Intimate Intimacy

Shen Nian reached out and tucked the strand of hair that had fallen onto Xia Yanchun's cheek behind her ear. He didn't speak, just stared directly at her for a moment before his gaze drifted downward, settling on her pink lips.

Xia Yanchun's eyelashes fluttered lightly. She buried her face again, her cheeks immediately turning a rosy pink. She glanced at Shen Nian, then at the pillow, her blinking frequency noticeably increasing.

Shen Nian leaned his forehead against hers, giving a gentle nudge.

She affectionately nuzzled back, "Mmm..."

...

The contact was brief, over before Shen Nian could even register it. Xia Yanchun sat up, covering her mouth with a small hand, saying nothing. She pressed her lips together, her blush spreading all the way down her neck.

Her hands and feet, usually cold, were starting to feel a bit warm, and even her scalp felt tingly and restless.

"Still smiling? You really hit the jackpot!"

Unable to bear his dazzling, faint smile, Xia Yanchun planted a foot on his shoulder and pushed hard, sending Shen Nian stumbling backward.

"Can't I even smile? I'm just a boy who loves to laugh."

"Stop talking. I'm going to study now. From now on, for every sentence you say to me, you get a kick."

"You mentioned the benefits, what about the drawbacks?"

"Get lost!"

Xia Yanchun half-knelt, leaned over to grab a stack of printed biology materials from the desk, and actually sat at the head of the bed, seriously flipping through them.

She had completely ignored Shen Nian now.

Shen Nian, resting his head on his hands, watched her for a good while, his mood better than hitting three golds in a ten-pull.

Even with a face red as a cherry tomato, you still want to study, huh, you silly girl...

"I acknowledge your soul as a study demon!"

Shen Nian also sat down at the desk and started studying right there, using Xia Yanchun's materials, of course.

He couldn't go home now. Shen Yue had even sent him a hundred bucks; going back would just be rude.

In the past, whenever Shen Nian came over, Xia Yanchun would find it hard to focus on studying. But now, with Shen Nian sitting quietly at the desk, it actually felt conducive to studying.

The sound of him turning pages, his faintly audible breathing, the slight shuffling of his slippers... having these little noises around was better for studying than complete silence.

Xia Yanchun pressed her lips together, her tongue secretly darting out to lick them. Her thoughts drifted off somewhere unknown, and she remained flushed for a long, long time.

When she glanced at Shen Nian again, he was already fully immersed in his studies.

Ah-ha!

Shen Nian's plan was to study seriously during the time she couldn't focus, thereby overtaking her on the curve!

Xia Yanchun realized this belatedly, mentally stomping on Shen Nian, forcing herself to concentrate on her own studies.

...

Noon.

The window framed a corner of gray-blue sky. Sunlight sliced diagonally into the room, which was utterly quiet.

Shen Nian was getting a bit hungry. He opened the window, and a cool breeze flipped the pages of his book, instantly breaking through the room's warmth.

"What should we eat? I'll go buy something."

"Isn't ordering delivery fine?"

"Mainly, I want to go to the market to buy some groceries. How about we cook together tonight?"

"...Whatever you want."

Xia Yanchun already knew how to cook; she was just lazy. Cooking for one was time-consuming and effortful.

But if Shen Nian wanted to cook, she had no objections. She'd definitely push chores like washing dishes and pots onto him.

That's what little brothers are for! When it's time to work, this big sister gracefully disappears.

"Then get me a packed bowl of noodles. Any kind is fine."

"OK."

Shen Nian was about to leave but turned back, leaning against the doorframe to ask, "Oh, right, about that porridge this morning, did you feel any different after eating it?"

"Yeah, your lean meat porridge is amazing! Eating it actually makes you feel full!"

"...Idiot. You'd feel full eating rocks." Shen Nian facepalmed.

"..." Xia Yanchun pouted, her limbs stiffening slightly. "It warmed me up, I guess. After eating it, my hands and feet didn't feel cold anymore. What kind of ginger did you use? It's so potent."

Ginger so powerful it could ward off the cold without even being eaten... she really wanted to buy some, chop it into bits, and pop one whenever her hands got cold.

"Not telling. It's a special variety, hundreds per pound. I'm off."

Shen Nian went back to his room to get his keys and rode his bike to the market.

He needed to keep researching this 【Cooking Mastery】.

The ginger he used in the porridge was just ordinary ginger, the kind you can grab by the handful at the market. He was just messing with her earlier.

If it really warmed the body...

He didn't feel anything special drinking it himself. Not sure about Shen Yue's situation.

Could it be that 【Cooking Mastery】 doesn't make food taste better, but optimizes and enhances its effects?

That seems somewhat possible.

Like the various food items in RPG games, different tiers have different effects.

Low-grade lemon tea boosts attack by 10%.

Mid-grade lemon tea boosts attack by 20%.

Top-grade lemon tea boosts attack by 30%.

And 【Cooking Mastery】 ensures that no matter how bad or unappealing the dish turns out, its effects are top-tier.

The lean meat porridge others make might warm you up due to a placebo effect, or maybe it has a slight warming property.

But the lean meat porridge Shen Nian makes has a tangible, noticeable warming effect.

That seems to make sense. Otherwise, what's the point of 【Cooking Mastery】?

But the warming property of lean meat porridge comes from ginger. He had cut ginger chunks and slices, not minced it, and Xia Yanchun picked them all out and threw them away. Logically, there shouldn't be any warming effect...

Is the warming effect forcibly bestowed by 【Cooking Mastery】?

Applying buffs to food?

Hiss, that seems a bit overpowered. If true, it's even more OP than 【Fishing Mastery】.

Not sure. Need to observe more. This is only the first dish; can't draw too many conclusions.

Considering Xia Yanchun could cook, Shen Nian shopped generously. He bought some beef and green peppers. For vegetables, he got water spinach. With Shen Yue included, there were three people total. No need for an extravagant spread. He wasn't afraid of buying too much; leftovers could go in the fridge for a late-night snack.

After packing up their lunch, Shen Nian returned to Xia Yanchun's place and ate with her in her room.

"This bowl of beef brisket noodles cost eighteen bucks. Remember to transfer me the money."

"Robbery! Why'd you buy an eighteen-dollar one?!"

"It looked like it had a lot of brisket."

"No way, too expensive. Consider it your treat."

"Then give me some of your brisket."

"Cheapskate!"

Xia Yanchun moved her bowl far away, refusing to share.

Acting like this right after a kiss? If this is how he is now, wouldn't it lead to domestic violence later? A man who begrudges eighteen bucks is better off cut out of her life.

"Look at you. Your buddy's feeling generous, here you go." Shen Nian gave her a marinated egg from his.

"Oh, little brother's being sensible."

Shen Nian couldn't be bothered to retort.

He ate quickly, slurping down his lunch. While Xia Yanchun was still eating, he started getting handsy, patting her belly one moment, pinching her cheek the next, annoying and flustering her.

He loved messing with her most when she was slurping noodles. Slurping was a control skill even more powerful than Blue Silver Entanglement—a complete hard CC.

Xia Yanchun couldn't take it anymore, glaring at him angrily. Just as she was about to yell at him, Shen Nian grinned, reached out, and tucked away the fine strand of hair she unknowingly had caught at the corner of her mouth.

"Don't you know to tie your hair back when you eat?"

"..."

Hmph, her cast was interrupted.

Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for 3 million+ daily updates causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended you use sources from other big shots.