A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

The cookies were alright; under Li Mu's reliable nose, they weren't burnt, just slightly overcooked.

"Wait a minute, I set it for twelve minutes... there are still two minutes left."

"The heat was too high, or the cookies were too thin. The reason we sprinkle flour on the baking tray beforehand is to prevent them from burning. When the smell in the air becomes increasingly strong and caramelized, it means the cookies are done. You can't just look at the temperature."

"...Reporter Li, you're so professional!"

Finally, a hint of surprise flashed in Yu Feihong's eyes.

If his previous knowledge of the kitchen appliances only indicated interest, then his current words show that he genuinely knows how to use them.

"You studied abroad too?"

"No. But I can cook, and I enjoy thinking about these things."

As they finished preparing the oxtail, Li Mu began chopping carrots, celery, and onions.

The "clack-clack-clack" of the knife further proved the skill involved in the cooking.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Leaning against the kitchen doorway, Luo Xiang, who couldn't say a word while watching the two big shots show off their skills, quickly went to open the door.

"Hello, Professor Luo, it's been a long time."

Chen's clear voice rang out.

Li Mu looked up and saw Chen Yi walking in with a young man who also wore glasses, each carrying a stack of books.

Yu Feihong also went out to welcome them, so he followed.

"Ah, Li Ji, hello hello. You're here so early?"

Upon seeing Li Mu, Chen's eyes lit up, and he greeted him with a smile.

Li Mu waved and then greeted the somewhat reserved guy behind him:

"Hello."\

"Hello."

"Come in quickly, change your shoes... Chen, shouldn't you introduce me?"

"Oh, right, right. These two are both newcomers today."

Chen seemed to be quite familiar with Yu Feihong. For one thing, the three men were all wearing hotel slippers, while Chen had his own pair of light yellow slippers, clearly the kind he frequented.

After changing her shoes, she smiled and pointed to the guy next to her who wore glasses:

"Cheng Hao's profession is computer expert."

"No, no, no..."

Cheng Hao quickly shook his head:

"Programmers are not experts."

"Oh, you don't understand. Our book club rule is that everyone has to have a grand nickname. For example, our senior's nickname is 'Movie Queen.' And me? 'School Beauty.' This is Luo Xiang, we call him Professor. As for Li Ji… uh, his name is Li Mu, and being a journalist is his profession. He'll come up with a nickname for himself later. You too, think of something nice later!"

Upon hearing this, Li Mu thought to himself, "So that's the logic behind it."

It startled him; he thought Luo Xiangzhen was already a professor at such a young age.

At this moment, Luo Xiang also said:

"Yes, let's choose a better one."

"Uh... haha, okay."

With Cheng Hao's agreement, Yu Feihong greeted him:

"Sit down, sit down. Li Mu and I will prepare the ingredients first, then we'll start. Everyone should eat well tonight! School beauty, come get me some cookies, they're freshly baked."

"OK, coming."

Unlike his previous interactions with Li Mu, Chen Yu was now behaving quite freely and unrestrainedly in front of Yu Feihong.

Li Mu returned to the kitchen and continued chopping onions.

Seeing this, Chen said:

"Oh right, senior, I heard Li Ji's cooking is amazing."

"I can tell."

Yu Feihong smiled slightly:

"Here, be careful it's hot. Please check on everyone for me."

"OK."

Chen carried a tray of cookies out, while Li Mu finished preparing all the ingredients.

"Shall I begin? Should you do it, or should I?"

"Come on, let everyone taste your cooking."

Looking at the diced vegetables on Li Mu's cutting board, Yu Feihong also showed a hint of curiosity.

Such excellent knife skills! The vegetables are diced so quickly and neatly.

Their cooking skills must be quite good.

"Then I'll make the French style. The Italian style requires an extra step, while the French style can just be put directly into the oven."

"OK."\

So, Li Mu began his performance.

Pan-fried meat, stir-fried soft vegetables, and finally, a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon with a rich, slightly bitter flavor, chosen from Fei Hong's small wine cabinet.

"Why choose Cabernet Sauvignon? Aren't you worried it might taste bitter after stewing?"

The most distinctive flavor characteristic of Cabernet Sauvignon wine, as described by Chinese people, is... bitterness and astringency.

Li Muyi pointed to an onion:\

"These are this year's new onions."

"……so?"\

"Newly harvested onions have a higher water content, smaller bulbs, thinner skin, less spiciness, and become very sweet after caramelization. Meanwhile, I just tasted a slice of carrot, and its sweetness is also quite good. Therefore, choosing Cabernet Sauvignon, with its subtle bitterness to enrich the flavor profile, will be wonderful."

"……major!"\

Upon hearing this explanation, Yu Feihong could only offer those two words; no other descriptions could be provided.

And so, soon enough, a pot of red wine-braised oxtail was in the oven.

After setting the temperature for two and a half hours, Yu Feihong had also prepared the other ingredients.

"Let's go, the book club begins!"

"good."\

The two of them walked out of the kitchen together.

Several stacks of books were already piled on the coffee table.

"Everyone long

Wait a minute.

Yu Feihong sat down naturally on the carpet in front of the coffee table and said:

"Please help yourselves to tea. We'll have a nice meal tonight, okay?"

"I can't wait any longer!"

Hearing Chen's words, Yu Feihong looked at her with considerable affection and smiled:

"Alright, let's go through the procedures first. Since we have some new members today, everyone should introduce themselves. I'll start. My name is Yu Feihong, I'm an actress, and I graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 93, so I'm a senior alumna. I'm also currently the person in charge of this reading group, which has... well, let me think... eleven years of history, from 91 to now."

She didn't stand up, and her tone was casual, but it was precisely this casual attitude that made everyone feel at ease.

