Even Top Students Fail

William's Culinary Prowess

Life in Room 503 became blissful with William around. Every morning, he'd bring breakfast for Lilith and her roommates. They could sleep in and still enjoy delicious meals.

A sandwich shop near MIT made amazing food, but required an early trek off-campus. Most students settled for dining hall fare instead. With William's arrival, the roommates no longer debated between sleep and good food - they got both. The only downside was lunch couldn't be included.

Under this sweet assault, the three girls in 503 came to value William even more than Lilith. They'd dress her up prettily each morning before sending her off, insisting she not return before 9 PM. Lilith found it both amusing and exasperating, accusing them of favoring food over friendship. But Alice reasoned they were being considerate - it would be beastly to interfere with the couple's time together after enjoying William's generosity.

William went all out to impress Lilith's roommates and classmates. Beyond bribing the roommates, he'd accompany Lilith to her classes. His bold presence in the lecture halls turned heads. Within days, everyone knew the class genius had snagged an exceptional boyfriend.

Between classes, the couple explored MIT's nearby attractions or relaxed at William's rented place, enjoying a carefree time. Once Lilith's courses wound down, they visited Jennifer and David at Yale.

Jennifer and David's relationship was even sweeter. They'd rented a small 40-square-meter love nest on campus. Though tiny, it had everything they needed, including a basic kitchen where they could prepare simple meals.

Jennifer eagerly invited William and Lilith to see their place. The one-bedroom apartment was kept immaculately clean. As it was too hot to go out for lunch, Jennifer offered to cook. Lilith, lacking culinary skills, helped by washing vegetables and assisting.

"Jennifer, you're such perfect wife material," Lilith gushed as she helped.

"Of course! David hit the jackpot with me," Jennifer bragged shamelessly. "Beauty, brains, cooking skills - where else could he find someone so perfect? He must have saved the universe in a past life to deserve me." In truth, her cooking was merely passable, but leagues ahead of Lilith's complete ineptitude in the kitchen.

David smiled wryly at his girlfriend's boasting. When they'd first moved in, Jennifer only knew how to make two dishes - stir-fried potato strips and tomato egg stir-fry. Yet she'd stubbornly insisted on cooking rather than eating out or at the cafeteria. For a month, they'd alternated between those two dishes for lunch and dinner.

Though Jennifer had improved over the past six months, she still only managed simple stir-fries. For meat dishes, she'd just throw everything together in a stew. In summer, that wasn't very appetizing. So she brought out some prepared sausages, planning to serve them as the main dishes.

William, who'd been keeping an eye on the kitchen proceedings, chuckled when he saw the girls whispering about how to turn the sausages into two meat dishes. "Alright, I'll take over," he offered.

His words were met with skeptical looks from both girls, and even David gave him a surprised glance that seemed to say, "Bro, I know you want to impress your girlfriend, but don't push yourself too hard."

Their disbelief was understandable. William's usual demeanor was haughty and arrogant towards everyone. Only in the past year, after being worn down by Lilith, had Jennifer and the others warmed up to him slightly. Even after officially dating Lilith, he maintained his old personality, always bossing her around with rules and restrictions. No one could imagine such a person cooking.

William shooed Jennifer out of the kitchen, keeping Lilith as his assistant. He set to work with surprising skill. The kitchen was too small for three, barely manageable with two. Though pushed out, Jennifer and David watched from the sidelines, impressed by William's apparent cooking prowess.

Given the limited ingredients, William prepared a simplified yu xiang rou si (fish-fragrant pork strips) and potato slices stir-fried with meat. As soon as the yu xiang rou si was ready, Jennifer couldn't resist tasting it. The meat was tender and flavorful, with a perfect balance of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet notes. Most importantly, it looked appetizing with its bright red color. The potato and meat stir-fry promised to be equally delicious.

Seeing Jennifer's conflicted expression, Lilith tried a bite herself. Her eyes closed in pleasure - it was truly delicious, far superior to Jennifer's earlier dishes.

