You Are Different

Twenty minutes later, Su Yang and Pan Ning arrived back at the entrance of Villa Jingcheng No. 06.

Since there was quite a lot of cargo in the car, Su Yang got out and opened the other vehicle gate on the right side of the main entrance. Then he got back in the car, drove into the courtyard, and parked right in front of the inner main door.

"Alright, let's get out."

Inside the house, Meng Qianyu, hearing the sound of the car, tiptoed over and opened the door.

"You're back?"

"Yeah."

"What did you buy?"

"A whole bunch of random stuff. Don’t worry about it—go sit down."

Pan Ning then looked at Meng Qianyu and asked, "Did you apply the ointment?"

"I did."

"Here, Su Yang bought you a bag and some jewelry."

Meng Qianyu leaned against the doorframe, her face lighting up with joy as Pan Ning handed her the bags. "Wow, I got something too!"

Su Yang chuckled. "Of course you did."

"Hehe, thanks, Su Yang!"

"No need to thank me. You helped me pick out a lot of stuff too. Go ahead and take it."

"Alright, then I won’t hold back!" Meng Qianyu beamed as she accepted the bags from Pan Ning.

Eagerly, she turned and hurried back inside with her new treasures.

Su Yang smiled quietly and opened the trunk to start unloading.

With Pan Ning’s help, they carried everything inside in just over ten minutes.

After closing the door, Su Yang grabbed a bottle of water, opened it, and handed it to Pan Ning. "You go rest. I’ll handle the rest."

"Okay~" Pan Ning took the water and walked over to where Meng Qianyu was.

Surveying the pile of goods on the floor, Su Yang first put the meat and vegetables into the built-in double-door refrigerator in the kitchen.

Then he arranged all the kitchenware in their proper places.

Su Yang worked quickly—thanks to his enhanced physical condition, he didn’t feel tired at all.

In less than half an hour, everything was neatly organized.

Once done, he grabbed an ice-cold cola, took a sip, and murmured, "Not bad. Feels a bit more like home now."

"Still feels empty, though."

Hearing Su Yang’s muttering, Pan Ning walked over and said lightly, "That’s just because your place is so big. We bought plenty today."

"Fair enough. What time is it now?" He checked his watch—it was already 6:30 in the evening.

"Whoa, it’s this late already? Time to cook."

Pan Ning asked, "Need any help?"

"Sure, wash some vegetables for me."

"Got it."

From the couch, Meng Qianyu turned her head and called out, "Su Yang, I can help too!"

She started to stand up.

Su Yang quickly waved her off. "No, no, stay put. Your sister’s got it covered."

"Are you sure you don’t need me?"

"Nah, cooking’s a breeze for me. Just sit tight and wait for the feast."

"Alright then~" She plopped back down with a grin.

Su Yang and Pan Ning exchanged a smile before heading into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

‘This’ll be my first time cooking since getting the Master Chef skill. Wonder just how amazing the food will taste? Heh, kinda excited.’

Su Yang opened the newly purchased Cuckoo rice cooker, took out the inner pot, rinsed it, and then poured in rice from a fresh bag.

As he worked, he glanced at Pan Ning with a smile. "Any requests for dinner?"

Pan Ning thought for a second. "Braised pork ribs?"

"Sure thing. Let me check with Qianyu." Su Yang jogged out to the living room and called, "Qianyu, what do you wanna eat?"

"Me?" Meng Qianyu, absorbed in her phone, blinked in surprise.

Su Yang chuckled. "Yeah, you. What’s your pick?"

"Oh! I was just online shopping. Hmm..." She tapped her chin cutely before answering, "Spicy shrimp, maybe?"

"Easy enough. Coming right up~"

"Yay~ Thanks, Su Yang!"

"No problem~" He grinned and dashed back to the kitchen.

Soon, the rice was cooking. Su Yang turned to Pan Ning. "Pan, grab the shrimp from the fridge and put them in a bowl. I’ll prep them in a sec."

"Deveining them?"

Su Yang nodded. "Yep~"

"I can handle that. I do it all the time."

"Great. Didn’t know you could."

Pan Ning smirked. "Guess you still don’t know everything about me."

Hearing that, Su Yang grinned wider. "Plenty of time to learn. One day, I’ll know you inside out~"

Pan Ning rolled her eyes. "And once you do, will you lose interest?"

Su Yang paused, then laughed. "No way. You’re different."

"Oh? How?"

Meeting her sparkling gaze, Su Yang said earnestly, "In every way. You’re one of a kind to me."

Pan Ning fake-gagged. "Ugh, so cheesy. Stop—I’m not used to hearing that from you yet."

Su Yang threw his head back, laughing. "You’ll get used to it~ Alright, enough teasing. Let’s cook."

The two bantered as they prepped ingredients. Tonight’s menu included stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, garlicky greens, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, seafood tofu soup, plus the requested braised ribs and spicy shrimp.

Five dishes and a soup—more than enough for three.

Su Yang picked up a bunch of greens and handed them to Pan Ning. "Wash these too. I’ll use them later."

"Huh? You actually eat vegetables?"

"What do you mean ‘actually’? Since when don’t I?"

"First time I’ve seen you choose veggies."

"Well, gotta balance the meal, right?"

"Fine, hand them over."

Their cheerful teamwork soon filled the kitchen with the rhythmic chopping of knives and the sizzle of oil in the wok.

These were the sounds that made a house feel alive.

[Ding! Detected host enjoying cooking with his girlfriend. Mood greatly improved. Reward: 2 million.]

Over an hour later, Su Yang finished cooking everything.

Pan Ning set the table with bowls and chopsticks, then returned to help carry out the dishes.

Su Yang washed his hands, smiling. "Call Qianyu for dinner~"

"Okay~"

Pan Ning headed toward the living room while Su Yang brought out the rice cooker and served the steamed rice.

Then he walked to the liquor cabinet, opened a box of Moutai, and pulled out a bottle.

"Gotta celebrate our first meal in the new home with some good liquor."

‘Good thing the Alcohol Master skill lets me control my intoxication. Usually, I let the alcohol evaporate, but tonight, I wanna actually feel it. I’ll hold off on activating the skill and enjoy a proper drink.’

Glass in hand, he sat at the table with a contented smile.

"Ladies, dinner’s ready! Dig in."

...