The Same Black Camisole Nightgown

"Big brother, Shu He is hungry too. Could you make an extra portion, please?"

"Sure. How are Shuling and Shu He's appetites lately?" Gu Luo asked while methodically organizing the ingredients.

He was essentially asking about their portion sizes.

"Shu He eats very little, but Shuling... she can really pack it away!" At this, Luo Shuning couldn't help but smile, picturing Luo Shuling wolfing down food with adorable enthusiasm.

Eats a lot, huh...

Just like Little Man.

Great, now there'll be two bottomless pits at home.

"I'll cook more rice then."

"Let me handle that—you focus on the dishes," Luo Shuning volunteered.

"Alright."

They divided the tasks smoothly.

After rinsing the rice three times, Luo Shuning added water just a finger's width above the rice, then set it in the rice cooker and pressed start.

When she returned to Gu Luo's side, she found him swiftly chopping ingredients with practiced ease.

His knife moved with precision—each slice of meat was uniform, a testament to his solid culinary skills.

"That's amazing," Luo Shuning marveled before asking, "Do you cook often, big brother? How long have you been doing this?"

Without pausing, Gu Luo continued dicing, the knife dancing across the cutting board. "Yeah, pretty often. I started when I was six..."

"Six?!" Luo Shuning gasped.

At that age, most children were still coddled by their parents, yet Gu Luo had already taken on cooking duties.

"Yeah. My dad was rarely home, and I couldn’t let Little Man keep eating out. Didn’t have much choice," Gu Luo replied casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing.

Luo Shuning sighed softly. "You’ve really had it tough, big brother..."

"It’s nothing. Just cooking simple meals—no big deal."

"No, it is!" Luo Shuning insisted, watching him prep ingredients with earnest admiration.

"Preparing warm meals for your family every day isn’t simple at all. I think it’s something truly remarkable."

"Is that so...?" Gu Luo paused briefly, caught off guard.

"It is! You’ve worked hard, big brother!"

Hearing this, Gu Luo glanced at Luo Shuning’s sincere expression.

Her eyes brimmed with genuine appreciation.

A warmth spread through his chest.

No one had ever thanked him like this before.

Their gazes met for just a second before both looked away.

"Thank you," Gu Luo murmured, his voice carrying a hint of softness.

"I’m just stating facts." Luo Shuning smiled, picking up a nearby cabbage. "Also, I’d like to apologize on Mother’s behalf."

"She could’ve given you more time—let you say goodbye to your classmates properly... But she rushed things."

"Still, I promise she doesn’t dislike you or your sister at all!"

"It’s fine." Gu Luo smiled, stealing another glance at her.

Under the light, Luo Shuning looked ethereal—like a celestial maiden.

Her skin was porcelain-fair, eyes luminous, radiating purity and grace.

It was hard to look away.

"Oh, and I really loved what you said at dinner earlier," Luo Shuning added, carefully separating cabbage stems and leaves with a knife, mimicking his technique.

"Some things are just more important than others."

"Family should always be about mutual understanding and patience."

She sighed. "You’re so mature, big brother. Compared to you, I’m not much of an elder sister."

Gu Luo knew she was referring to not standing up for Luo Shuling earlier.

Seeing her guilt, he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, there are spare rooms here. Why doesn’t the family hire a maid?"

Given the Luo family’s wealth, they could easily afford not just one top-tier maid, but a thousand without blinking.

"Well... we used to have one... but after an incident, Mother stopped allowing it." Luo Shuning’s mood visibly dipped.

Oops. Wrong question.

Gu Luo backtracked cheerfully. "Shuning, how about I teach you to cook?"

When in doubt, pivot.

"Sure!" Her smile returned—polished and flawless.

And so, Gu Luo launched into a masterclass.

Even something as simple as cracking an egg one-handed left Luo Shuning, a kitchen novice, utterly mesmerized.

"Incredible!"

Admittedly, being admired by a beautiful girl felt pretty great.

Gu Luo handed her the spatula and began instructing.

Luo Shuning listened intently, absorbing every detail.