"This book club was originally founded by Qiu Yong, a senior student in the Department of Chemistry at Tsinghua University. However, he is currently pursuing further studies in Jiangsu Province, so I am the one leading it. Our motto is: Read widely, but don't seek deep understanding!"

"..."\

Li Mu's lips twitched.

Looking at Li Mu's expression, Yu Feihong said with a grin:

"That's true. The point is to encourage everyone to read more books. Whether you understand them or not doesn't matter; the important thing is to read them frequently!"

"……All right."\

"Our club has over twenty people now. We meet about once a month to share our favorite books. And because the age range of the members is quite wide, we all call each other by nicknames. My nickname is 'Movie Queen,' so you can just call me that from now on. Okay, that concludes my introduction. School beauty, you come here."

Hearing this, Chen smiled and nodded:

"Hello everyone, I'm Chen Hao. My name is Chen (耳东陈), and my nickname is Hao (好). I'm also an actress, and a young beauty from the 1997 class of the Central Academy of Drama's acting department… This is true, I was indeed voted the most beautiful girl in the class of '97, so I used that as my nickname. I joined the book club at an actors' gathering, where I met my senior, our beautiful and award-winning actress. I mainly enjoy reading novels, and my favorite author is the British writer Ian McEwan. The book I brought today is also one of his works, which I wanted to share with everyone. Thank you, that concludes my introduction."

The three men clapped instinctively.

Yu Feihong spoke too quickly; there wasn't enough time.

Then, following the order of seniority, Luo Xiang coughed lightly:

"Ahem, hello everyone. My name is Luo Xiang, and I'm currently a graduate student in criminal law at the China University of Political Science and Law. I've already completed my thesis and will be graduating soon… My nickname is 'Professor.' That nickname was given to me by the actress… I joined the book club through a senior student who is also in our club. He knows the actress, so I joined. The book I'm bringing today is *Paris 1919*, a very special history book I've read recently. I hope you all enjoy it!"

"Welcome, welcome."

Amidst the applause led by Yu Feihong, Li Mu glanced at Cheng Hao, and upon noticing that Cheng Hao was also looking at him, nodded:

"Hello everyone, my name is Li Mu. Mu as in 'wood,' and I graduated from the Journalism Department of Sun Yat-sen University. I'm currently a reporter for the *Southern Metropolis Daily*. I joined the book club because of an invitation from Chen… the campus belle. It's nice to meet you all! My hobbies are tennis, reading, and playing Go. As for my nickname… just call me Lao Li. I doubt anyone else uses that nickname, right?"

Yu Feihong smiled and shook his head:

"No, but that's a bit too blunt."

"Haha, that's all I can think of for now. So, everyone can just call me Lao Li. The book I brought this time... it's quite a coincidence, it's also 'Paris 1919.' I just ran into the professor downstairs, and we were both speechless when we saw the book I was carrying. But, as the professor said, it is indeed a very interesting history book. We were just talking about it downstairs. The author of this book unusually uses a fair and objective attitude to evaluate the impact of the Paris Peace Conference on the world. I think the content of the book is very thought-provoking, so I recommend it to everyone. Hope you all like it~"

"Welcome, Lao Li~"

Amidst the resounding applause, Cheng Hao, at the end, touched his nose and said:

"Hello everyone, my name is Cheng Hao. I graduated from Nankai University and, like the professor, obtained a master's degree in computer science from Duke University. After working in Silicon Valley for a while, I returned and currently work for an internet company called Baidu."

Li Mu's eyes flickered.

oh?\

Baidu?

"I met Professor Chen through a mutual friend at a dinner party. We hit it off immediately, and since we both admire Ian McEwan, she invited me to our book club. It's great to meet everyone; you can call me... hacker, since I'm a computer science major. The book I brought is Stephen Hawking's *A Brief History of Time*... but to be honest, I haven't finished it yet."

This book is quite difficult to read; I came here hoping to drag everyone down with me. I think it's the book that has most evoked my fear of the universe that I've ever read. Of course, it's not scary, it's just… you can't think about it too deeply. The more you think about it, the more you realize how insignificant we are… I think it's better to be afraid together than alone. So I brought it; I don't expect everyone to like it, but we can be afraid together anyway.”

"Hahaha……"\

His words elicited laughter from everyone.

Then, after he finished his introduction, Yu Feihong said:

"I asked everyone to introduce themselves, not to immediately start recommending books. Okay, the book I'm recommending today is Yu Qiuyu's newly published 'The Wanderer Without Borders,' a collection of travelogue-style cultural essays. It records his field research in 96 cities across 26 European countries between 1999 and 2001, and is the final work in his 'Civilizational Exploration Trilogy.'"

As she spoke, she picked up the stack of "The Wanderer Without Borders" and handed it to the others:

Unlike typical travelogues, this book is not merely a record of scenery, but a profound interpretation of European civilization. Through visiting cultural landmarks and combining historical and contemporary perspectives, Yu Qiuyu analyzes the characteristics of European civilization, thus conveying a kind of…ideological message.

It conveys the idea that different civilizations are not in opposition but rather learn from each other and prosper together, which I really like. You can turn to page four; there's a passage there…”

As several people flipped through the pages, Yu Feihong's impeccably professional, actor-like delivery of lines rang in their ears:

"In life, one should find balance between mountains and water. Water brings joy, mountains bring comfort. Water makes us aware of the impermanence of the world, mountains make us understand the eternal continuity of heaven and earth. The philosophy of water is the unceasing cycle of day and night, the philosophy of mountains is the oblivion of sun and moon..."

Li Mu watched and savored the text as she recited it.

A thought flashed through my mind.

And you know what...

This atmosphere... is fantastic.