The takeout had already arrived—two stir-fried dishes and two bowls of rice.

The four containers were laid neatly on the coffee table, but Ning Chu hesitated to eat.

“If we eat too much now, what if we vomit later when we go to that girl’s place?”

She looked up at her brother, who was about to pick up his chopsticks.

“That’d be… pretty awkward,” she added seriously.

“Yeah, I might actually die of embarrassment,” Ning Yuan admitted, obediently setting his chopsticks back down with a sigh.

To Ning Chu, though, the whole thing looked less like tragedy and more like comedy.

Just then, someone knocked on the door again.

From outside came a cheerful, confident voice—unmistakably Xiao Xi’s.

“Lunch is almost ready!”

Ning Yuan flinched like he’d been shocked, then quickly got up and ran to open the door.

“One more dish to go! You can come over and wait—I’ve even got Coke ready!”

Xiao Xi smiled brightly as her eyes found the siblings. But when she noticed Ning Chu half-hiding behind her brother, her smile tightened.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she playfully punched Ning Yuan on the arm.

“You telling your sister bad things about me again?!”

“No! Definitely not!”

He looked like a mouse cornered by a cat.

Ning Chu sneaked a glance at her brother’s expression—he was tense, shoulders stiff, eyes darting.

It looked like he was traumatized.

Was she really that scary?

Thank goodness she hadn’t introduced him to Yan Xinya—that girl would’ve broken her brother in half.

With a toss of her ponytail, Xiao Xi turned and headed next door.

Ning Yuan followed reluctantly, shooting Ning Chu a glare before stepping out.

The apartment next door was almost identical in layout to Ning Yuan’s.

But the moment they walked in, Ning Chu caught a faint whiff of something burnt.

Following the smell, she spotted a plate of pitch-black Coca-Cola chicken wings on the counter.

…That looked carcinogenic.

Noticing her gaze, Xiao Xi gave an embarrassed laugh.

“I followed the tutorial, but I think the heat was too high…”

“It’s fine,” Ning Chu said kindly. “Just peel off the skin—the meat’s still edible.”

Encouraged by that, Xiao Xi beamed again and quickly lifted the lid of another pot.

“I’ve also got braised pork simmering! Let me show you.”

When she opened it, however, what greeted them was… a pot full of black, lumpy meat.

“Huh? Maybe I added too much soy sauce? But it didn’t look like that in the video…”

Ning Chu finally understood why her brother called himself a test subject.

This girl couldn’t cook at all.

Even a total beginner wouldn’t mess it up this badly!

Turning toward the dining table, Ning Chu’s eyes finally brightened.

There—an actual appetizing dish!

“Hey, that one looks good! Black pepper beef, right?”

“That’s from a ready-made meal pack I bought…”

“Oh.”

At least the rice wasn’t half-cooked—though it was so wet and sticky it clumped together.

Yup. As far as potential sister-in-laws went, Lily still seemed like the better pick.

At least she could cook.

The only worry would be whether her brother’s body could survive a succubus’s affection.

The three of them sat around the dining table.

Xiao Xi’s face was glowing with joy, Ning Yuan’s expression was stone-cold, and Ning Chu sat between them like an intrigued spectator, eyes darting around curiously.

She picked up a piece of braised pork and chewed.

The texture was rough and chewy, the fat was nauseatingly greasy—but the taste itself wasn’t that bad. Just… way too sweet.

She quickly shoveled a few bites of rice to wash away the cloying taste.

Ning Chu turned to Xiao Xi.

“So, are you from around here?”

“Me? I’m from the Sichuan-Chongqing area,” Xiao Xi said casually.

A spicy Sichuan girl, huh? No wonder she had that bright, fiery energy.

“Then why didn’t you move back after graduating?”

While peeling the burnt skin off one of the Coke chicken wings, Xiao Xi answered with a faint smile, “I guess I just got used to living here.”

But her eyes betrayed her—sneaking glances toward Ning Yuan every few seconds.

Ning Yuan, however, was too busy eating the only safe dish on the table—the black pepper beef from the meal pack—pretending the other two didn’t exist.

“Ning Yuan!”

“Here!” He immediately sat up straight like a soldier caught dozing. “What’s up?”

“Try the braised pork.”

“……”

With a long-suffering sigh, Ning Yuan obediently picked the smallest piece and put it in his mouth.

The next second, his face twisted like he’d just bitten into a lemon—yet he still forced out a cheerful tone and gave a thumbs-up.

“Hey, you’ve improved! At least it’s edible now!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Before he could react, Xiao Xi lunged forward, hooked her arm around his neck in a mock chokehold, and glared fiercely.

“What do you mean ‘at least’?!”

“It’s good! Really! Way better than before!”

Ning Chu sneaked a glance at the scene—Xiao Xi’s rather ample chest was pressed firmly against her brother’s back.

Was that on purpose or an accident? Hard to say.

But one thing was certain: this girl definitely liked her brother.

She just… showed it in a very aggressive way.

“Hey—my sister’s right here! Can you not?!”

“Tch~”

Reluctantly, Xiao Xi released him and returned to her seat, brushing her hair back behind her ear.

She propped her chin on her hands and smiled, all flirtatious charm—but Ning Yuan didn’t even look up, focused solely on forcing down his food to wash away the fatty aftertaste.

Her smile stiffened.

Then she huffed and said curtly,

“I also made some stewed ribs. Just added a bit of salt—should be ready.”

“If you can’t cook, maybe stop torturing the ingredients…”

Brother. Shut. Up.

Ning Chu glared at him in silent panic.

“How about next time I cook instead?”

Ning Yuan muttered it half-heartedly—but Xiao Xi’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Really? Great! Next time, you cook!”

“Huh?? Wait, no— I don’t even have pots or chopsticks at home!”

“Then come cook at my place! I’ve got everything ready!”

“That… doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

The thought of cooking for her every day made Ning Yuan’s scalp tingle.

Not because he couldn’t cook—just because he was lazy.

And with this woman? One slip-up and she’d probably kill him.

“Why don’t we just order takeout instead…”

“I’ll buy the groceries and wash the dishes—all you have to do is cook!”

Beaming, Xiao Xi hurried to fetch the ribs.

“I stewed them for two hours! Should be tender—I didn’t add much seasoning, so if it’s too bland, just add salt yourself.”

“Ah… great,” Ning Yuan sighed, massaging his temples.

Ning Chu leaned closer, whispering conspiratorially,

“Big Brother~ I seriously think she likes you.”

“Please, no. I can’t handle her temper—I’d get beaten up daily.”

“I like gentle girls, not ones who’ll body-slam me.”

But Ning Chu ignored his complaints.

“Then maybe skip meeting up with Lily?”

“Hmm… I’ll still go,” Ning Yuan muttered, reluctant to give up on the alluring succubus he’d met online. “At least I’m going to meet her once.”

“If Xiao Xi ever finds out, you will die, you know?”

“It won’t be that bad, right?”

He looked up instinctively—and froze.

Xiao Xi was standing a few feet away, holding the pot of rib soup.

Her face was expressionless.

And in that instant, a chill crawled straight down his spine.

+/+

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