Jiang Zixuan, in the living room, felt a bit uneasy.

The wafting aroma from the kitchen told him that whatever was being cooked didn’t seem too disastrous, but thinking about how long it had been since Shu Yuxin last set foot in a kitchen still made his heart flutter with anxiety.

What was more, the very last pack of instant noodles he’d planned to keep as a backup was about to be honorably sacrificed to the pot.

To be honest, as a rich second-generation kid who wasn’t short on money, Jiang Zixuan hadn’t experienced the feeling of going hungry for an entire night in a very long time.

He felt that, emotionally and logically, he should have at least some confidence in his best friend—but he just couldn’t help worrying.

“It’s done!”
The voice, like a heavenly melody, now sounded more like the announcement of an execution. Shu Yuxin carried out a plate of freshly stir-fried potato slices and carefully set it down on the dining table in the corner of the living room. “Zixuan, come try it!”

Jiang Zixuan didn’t hesitate. He took a deep breath and resolutely stood up, walking over.

To his surprise, the dish actually looked pretty decent. It smelled good too. Even before taking a bite, just those two points already gave it some mouthwatering appeal.

After setting the dish down, Shu Yuxin ran back to the kitchen, brought out two pairs of chopsticks, handed one to Jiang Zixuan, then sat down across from him. “Go on, try it. I feel like I did a pretty good job.”

“It does look alright. Did you taste it before serving?” Jiang Zixuan pulled out a chair, sat down, picked up a slice of potato, and asked.

Shu Yuxin shook her head. “I’m scared of dying.”

“This is your own cooking…”

“It is my own cooking, but who knows what it tastes like? You try first?” Shu Yuxin coaxed.

Jiang Zixuan truly hesitated this time—well, for about half a second. Then he took a bite.

“Well?” Shu Yuxin asked anxiously.

Jiang Zixuan frowned slightly, chewing carefully, saying nothing.

After staring at his face for ten seconds, Shu Yuxin couldn’t sit still anymore. “Hey, if it’s poisonous, you still have time to rinse your mouth…”

Jiang Zixuan burst out laughing. “Ha, I was just putting on an act. I told you to have a bit more confidence in yourself. It’s pretty good—just a bit salty.”

“Really?” Shu Yuxin looked at him skeptically for a moment. Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, she picked up a slice herself and put it into her mouth.

It was indeed quite salty.

“Ah… I put in a bit too much salt.” Smacking her lips, Shu Yuxin put down her chopsticks. “But the flavor’s actually not bad, right?”

Jiang Zixuan laughed for a bit and nodded, indulging her.

Shu Yuxin immediately jumped up smugly. “Damn, I’m freaking amazing! First time cooking and it’s already this good!”

“Yeah, what a shame you didn’t go to New Oriental.”

“Why New Oriental? Blue翔 teaches cooking too, okay?”

“Excavator cooking?”

“Cook you.” She lightly snapped back at Jiang Zixuan, then turned and went into the kitchen. “The noodles should be almost done. I’ll go check.”

…

All in all, the dinner was a near miss but ended safely.

The potato slices were a bit salty, but tolerable if you forced yourself. The two bowls of noodles that came afterward were already at a perfectly normal level—good color, aroma, and taste. The only problem was the portion; neither of them was full.

Jiang Zixuan didn’t even need to mention how surprised he was by her talent—even Shu Yuxin herself was surprised. But that surprise only lasted a moment before she started getting smug again.

How could she be this awesome?

Unfortunately, the box of chicken breast never made it into the pan. Her explanation to Jiang Zixuan was that it was too late and she didn’t want to cook anymore. The real reason was that after looking it up, she found it too difficult and didn’t dare try.

Meat dishes really were more troublesome than vegetarian ones.

With wine enough but food not quite filling, dinner came to an end. Next was tidying up the master bedroom. Seeing that she could have such a big room all to herself, Shu Yuxin was practically overjoyed. In the middle of the room was a very soft double bed, hundreds of times more comfortable than the small wooden board she slept on at school. After entering the room, she did nothing else but roll around on the bed.

