Luo Shuning Blushed

"Oh, does little sister not like snacks? Or is it that the snacks I bought aren’t tasty?"

Luo Shuling lowered her head to look at the potato chips in her hand, thinking to herself that no one could possibly dislike cucumber-flavored chips, right?

That refreshing, crisp taste—how could anyone resist it?!

"There’s no such thing. That little rascal Ximan is a total glutton—she’d finish all these snacks in two days," Gu Luo said with a bitter smile, explaining:

"This is just her unique way of acting spoiled."

"Mmm... what you’d call a tsundere, I suppose."

Admittedly, while the tsundere trope might be outdated, the unique charm Gu Ximan exuded remained undiminished.

It made people want to dote on her uncontrollably.

"A unique way of acting spoiled... Little sister is just too adorable!"

Luo Shuling’s eyes sparkled as she set down the chips, then blissfully covered her face with her hands. "Also, she just called me ‘Sister Ling’... hehe... ‘Sister Ling’... hehe..."

She was already drowning in the joy of being addressed as an elder sister.

Luo Shuning watched Luo Shuling’s antics and couldn’t help but chuckle behind her hand. "The little sisters are all so cute."

Then, she turned her beautiful eyes toward Gu Luo, a faint, unreadable glimmer flashing in them. "Big Brother really dotes on his sister, huh."

"Not really. Ximan is actually quite sensible," Gu Luo replied, steering the conversation elsewhere. "Mind if I use the kitchen?"

"Of course! There’s plenty of ingredients in the fridge."

"Then, Shuning and Shuling, do you want some? I can make extra."

Luo Shuning shook her head gently, politely declining. "No need, we’ve already eaten our fill. But I can help you out, Big Brother."

"I want some! I want some! I’m still hungry!" Luo Shuling raised her hand like an eager student answering a question in class, then looked at Gu Luo excitedly and asked,

"Big Brother, is your cooking good?"

"Well... just passable, I guess," Gu Luo replied modestly.

Even though he had [Mastery of Culinary Arts], even though he was a top-tier chef...

This was just how most Chinese people were. No matter how skilled they were, when asked, they’d always downplay it—just passable, not bad, barely acceptable.

It was like when you asked a top student how their exams went, their answer would usually be—"I barely even studied."

And then the results would come out...

Heh.

So yeah, humility (read: downplaying) and modesty (read: showing off) were a uniquely Chinese form of romance (read: flexing).

"Ah, so it’s the same as Shuning’s level," Luo Shuling immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, pouting dejectedly. "Well, I guess ‘passable’ is still one tier above ‘edible’."

"...Shuling, I’m right here, you know."

Having her culinary skills evaluated like that in front of Gu Luo made Luo Shuning’s fair cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Ah, I know you’re here, but it’s the truth," Luo Shuling blinked her big, innocent eyes, her expression pure and guileless, as if she had no idea her words were inappropriate.

Seeing this, Luo Shuning cleared her throat lightly, trying to salvage some dignity as she spoke with feigned solemnity. "Shuling, you know, your sister wakes up early every morning to make breakfast for you. It’s really tiring."

"Even if there’s no merit, there’s at least effort, right?"

"That’s true," Luo Shuling nodded obediently, then immediately pivoted, quickly adding praise. "So much effort, so much effort. Thank you, Shuning, for contributing to my weight-loss journey."

"Though, you do wake up twenty minutes earlier than us—ten minutes in the bathroom, seven minutes washing up, and two minutes making breakfast."

"Of course, it’d be even better if you didn’t mix up salt and sugar so often. Sweet scrambled eggs really aren’t that tasty, you know?"

"Oh, oh, and also, I’ve never understood why you’re so insistent on pairing cabbage with peanuts."

"Putting strawberries in mapo tofu—you must’ve watched some Japanese cooking videos, right? You did, didn’t you? You totally did, right?"

"......" The more Luo Shuning listened, the redder her face became, to the point where she wished she could vanish into the floor.

She had to admit, there was an element of gambling in her cooking—after all, she had two ready-made guinea pigs.

But still...

Gu Luo, hearing these descriptions, couldn’t help but suck in a quiet breath. Just listening to it made his scalp tingle.