As the second dish came out, William caught his girlfriend's starry-eyed look. Jennifer exclaimed, "William, are you sure you don't have a brother? Even a younger cousin would do!" David's face darkened at her words.

In fact, William's cooking skills were all thanks to Ryan. Back when Ryan was courting his wife, his culinary prowess had been a major asset alongside his persistence. So when he learned his son was struggling to woo a girlfriend, he not only passed on his secrets of relentless pursuit but also taught him how to cook hands-on. Though William was busy with exam prep, whenever father and son were home together, Ryan insisted on imparting his wisdom. Perhaps William had inherited Ryan's talent, for after a year of lessons, he could prepare everyday dishes quite well, even if elaborate cuisine was still beyond him.

During the meal, William's two dishes were undoubtedly the stars, while Jennifer's broccoli and tomato egg dishes were largely ignored. After eating their fill, Jennifer teased Lilith, "I used to think you were getting the short end of the stick with William, but now it seems he's the one who lucked out."

Though said in jest, Jennifer had genuinely felt that way initially. Lilith attended a prestigious school with bright prospects, while William was a repeat student with an uncertain future. No one could have predicted that William, once at the bottom of their class, would effortlessly enter MIT. Handsome, promising, and a good cook - he'd left David in the dust. Jennifer felt a twinge of envy for Lilith, though she was mostly happy for her friend. Sensing her best friend's jealousy, Lilith couldn't help but grin smugly at Jennifer.

They stayed at Yale until mid-afternoon before saying their goodbyes. Since Jennifer and David planned to work on campus over the summer, they hadn't booked train tickets together. However, with David accompanying her, Jennifer felt at ease about Lilith's return journey.

On the way back, Lilith was in high spirits, eagerly asking William when he'd learned to cook and what other hidden talents he might have.

William replied haughtily, "I have many skills you don't know about. You should consider yourself lucky - men as well-rounded as me are rare these days. That Owen or whatever his name is can't compare. He's just a pretty face."

William had been staying with Lilith for over a week and had encountered several of her admirers. While most were unremarkable, Owen particularly irked him, even daring to approach them despite William's presence as Lilith's boyfriend.

Lilith laughed at William's words. In truth, she had no real connection with Owen. She wasn't the type to entertain ambiguous relationships while having a boyfriend, so she'd instinctively distanced herself once she realized Owen's intentions. However, Owen was naturally likeable, and perhaps understanding her feelings, he'd never made any inappropriate advances, only sending occasional holiday greetings.

Given Owen's respectful behavior, Lilith didn't feel right treating him with suspicion. She'd exchange greetings if they met on campus, but William's hostility towards Owen was palpable. She couldn't understand why a single encounter had left such a negative impression.

As Lilith was about to speak, William's phone rang. He glanced at it, signaling Lilith to be quiet, before answering, "Hey Dad, what's up?"

"You brat, where have you been for two weeks?" Ryan demanded.

"I told you I was checking out my future school and doing some sightseeing," William replied nonchalantly. He might have been more serious with Aphrodite, but there was no need for formality with Ryan.

"Don't give me that. I know exactly what you're up to. You ungrateful kid, ditching your old man before you've even married. Listen, it's time to come home. Aphrodite's getting suspicious. Stay any longer and you'll have to bring Lilith to meet the parents. I don't mind, but it might scare Lilith off." Ryan hung up abruptly, not waiting for William's response.

"What was that about?" Lilith asked after the call ended.

"Nothing much, just my dad asking when I'm coming home," William said, omitting the part about meeting the parents. He didn't mind the idea, but feared it might overwhelm Lilith - Aphrodite could be quite intimidating.

"That makes sense, you've been away for a while. But the holidays are just around the corner," Lilith noted. Classes would end in two or three days.

"Yeah, let's go," William pocketed his phone and took Lilith's hand as they headed back to campus.