"Do you really not need any help?"

"I really don't!"

He casually took off Dong Chengling's apron, pushed her out of the kitchen, then Ren Suo shut the door firmly and said from inside, "Just sit tight and get ready to enjoy my cooking! I've mooched off you so many times, Cheng Ling; it's definitely my turn now!"

Dong Chengling knocked on the kitchen door and said with a laugh, "Then we could cook together too..."

"No, today is special."

"Why?"

"Because... because..." Ren Suo was desperately searching for an excuse, "because today is the Winter Solstice... because this time my parents are here... because this meal contains all my gratitude toward you, so I don't want you to help."

Dong Chengling paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Suo, does all your gratitude only amount to one meal?"

Ren Suo was startled for a moment, then quickly responded, "Of course not just..."

"Next time, Suo, you're cooking just for me," Dong Chengling said with a smile before she left for the living room.

In the kitchen, Ren Suo blinked. This is trouble now. His cooking Skill was merely at the 'Instant Noodle Master' proficiency level; there was no way he could actually cook by himself. Even with Cloning, the knowledge and skills of the clone would be no different from his.

I can't possibly summon the Kitchen Girl to cook every time. Do I really need to learn how to cook?

However, Ren Suo always felt like Dong Chengling had subtly changed recently.

If one could say that the initial Dong Chengling was like a tree relentlessly striving to take root and grow, regardless of external affairs; then after Ren Suo established a Bond with her, Dong Chengling, this tree, slowly sprouted tender branches and leaves. She began to touch the outside world, actively basking in the air, dew, sun, and Moonlight, and started to enjoy social interactions and beautiful things. And now, Ren Suo felt as if a night of spring breeze had passed, and thousands of trees were bursting into blossom. She was still the tree striving on the Path of Seeking but also a young woman in full bloom.

To put it simply, she had developed a bit of a temper and would act a bit capricious, like demanding the Key from Ren Suo or asking him to cook again...

But Ren Suo had no complaints about this; instead, he found it quite nice.

Actually, the earlier Dong Chengling, with her lack of desires and meticulous consideration, was even harder to please—or rather, the way to please her was to spend lots of time with her. There were no shortcuts, making it difficult to elevate the Bond Level.

Bonds need special events to rapidly improve. For example, Ren Suo had helped Gu Yueyan confront her brother and unravel her emotional knots. After their heartfelt conversation in the kitchen earlier, their Bond had finally reached Level 4.

Of course, Ren Suo felt that Gu Yueyan advancing to second turn was also key to the Bond's improvement. After all, the Bond Ability is ultimately 'lent' to Ren Suo by the bonding partner. This means if the bonding partner's abilities aren't strong, the Bond is unlikely to level up, even if Ren Suo has a good relationship with them.

Only the strong can become my important friends! Zhao Huo is an exception; he's an important subject of observation.

Moreover, Gu Yueyan's Level 4 Bond-derived Ability always seemed a bit odd to Ren Suo.

'Gu Yueyan, Level 4 Bond. Bond Ability: 'Wax and Wane' – Consumes her own energy to create Moonlight, which can transform into forms such as Rays, Slash Waves, Defense Shields, Ray Cloth, etc.

Derived Ability: 'Light and Shadow' – In an environment with Moonlight, you can use the Moonlight for long-distance observation and listening. The level of secrecy is extremely high, and it's difficult to be detected. The maximum range is 2,080 meters, and it only works in spaces where Moonlight can penetrate.'

Needless to say, the effects of 'Wax and Wane' were significant, with great Potential for development into a robust Spell combat system. The 'Light and Shadow' part, however... Logically, bonding partners are supposed to be masters of their Bond Abilities. Does this mean Gu Yueyan sometimes spies from afar at night? Could she have spied on me...?

Ren Suo thought for a moment and quickly dismissed the idea.

No way, Gu Yueyan isn't a pervert. She doesn't need to target me to practice her Spells. And when I usually play video games, I always draw the curtains. When I summon a clone to massage or do chores, I also draw the curtains. Even if I were being spied on, there's definitely nothing to see. Only my birthday night was more lively...

In summary, the path of improving Bonds is long and arduous.

Now Dong Chengling hadn't even eaten yet and had already booked her next meal with him. Naturally, Ren Suo wasn't going to let such an opportunity slip away and began to consider the possibility of cooking himself.

Actually, learning how to cook wasn't a bad idea. In the future, he wouldn't have to send his clone out for late-night snacks; he would just need to buy the right food and utensils. If Ren Suo wanted barbecue at home, he could have it. If he wished for seafood, he could have that too. He could even demand services like 'all shrimp peeled,' 'all fish deboned,' 'all snail meat picked out,' or 'all crab roe scooped'—considerate touches not even provided by restaurants.

