"Would you like to have some soup tonight?" Seeing Bai Yuyou eyeing the couples around them with eager curiosity, Ye Shuang quickly changed the subject.
"Soup..."
"Yeah, what kind would you like?" Noticing the little foodie's attention shift to the mention of food, Ye Shuang smiled.
Bai Yuyou thought for a moment before lowering her eyes. "I... haven't had any before."
"Never?"
"Mmm." Bai Yuyou seemed to recall something. "I've had instant noodle broth. It was salty and spicy."
"That doesn’t count," Ye Shuang said gently. "In that case, let’s make corn and carrot pork rib soup—our province’s signature soup."
"Signature soup?"
"Yep."
"What’s a signature soup?"
"Uh..."
After buying some fresh ribs at the nearby market, Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou headed straight to the kitchen as soon as they got home.
"Bai Yuyou, slice some ginger for me," Ye Shuang said, rinsing the ribs before pulling out the soup pot they’d bought.
"Okay."
Bai Yuyou had learned how to chop vegetables by now—at least she no longer raised the knife high and hacked down with all her might. That kind of technique would’ve left her with no fingers to spare.
Ye Shuang placed the ribs in cold water, added a few slices of ginger Bai Yuyou had prepared, and turned on the heat to blanch them.
"You did a great job with the slicing," Ye Shuang praised, never missing a chance to encourage her.
Though Bai Yuyou’s expression remained neutral, the slight sway of her ahoge betrayed her delight at the compliment.
"Someone from our province should know how to make soup," Ye Shuang said, smiling at her. "Pay close attention so you can make it for yourself someday."
Bai Yuyou suddenly looked up, tilting her head. "For myself... Won’t you drink it with me, Ye Shuang?"
Ye Shuang paused, surprised by her sensitivity. "Of course I will. I just meant I’d like to taste the soup you make."
"Oh." Bai Yuyou nodded, watching as bubbles began to rise in the pot.
"The first step in making rib soup is blanching the ribs," Ye Shuang explained. "It removes impurities and scum, so you have to start with cold water."
"Why cold water?" Bai Yuyou asked.
"If you use hot water, the blood and fat will coagulate and stay trapped inside the meat. Cold water lets it release slowly as it heats up."
Ye Shuang went into detail, wanting Bai Yuyou to learn properly so she could take care of herself.
The next steps were simple—skim off the foam, then add carrots and corn for a homestyle corn and carrot pork rib soup.
"Add some salt." When the soup was nearly done, Ye Shuang seasoned it. "Oh, and always add salt just before serving. If you add it too early, the ribs will toughen up, and the flavor won’t come through as well."
Bai Yuyou nodded.
"Taste’s about right." Ye Shuang ladled some into a bowl and handed it to Bai Yuyou. "Try it."
Bai Yuyou took a small sip of the clear, fragrant broth—
"It’s delicious..." A faint blush spread across her pale cheeks as the sweet, savory warmth of the soup filled her body.
"Right?" Ye Shuang grinned.
But then Bai Yuyou held out the bowl, leaving just a sip inside. "Ye Shuang, you drink too... It’s really good."
Ye Shuang looked at the bowl in her hands and sighed. "No."
"Why?"
"Because you shouldn’t share a bowl you’ve already drunk from," he said.
Bai Yuyou didn’t understand, but she nodded anyway.
Ye Shuang stir-fried a couple of side dishes and tried teaching Bai Yuyou how to fry an egg. When she produced a charred, unidentifiable lump, he realized this girl might have zero talent for cooking.
Dinner ended around seven. This time, Bai Yuyou didn’t pester Ye Shuang to bathe with her—he’d made it clear she had to choose between bathing together or sleeping together.
After some thought, Bai Yuyou decided sleeping together was better.
Bathing only lasted a little while, but sleeping meant she could stay close to Ye Shuang for much longer.
Once Bai Yuyou headed to the shower, Ye Shuang pulled out his phone to browse the news, only to see several new messages from Chen Hai.
Chen Hai: You free? Let’s grab tea!
Ye Shuang called him right away.
The line connected after a few rings. "Hey."
"Why the sudden invite for tea?" Ye Shuang asked.
"Uh..." For some reason, Chen Hai’s voice sounded strained. After a pause, he said, "Just felt like hanging out. You free?"
Ye Shuang didn’t pick up on the odd tone and agreed. "Sure, I just finished dinner. Where?"
"You’ve eaten? Never mind then, just rest up." Chen Hai abruptly backtracked.
Now Ye Shuang sensed something off. "What’s going on with you? You’re acting weird."
"It’s nothing... I’ll send you the address."
"Alright."
After hanging up, Ye Shuang glanced toward the bathroom and called out,
"Bai Yuyou, I’m heading out to meet a friend. Once you’re done showering, stay home and behave."
The bathroom door flew open instantly—Bai Yuyou stepped out, completely naked. "Going out?"
"You dummy, don’t run around like that!" Ye Shuang immediately pushed her back inside. About a minute later, Bai Yuyou reappeared, her clothes clinging wetly to her skin.
Ye Shuang: "..."
He regretted not waiting until she’d finished showering.
"Why the rush?" Ye Shuang grabbed a large towel and started drying her hair. "Arms up."
Bai Yuyou obediently raised her hands, letting him peel off her soaked, semi-transparent clothes before wrapping her snugly in the towel.
"I don’t want to be apart from you," she murmured.
Ye Shuang suddenly realized just how clingy this girl was, despite their short time together.
But considering Bai Yuyou’s past, it made sense for someone who’d once had no one to rely on to latch onto him like this.
After a moment’s thought, Ye Shuang figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring her along—Chen Hai had met her before, and he could just give her some snacks to keep her quietly occupied.
"Fine, I’ll take you with me."
"Okay."
"Don’t hug me like that—the towel’s slipping!"
Following the address Chen Hai had sent, Ye Shuang rode his motorcycle with Bai Yuyou to their destination—one of Chen Hai’s apartments.
After reaching the 20th floor, Ye Shuang rang the doorbell.
"Chen Hai."
The door opened—but instead of Chen Hai, a tall, beautiful woman with wavy hair stood there.
"Ye Shuang!"
"Chen Qin?"
Heart] Chen Yi traversed the cultivation world for eight hundred years, charging his way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Just as he was outwitting his 81st Heavenly Tribulation to ascend to immortality, he was suddenly pulled into a chat group called the "Multiverse Transmigrators Support Group." To his surprise, the group was filled with nothing but fresh-faced newbies who had just transmigrated. [Help! I transmigrated into a disgraced concubine in the cold palace, and the tyrant emperor is about to execute me!] [I ended up as a cannon-fodder villain, and the protagonist is still chasing me—WTF!] [I woke up as the protagonist’s father, but I’m about to be sacrificed in a ritual! What do I do? Urgent!!!] Chen Yi stared at the chaotic flood of desperate pleas in the group and fell into deep thought. "Seriously? You drag me into a newbie transmigrator chat group… only after I’m one step away from becoming an immortal?"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
