Su Qi took another glance at that plate of suspiciously colored "culinary masterpiece."
Liu Yuan's cheeks instantly burned scarlet.
She would have preferred it if her brother had just bluntly called it disgusting—that would have been easier to swallow.
Though... the reality wasn’t far off.
She had been a flustered mess in the kitchen—adding salt, then panicking and diluting it with water, vaguely channeling the infamous "too much salt? add water; too much water? add salt" cycle.
Then she tried sprinkling in sugar for umami, only to forget to turn down the heat...
"I-I'm sorry, Master..." Liu Yuan's voice was barely louder than a mosquito's hum. "I... I messed up..."
The pair of fluffy fox ears atop her head drooped dejectedly, swaying slightly with her movements.
Su Qi didn’t immediately respond to his sister’s apology.
He set down his chopsticks and pulled out a chair.
Standing had become too taxing; leaning back slightly, he crossed his legs and settled into a more relaxed posture, his gaze fixed on her.
"You spent the whole afternoon on this?"
"Mm!" Liu Yuan jerked her head up, as if grasping at a chance to redeem herself. "I read tons of recipes! And—and I practiced my knife skills for ages! Even though... the results weren’t great..."
Her voice trailed off, her confidence withering by the second.
"Is that so?" Su Qi’s tone remained neutral.
No praise for effort. No consolation for failure.
That very calmness unsettled Liu Yuan even more.
She’d rather he either pointed out her mistakes outright or reassured her that she’d do better next time.
But this... what even was this?
"Brother, I—" Liu Yuan bit her lower lip.
But Su Qi cut her off.
"What ‘brother’?"
"You’re quite the smooth talker for a little fox."
"Weren’t you the one who said you’d do anything if I took you in?"
Liu Yuan: "!!!"
Oh right! They were roleplaying!
So it wasn’t that Su Qi was being unnervingly calm—he’d instantly picked up on her cue and slipped into character!
Her role was that of a homeless, gravely injured fox spirit.
She couldn’t back down over something this trivial!
Her mind raced.
No script, just improv.
"The dinner was a failure... b-but I can still repay you in other ways!"
Her voice regained some of the desperate eagerness of a wounded fox cub trying to prove her worth to her master: "Just give the order!"
The moment those words left her mouth, Liu Yuan felt her shame tolerance plummet—another side effect of the "Fox Wife" persona she’d adopted.
Normally, such a submissive plea would’ve been impossible for her to voice.
But now? It didn’t feel so unthinkable.
She even straightened her posture slightly, meeting Su Qi’s gaze with wide, slightly misty eyes—doing her best to radiate ‘adorable obedience.’
Su Qi studied her.
The fox ears atop her head twitched faintly with her shifting emotions.
That look, paired with her hesitant yet eager-to-please tone...
Su Qi adjusted his seating position again.
This chair must be defective—why did it suddenly feel so warm?
"What can you do, then?" he asked.
"I-I can..."
Liu Yuan blanked.
What could she do?
Play mobile games? Did that count?
Studying?
Not exactly "repayment" material.
Surely her master wouldn’t assign "get into XX University" as a task.
Housework?
She wasn’t... particularly skilled at that either.
Aside from the somewhat salvageable tomato-and-egg stir-fry, the rest...
Her face flushed deeper.
Was she really... that useless?
A wave of dejection hit her.
"I... I can learn!" she blurted, seizing the lifeline. "Whatever Master wants, I’ll learn! I’m a quick study!"
For emphasis, she nodded vigorously, her fox ears bouncing in sync.
Su Qi’s eyes lingered on those ears for a beat.
"Is that so." His voice stayed flat. "Then start by cleaning this up."
He gestured at the table’s spread of "culinary disasters."
"Huh?" Liu Yuan blinked.
That’s... it?
Just clearing the table?
She’d assumed, given the "master and servant" dynamic, the request might’ve been... well... more.
Like a back rub? A massage? Or... other things?
Her brain unhelpfully supplied some decidedly NSFW imagery from her "educational materials."
"Yes, Master!"
Though anticlimactic, she sprang into action, swiftly gathering plates and utensils.
Her "Spirit Fox Steps" granted her unnatural grace—now repurposed for efficiently stacking dishes without a single clatter.
Su Qi remained seated, watching his sister work.
She dumped the "failures" into the trash with meticulous care, her movements tinged with... something like regret?
Probably mourning her wasted afternoon.
He didn’t rush her. Didn’t offer help.
Just observed in silence.
Sigh... Letting her efforts go to waste felt harsh, but Su Qi wasn’t suicidal enough to stomach those dishes for the sake of indulging his foolish little sister.
Eating that would be lethal.
"M-Master, all done!" Liu Yuan wiped her hands and trotted back, tail swishing behind her.
"Mn." Su Qi stood.
He wasn’t exceptionally tall, but she was short enough to need to tilt her head up to read his expression.
Which, as usual, gave nothing away.
"The kitchen?" he prompted.
"The... kitchen?" Liu Yuan faltered. "That needs cleaning too?"
Then she recalled the warzone she’d left behind—spilled condiments, greasy stovetop, the sink piled with practice cookware...
"Right! On it!" She spun toward the kitchen.
"Wait." Su Qi stopped her.
She froze mid-step, turning back.
"That outfit’s impractical, no?"
His gaze swept over her.
Visually striking, yes—but hardly suitable for scrubbing grease.
Liu Yuan looked down at herself.
Oh. Right.
"S-So should I change?" she ventured.
"Mn. Go."
With permission granted, she dashed off to her room.
Only once she’d disappeared did Su Qi head to the kitchen.
Predictable chaos greeted him.
He turned on the faucet and began washing the tower of dishes.
Liu Yuan returned quickly, now wearing one of Su Qi’s oversized white shirts—though the fox ears stayed firmly in place.
(Minimal requirements for maintaining the "Fox Wife" persona, after all.)
Su Qi turned around upon sensing movement behind her.
Su Qi: ???
Is this outfit really more convenient?
Well... in a way, I guess it is kind of convenient...
But...
What on earth did my stupid little sister eat today to grow such a bold attitude?
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
