The Villain Who Stole Hearts
Chapter 117: Anna’s Shocked Gaze

Chapter 117: Anna’s Shocked Gaze

"There are so many fish in this water! They’re jumping all over the place!"

"This seems way too crowded... it doesn’t look like something local farmers would raise themselves."

"I seriously suspect the crew dumped a bunch of fish into the paddy field! It might be staged, but it still looks ridiculously fun to catch!"

In the live broadcast, the camera showed fish darting in all directions throughout the flooded field, lively and frantic.

Noah, holding a net, scooped up a big fish in one swoop and proudly held it up.

"Jack, Veil, Zoe! Look at this whopper! Let’s have a fish-catching contest!"

Jack nodded in agreement, his tone encouraging.

"Sounds good! Let’s try to win enough ingredients so Luke Brown can really show off his cooking skills again!"

Zoe stole a glance at Veil nearby, gripped her net tighter with both hands, and began enthusiastically sweeping through the water.

Veil, in contrast, took a more laid-back approach. Once he saw Zoe adapting well to the depth of the paddy field, he casually strolled toward the edge, seemingly content to enjoy a relaxing time by the banks.

Just then, a crew member cautiously approached Veil from behind and quietly offered a reminder.

"Mr. Veil, there are crabs and little shrimp in the mud near the shore. Try feeling around for them."

Veil turned around, puzzled, only to see the crew member already hurrying away.

He raised an eyebrow. Was this some kind of special arrangement by the crew?

Curious, he started sweeping his net through the mud near the shore.

Suddenly, he hit something hard—really solid and heavy—too much for the net to pull up.

He reached into the mud with his hand and pulled out a large, shelled object. Veil blinked in surprise but quickly composed himself and dropped it into his fish container without much reaction.

A few steps later, he found another shelled creature—massive as well—and tossed it in too.

Half an hour passed.

By now, Jack and the others were covered in mud, their backs soaked with sweat from the effort.

"Alright!" shouted Luke Brown, clapping his hands from the edge of the field.

"Come on in! Looks like we’ve got a good haul! Luke Brown’s back in the kitchen tonight!"

Jack dragged his fish container toward the shore. The fish inside were still flopping, sending up splashes of water.

Zoe followed close behind, beaming with pride. She’d caught over thirty fish! That should be enough to trade for lamb!

She felt incredibly accomplished.

Her little sister, however, looked dejected, clutching her container with only thirteen fish inside. She was clearly disappointed.

So much for winning first place in the fishing contest.

As they began tallying the spoils, the director stood by the bank, counting the fish in Jack’s container.

"That’s twenty-six fish. You can trade that in for 500 grams of pork."

"Noah caught thirty-two. That gets you one kilogram of lamb."

"Zoe’s little sister caught thirteen."

Anna, standing to the side, looked over toward Veil, who was still at the far end of the field. She called out,

"Hey, junior! Come back! We’ve already got plenty of fish!"

Veil looked up and replied with a casual "Alright," then glanced in Jack’s direction and chuckled.

"Quick question—do the local farmers here also raise crabs and shrimp in their paddies? I’m finding more than just fish. It’s starting to feel like a seafood market out here."

Jack perked up.

"You found some? If there’s enough, we might be able to throw together a seafood soup! Luke Brown’s seafood soup is absolutely amazing!"

He’d tasted Luke’s cooking off-camera before, and that seafood soup in particular—loaded with tiny crabs, shrimp, and cooked with wine—was unforgettable.

Veil peeked into his container and shook his head.

"Not much. Just one crab and three shrimp."

Jack sighed in disappointment.

"That’s it? Ah well, just keep them and raise them or something."

He didn’t say much more. After all, Veil was a guest. It wasn’t a big deal if he hadn’t caught much. They already had enough for pork and lamb anyway.

Veil began dragging his container back. From a distance, it looked normal. But as he got closer, something was clearly off.

If there were only one crab and three shrimp, why was there such a massive shadow in the container?

Once he reached the bank, everyone’s attention—including the camera crew’s—snapped toward his container.

"Veil... this is what you meant by a crab and three shrimp?" Jack stared blankly into the tub.

Inside was a king crab so large it nearly covered the entire bottom of the container, and three Australian lobsters, each weighing at least 1.5 kilograms.

Jack was stunned.

This wasn’t just a slight exaggeration. This was absurd.

One glance at that massive king crab, with its enormous claws sprawling out, and it was clear—it had to weigh at least 5 kilograms!

Luke Brown was even more speechless. He turned toward the director, looking half in disbelief and half outraged.

"Director! You’re telling me that king crab and those lobsters were naturally raised in a rice field? I thought you said the prices wouldn’t change! I thought you had principles!"

The director’s expression turned awkward. He coughed lightly into his fist.

"What king crab? What lobsters? Those are just... uh... very well-developed crabs and plump shrimp. Mr. Veil just got lucky and found some that grew really big. And now you’re blaming me?"

The livestream audience exploded with laughter as they watched Luke and Jack’s stunned expressions, paired with the director’s shameless attempt to play dumb.

"Holy crap! This is too real. The director’s like, ’I didn’t change the prices! I didn’t bow to the evil of capitalism! My man Veil just has incredible luck and happened to catch a king crab and three lobsters!’"

"I actually think this could be true. Maybe a tornado carried the crab and lobsters into the paddy field from somewhere else. LOL... okay I can’t keep a straight face anymore."

"Look at Luke and Jack! They really thought the director was on their side! Turns out, the crew has already betrayed them!"

The show’s chaotic energy sent the viewership skyrocketing. The livestream count soared past five million viewers.

When the director got the report, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

On one hand, they had hit their target for the day: five million concurrent viewers—and it was only noon. The evening peak was still ahead.

