Volume 2 Chapter 17 / Chapter 298: Cooking Skills
Ning Chu returned to the girls' dorm once again—this time, without the fear of being reported.
Although her updated student ID hadn't arrived yet, the counselor already knew she was a girl. Even if someone reported her, there wouldn't be any trouble.
As always, Yan Xinya's dorm was a chaotic mess.
Bottles, jars, clothes, socks, and even underwear were strewn everywhere. Just one glance made Ning Chu feel the urge to clean the whole place from top to bottom.
At least it was clean despite the mess. Aside from the bathroom, there wasn't any weird smell, and that annoying fox spirit wasn't around either.
"Lin Li went out to party. She loves going to clubs on weekends—says it's fun. I don't get it. Dance machines are more fun anyway," Yan Xinya rambled as she dragged a folding table out of the corner.
"Ning Chu~ Come help me!"
"Coming."
They covered the folding table with a thick blue cloth and brought out a deck of cards to keep score. Then the wolf-girl excitedly opened her wardrobe and pulled out her beloved mahjong set.
"Let's go! Mahjong time!" Yan Xinya called out to the group. "Wanna make it interesting with a little money?"
"Maybe let's not," someone said.
But then Lily unexpectedly added, "Strip mahjong?"
"..."
The room fell silent. Everyone slowly turned to look at Lily. Her expression remained cold and unreadable, as if she hadn't just said something shocking. The entire room went quiet for a few seconds.
"I'm down," Yan Xinya chimed in, clearly enjoying the chaos. With Ning Chu around, she figured she couldn't lose.
Ning Chu instinctively grabbed at her coat. With her lack of mahjong skills, she'd probably be the first one naked.
She could already picture herself, blushing like crazy, trying to keep her chest and lower half covered while still playing—That would be way too embarrassing!
"I strongly object!" she protested. "I don't even know how to play mahjong! And we're jumping straight to this?! Seriously?!"
Even Nana nodded shyly in agreement.
"Fine, fine. Just for fun then." Yan Xinya sighed, clearly disappointed. "But no stakes takes the thrill out of it…"
"Maybe after I learn how to play…"
Ning Chu had grown up around mahjong—her mom and grandparents were big fans—but she'd never actually played herself. She knew the rules in theory, but had no hands-on experience.
She sat down awkwardly, struggling to shuffle, draw, and organize the tiles.
Compared to online mahjong with auto-sorting and hints, doing it manually was a nightmare. Yan Xinya had already arranged her hand and played her first tile, while Ning Chu's were still a complete mess.
"Don't rush me! Hang on…" she muttered, flustered.
After a few more seconds of fumbling under everyone's watchful eyes, she finally tossed out a tile.
This was not going well...
After one round, she felt like she was in jail. Every play was confusing, she hesitated with every "Chi" or "Pong," and not once did she manage to win a hand.
Even losing repeatedly in a ranked game with dorm friends didn't feel this frustrating.
At least games gave you some sense of fun.
Meanwhile, Nana—though just as clumsy—had incredible luck and won several rounds in a row.
Thank god they didn't go with the strip mahjong idea…
"Let's start cooking," Lily announced around noon, standing up and glancing at Ning Chu.
"I'll help! And teach me too, okay?" Ning Chu jumped at the chance.
"Sure."
Lily was actually a decent cook. While she wasn't exactly the best teacher, she deliberately slowed her movements so Ning Chu could follow along carefully.
Lunch was sweet-and-sour pork ribs, stir-fried Shanghai bok choy, and sautéed pork with green peppers.
"I'm thinking of taking some home. Do you have any containers in the dorm?" Ning Chu asked while watching Lily cook, trying to memorize the steps and ingredients.
"You're bringing leftovers home?" Yan Xinya asked, puzzled.
"Uh... yeah!"
She planned to bring the food back and tell Wen Yang she made it—just to see his reaction.
Imagining Wen Yang's stunned face, Ning Chu couldn't help but giggle.
Yan Xinya suddenly leaned in, grinning as she teased, "You know, I've noticed—you've been smiling a lot more since you got together with Wen Yang."
"What are you talking about?" Ning Chu instinctively touched her cheek, thinking maybe some oil had splashed on her face when Lily was cooking.
"I'm serious! You used to look so gloomy—like you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders," Yan Xinya said, recalling those early days in late September. "Especially around the end of the month. You looked like you were drowning in your own thoughts."
That was around the time Ning Chu had fully transitioned into a girl.
The little guy inside her—the fragile boy—had completely curled up and disappeared. Her identity had shifted entirely. Descriptors like "length" no longer applied; it was now about "depth."
Choosing her words carefully, she explained, "I went through a rough patch back then… Once it was dealt with, of course I started feeling better."
"Is that so?" Yan Xinya grinned knowingly.
"Yup!"
"You're so stubborn~"
"…"
Truth was, she had begun to feel lighter and happier ever since her relationship with Wen Yang became more ambiguous and intimate.
Out of all the days in both her past and present life, this might've been the most peaceful, the most relieving time she'd ever experienced.
'At least I'm not constantly crushed by stress anymore,' she thought.
"I'll go grab you a lunch box!" Yan Xinya said cheerfully as she darted into the room.
A moment later, she returned with a plastic food container. "Lily, help pack it for her later."
"Okay."
"She's obviously bringing it home for Wen Yang~" Yan Xinya smirked.
"I'm not!" Ning Chu rolled her eyes. "Weren't you excited about shipping Zhang Shaoqing's too? Don't just gang up on me!"
As she peeked over at Lily packing the food, she quickly reminded, "Pack more rice—just a little bit of the side dishes. And pour some of the sweet-and-sour sauce over the rice."
Wen Yang had a big appetite, and honestly, he could probably finish Lily's entire lunch on his own. But Ning Chu couldn't just take everything with her.
"Got it," Lily said as she handed over the packed box. Her face remained expressionless, but her words hit hard:
"So I'm making food to feed your boyfriend now?"
"…"
Glancing at the time, Ning Chu awkwardly changed the subject. "Wen Yang should be getting back around now."
"Mm."
She quickly left the girls' dorm and hopped on the bus. When she arrived back at the rental apartment, she just happened to catch Wen Yang at the door, keys in hand.
"You're back?" she called out.
Wen Yang often returned for an hour or two on weekends between his part-time jobs.
He turned around, surprised to see the lunchbox in her hands. "What's that you're holding?"
"I made lunch!" Ning Chu announced proudly. "I was cooking over at Xinya's dorm, so I brought some back for you!"
Wen Yang had never tried Ning Chu's cooking and didn't doubt her for a second. "Oh? Then I'll definitely have to try it."
The two of them entered the apartment together. Ning Chu eagerly opened the box and handed him a pair of chopsticks, eyes shining with anticipation.
"Hurry and eat before it gets cold!"
"It's delicious!" Wen Yang said after just one bite, giving her a big thumbs-up. "It's even better than restaurant food!"
"Seriously?"
"You used to say you couldn't cook," he teased. "Were you just planning to slack off after we got married?"
Her face instantly turned crimson. Flustered, she stammered, "M-Married..."
Looking down, she muttered shyly, "That's way too far off... I haven't even thought about it."
But it was clear Wen Yang really liked Lily's cooking.
Looks like she just got a new mission: Become Lily's apprentice and master the art of cooking!
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