“Hey… shouldn’t you at least take care of the important stuff first?” Jiang Zixuan placed the suitcase on the floor beside the bed, opened it, and looked helplessly at Shu Yuxin rolling around.

“Heh, this bed is seriously comfortable.” Shu Yuxin rolled to the edge, slid down beside him. “I really don’t get it—why do you still sleep in that small bedroom when you’ve got such a big one?”

“Isn’t this me saving the big room for you?” Jiang Zixuan smiled.

Shu Yuxin put on her slippers, squatted next to the suitcase, and started rummaging through the bedding she’d brought. “Forget it—oh shit!”

She shook out a piece of fabric in her hands, her expression grave. “I freaking brought a thin quilt but forgot the bedsheet.”

Jiang Zixuan twitched the corner of his mouth.

For just one or two nights, the thin quilt could technically be used as a bedsheet—but then she’d have nothing to cover herself with. It was already nearly October, but the lingering summer heat hadn’t faded. The room had no electric fan; without turning on the air conditioner it would be hot, but with the AC on and nothing to cover up with, it would feel cold. An awkward situation.

The two of them squatted by the suitcase like idiots for a while before Shu Yuxin suddenly spoke up. “Zixuan, do you have an extra bedsheet?”

“No… my spare set is still at school.”

“Then I’m screwed.”

“How about… we go down to the supermarket and buy one? I’ll lend you the money,” Jiang Zixuan suggested.

Shu Yuxin lowered her head, thinking for a moment, then clapped her hands. “I’ve got it—let’s sleep together tonight!”

Jiang Zixuan froze.

“That’s settled! We’ll sleep together for one night, and tomorrow I’ll go back to school to get it.” Shu Yuxin had already made the decision on her own and even started looking for clothes to change into.

“Hey, wait—sleep together? Are you serious?” Jiang Zixuan finally reacted, shocked.

Shu Yuxin looked at him strangely. “What’s the problem? It’s not like we haven’t slept together before.”

“But… you’re a girl now! It’s different now!”

“What’s different?” Shu Yuxin met his gaze seriously. “Just because I turned into a girl? Are you going to sleep with me?”

Jiang Zixuan hurriedly shook his head. “Of course not!”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“No… that’s not the point.” Jiang Zixuan nearly choked. “I mean, our identities are different now. Men and women shouldn’t be that close, you know? We’re not even a couple. Sleeping together just doesn’t seem right.”

“So if we’re not a couple, we can’t sleep together? Who made that rule?” Shu Yuxin pointed at herself. “And… do you really see me as a girl? If I don’t even care, why do you?”

Jiang Zixuan looked troubled.

He didn’t think of himself as some moral paragon. If a pretty girl, completely unguarded, told him she wanted to sleep with him, he’d probably agree without much psychological burden. But this situation was different. The girl in front of him was his best friend—his brother.

Even if no one else would ever know about it, it still felt strange. Rationally, he knew this shouldn’t happen, but emotionally, he couldn’t find a solid reason to refute her.

It left him torn.

After a pause, he sighed. “How about this—you sleep in my bed, and I’ll take the couch. We’ll just make do for one night.”

He had already made a concession, but Shu Yuxin wasn’t satisfied. “Huh? Why should you sleep on the couch? That’s your bed! It’s not like it can’t fit two people. What’s wrong with sleeping together? You’re not going to lose a chunk of flesh.”

If Jiang Zixuan had proposed this from the very beginning, she might have agreed. But now, her focus had already shifted. In her eyes, best friends sleeping together was no big deal at all, yet Jiang Zixuan was clearly resisting. That made her uncomfortable, as if their friendship had somehow changed.

In truth, Shu Yuxin’s behavior was rather childish. She might have gradually realized the changes happening between them, and she knew those changes were likely irreversible—but she still wanted to prove to Jiang Zixuan that their bond hadn’t changed.

And in her mind, the most direct way to prove that was to sleep together.