Don't Pinch That

"Amazing! Senior Brother! When can you teach me this trick?"

Ning Qingcheng had appeared at the kitchen door at some point, holding a large bowl filled with garlic cloves she had just peeled. Her eyes were wide and perfectly round, filled with shock.

"Depends on your performance." Lin Mo glanced at her and took the bowl from her hands.

The girl peeled them quite fast; obviously, she had used her powers.

Lin Mo picked up a garlic clove, only to see it covered in tiny pits. In some places, a small chunk had even been ground away by her power, clearly showing that her control was not yet up to par.

"Wait until you can use your powers to peel garlic without damaging the cloves in the slightest, then we can talk about this."

Saying this, Lin Mo casually picked up a whole bulb of garlic nearby.

He didn't even look. With just a casual squeeze and release, a thin layer of garlic skin fluttered down, and plump, snow-white garlic cloves, as smooth as jade, rolled onto the cutting board.

Without a single trace of damage.

Ning Qingcheng's cheeks instantly puffed up like an angry pufferfish.

"Hmph! I can definitely do it! Don't look down on me!"

Unconvinced, she turned around, grabbed several more garlic bulbs from the bag, and angrily stomped back to the living room to continue her struggle.

"Hey, you don't need to peel that many. Who knows if they'll even eat it," Lin Mo reminded her from behind.

"If they don't eat it, I will!"

The little girl's muffled voice came from the living room.

Little girls are just so competitive.

Lin Mo chuckled and shook his head. He ignored her and turned back to continue preparing the chicken.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the horizon a warm orange-red. The last ray of light passed through the gap between the curtains, casting long shadows on the floor.

It had been a long time since Lin Mo's home had seen such a lively scene.

The aroma of boiled minced garlic and soy sauce drifted out from the kitchen in wisps, mingling with the faint, sweet fragrance of the young girls, filling the house with the breath of life.

With a thought, Lin Mo deactivated the soundproofing array on the room. He walked to his bedroom door, bent his knuckles, and knocked with moderate force.

"Hey, time to get up."

The voice wasn't loud, but it transmitted clearly into the room.

The first to react was Xie Yuling.

She didn't need much sleep to begin with, but the clean scent belonging to Lin Mo lingering on the bed was too soothing, causing her to unknowingly fall into a deep slumber.

As her consciousness returned, the first thing she felt was a trace of warmth and heaviness around her waist.

An arm was tightly wrapped around her waist.

She turned her head, and what caught her eyes was Jiang Yunlu's peaceful sleeping face. Her long eyelashes cast small shadows in the dim light.

It was just that this posture... was a bit ambiguous.

Xie Yuling's movements paused for a moment, and the air seemed to take on a subtle meaning.

She held her breath and carefully raised her hand, wanting to move the arm that didn't belong to her away.

The moment her fingertips covered the back of the other girl's hand, the warm and soft touch made her heart skip a beat.

At that very instant, Jiang Yunlu's eyelashes fluttered violently, and she opened her eyes.

Their eyes met.

Jiang Yunlu's gaze first fell blankly on Xie Yuling's face, then slowly moved down to see Xie Yuling's hand covering hers. Finally, she clearly saw where her own arm was resting.

Boom!

A rush of heat shot straight to the top of her head. As if she had been burned, she abruptly pulled her hand back.

"S... Sorry!" Her voice was thin and trembling, and a thin layer of red quickly spread from her cheeks to the roots of her ears.

"Uh, it's fine." Xie Yuling appeared rather calm, though her movements were a bit faster as she sat up.

Jiang Yunlu immediately sat up as well, frantically straightening her slightly wrinkled clothes, not daring to look at Xie Yuling again.

Outside the door, Lin Mo's voice sounded again, this time carrying a bit of a teasing smile.

"Get up, lazy pigs! Didn't we agree to cook? The sun has already gone down!"

"We're awake! Don't come in!" Jiang Yunlu immediately raised her voice in response, afraid that he would push the door open and see this slightly messy scene.

A soft chuckle came from outside the door.

In reality, he had already seen it.

"Too late, I already came in and took pictures of you hugging each other while sleeping."

As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Yunlu's cheeks, which had just cooled down, burned up again.

She knew that she was the one who had taken the initiative to hug Xie Yuling.

However, Xie Yuling, one of the parties involved, didn't seem to care much. She turned around and pinched the chubby cheeks of Chu Miaomiao, who was still sound asleep.

"Time to get up, Little Lazy Meow."

Disturbed in her dreams, Chu Miaomiao whimpered in dissatisfaction and mumbled something in her sleep.

"Mmm... don't, Brother Lin Mo... don't pinch there..."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was terrifyingly clear in the quiet room.

Xie Yuling: "!!!"

Jiang Yunlu: "!!!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was terrifyingly clear in the quiet room.

The hand Xie Yuling used to pinch her cheek froze.

Beside her, Jiang Yunlu's eyes widened even more.

The two exchanged a shocked look.

What kind of dream was this girl having?! So wild?!

"You're still sleeping!"

Xie Yuling snapped back to reality and decided to be ruthless. She increased the strength in her fingertips and launched a full-scale attack on those soft cheeks.

"Ah?!" Chu Miaomiao was finally completely awakened. She opened her eyes in confusion, the lingering afterglow of her shattered sweet dream still hanging on her face.

Opening her eyes, she saw a smiling Xie Yuling.

"Tell me," Xie Yuling leaned closer to her, lowering her voice, her tone full of teasing, "what good things were you just dreaming about?"

Chu Miaomiao's brain crashed for a second, and then the images from her dream overlapped with reality.

Her face instantly turned completely red, like a boiled shrimp.

"I... I didn't dream about anything, I just fell asleep."

She defended herself haltingly, her eyes darting around, clearly lying.

Xie Yuling didn't press the matter. After all, dreaming was something no one could control.

It was just that this girl's dream was a bit too bold.

A trace of envy also arose in her heart; she couldn't even dream anymore now.

On the other side, Jiang Yunlu felt the same way in her heart.

She didn't often have dreams either.

She lowered her head, inconspicuously pulled her collar closer, and took a gentle sniff.

That clear and pleasant scent belonging to Lin Mo still lingered on the fabric.

She quietly took a breath, as if this would retain the scent a little longer.

Her little movement did not escape Xie Yuling's eyes.

Xie Yuling also subconsciously raised her own sleeve and smelled it.

It indeed... smelled very good.

It was a scent that could make one's mind completely relax. Otherwise, in her current state, she wouldn't have fallen asleep so easily.

"Are you done yet? Come out and eat."

Lin Mo's urging voice came from outside the door again.

"Okay! Coming!"

The three girls replied in unison, and carrying their own complex and subtle feelings, they walked out of the room.