everything in his secret room. Jewelry? Smashed! Antiques? Destroyed! Calligraphy and paintings? Shredded! Gold bars? Thrown to the floor and trampled! He had never been so broken in his life. He knew he looked like a madman, but he didn't care; he felt he wasn't far from insanity.

Even if he had started with an A-grade or even a B-grade, he wouldn't have descended into such madness. After exhausting his rage in the treasure room, he moved on to the study and living room, breaking everything in sight. Finally, exhausted, Yu Xunhuan collapsed in despair and fell into a wretched sleep.

When Yu Qingshan and Yi Qiuguo finished their call with Yu Xunge, they searched everywhere for their son. They eventually found him at the Yu residence, where they pushed open the door to find the scene of devastation and their son sleeping on the floor. When Yi Qiuguo woke him, he refused to say a word. As for Yu Qingshan, he followed the trail of destruction up to the study, where he saw the shattered remains of his treasures. He fainted on the spot.

...

When Yu Xunge received a call from Yi Qiuguo, she was in the process of changing hotels. Before the period of weakness ended, she intended to stay in a hotel directly across from the police station. Hearing that both the "old one" and the "young one" at home were hospitalized, Yu Xunge asked urgently, "Is it serious?" *Please, let them be fine!*

Yi Qiuguo replied, "Your father just fainted. Do you still have any of that medicine?" To be honest, seeing the antique fragments on the floor made her want to faint too.

*Do you think that stuff is ginseng?* Yu Xunge thought. "I have some. I learned how to make it. Ask Xunhuan if he has any left and have him use it first. There won't be a shortage of this medicine at home from now on." Since Yu Xunhuan had also learned alchemy, her offering this would earn her some favor.

Ever since she had stolen Yu Xunhuan's God-given talent, the overwhelming hatred in her heart had subsided by half. She could now treat her revenge like a game. Of course, the "Thief’s Theft" she used in reality would always be reserved for Yu Xunhuan, just to prevent any comeback, until the day he died.

After a few more words, she hung up the phone and stayed tucked away in her hotel. She kept the curtains and windows open, ensuring that one shout would be enough for the police officers across the street to hear. She sat by the window, reading *Hechpa’s Alchemy Notes*, ordering takeout for every meal—though she never actually ate the delivery, sticking only to the food in her bag. At times, she felt as if she had returned to her life on the run in her previous existence.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the 12th, when her severe state of weakness had completely vanished and her HP, mana, and all other stats returned to normal, that Yu Xunge finally left the hotel. There was no need to drive back; she paid someone to return the car to S City while she flew home.