And even without considering the Bond, since Dong Chengling rarely made any demands of him, Ren Suo would absolutely not refuse. In fact, her making such requests actually made Ren Suo rather happy.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Ren Suo opened the kitchen door and saw Qiao Muyi standing in the doorway in casual wear. He asked, "You're not here to help too, are you?"

Qiao Muyi blinked at him, revealing a trace of coquettishness, and said softly, "I just came back from a spa session with your aunt... shouldn't you thank me for that?"

"...Thank you. Please take a seat, I'm about to start cooking..."

"I want to watch."

"What's so interesting about cooking? I'm not a food video blogger. It's just casual cooking. Besides, today you've put on makeup, lipstick, eyeliner, and you're even wearing a dress and stockings... It would be bad if they got dirty."

At this, Qiao Muyi couldn't help but chuckle and twirled around, her black fishtail skirt swirling. She laughed and asked, "So you noticed, huh?"

"I'm not blind," Ren Suo felt baffled.

Qiao Muyi touched her lips, looked at Ren Suo thoughtfully, and said, "Since you won't let me watch this time, then next time you have to go out with me... Hmm, come with me for a spa!"

"Is that something men and women can do together?" Ren Suo blinked.

"The place I go to is a legitimate establishment; of course men and women can go together... Xiao Suo, have you been to an illegitimate one?" Qiao Muyi slightly narrowed her eyes and looked at Ren Suo seductively, but her tone carried a hint of danger.

"No, the only massage services I've enjoyed in my life were getting spanked with a cane by my parents," Ren Suo shook his head continuously. "But we're Cultivators; can ordinary people even handle us?"

"Right, you make a good point," Qiao Muyi nodded. Just when Ren Suo thought he had dissuaded her, Qiao Muyi suddenly changed the topic, "Then how about you give me a massage instead?"

"Hmm?" Ren Suo blinked, never expecting to shoot himself in the foot.

Wait, the massage thing... wasn't that supposed to be known only by Dong Chengling and the three female students? Why does Qiao Muyi also know...?

"Zhao Huo mentioned in the living room earlier that you learned his family's Massage Technique from him. I'm quite curious... Although it's certainly different from professional ones, I wouldn't mind much..."

Qiao Muyi shifted her shoulders, feigning a sore back and pained expression. "Actually, I feel regular massages don't really work on me; this kind of thing needs a Cultivator... Thankfully, there's you, Xiao Suo!"

Ren Suo sighed, "Actually, I haven't learned it yet..."

"You haven't had a chance to practice, and that's why you haven't learned," Qiao Muyi didn't give him any way out, leaning against the door frame. "Of course, I won't let you work for nothing. I'll also learn some massage techniques in the meantime; it shouldn't be too hard. You'll be my first practice subject next time, and I'll be yours... I can book a room at the spa. We can do it ourselves when the time comes; the spa will prepare things like incense and essential oils for us. It's settled then!"

With that, Qiao Muyi left in a flurry, leaving Ren Suo no chance to refuse.

Unlike Dong Chengling, who wasn't demanding, Qiao Muyi had too many requests. Ren Suo didn't dislike it; he found it quite fun to go out with Qiao Muyi. However, he always felt that staying at home, sleeping, and Cultivation was most suitable for him.

He was the type who subconsciously resisted change, disliked going out, and disliked trying new things (unless it was a new game). He hadn't changed his personality or habits because of Qiao Muyi, but that feeling of being led around by the nose by her... he thought it wasn't too bad.

For the sake of improving our Bond, my sacrifice is indeed great, Ren Suo thought to himself.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Ren Suo opened the door and saw Little Jiu, Lin Xianyu, and Ren Xingmei had all arrived.

"Can we taste test?" Little Jiu and Lin Xianyu, both foodies, tried to peer into the kitchen past Ren Suo.

"I haven't started yet, but I have some ginger here that looks a lot like chicken legs. Do you want some?" Ren Suo said irritably, gesturing for them to go back.

Little Jiu and Lin Xianyu walked away disappointed, but Ren Xingmei didn't move and asked something Ren Suo had heard several times today, "Bro, do you need help?"

"I remember you can't cook," Ren Suo laughed.

"Right..." Ren Xingmei seemed a bit down, looking down and saying, "Do you think I should also learn how to cook?"

"Hmm? If you want to learn, then learn. It's no problem if you don't. There's a cafeteria in school, and there's takeout outside of school." Ren Suo shrugged. If he hadn't met Dong Chengling, he would basically have followed this strategy to find food.

"Right… Brother, what do you think I should learn?" Ren Xingmei looked up, gazing into Ren Suo's eyes.

"Why are you asking me what you should learn?" Ren Suo laughed.

"You could make a suggestion."