Yet, at that very moment, their fingers accidentally brushed against each other.

For an instant, it felt as if an electric current had passed between them.

Luo Shuning didn’t pay it much mind, but Gu Luo instinctively jerked his hand back at lightning speed.

Seeing this, she blinked her large eyes, momentarily stunned, before covering her mouth with a light chuckle. "I take back what I said earlier. Big brother doesn’t seem as mature as I thought."

And so adorable!

Of course, that last part was only said in her mind.

"Ahem..." Gu Luo cursed himself inwardly for acting so embarrassingly, though his expression remained perfectly composed, as if nothing had happened.

He feigned calmness and continued guiding Luo Shuning through the cooking process, but the faint blush creeping onto his cheeks betrayed his true feelings.

Yet, seeing him like this only made Luo Shuning laugh even more brightly.

To her, Gu Luo in this moment was just a shy, adorable boy.

With their combined efforts, the meal was soon ready.

Dishes boasting vibrant colors, enticing aromas, and exquisite flavors were arranged on the counter, their delicious scent filling the air.

"Then, big brother, I’ll go take a bath first."

"You haven’t bathed yet?" Gu Luo was surprised.

After all, he and Little Man had arrived close to 10 p.m., and he had assumed Luo Shuning had already freshened up before greeting them.

Come to think of it, back at Tianshui Restaurant, Luo Shuning had offered to accompany them home to fetch their luggage, but he had politely declined.

Yet the moment they stepped out of the car, she was already waiting downstairs.

"Not yet," she replied with a smile, stretching her arms in a languid motion.

Gu Luo’s gaze instinctively flickered toward her before he quickly averted his eyes.

"Then go ahead and bathe. I’ll handle the rest."

"Mhm."

Meanwhile, in the living room...

On the couch, Luo Shuling and Gu Ximan were nestled together, munching on chips and laughing uproariously at the soap opera playing on TV.

But Luo Shuhe’s attention never strayed from the kitchen.

Her eyes remained fixed on the sight of her elder brother and sister chatting and laughing intimately.

Her expression, however, betrayed no emotion—cold and unreadable, like an eternal sheet of ice.

.............

[Notification: Completed task—Preparing midnight snacks for younger sister Gu Ximan. Reward: 1 point.]

[Notification: Completed task—Preparing midnight snacks for younger sister Luo Shuhe. Reward: 1 point.]

[Notification: Completed task—Preparing midnight snacks for younger sister Luo Shuling. Reward: 1 point.]

"Food’s ready," Gu Luo announced as he carried the dishes and rice to the dining table, calling out to the trio.

"Coming, coming!"

Luo Shuling immediately sprang up, dragging Gu Ximan by the hand as they hurried to the table.

Taking a deep whiff of the rich, mouthwatering aroma, her eyes sparkled with delight.

"So fragrant!" she exclaimed.

"Ah, seems big brother was lying after all."

"Ahem... Well, eat up," Gu Luo replied with a faint smile. He wasn’t hungry himself, so he made his way toward the couch instead.

There, he spotted Luo Shuhe standing beside it, clad in a spaghetti-strap nightgown, her face as expressionless as ever.

She was breathtakingly beautiful—her frosty demeanor making her seem untouchable, like a rare flower atop a distant peak.

Hers was a beauty of chilling elegance.

After just one glance, Gu Luo averted his gaze and walked past her.

In that brief moment, he felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.

Tsk...

He really needed to find a chance to talk to Luo Shuhe.

She was... strange.

Shaking off the thought, he quickened his pace and plopped down onto the couch where the three had been sitting earlier.

A cheesy romance drama played on the TV.

Having zero interest in it, Gu Luo pulled out his phone and messaged an old classmate about his transfer arrangements.

Some time later, the bathroom door suddenly swung open.

Luo Shuning emerged, her long hair tied into a neat bun, a headband securing her fringe. She, too, wore a form-fitting black spaghetti-strap nightgown.

Her freshly bathed skin glowed under the light, radiating an alluring charm.

............

............