This was not Ruan Mei's first visit to the Herta Space Station; it was her second.
Last time, Herta, feeling bored, invited her over, and Ruan Mei brought some gift pastries.
Overall, Ruan Mei found it to be a decent facility, but nothing more.
Besides the Simulated Universe Project, there was nothing here that particularly interested her, and certainly nothing worth studying.
Ruan Mei would not have come to such a place again.
This time, she returned to fulfill a promise made during her first visit.
To meet someone and determine if he was qualified to join the Simulated Universe Project.
The simulated universe, in a sense, was of epoch-making significance.
After all, before this, never had so many Genius Society members gathered together to work towards a single goal.
And according to Herta, the person she was to evaluate had not been glanced at by Nous.
Which meant he could not be considered a true genius.
Yet, Herta wanted to pull such a person into the Simulated Universe Project, to bring a mortal into the realm of geniuses.
This… piqued Ruan Mei's interest.
She also wanted to see what kind of mortal Herta wanted to recruit.
The spaceship's journey was smooth, but it took a bit long.
They weren't without faster travel options, but Herta told Ruan Mei that making pastries required giving the chef some time.
Ruan Mei, who was also interested in this aspect, naturally expressed her understanding.
And similarly, she attached some anticipation and demands to the pastries she was about to taste.
Hopefully… they would be worth these few hours of waiting.
Ruan Mei sat at the table, quietly waiting for the pastries to be served.
Soon, the person arrived.
Dressed in a tuxedo, carrying three pastry boxes…
Ruan Mei's gaze lingered on the pastry boxes in Bai Luan's hand.
What a coincidence.
These were the same pastry boxes she had brought last time, for her gifts.
The pastry boxes were gently placed on the table.
Bai Luan said nothing more, only smiled at Ruan Mei, then took out the pastries from the boxes one by one.
Each pastry box had three layers, and the pastries on each layer were different.
When all the pastries were laid out, there were no duplicates.
The moment the pastries were brought out, the first thing Ruan Mei felt was their beauty.
Rose-shaped Huazhe Goose Pastry, lotus-like blooming Lotus Crisp, small and exquisite Mung Bean Cake…
Almost every pastry spoke of the chef's dedication.
This table full of pastries was simply a love letter from the pastry chef to the tasting customer!
After experiencing the beauty of the pastries, what followed was their fragrance.
The freshly baked pastries were still steaming, and her nose tasted their deliciousness before her tongue.
What would such pastries taste like?
Herta, across from her, had already picked up a Mung Bean Cake, her lips curving slightly:
"Try it. His creations rarely disappoint."
Ruan Mei extended her slender fingers, precisely picking up a piece of Huazhe Goose Pastry, her cherry lips slightly parted as she gently bit off a petal-shaped outer layer.
Immediately, a delicate flavor filled her entire mouth.
Delicious.
Even… the subtle adjustments to her personal preferences were highly consistent with her taste, as if tailor-made.
Ruan Mei did not take a second bite, but looked at Bai Luan.
"What is your name?"
"My name is Bai Luan."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bai Luan."
Ruan Mei's tone was calm, betraying little emotion.
"Perhaps in the future, we can exchange… 'experiences' regarding pastry making."
"I am honored, Miss Ruan Mei."
"You know my name?"
"…"
He let it slip.
An urge to slap himself immediately welled up in his heart.
Never mind, it's already said.
"Miss Ruan Mei, perhaps this is my unique trait. Some very important things, you don't need to tell me, I already know."
"Speaking of which."
Ruan Mei glanced at the Huazhe Goose Pastry in her hand.
"My personal taste is also among them?"
Bai Luan revealed a slight smile, no longer explaining.
Seemingly a mysterious master, whose insights could only be grasped intuitively, not verbally, but in reality…
Bai Luan couldn't explain it at all!
Automatically conforming to personal tastes was the effect of the food becoming a wondrous item. How could he explain that?
If he directly told them he had a system, they wouldn't believe him.
Bai Luan glanced at Herta.
I've tried, it's no use.
Herta said to Bai Luan:
"I'd like something to drink."
"Coffee?"
"You pair pastries with coffee?"
"Just kidding. I'll make some black tea."
Bai Luan briefly greeted them and turned to leave.
"How is he? My assistant?"
"I like his cooking, but that doesn't mean he can join the Simulated Universe Project team."
"I didn't think you'd be so strict."
Herta chuckled.
"I thought one meal would be enough to win you over."
"I'm not that cheap."
Ruan Mei's voice remained flat, but her chewing motion did not stop.
"That one in your hand looks good."
Herta's gaze fell on the pastry in Ruan Mei's hand.
"Where did you get it?"
Ruan Mei silently pointed with her fingertip.
Herta took a piece in the same manner and bit into it.
"Hmm, not bad."
She nodded.
"It also suits my taste."
Ruan Mei looked at Herta and asked:
"Regarding him knowing my personal taste… how do you explain that?"
"Explain what?"
"He glanced at you, and I thought you didn't want him to say anything."
"This genius didn't make such troublesome demands of him."
"So, he guessed my taste?"
"Speaking of which, it seems like every time I eat something he makes, it surprisingly suits my taste…"
Their gazes simultaneously fell on the pastries on the table.
Herta looked at the Huazhe Goose Pastry in Ruan Mei's hand.
"Let me try that one in your hand, and you try this one in mine."
They each took a piece from the other's pastry and ate it.
"How does it taste? Has it changed?"
"It still suits my taste."
Then they compared their preferred tastes again, confirming that their tastes were indeed different.
How could this pastry suit whoever ate it?
The problem seemed to be with the pastries themselves.
I'll save one to research and analyze later.
Ruan Mei looked at Herta:
"Found anything?"
"I have a general idea. I'll study the pastries he made later."
A hint of understanding flashed in Ruan Mei's eyes.
"Is this also a skill of your assistant?"
"Sort of."
Soon, Bai Luan returned with a pot of brewed black tea and tea sets.
Upon his return, both pairs of eyes focused on him, making him feel a bit uneasy.
"Why are you two… looking at me like that?"
"What did you add to these pastries?"
They discovered the food was a wondrous item?
That was fast.
Bai Luan couldn't explain this himself, so he planned to let them figure it out.
They would research and come up with an answer that convinced themselves.
"Does a lot of heart count?"
Herta rolled her eyes at him.
"Don't be glib."
"Then nothing. Besides the ingredients, I didn't add anything else."
Bai Luan poured black tea for them. The tea was fragrant and alluring in color.
"Hmm… you're not worried I poisoned it, are you? Do I need to take a bite to prove it?"
At this moment, Ruan Mei's cool voice sounded:
"No, I am not doubting you."
She picked up her teacup, her fingertips feeling the slight warmth from the cup's wall.
"Imbuing ingredients with unique effects, I can also do, but…"
Her gaze fell on the exquisite pastries, carrying a hint of admiration.
"I cannot, like you, imbue them with such… idealized, almost 'flattering' adaptability."
She looked up at Bai Luan, her lips for the first time forming a clear, warm curve:
"I forgot to say earlier, the pastries are excellent. I like them very much."
Bai Luan bowed slightly, his posture humble, casually attributing his mysterious ability to the ordinary:
"It was merely… making a few pastries with care."