"You've got it backwards," Ren Suo patted his sister's head, smiling. "It should be you pestering me, although you're also past the age for pestering your brother... I don't have any particular expectations for you; you're much smarter than me. Rather, tell me if there's anything you want. Ah, I wished I had a brother who would provide anything I needed when I was in school, but unfortunately, I was the eldest son. However, I can't be a pampered younger brother, but being a brother who pampers his younger sister isn't too bad either. It's like fulfilling a dream."

Ren Xingmei muttered a gloomy acknowledgment and said, "Then I want you to use my birthday gift."

Birthday gift?

Ren Suo thought about it and recalled the "Sister's Travel Voucher" and "Ear Picking Help Voucher" from his sister, speaking with a vexed expression, "When the opportunity arises, I will use them, definitely."

"That settles it then," Ren Xingmei pulled Ren Suo's hand away, saying, "You messed up my hair."

"Ah, sorry..."

"Speaking of which, brother, you haven't helped me comb my hair for a long time. Next time I sleep over, you'll have to help me in the morning." Ren Xingmei tidied her hair, teasingly smiling at Ren Suo. "Do you still remember the eight ways to tie a braided bun?"

Ren Suo shrugged his shoulders, closed the kitchen door, and suddenly recalled his childhood—his sister was like a little Fairy back then, and he had to take care of her after school. He was adept at doing her braids and playing cat's cradle.

He didn't know when it started, but his sister began playing games with him, and even played better than him. Gradually, she became more like one of his buddies. As she grew up, she was like a tomboy, until these past few months when she finally experienced the classic 'girl's coming-of-age transformation.'

With the reminiscing over, it was time to start cooking. Now, finally, he could—

KNOCK KNOCK!

Ren Suo opened the kitchen door and saw Bai Ji standing outside holding a bucket of ice cream.

Bai Ji smiled and said, "I thought you could use this, perhaps as a dessert after the meal."

Ren Suo accepted it. "Thank you."

"Need help..."

"No need for help, thank you."

Quickly handling the last guest, Ren Suo took a deep breath, touched the blue Mark on his left ring finger, and whispered a phrase.

One second, two seconds, three seconds—Ren Suo heard a CLICK, and the empty cabinet under the counter suddenly opened. A 'Collector' Kitchen Girl with black hair and black eyes walked out from inside.

As soon as she appeared, she knew exactly what she needed to do. She crisply took an apron next to her and tied it on, glanced around at the kitchen ingredients, and smilingly asked, "How many are we expecting for dinner?"

"Fifteen people: fourteen adults and one child."

"Is there enough Desire?" the Kitchen Girl then asked. "Are all of these for Desire Cuisine?"

Among the party, Ren Suo, Lin Xianyu, Gu Yueyan, Dong Chengling, Qiao Muyi, and Little Jiu (who had tried it in New York) had tasted Desire Cuisine before—six people in total. They would need Desire Cuisine 2.0, worth 100,000 units of Desire, to have it again. The others only required Desire Cuisine 1.0, worth 10,000 units of Desire.

Ren Suo had already calculated it earlier. "It's enough. Everyone gets Desire Cuisine."

The Kitchen Girl said, "Go out and check on them. Desire Cuisine needs other people's insights to adjust the flavor accurately. I haven't met them, so I can't see their Desires. If you wear 'Rippling Spring Sounds' and take a glance at them, I should get a rough sense of their Desires."

Previously, when Ren Suo played 'Midnight Walker,' he needed to hear the diners' memories to adjust the flavor. Now, the Kitchen Girl only needed a glance to target the flavoring. This was a simplification of the steps, so naturally, Ren Suo agreed.

Ren Suo peeked out from the kitchen and quietly bent down to take a glance at the living room.

Yu Kuangtu and Zhao Huo were unexpectedly chatting on the balcony; it always felt like they were discussing something nefarious.

Li Dan and Bai Ji unusually got along, sitting together chatting.

Xiao Meng was talking with Qiao Muyi, another curious combination.

Dong Chengling, Gu Yueyan, Lin Xianyu, and Qin Lian seemed to be discussing Cultivation matters.

His mom was holding Little Jiu, and his dad was asking his sister about her studies.

It was then that Ren Suo realized: inviting so many people over for dinner was foolish enough, and their agreeing to come was even more so. Yet, everyone easily blended into their respective groups without anyone feeling left out, which made Ren Suo breathe a sigh of relief.

Back in the kitchen, Ren Suo saw the Kitchen Girl had already started heating the pot, preparing auxiliary ingredients and further processing the food.

"If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."

"Hmm... then help out a bit. Also, I'll ask again, are you really making them Desire Cuisine?" the Kitchen Girl double-checked with Ren Suo. "The effect of Desire Cuisine is to perfectly resolve psychological issues and enhance the effects of Desires."

