Chapter 43: If You're Scared, Just Cling to Me, You Know?

Videos are easy to understand at a glance, but actually doing it is another matter entirely; just how hot is fifty-percent oil temperature, anyway?

Outside the living room.

Ni Xianglei teased Bai Shuhua, asking him, "Your second sister looks quite gentle and virtuous; her cooking must be excellent, right?"

Bai Shuhua naturally had to speak up for his sister, so he straightened his back and said, "It's quite good! I've eaten plenty of the meals she's made at home!"

It was true, after all; the meals his second sister made were only edible to him.

But he had heard that once a woman got married, her cooking skills would improve greatly, so he assumed his second sister was the same.

Besides, although the kitchen door was closed, the aroma of the food had already drifted out... though it seemed to be faintly accompanied by a hint of a burnt smell.

It must be because she was deep-frying things; deep-frying always smells burnt, and Lin Wanfen was the same when she deep-fried things at home.

Yes, that must be it.

Bai Shuhua sat proudly watching TV and eating fruit; today he was finally a guest, so he could sit and eat with peace of mind.

……

Forty minutes later, dinner was served.

Everyone sat down at the dining table.

However... the guests looked at each other, and Bai Shuruo's head slowly lowered.

The shrimp and the hairtail were burnt, and the pork belly hadn't been pan-fried long enough, looking quite fatty; these dishes were fine for her to eat on her own, but it felt embarrassing to use them to entertain guests.

Bai Shuruo felt embarrassed; although she smiled with her eyes curved, one could tell at a glance that she was very insecure: "My cooking... still needs improvement. If... I wonder if it's too late to order takeout now?"

Her head sank lower and lower.

Yet at this moment, Han Yangting quietly reached out and took her hand under the table.

Her body stiffened for an instant.

But after a moment, she realized he was encouraging her so she wouldn't be nervous.

This large hand was very warm, and as he held hers, a sense of strength seemed to be passing to her.

Han Yangting spoke calmly: "These dishes are quite good; let's dig in, everyone."

Ling Feng had no choice but to flatter her insincerely: "Little Sister-in-law's cooking looks truly great. Honestly, how many young girls her age nowadays can even cook? Being able to boil instant noodles is already pretty good."

Ni Xianglei nodded: "Even I can't cook myself. Little Sister-in-law, you've worked hard."

Bai Shuhua didn't care at all; he already loved eating the food his second sister made because the food Lin Wanfen made was even worse.

Han Yangting finally let go of Bai Shuruo's hand, and he was the first to pick up a piece of hairtail to eat.

It was truly awful; had she forgotten to add ginger?

But he managed his expression well and ate it as if nothing were wrong.

Bai Shuhua picked up a shrimp; although it was burnt, he just happened to like eating burnt things and found them very fragrant, so he ate happily as well.

"Let me try this candied sweet potato," Ling Feng said with enthusiasm and anticipation.

He picked up a piece, put it in his mouth, and took a bite.

His expression suddenly froze, and then he bolted into the bathroom in a flash.

Bai Shuruo was extremely apologetic and said to Han Yangting: "Brother Han, this candied sweet potato isn't good either. Should we order some takeout?"

"No need. Ling Feng has dentures, and you can't eat candied sweet potato with dentures. He must have gotten his dentures stuck; he's probably in the bathroom picking them out right now."

Bai Shuruo: "..."

Ni Xianglei hurriedly picked up a piece of candied sweet potato to eat, giving Bai Shuruo a thumbs-up as he ate.

He didn't have dentures, but his expression wasn't quite right.

Bai Shuruo picked up a piece to eat herself; it was so bitter!

……

Just as the atmosphere was awkward, the doorbell rang; Bai Shunan had arrived, and Bai Shuhua went to open the door.

"Hello everyone!" Bai Shunan entered with poise, carrying several boxes of deli food and cold dishes.

As soon as she arrived, the atmosphere in the living room warmed up instantly.

She was beautiful and sexy, leaving Ling Feng and Ni Xianglei somewhat dumbfounded.

