"Qing, you made this?!"
Lin Ning, finally coming to her senses, stared at the food before her in shock.
"Of course! Who else would it be~" Su Qing shot Su Shui a pout. "Bro! Feed me too!"
She scooted her little stool next to Su Shui and deliberately put her spoon back down.
Su Qing opened her mouth wide, waiting stubbornly—as if declaring, *If you don’t feed me today, I’ll starve right here.*
Su Shui sighed at his sister, picked up his own spoon, and scooped some vegetables.
The spoon hovered close. Su Qing squeezed her eyes shut, tense with anticipation.
*Hehe, Brother feeding me means indirect kiss~ Plan successful~*
Lin Ning wouldn’t allow such antics under her nose. She grabbed Su Shui’s wrist, loaded her spoon with a huge dollop of vinegar, and shoved it into Su Qing’s mouth with a wicked grin. "Eat up!"
Su Qing had been drooling, waiting for Su Shui’s sweet spoonful. When it finally came, the taste hit her instantly—sour, unbearably sour.
Her eyes flew open to Lin Ning’s smug face.
"Grrr!!!"
Not wanting to look bad in front of Su Shui, Su Qing forced herself not to spit it out. She bolted to the bathroom like a whirlwind, kicking Lin Feng out mid-mirror pep talk (*"Not nervous, not nervous..."*).
"Gag—ugh..."
...
...
"Wasn’t that a bit cruel?" Su Shui murmured to Lin Ning, wincing as his sister retched in the toilet.
"Nah, just a little joke to soften her arteries~" Lin Ning happily munched a veggie salad.
Lin Feng, bewildered by the kick but forgiving since it was Su Qing, pointed at the bathroom. "What’s wrong with her?"
"Just a tiny prank~"
Su Qing stormed out, hair wild. "Lin Ning!"
"What is it, little Qing~?" Lin Ning feigned elegance.
"Fine. Let’s see how calm you are after this!" Su Qing flicked her hair back, grinning like a rabid dog. She pulled out her phone and tapped a video—showing Lin Ning clinging to Su Shui since waking up.
"Tch." Lin Ning clicked her tongue. "What do you want?!"
"Hehe, scared now~?" Su Qing cackled triumphantly. "But I’m not like you—I’d never retaliate!" She snuggled beside Su Shui, milking his goodwill.
Lin Feng ignored the drama, stealing glances at Su Qing from beside his sister.
"Does the food not suit you?" Su Qing tilted her head, noticing he hadn’t touched his chopsticks.
Flustered by her cute gesture, Lin Feng choked on words.
"What’s wrong?" Lin Ning elbowed him.
"N-nothing!" He snapped to attention, shoveling rice. "It’s delicious! Really!"
"Good, good~" Su Qing patted her chest, pretending relief while thinking, *Who cares if you eat? As long as Brother likes it!*
"So, Brother, was breakfast tasty~?"
"Delicious! Your skills are improving, Qing!" Su Shui stuffed his mouth—anything was good if he didn’t have to cook it.
"Really? Better than Lin Ning’s cooking?" Su Qing watched him tensely.
"Pfft, your Ning-jie can’t cook at all!" Su Shui complained. "After all this time married, I’ve never had a proper meal from her!"
"Yeah, my sister’s hopeless in the kitchen!" Lin Feng chimed in.
Lin Ning’s brows knotted. "It’s not that I *can’t*! I just never bothered to learn!" She jabbed at her plate. "With a little effort... two days..." Another bite. "Two weeks..." Another. "Maybe two months..." She sipped soup. "Su Shui cooks anyway!" She ate in silence, scowling.
"Alright, alright, that’s not important~" Su Qing changed the subject. "Wanna go out today?"
Su Shui shook his head frantically—yesterday’s "outing" had nearly broken him.
"I could..." Lin Feng mustered courage to invite Su Qing, but she clapped her hands before he finished.
"Fine! I’ll stay home and play with Brother~"
"Seriously?" Su Shui gaped.
"Of course!"
Thrilled to have a playmate, Su Shui dashed to his room and returned with a mountain of games. "Perfect! I’ve got tons of multiplayer ones I haven’t tried!"
Su Qing shrank back at the sheer pile.
"Lin Ning’s always working. I’ve been dying for someone to play with~" She watched Su Shui’s excited face. "Alright, I’m in today!"
Lin Ning stared silently, realizing she had no idea when he’d bought these games. *How long has it been since we played together...*
...
...
Su Shui and Su Qing quickly washed the dishes, then dragged her to the TV.
"Hold on~" He fiddled with adapters like a kid, then dumped a stack of games before her. "You pick first—which one?"
"Uh... I don’t know. Any recommendations~?"
"For two players, it’s gotta be..." He rummaged through his collection, then spotted Lin Ning watching. "Hehe~ Wife, wanna join?"
"No way!" Lin Ning turned her head. "But since you begged so hard, I’ll humor you."
"Hehe, thanks, wife!" Su Shui, knowing her well, yanked her onto the couch. "Xiao Feng, you too! We can play four-player!"
"Eh?" Lin Feng scrambled over, thrilled to game with Su Qing.
"Perfect! Time for a challenge!" Su Shui held up a game box. "Let’s play *Overcooked*!"
...
...
"Go chop the meat!" Su Qing roared at Lin Ning.
"Chop what?! The cooked patty’s right there! You serve it!" Lin Ning nearly snatched Su Qing’s controller.
"Stop fighting! Here, deliver this order!" Su Shui placed a finished burger on the counter.
"I’ll do it!" Su Qing lunged forward.
"No, *I* will!" Lin Ning shoved her aside, closer to the counter.
"You dare push me?!"
"Push you? Try me!"
Their characters crashed and shoved, turning the cooking sim into a brawl.
Amid the chaos, Lin Feng’s character quietly washed dishes alone.
*Maybe joining them was a mistake...* he thought, watching the noisy trio.