"Yes, what's the issue?" Ren Suo nodded. "After all, Desire Cuisine can enhance Talents and increase the effectiveness of awakened Spells, right?"

"Indeed, it has those two effects... Just making sure. Also, there seemed to be a cat that flew past outside the window earlier. It might have seen me. Is that alright?"

Ren Suo blinked. "Did that cat have a bell on its neck?"

"It seemed to."

"Then there's no problem... By the way, add another portion of Desire Cuisine 1.0. Make it cat food."

The Kitchen Girl turned, looking at Ren Suo with a slight frown. "...Are you even giving it to the cat...?"

"Hmm?" Ren Suo cocked his head.

"Forget it, it's nothing."

Twenty minutes later.

When Ren Suo placed the last dish of egg tofu beef rice in front of Yu Kuangtu, Yu Kuangtu couldn't help but ask, "Did you really make this? Or is it some kind of instant meal kit?"

Although no one else asked, their faces subtly revealed their surprise.

They had thought this get-together would feature a Chinese-style meal, consisting of several dishes from which everyone would stretch out their chopsticks to share. But to their surprise, Ren Suo had prepared a Western-style plated meal, not only dividing the food into fifteen portions but also varying each portion slightly, including covered rice, fried rice, and even soup rice...

Yu Kuangtu even suspected these were meal kits from Taobao, designed to be vacuum-sealed, long-term preserved meals that could be heated when needed to become hot dishes—according to some, many fast-food restaurants use these kits for takeout meals.

Holding a plate of cat food, Ren Suo opened the door and grumbled, "Just taste it and you'll know. If meal kits could be that delicious, I'd stock up hundreds of boxes! I'm going downstairs to feed the cat; you guys start without me."

This is a meal personally cooked by the Food Goddess herself; each plate takes over ten minutes to prepare, and I can't bear to eat it myself. Despite the simple appearance of the food—it doesn't glow or cause clothes to burst after eating—I guarantee everyone will exclaim "Delicious!"

Watching Ren Suo leave, Ren's mother was the first to say, "Everyone, start eating; don't wait for him. This child, I don't know where he learned to cook like this..."

Little Jiu and Lin Xianyu were very good at reading their cues from the leader, so once Ren's mother spoke, they immediately started eating!

Suddenly, their eyes widened, their bodies trembled, tears welled up, and they began to chew cautiously, as if trying to prolong the time this delicious taste would last!

Is it that delicious?

Seeing these two foodies' dramatic reactions, the others also became a bit curious and began to taste Ren Suo's Winter Solstice feast.

"Don't sleep, time to get up and eat!"

Ren Suo called out downstairs to Black Bell and put the plate of cat food in front of it.

Black Bell glanced at him, sniffed the cat food, then moved directly in front of Ren Suo before starting to eat.

Ren Suo clicked his tongue. This cat, honestly. It really has to face me while eating. Do I look like I'd take the opportunity to pet it half a dozen times or more while it ate?

But indeed, the Food Goddess's cat food was very delicious. Black Bell ate extremely quickly, finishing in no time and even charmingly licking the plate with relish.

Ren Suo picked up the plate, ready to go back. "This time it's a festive feast, but next time it will still be Spicy Fish Kid... Hmm?"

Just as Ren Suo stood up, he noticed Black Bell walking to his feet, and it even began to rub its fluffy face against his shoes.

Ren Suo was surprised, so he knelt down and tentatively petted Black Bell. Black Bell didn't resist at all and even lay down, exposing its snowy white belly, making soft meows, wriggling as if it really wished for Ren Suo to pet it more.

Ren Suo kindly petted it several times, scratching its chin. It was evident that Black Bell was very comfortable, with its eyes completely narrowed and its whiskers quivering, showing great affection towards Ren Suo.

Seriously, how powerful is this cat food? I hope the Kitchen Girl didn't slip any electronic components in it!

When Ren Suo stopped petting, Black Bell meowed a few times reluctantly, following him to the door, pausing to watch as Ren Suo left.

Ren Suo began to anticipate the effects. If a cat can be this Pleased, wouldn't it be even more fantastic for people?

When Ren Suo returned home, he saw this scene at the dining table:

Yu Kuangtu and Qin Lian were whispering intimately, eating and laughing.

Li Dan was on the table, feigning sleep.

Zhao Huo was playing on his phone while Xiao Meng sat beside him, resting her chin in her hands and watching him.

Ren's father and mother were chatting. Unlike their Daily routine, Ren's father laughed heartily while Ren's mother seemed a bit angry.

Lin Xianyu was licking her plate.

And just as Ren Suo entered the door, Dong Chengling, Qiao Muyi, Ren Xingmei, and Gu Yueyan… all of them fixed him with an intense, burning gaze!