Chapter One: Spicy Enough to Hear the World Speak

Heat blasted from her tongue to the crown of her skull. Her tears and nose declared independence at the same time. She reached for a kettle; Wen Jiu moved it. She lunged for the freezer; its door locked itself. The comments became a wall of laughter as the audience broke ten thousand. Clinging to professional dignity, she raised a second trembling mouthful. “The word surrender... is not in a food streamer's dictionary.” “Thick pages in that dictionary,” a shrill voice said beneath the table. “They'll make excellent funeral paper.” Su Li froze. Her phone recorded nothing but her rough breathing. Slowly she looked down. There was nothing beneath the table except her own shadow. It lifted a paw she did not possess and waved.