Veil’s presence had undeniably brought surprises, momentum, and overwhelming traffic to the show.

That was a massive achievement.

But at the same time, the director couldn’t help but worry.

Because when you brought in wildcards, nothing was ever truly in your control.

...

With their supplies gathered, the group made their way back to Honeydew Cottage.

They had plenty of meat, fresh vegetables, and now, even more impressively, a king crab and three Australian lobsters added to their haul.

This was shaping up to be the most luxurious meal they’d had so far—definitely the most expensive one.

In the kitchen, Luke Brown quickly took charge.

"Noah, bring in the firewood. Zoe, could you help clean the soup pot? The more premium the ingredients, the more delicate and natural their flavor. The less we tamper with them, the better. A seafood broth is perfect."

Whether it was the king crab or the lobsters, soup was hands-down the best way to draw out that pure, rich taste.

But since they had an abundance of ingredients, Luke had a few other cooking styles in mind as well.

Anna stood nearby, looking a little restless.

"What about me? Can I help with anything? I remember watching shows like this—guests were always pitching in. I didn’t help when you guys were catching the fish, and now I really want to contribute somehow. Don’t just leave me standing around!"

It was getting frustrating.

Anna felt like nothing more than a decorative vase. Even if it was her first time appearing on a reality show, doing absolutely nothing made her feel like she was just slacking off.

Jack chuckled.

"Alright, alright, if you want to help that badly, come on in. As long as it’s not something dangerous, the director won’t mind."

Veil smiled faintly.

He figured the production crew probably didn’t want Anna to help. She was practically being treated like royalty. At least Snow White helped with housework—Anna might be living an even cushier life. That must make him the prince on the white horse.

He led Anna outside to the well in the yard. Veil dragged over the basin holding the king crab and lobsters, then handed out brushes to both her and Jack.

"The director must’ve gone out of his way to find seafood this big. And then they just buried it in dirt like a treasure chest, hoping no one would get to it too quickly. Now they’re filthy. Let’s give them a proper scrub."

Anna eagerly reached into the basin and pulled out a lobster. Its shell was a deep black-red, covered in clumps of damp soil.

The lobster was still alive and feisty. As soon as Anna lifted it, its tail began thrashing wildly, slipping from her grip. Muddy water splashed up and hit her face.

She reached up to wipe it off, but only made things worse—spreading the dirt across her cheeks until she looked like a messy little kitten.

She was adorable—her delicate features twisted into helpless frustration, smudges of mud making her even more charming.

Time flew by as they worked.

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, a soft, silvery moonlight began to bathe the yard of Honeydew Cottage.

From outside the cottage, the faint chirping of insects drifted through the countryside air, lending the whole scene a peaceful quiet.

Inside the courtyard, thanks to everyone’s efforts, a lavish dinner was finally ready.

One dish after another was brought out to the wooden shelter in the yard.

The centerpiece was the king crab soup—its sheer size dominating the center of the table.

Next to it, the lobster tails had been sliced into neat portions. Their vibrant red heads served as elegant garnishes, making the whole dish look mouthwatering.

They also had stir-fried beef, lamb, and a variety of vegetable dishes. Everything was rich and plentiful.

Jack stood up and raised his glass.

"A big thank you to Luke Brown for his hard work in the kitchen. This feast is incredible. Let’s dig in!"

Luke waved him off casually.

"Enough with the speeches—just sit down and try it!"

Anna grabbed a piece of lobster tail from the soup, dipped it into the sauce at the side, and popped it into her mouth.

Her eyes widened as the rich, savory flavor burst across her tongue, blending perfectly with the umami of the sauce.

"This is so good!"

Veil followed suit and took a bite, his brows lifting slightly in surprise.

That... was restaurant-quality.

"If you like it, have more," Luke said, smiling in satisfaction.

Cooking dinner each day was his way of seeing the day’s work pay off. With everyone enjoying the food, he could finally relax and take a long sip from his drink.

...

After dinner, Noah was already lying on the side, rubbing his round belly. He looked absolutely stuffed.

"Noah, didn’t you say you were only having one bowl?" Jack looked over at him with amusement.

"You’re getting fat again!"

Noah held up an oversized bowl.

"I did only have one! One huge one! And besides, Veil ate more than I did."

He pointed dramatically at Veil, who was currently on his third bowl of rice.

Veil looked up with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I’ve been eating a bit more lately."

Ever since recovering from his injuries, his body had been burning through more energy than usual, which naturally made him hungrier.

Noah flexed his arm proudly.

"I’ve been working out at home, alright? Just because I eat more doesn’t mean I’m getting fat—look, I’ve got muscles now."

He curled his arm, trying to show off his biceps.

Zoe reached over and gave it a quick pinch. It was soft.

"That’s muscle?" she laughed.

"You’re hilarious."

Noah huffed, feeling wronged.

"Whatever. Veil eats more than me. He’s probably no better off."

Veil chuckled.

"Well, that’s not exactly true."

He casually lifted the hem of his white shirt, revealing a lean set of defined abs. Six-pack, tight and symmetrical, with sharp lines that radiated strength and control.

"What the fuck!" Noah exclaimed, completely stunned.

"I don’t believe this! How is the guy who eats the most the one with the best body? You’ve got full-on abs, man! Are you secretly a fitness trainer or something?"

Zoe’s cheeks turned bright red. Her wide eyes couldn’t help but sneak a few more glances at Veil’s abs, as though trying to see more through his shirt.

People always thought only men ogled women—legs, curves, cleavage. But when women saw muscles and abs like that, they weren’t looking away either.

It wasn’t just Zoe—Anna’s eyes widened too, her expression full of surprise.

How had she not noticed before?

Veil’s body was that good?

And... if he moved like that in bed... would he be just as strong and... long-lasting?