Shuling, blink twice if you’re being held against your will!

This national little sister, this prodigy girl—when it came to cooking, she definitely still had... a lot of room for improvement.

Seeing the complicated expression on Gu Luo’s face, Luo Shuning grew even more flustered and quickly reached out to cover Luo Shuling’s mouth, trying to stop her from continuing.

However, Luo Shuling dodged with nimble footwork, then leapt onto the sofa and loudly declared:

"Freedom of speech!"

"Speaking the truth is this hero’s ninja way!"

"Stop talking!" Luo Shuning’s face burned even hotter as she immediately pounced, wrestling playfully with Luo Shuling.

Beautiful girl, hero, ninja way—there were too many things to nitpick here.

But Gu Luo found it all quite entertaining.

Girls play-fighting was just the best.

Soon, Luo Shuling gained the upper hand, pinning Luo Shuning beneath her and relentlessly tickling her.

"Hahaha... hahaha... stop... it tickles...!"

"Hahaha... I surrender... I surrender...!"

"Big Brother, save me... hahaha...!"

Luo Shuning laughed helplessly as she weakly struggled, her laughter sapping her strength.

"Ahem... Shuling, I still need Shuning to help me in the kitchen," Gu Luo, the ever-reliable ‘teammate,’ stepped in just in time to mediate.

"Fine, fine." Hearing this, Luo Shuling immediately got up, then stylishly flicked her smooth, ear-length bob before striking a triumphant YE pose.

Just like an MVP in a game flaunting their victory, she looked unbearably smug.

Luo Shuning quickly sat up, smoothing out her disheveled skirt.

Then, she shot Luo Shuling a glare—equal parts reproachful and resigned.

But soon, she regained her usual poised demeanor and said sheepishly to Gu Luo, "Sorry about that, Big Brother. Must’ve been quite a sight."

"No worries. Shuning, come help me out."

"Mhm, okay."

The two walked over to the open kitchen.

The kitchen was spacious, fully equipped with all kinds of utensils neatly arranged.

It was practically a paradise for cooking enthusiasts.

Gu Luo took in the sight with satisfaction, then opened the double-door fridge. Inside, ingredients of all kinds were neatly stocked—fresh vegetables, tender cuts of meat... and so on.

To his surprise, there was also a small crate of yogurt.

He picked up one carton, and upon seeing the familiar packaging, a wave of nostalgia washed over him.

It was a local brand from his hometown, Caixin County.

He hadn’t expected to find it in supermarkets here in Caizhou.

What a blast from the past.

Noticing Gu Luo staring at the yogurt in a daze, Luo Shuning asked curiously, "What’s wrong, Big Brother?"

"Ah... it's nothing." Gu Luo snapped out of his thoughts and smiled.

He put the yogurt back in the fridge and picked out some ingredients.

He planned to make stir-fried pork, spicy and sour cabbage, and scrambled eggs with cucumber.

"Oh, does Shuhe want any?" Gu Luo suddenly remembered Luo Shuhe and asked.

"Shuhe never eats late-night snacks," Luo Shuning thought for a moment. "But I’ll go ask her anyway."

"Alright."

Luo Shuning left the kitchen and headed to the second floor of the apartment, stopping at the middle room on the right.

She knocked lightly on the door.

"Shuhe, Brother is making a late-night snack and asked me to check if you’re hungry."

No response.

Probably not interested.

Just as Luo Shuning was about to leave, the door opened.

There stood Luo Shuhe, wearing a fitted black spaghetti-strap nightgown. The dress hugged her figure perfectly, accentuating every curve.

Her delicate collarbones were as pale as snow, and her long, slender legs were impossible to look away from.

"It’s rare to see Shuhe wearing the nightgown Mom bought," Luo Shuning remarked, giving her sister an admiring once-over. "You’re so beautiful—even I can’t take my eyes off you."

"Sister is just complimenting herself," Luo Shuhe replied, her voice as cold as ever.

"Not at all."

"After all, we’re identical—even our figures."

"Well… fine." Luo Shuning chuckled softly, dropping the topic. Instead, she said, "Brother asked me to—"

But before she could finish, Luo Shuhe cut in:

"I’ll eat."

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

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