Three people, two of them were girls.
So actually, there wasn’t much cooking needed.
Chen Tang had recently noticed that her appetite had become very small—Liu Yan had noticed it too, so the two of them had been adjusting their diet lately.
They often found themselves cooking only one bowl of noodles, with a bit more than usual. Chen Tang would eat first, and then Liu Yan would finish the rest. This way, Liu Yan could avoid cooking an extra bowl—otherwise, he’d end up eating Chen Tang’s leftovers anyway.
Might as well go straight to the point.
Neither of them liked wasting food, nor did they like eating the same thing twice, so they basically bought only what they would eat.
And from his dates with Bai Mengling, Liu Yan had more or less confirmed that her appetite was also small. But after all, she was a guest, so for three people, they needed at least four dishes.
One fish, one pork ribs. After Liu Yan arrived, he bought some pork belly and winter melon to make crispy pork soup, and finally a few bitter melons for bitter melon scrambled eggs.
That made four dishes.
On the way back, the three of them didn’t ride the scooter directly.
Instead, they placed the groceries on the electric scooter. Liu Yan held the scooter and walked home with the two girls.
“The main thing is, I saw some traffic cops on the way here. If we got caught, that’d be trouble. Otherwise, I’d have given you two a ride.”
Chen Tang seemed to be in a good mood after Liu Yan arrived, unlike earlier when she was being bullied by Bai Mengling. She smiled and leaned forward slightly. “Hehe~ Mr. Liu Yan, aren’t you being a bit greedy? Wanting to take two beautiful girls on an electric scooter? One of us would have to squat in front.”
Yes.
On this kind of scooter, if you want to carry two people, one has to squat in front… well, the position is a bit awkward.
Before Chen Tang changed, there was a time when she went with Liu Yan to his countryside hometown. He drove his adult’s scooter, Chen Tang sat in the back, and Liu Yan’s little cousin squatted in front… Wasn’t that little cousin going to attend this university next year?
I remember that little cousin had a bit of a role. If I remember correctly, she also had a thing for Liu Yan… but she wasn’t a major character.
Were she and Liu Yan within three generations?
I forget.
We’ll talk about it later. It’s not her turn yet.
“You’ll have to squat in front, then,” Liu Yan said matter-of-factly.
After all, Chen Tang was much smaller than Bai Mengling. She was a bit shorter too—around 165 cm, while Bai Mengling seemed to be 172.
Naturally, the more petite one would squat.
“You damn traitor, valuing beauty over friendship!”
Chen Tang complained but shot a provoking glance at Bai Mengling.
Hehe~
‘To be honest, she didn’t think Chen Tang’s actions counted as a provocation.’
‘Just a very low-level trick—showing off her daily interactions with Liu Yan, displaying a certain intimacy, trying to exclude Bai Mengling from their daily life.’
‘She thought that Bai Mengling would never be able to join their conversation.’
“Speaking of which, Liu Yan, are you interested in joining the Student Council?”
She suddenly brought it up.
Liu Yan looked at Bai Mengling with some confusion.
“What’s there to join in the Student Council?”
Before he could answer, Chen Tang spoke up. “I heard they have a ton of things to do, and there are social events too. Classes are already troublesome enough—why go looking for trouble in the Student Council?”
“That may be true, Chen Tang, but the Student Council is a microcosm of society. It can greatly improve a person’s social skills and ability to handle things. In the future, when you enter society…”
“Oh! President Bai, what do you mean by that?”
Chen Tang feigned surprise. “Are you suggesting that Liu Yan isn’t mature enough? But he used to help out at the shop during breaks—whether it was cooking or waiting tables, he did a great job. Isn’t that enough of a social attribute? Or did you find something unsatisfactory about his performance on your date the other day?”
‘This woman takes every opportunity to badmouth her!’
The smile on Bai Mengling’s face became a bit strained. She decided to change tactics.
So, a hint of shyness appeared on her pretty face, and she looked straight at Liu Yan. “Well… I didn’t mean it like that… It’s just that… since I’m the Student Council President… I… want to see you more often… Is that not okay?”
