Dark cuisine and birthday
[Your team has not yet completed the male protagonist's upgrade quest and cannot unlock other scenes.]
[If you are forced to leave City A, a hidden penalty will be triggered.]
Lin Yehuan stared blankly at the overbearing rules on the system screen, trying to create an opportunity for himself: "Xu Pengpeng is a trapped person, and taking her on a trip is also part of the male lead's upgrade mission."
[turn down]
[There is no system-based rescue method for S-rank trapped personnel; this is not a necessary task for the protagonist's leveling up.]
[You may choose to complete all summer tasks in a short period of time to buy yourself some extra time.]
"I agree..."
The system redirected to a new page, but before the page had finished loading, there was a knock on the door.
"Please come in." Lin Yehuan closed the system panel. Although he knew no one else could see it, he still felt a little uncomfortable chatting with someone through a loading screen.
"leaf!"
"Ye Huan".
Lu Xingzhi and Xu Pengpeng stood blankly in front of the door.
Lin Yehuan sensed something was amiss, not in the tense atmosphere, but in a physically unsettling way.
“Gu Ye, he…”
"They've started researching new dishes again."
Lin Yehuan nodded, turned around, grabbed his phone, and prepared to escape with the two of them: "I can smell it."
Unfortunately, the system finished loading at this exact moment and issued its first task: [The three of them would have dinner with Gu Ye and commend his culinary skills.]
...This damn system must have been bought off by that bastard Gu Ye!
"Objection! A perfect persona doesn't lie."
[Rejected; a white lie is not a lie.]
Lin Yehuan laughed miserably. As planned, he walked between the two, grabbed their hands, and rushed downstairs.
She could feel two burning gazes fixed on her, and amidst the anticipation of the other two, she led them to sit down at the table where Gu Ye had just set out the tableware.
No, that's not how it is. Lu Xingzhi's eyes welled up with tears from the smell of the food in front of her, trying to awaken her conscience.
Xu Pengpeng's gaze also contained a similar expectation, but it was also tinged with a hint of confusion and anger.
Lin Yehuan chose to ignore it. Did she think she didn't know whether the food was edible or not?! The strange smell could be detected even from three floors away. It was hard to say whether there would be another meal after this.
"Let's eat." Gu Ye held her bowl and ate heartily. If sight and smell could be completely separated, they would definitely think that what was in front of them was a Manchu Han Imperial Feast. "Don't look at her, I made this."
"Oh dear, don't be so touched, why are you crying?"
Seeing that the two women did not react, and knowing that he could not escape this predicament, Lu Xingzhi shakily picked up his rice bowl.
Oh no! Lin Yehuan remembered Lu Xingzhi's indiscriminate attack ability that he had regained yesterday, so he quickly stuffed a big mouthful into his mouth before Lu Xingzhi's sharp comment.
"Gu Ye, your cooking is amazing! It's so delicious!" Lin Yehuan was all about emotion, tears, and nausea, using the praise to unleash all the curses he wanted to utter.
She... how could she be so smart! Lu Xingzhi was completely stunned, then followed suit, but only took a small bite out of caution, and quickly joined Lin Yehuan's oral literature.
Xu Pengpeng wasn't going to be outdone; if she had been half a minute later, all the words would have been snatched up by them!
When Gu Ye first heard the first sentence, he was still in shock, but he became more and more convinced of its truth. They were all crying their eyes out; how could it be fake?! Lu Xingzhi was his best friend since childhood; would he lie to him?!
The noise from the group grew louder and louder. Gu Ye, feeling moved and proud, ate most of the different types of charcoal he had fried.
[Task completed, current summer task progress 2%]
Lin Yehuan promptly shut up, leaving the other two people immersed in the art they had just witnessed.
“I think,” Lin Yehuan said, feigning a sob, as if he had just genuinely shed tears, “we should eat out from now on.”
Gu Ye's expression changed instantly, becoming wary of what was to come.