They hadn't expected there to be such a beautiful and elegant woman in Fengcheng.

Bai Shuhua diligently went to add bowls, chopsticks, and chairs. After all, he had been to this home before and was familiar with it.

Bai Shunan placed the boxes of deli food on the table and said: "I didn't have anything to bring, but when I was parking outside, I saw a deli shop that seemed to have good business, so I figured it must taste good and bought a few boxes."

Seeing the large spread of dishes on the table, she added: "If I had known my sister made so much food, I wouldn't have bought these."

In truth, she said that on purpose; no one knows a sister like a sister. Bai Shuruo's cooking was only something Bai Shuhua could accept; Bai Shunan couldn't stomach it.

Fortunately, with these deli items, the guests finally found something they could eat, and Bai Shuruo's sense of guilt lessened.

Next time she invited people over for a meal, she would just go to a restaurant outside, or let Han Yangting do the cooking instead.

……

The time that followed was quite joyful; with a great beauty in the house, Ni Xianglei and Ling Feng took the opportunity to ask Bai Shunan for her WeChat.

Bai Shunan was good at chatting and very knowledgeable, able to talk about anything. As they chatted, Ling Feng suggested going to play an escape room.

Ling Feng said to Bai Shuruo: "Little Sister-in-law and Yangting should come along too, otherwise we won't have enough people."

Han Yangting frowned.

He wasn't interested in games of this sort: "Not going. Childish."

However, Bai Shuruo was eager to try; she had never played before and had heard from her roommates that it was fun, so she said: "Okay, if my sister is going, I'm going too."

She couldn't care less whether Han Yangting liked it or not; she just wanted to experience it.

Ling Feng said with a smile: "Then Little Sister-in-law can just go. Yangting is a coward; he wouldn't dare play."

Han Yangting immediately became indignant: "I wouldn't dare?"

"You've been timid since you were a child," Ling Feng said.

Ni Xianglei, standing to the side, also nodded in agreement, "That's right, Yangting has been timid since he was little."

At this, everyone looked at Han Yangting, unable to believe that someone with such a powerful aura could be timid, especially Bai Shuruo, whose eyes were filled with questions.

Han Yangting looked into Bai Shuruo's eyes and couldn't help but say, "Then let's go together."

A joke, him being timid?

The group set off immediately and went to the nearest escape room.

There were many people here to play today, so they had to wait in the front hall.

Bai Shunan sat close to Bai Shuruo and whispered to her, "Ruoruo, when I was at your house today, I seemed to see that you and Han Yang sleep in separate rooms? What's going on?"

Bai Shuruo did not want to make Bai Shunan worry, so she lied, "I'm a restless sleeper and don't want to disturb him, but... when there's a need, we sleep together."

"I see..." Bai Shunan was half-convinced.

Seeing that they still had to wait a while, Ling Feng went to buy drinks for everyone.

Bai Shuruo inadvertently glanced at Han Yangting and saw that he was also looking at her; their eyes met, and she thought of how he had held her hand during the meal, causing her face to flush, and she couldn't help but look away.

Bai Shunan had not originally believed Bai Shuruo's words, but she had just happened to catch the small interaction between the two, and seeing her younger sister's flustered and shy appearance, she couldn't help but believe it.

This escape room venue was very large and contained several themes inside, including the Ancient Mansion Female Corpse Hall, the Doomsday Zombie Hall, and the Tomb Raiding Hall; after entering, one had to solve puzzles and face various terrifying scenes.

Ling Feng loved to play and, without consulting the others, chose the terrifying Ancient Mansion Female Corpse Hall.

Before entering, Han Yangting stood by Bai Shuruo's side the whole time and said, "If you get scared later, just stay close to me, understand?"

Bai Shuruo nodded nervously.

After entering the hall, one first had to test their psychological pressure, as well as solve puzzles and analyze some case details; only after passing these could they reach the crime scene.

The crime scene was an old mansion, and as soon as they entered, a cold gust of wind struck them.