Chen Tang stopped walking.
She stared at Bai Mengling.
Bai Mengling ignored her gaze.
Chen Tang stared at Bai Mengling for several seconds before finally looking away.
As she walked forward, she said to the slightly stunned Liu Yan, “See how much your girlfriend loves you? That’s not bad, is it? I heard President Bai even pays the Student Council members. She just gave you an RTX 5090, and you haven’t completed your other parts yet. With your allowance, you should be able to upgrade everything. I support you.”
Liu Yan heard Chen Tang’s words and averted his gaze from Bai Mengling. He looked at Chen Tang’s back with some confusion.
Her steps were faster than usual—ever since she turned into a girl, she generally walked a bit slower than before.
‘Is she angry?’
‘Was there something that made her angry just now?’
‘She’s been defeated!’
Bai Mengling was now completely certain.
If before she thought Chen Tang was still putting on an act, now she was sure—Chen Tang was genuinely defeated.
She had lost over and over again to Bai Mengling.
Ah.
‘She almost felt sorry for her.’
‘But sorry, Chen Tang. Even though right now there isn’t a very passionate romantic feeling between me and Liu Yan…’
‘I, Bai Mengling, will never lose to anyone. I won’t let myself lose!’
With their own thoughts, the three returned home.
Chen Tang and Liu Yan went into the kitchen to start cooking.
Bai Mengling wanted to go in too, but Liu Yan told her to look around their home; the kitchen was off-limits or something.
She didn’t insist—after all, forcing her way in… she, as the eldest miss, really didn’t know anything about cooking. If she tried to compete in something she wasn’t good at, she might say something unpleasant to save face, which would lower their opinion of her.
“Are you angry?”
“No.”
Chen Tang poured cooking wine into the cut fish while answering nonchalantly.
“Don’t say no… You only work hard when you’re angry. The angrier you are, the more diligent you become. If you weren’t angry, you’d be over there with Bai Mengling, trying to provoke her and make her lose face, playing your Demon Pill role. You wouldn’t come in here to help me clean up.”
“Bullshit!”
Chen Tang put down the wine bottle and stared at Liu Yan. “Can’t I be mature and hardworking for once?”
“Being mature and hardworking is certainly good.” Liu Yan poured oil into the pot and waited for it to reach the right temperature. “So why are you angry? You were the one making the moves, weren’t you?”
“You!”
Chen Tang glared at him. “You see it clearly, don’t you? I’m here racking my brain to stir up her emotions, make her compete with me, increase her好感度 for you, and you’re just playing dumb, enjoying all the benefits!”
Liu Yan put the blanched ribs into the pot, and oil smoke rose. “Then your goal was achieved, wasn’t it? She invited me to work in the Student Council and said it was because she wanted to see me. Even if she wasn’t being sincere, it’s still a good outcome, right?”
He stirred the ribs in the pot. “Why did you suddenly get angry?”
“I just suddenly feel like—why the hell do you get to have such a good life?”
Chen Tang pointed at her clothes. “Why do I have to wear this manipulative outfit just to assist you, play mind games with Bai Mengling… while you just laugh all the way! Doing these things does me no good at all!”
“Yeah! It does you no good at all.”
Liu Yan turned the flame to low and added doubanjiang (fermented bean paste) to stir-fry. “So why are you doing it?”
“Huh?”
Chen Tang looked as if she’d heard something unbelievable. “You’re asking me why I’m doing it? Isn’t it for you? Aren’t I doing all this for you? And now you’re asking me why? I’m doing it for your happiness!”
Liu Yan stopped stirring.
He turned sideways and looked at Chen Tang. “But right now, I already feel quite happy.”
“…Huh?”
He turned on the tap, added some water to the pot, then added the cut potatoes. He covered the pot to simmer. “I said, I already feel quite happy now.”
Only then did he finally turn on the range hood, its noise seeming to cover their conversation.
