Beyond the Art of Cuisine, There's Also the Art of Foot Care (Bonus Update)

Hearing Chi Qingchi's remarks,

It was most likely a case of "suspicion without evidence," relying purely on guesswork.

If there were solid proof,

She wouldn't have openly admitted it to Lin Yu.

One could only say,

Twins are truly miraculous creatures—how terrifyingly in sync they can be!

And you really shouldn’t mess around with this.

If Lin Yu sent a message now, his little girlfriend might very well pridefully agree.

Wouldn’t that indirectly prove to Xiao Chi:

"No more pretending, I’m coming clean—I’m your brother-in-law!"

For a moment,

He really had his tail stepped on by that gluttonous Chi Qingchi!

Pia!

Just as Lin Yu was pondering how to handle the tricky "twin phenomenon,"

Chi Qingchi pulled out a tube of hand cream from who-knows-where.

She unscrewed the cap, squeezed some onto the back of her hand, and rubbed it thoroughly between her palms.

Lin Yu: "What’s the meaning of this?"

Chi Qingchi: "For the massage, of course. If my hands are too dry, it’ll ruin the client’s experience."

Lin Yu: "So this counts as a bribe, huh? What kind of official could resist such a test?"

Chi Qingchi: "Offering my hands to the one and only 'male leader' of our apartment—how is that a bribe?"

With that,

Chi Qingchi promptly positioned herself behind Lin Yu, her small hands applying just the right pressure as she kneaded his shoulders.

[Ding!]

[Outstanding move! The Joyous Sect Bell Envoy actually took the initiative to fulfill the host’s dreams with her own hands!]

[Reward: 20 Spirit Stones.]

"Ahh~ fufu~"

Lin Yu exhaled in satisfaction.

It wasn’t that Chi Qingchi’s technique was particularly skilled or refined—

It was simply that her stunning appearance added a layer of mental pleasure to the act itself.

At the same time,

It fully demonstrated to Lin Yu just how far a top-tier "foodie" would go for a bite of street snacks!

"Not bad, Xiao Chi. You’ve got quite the scheme going."

"Repaying me for taking you shopping, while also getting me to do you another favor?"

"You’re way sharper than I am! Move your left hand a bit lower..."

Chi Qingchi quickly protested:

"Of course not!"

"One thing is one thing—they can’t be mixed together."

"This doesn’t count as repaying a favor, no tricks involved. My hands were just idle, that’s all."

Lin Yu asked curiously:

"You think your sister cares about people finding out she lives with a male classmate and eats meals together?"

"What about you? Aren’t you afraid of being seen by classmates?"

Chi Qingchi blurted out without hesitation:

"I can wear my sister’s clothes and put on a black wig. No one would recognize me—they’d all think I’m her."

Lin Yu: "..."

You can play it like that?

What a devoted little sister, throwing your own sister under the bus, huh?

"Hehe, just kidding!"

"Mainly because... Xiao Ahao and his friends, and his friend’s girlfriend, already know about us..."

"Since the cat’s out of the bag, what difference does one or two more people make?"

"I..."

"Stand straight, and the shadow won’t slant!"

By the end, Chi Qingchi even sounded somewhat confident.

Lin Yu fired back:

"More like 'your greed outweighs your fear of trouble!'"

But then again,

If classmates found out Lin Yu was living with the twin sisters...

He couldn’t care less!

Let whoever know, whatever.

Tonight’s dinner party was a golden opportunity for Lin Yu to charm the crowd.

Who knows? By the end of the meal, he might rack up plenty of snacks!

The more people joining in, the better.

But agreeing to the little homebody's request so easily would be letting her off too lightly...

Lin Yu: "Qingchi, your hand strength feels off... Why does it hurt more the more you press?"

Chi Qingchi: "Huh? Uncomfortable? How about this?"

Lin Yu: "Let go of me!"

A look of shock flashed across Chi Qingchi's petite face: "???"

What was going on?

Was her massage really that bad?

Lin Yu swiveled his chair around to face her directly.

With a stern expression, he said:

"You're so unprofessional..."

"Jumping straight into it?"

"No warm-up first?"

Chi Qingchi: "Uh..."

In just an instant, the little homebody fully grasped the subtext of Lin Yu's words.

This "ferocious" dialogue instantly conjured in Chi Qingchi's mind... that one man whose foot was eternally planted in foot massage parlors!

Her expression shifted rapidly through several emotions before settling into conflicted hesitation:

"Can we keep it to shoulders?"

Lin Yu pointed toward the bedroom door:

"The exit's that way, and..."

"Fried chicken cutlets, takoyaki, grilled sausages, jianbing, stinky tofu... and 104 other street snacks are waiting at the food market."

Chi Qingchi nearly shot flames from her eyes:

"Lin Yu~ That's cheating! You can't play dirty like this~"

"This foot thing isn't right."

"As your classmate, I can't enable your... unholy proclivities!"

"At most... five... three minutes!"

Lin Yu couldn't suppress a knowing smirk:

"Kindly remove your boots!"

"Summer break is the perfect time to properly educate you."

"Let me demonstrate what true... podiatric artistry really means!"

Chi Qingchi had no patience for his grandstanding.

Who could've predicted?

Today would demand not just her hands in service, but her feet as well.

Was earning a meal ticket ever this hard?

She sat on the bed's edge and pointed toward the window.

Lin Yu tactfully turned his head away, granting temporary privacy.

Chi Qingchi slowly rolled down her thigh-highs, arranging them neatly aside.

Then.

She tossed the hand cream to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu caught and applied it: "Quite professional."

...

Five minutes later.

"Aahh... nghh..."

[Ding!]

[Masterful execution! Host's exquisite footwork has completely conquered the Joyous Sect Bell Envoy's heart!]

[Reward: 20 Spirit Stones]

[Ding!]

[Congratulations Host! Relationship with Joyous Sect Talisman Envoy has deepened to Fifth Realm "Intimate Harmony"!]

[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones]

Hearing the system's precise feedback,

Lin Yu paused his ministrations.

This sent the reclining homebody into frantic protest:

"Lin Yu, why... why'd you stop?"

Lin Yu glanced at the wall clock:

"We're two minutes overtime already. Had enough?"

Anyone who'd experienced Lin Yu's Phoenix-Summoning Toe Technique

Could never walk away unaffected!

Only absolute confidence would make him reveal this move now.

Chi Qingchi propped herself up on her elbows, brows furrowed as her eyes darted about:

"Lin Yu, don't you like... iiOiiO?"

"Besides, I just started learning and didn't even grasp it yet before you quit."

"Just... just extend the session!"

"Once I master it, I'll... I'll repay my loyal customer!!"

She spoke with resolute determination, as if making some grand sacrifice.

Thus.

Beyond the Path of Gastronomy,

Another broad avenue became her Achilles' heel!

...

Another half hour later.

The room's temperature seemed to have risen several degrees from their activities.

Lin Yu stepped out of the bathroom after washing his hands and glanced at Chi Qingchi, who was still lying down. He said,

"Qingchi, I’m going to message your sister now."

"How long do you plan to keep sleeping?"

"Should I ask her to come pick you up?"