Chapter 188: A Double Dose of Joy?

Noon.

Chen Shu fried a dish of bubble potatoes for the little girl; he cut the potatoes into thick slices, washed them, coated them in starch, and fried them twice at low and high temperatures until they puffed up into bubbles, crispy on the outside and hollow in the middle, just like little balloons, delicious no matter how you ate them, and then he stir-fried two small side dishes, making for the midday meal.

Very home-style.

The two of them ate quietly.

Taozi crouched in the corner of the living room, also eating very intently.

It didn't know what that human had done to it, but there was an invisible wall of air around it, and no matter how it ran, it couldn't get out.

However, it wasn't afraid.

Whatever it was, it would talk about it after finishing the meal.

That human was just so annoying; relying on having a higher status in the household than it, a larger size, and being more favored by the master, he always loved to bully it, but after all these years, it had already gotten used to it.

Just now, it heard that human tell another human, whose household status was about the same as its own, that the master would be back soon, and at that time, the master would save it.

Today's food was quite strange...

It looked like a big piece, but after one bite, it discovered it was hollow inside.

Taozi bit into the bubble potato chip, making a crunching sound, and couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled, feeling like it had eaten something, yet also like it hadn't.

One hour later.

The seal on the west wing room collapsed with a boom.

Light finally entered this wing room.

Amidst the rising dust, Ning Qing's figure gradually emerged, standing at the doorway with no expression on her face.

Having not received any light for a month, she didn't walk out immediately, but stood at the doorway for over ten seconds, her eyes going from slightly squinted to open, and only then did she step into the fiercely sunny courtyard, though she still couldn't help but squint her eyes.

In the sunlight, her face was snow-white.

After briefly adjusting, Ning Qing looked up at the sky, withdrew her gaze, and immediately looked at the Rouge Buckle by the wall, walking over to stand quietly in front of this climbing rose that covered half the wall but had sparse flowers.

It seemed like simple appreciation.

A few seconds later, she reached out and beckoned; a small Recording Device pushed aside the dense branches and leaves, flew out, and landed steadily in her palm.

Ning Qing took a look, put it away, and walked toward the house.

She looked down and inspected as she walked—

The ground was very clean, with no fallen leaves, no petals, no weeds growing in the courtyard, and no withered flowers on the rose branches.

But it was clearly visible that there were traces of the courtyard having been cleaned recently; the soil brought up when pulling out weeds was still fresh, and there were many new wounds on the roses that had neither healed nor turned black, obviously pruned just today.

Ning Qing walked toward the house indifferently.

"Click."

She opened the door.

On the living room sofa, the two people playing cards looked up at her, one with Surprise, one with a guilty conscience. In the corner, Taozi lay listlessly, contemplating life.

Ning Qing's gaze shifted slightly downward.

The floor was bright enough to reflect a person.

"Ouch!"

That person was the first to make a sound, scaring Taozi in the corner into instantly turning its head to stare at him.

Immediately, he put away the Surprise on his face, looked at the little girl, and turned to ask with a puzzled expression: "Who is this? Looks a bit unfamiliar..."

The acting was too exaggerated.

The little girl shook her head blankly:

"Don't know..."

This acting was not bad, could score ninety points.

Ning Qing pursed her lips, ignored them, and only praised: "The house and courtyard are kept quite clean."

The little girl held the cards in her hand, quietly observing her, and didn't make a sound.

She was probably afraid of getting hit.

Ning Qing intended to let her be afraid for a while longer.

That person, however, immediately became smug, even lying: "We clean every day, it's even cleaner than when you were here!"

"..."

Ning Qing couldn't be bothered to expose him.

Just let him be happy for a moment.

She walked toward the corner, waved her hand to remove Chen Shu's imprisonment spell, bent down to pick up Taozi, and turned to ask Chen Shu: "How did it provoke you again?"

"Don't even mention it!"

Chen Shu waved his hand; anyway, he was going to lose this round, so he took the opportunity to throw down his cards: "I almost stewed it!"

"Woof!!"

Taozi stared at him angrily.

The little girl looked down at the cards he had thrown on the sofa, lost in thought.

"Didn't eat lunch?"

"Ate in the morning."

"Want to eat?"

"Is there anything I like?"

"Sweet and Sour Chinese Cabbage."

"Want to eat."

"Then I'll go heat it up for you."

Chen Shu got off the sofa and put on his slippers.

Ning Qing also followed behind him toward the kitchen.

The young girl quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

After the two were out of the young girl's sight, Chen Shu immediately turned around, opened his arms, and made a gesture to embrace her.

Ning Qing just silently stopped, lowered her eyes, looked at the floor, and stood there very obediently, letting him hug her; only after he let go did she ask faintly, "Did you miss me?"

"Missed you to death!"

"Good."

"How about you?"

"About the same," Ning Qing answered very honestly, but there was still no expression on her face.

"Why do you smell so good?" Chen Shu sniffed again.

"I took a bath before coming out."

"Oh! Hard work!"

"..."

"Then did you take a bath inside this month?"

"No."

"..." Chen Shu was silent for a moment, "Is it really okay for you to answer so bluntly?"

"I don't know how to lie."

"Eww, how sloppy~~"

"..." Ning Qing couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind; watching him take leftovers out of the refrigerator, she continued to ask, "Did you sing for me?"

"Definitely!"

"How many times did you sing?"