“I’ve been thinking lately. Just like you said, it seems unlikely that Bai Mengling and I will last.” He rummaged in the cabinet, found another pot, and started washing it. “So what if I break up with her later? You’ve probably noticed—she’s a perfect girl. I think I won’t be able to like anyone else after her.”
That’s not necessarily true. From what I know, you fall for every girl you see, and you’re very devoted, but you end up getting hurt badly in the end.
But Chen Tang didn’t say that.
“So, maybe in the future, I really will have to marry you. Is that offer about marrying me still valid?”
“!”
“You bastard!”
Chen Tang’s pupils constricted, looking at Liu Yan with vigilance. “I treat you like a brother, and you think of me as what? You really want to use me as a fallback?”
“That’s not bad, is it? We know each other inside out.”
“No! I don’t want to know your inside, and I don’t want you to know mine!”
“You’re being unfair. After so many years of friendship, you’re so cold and heartless. That’s too much. Can’t you give your buddy a little benefit? It’s not like you’ll lose a piece of meat!”
“Doesn’t that hymen count as meat?!”
Liu Yan rolled his eyes at Chen Tang. “Alright, where’s the fish you marinated? Bring it over, and cut the lotus root over there while you’re at it.”
“Nyah nyah! Who’s helping you? I’m out!”
She ran out of the kitchen.
Liu Yan watched her leave, planning to go bother Bai Mengling, who was touring their room.
He finally let out a sigh of relief.
‘What’s wrong with me?’
‘This is clearly Chen Tang—just wearing a beautiful girl’s skin—yet I’m feeling sorry for her. If I’d left her alone, she would’ve cooled off in a while.’
‘Ah… am I just a lecher?’
‘Whenever I see a beautiful girl, I can’t help but want to comfort her?’
‘I’m truly sinful!’
Liu Yan prepared lunch with a sense of guilt.
…
“Eldest Miss Bai, what are you doing here?”
Bai Mengling was startled by Chen Tang’s sudden appearance. “Weren’t you helping him with lunch? Why did you come out?”
“That guy thinks the kitchen is his territory. Being in the kitchen gives him a sense of security, like the pots and pans are his subordinates. If I help, it’s like I’m trying to seize power. He’s the emperor of the kitchen! Those are his concubines. How could he let anyone else touch them? So he kicked me out.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s exactly how it is.”
Chen Tang seemed to be in a very good mood all of a sudden.
‘I see. Probably Liu Yan said something in the kitchen that made her happy.’
‘This is the good thing about childhood friends—they’re already so close. Once one of them develops a romantic heart, those ordinary daily contacts suddenly become ambiguous… For example, when they cook together, a simple accidental touch while passing a utensil—if no one has ulterior motives, it’s just normal. But if one side harbors romantic feelings…’
‘Then that action becomes instantly ambiguous.’
‘She could understand.’
‘It was probably a small detail like that that healed Chen Tang.’
‘It restored her energy.’
‘Childhood friends—though often considered the loser dog—are usually the most formidable opponent.’
“So what is the eldest miss doing here? This is Liu Yan’s room, isn’t it?”
Bai Mengling answered calmly, “Of course. But Liu Yan said we could look around. I’m interested in my boyfriend’s room. Although, he does have a laptop in here.”
“Mm. That’s for other things, like studying. The gaming room has two computers for us to play games.” Chen Tang explained. “What, is the eldest miss hoping to find something on this computer?”
Bai Mengling just smiled.
She didn’t deny it.
‘As his girlfriend, checking her boyfriend’s computer for study materials was only natural, wasn’t it? Nothing to be suspicious about.’
‘She didn’t need to explain herself.’
“If you’re looking for those things—well, I can’t tell you! Those are a man’s treasures. He’d rather delete chat records with his last breath. Can’t show them to outsiders!”
Bai Mengling’s eyes narrowed, and her movements paused. “You know?”
Chen Tang shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything~”
She turned and left the room with a smile. “Oh, by the way, eldest miss, his personal clothes are in here. The ones he changed last night haven’t been washed yet. Don’t do anything weird, okay~”
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