"Quite a few times."

"Which dates did you sing on?"

"Forgot... anyway, I sang when I was cooking for you."

"Good."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Can you also turn back time?"

"No," Ning Qing was still very honest, watching him light the fire and start heating the pan, "Where is my Mobile Phone?"

"Oh..."

Chen Shu took out her Mobile Phone and handed it to her, telling her, "I helped you lighten your financial burden a little. But your burden is really too heavy; although I've tried very hard to help you these past few days, the effect was still not great."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"..."

As the food went into the pan, steam and fragrance began to rise, making a sizzling sound; Ning Qing glanced at her Mobile Phone, then withdrew her gaze and continued to stand side-by-side with Chen Shu by the stove, watching him cook.

The plain, mundane smoke and fire of the human world.

This feeling made her feel very wonderful.

Under such beauty, the emptiness and darkness of the past month became like a dream, unable to cause the slightest impact on her heart.

Because there is love, there is invincibility.

Ning Qing's eyes flickered as she saw Chen Shu turn his head: "I saved some rice for you; do you want to eat hot rice or fried rice?"

Ning Qing calmly accepted his gaze, but did not dare to look him in the eye, fearing she wouldn't be able to manage her expression and would affect her cold, aloof image:

"Fried rice."

"Good."

"Pickled pepper fried rice."

"This Sweet and Sour Chinese Cabbage is already sour and spicy, so just eat regular egg fried rice. If the rice is also sour and spicy, and the dish is also sour and spicy, you won't be able to taste the flavor of the dish later."

"Good."

Ten minutes later.

Ning Qing sat at the dining table eating; she didn't stand on ceremony anymore, playing with her Mobile Phone while eating, while Chen Shu sat across from her, watching her eat.

"Playing with your Mobile Phone while eating!"

"Learned it from you."

"..." Chen Shu was silent for a few seconds, "What are you looking at?"

"Looking at what you did to my Mobile Phone."

"Where have you read up to?"

"Looking at you using my tone to deceive my roommate; almost finished," Ning Qing gave a detailed report, "I'll look at you talking to yourself later."

"..." Chen Shu was silent for another few seconds, then kindly advised, "Focus on eating when you're eating, why play with your Mobile Phone."

"Learned it from you."

"I'm an idiot!"

"Seconded."

"??"

"..."

"Stop looking."

"No."

"Don't be disobedient!"

"Not listening."

"……Where have you read up to now?"

"I've started reading your monologues."

"Can't you read them behind my back?"

"I can't wait."

Ning Qing's gaze remained on the Mobile Phone screen, only shifting away briefly when she used her spoon to scoop up food.

"I heard that starting today, your school is providing free fish to all teachers and students." Chen Shu changed the subject and quietly observed her, trying to discern something from her expression, but unfortunately, she was a master of expression management, and he could see nothing at all, so he had to continue, "Let's go eat it tonight."

"Okay."

"Did you calculate this?"

"Yes."

"Then have you started your exams yet?"

"The first exam is tonight, for an unimportant course; the second exam doesn't start until the day after tomorrow." Ning Qing continued eating and scrolling down through the messages, unable to resist glancing at the person across from her.

"……"

Chen Shu felt somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze and, unable to stand it, reached out to swat her hand: "Stop looking……"

"Slap……"

A very faint sound.

"?"

Chen Shu was stunned to discover that even though he had struck Ning Qing's wrist, it was his own wrist that was hurting.

Try again.

"Slap……"

His own hand was still the one hurting.

Chen Shu glanced at Ning Qing and saw her right hand holding the spoon to continue scooping food, while her left hand held the Mobile Phone; her wrist was as white as jade, completely unmoved.

"What is going on?"

"A little trick from the Secret Sect."

"There are tricks like this?" Chen Shu's eyes widened, "Is this what you gained from your seclusion this time?"

"No." Ning Qing continued to browse the messages he had sent as monologues—this person sent them every day, at least one from each side, and sometimes he would monologue for a long time, while she read very slowly, taking a long time for each message, all while talking to him, "This is just a non-core ability inherent to the Secret Sect System, intended to pave the way for the next method of cultivation."

"What is its function? Transferring pain to someone else?"

"Sensory."

"All senses?"

"Mm."

"Emmm……"

Chen Shu couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

If it were like this, wouldn't he be able to experience double the pleasure during sex later on?

"……"

Chen Shu pondered for a few seconds and said to her in a negotiating tone: "I have a small idea……"

"Don't even think about it."

"But I want to think about it!"

"Then don't say it."

"But I want to say it!"

"I will block my hearing."

"……" Chen Shu pondered for a few more seconds, "Then I'll say it later."

"I will block my hearing later, too."

"Then what was the gain from your cultivation this time?"

"I am closer to the rules."

"Specifically?"

"I can guess better."

"Emmm……" Chen Shu watched her silently, then spoke, "Can you guess what I just said in my heart?"

"You're the idiot."

"You can even guess that?"

"This has nothing to do with the Secret Sect." Ning Qing continued eating calmly, "It is based purely on my understanding of you."

"……" Chen Shu stood up silently, not wanting to chat with her anymore, "Eat slowly, and remember to wash the bowls when you're done."

"Okay."

Ning Qing's gaze moved past the Mobile Phone to glance at his departing back, then she continued looking at the messages on WeChat, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

Only a little bit.

……

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