"I just want to cry when you cook, really." Lin Yehuan quickly explained when he saw the change in his expression.
"This is pure art!"
It's performance art that can poison people to death without any repercussions!
“Yes!” Xu Pengpeng finally swallowed the mouthful of rice that was as sticky as millennia-old rice crust. She realized that she had to talk more to eat less, so she quickly agreed, “How could anyone eat such a work of art?”
Lu Xingzhi didn't want to say anything against his conscience, so he just nodded frantically after every compliment from the two of them.
"You..." Gu Ye's eyes also filled with tears, "You are all so kind!"
"Don't be stingy with my skills, I'll just make it every day from now on!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
The room fell silent. The group exchanged glances and burst into genuine tears.
[Mission upgraded: You must accept Gu Ye's offer of food within this month, otherwise the mission will be considered a failure.]
"I only have one request," Lin Yehuan said, bearing the consequences of his actions, "You must rest on my birthday, okay?"
Lin Yehuan's birthday is July 19th, but the system has given her too many tasks right now, so there's not much for her to prepare for. She'll be grateful if she doesn't have to trouble the great artist to cook that day.
For Xu Pengpeng, this was a very important day, one that she couldn't ignore.
Therefore, Xu Pengpeng specifically sought out two other people to discuss and prepare for the event.
They've known each other since they were four years old. This year should be the fifteenth birthday she's celebrated with Lin Yehuan. Memories flooded back, and Xu Pengpeng briefly summarized the events of previous years:
On her fifth birthday, Xu Pengpeng excitedly ate the birthday cake shared by Lin Yehuan, but ended up with food poisoning and had to have her stomach pumped at the hospital.
On her sixth birthday, Lin Yehuan dressed up as a little emperor. Xu Pengpeng laughed so hard that her jaw dislocated. Lin's father had to pry it back in place with his bare hands, and her cries echoed through the sky.
On her seventh birthday, she had a severe allergic reaction to the floral decorations at the birthday party prepared by Lin Yehuan, and her whole body swelled up like a red balloon...
…………
Later, Lin Yehuan's birthday celebrations became increasingly restrained. He moved from outdoors back indoors, and the food was changed to what his family prepared on the day of the celebration. He stopped making any decorations or embellishments, but he still couldn't escape various accidents.
On her fifteenth birthday, Xu Pengpeng simply tripped and fell while leaving home, thinking she had finally escaped her fate of ending up in the hospital. However, the next morning, she was awakened by a burning pain and a high fever. That seemingly insignificant wound had silently become infected under the sweltering summer air and the continuous psychological pressure.
The swelling spread rapidly, her temperature soared, and she was once again in the ambulance. The familiar smell of disinfectant jolted her thoughts away, signaling the repeated failures of her injury-free birthday party plan.
…………
Xu Pengpeng was determined to celebrate her birthday with her at least once in her life, and refused her request to postpone her birthday by two days every year.
“I always mess up her birthday every year, and I feel so bad about it. I want to give her a proper birthday celebration this time.”
“Perhaps we can check all the things that could cause injury first,” Lu Xingzhi suggested. “It’s better to be prepared.”
“That makes sense,” Gu Ye agreed. “We can book a restaurant that’s not usually crowded, and then just drive there. There shouldn’t be any unexpected issues.”
“No,” Xu Pengpeng immediately rejected the idea. “You’re right, but I want to throw her a birthday party that she likes. I know she likes the outdoors and the feeling of being with family and friends.”
"Unexpected situations can happen to me no matter what, we just need to try and make mistakes in advance to ensure that day doesn't happen."
Lu Xingzhi thought about it for a moment. Gu Ye's house had enough outdoor space, and he was familiar with it. As long as he checked it all over in the next few days to make sure there were no safety hazards, it wouldn't be a problem. He readily agreed.
Gu Ye didn't say anything more, but willingly acted as their guide.
The first place Xu Pengpeng chose was Gu Ye's backyard. The three of them just strolled around the backyard and successfully witnessed her delivering fresh bird droppings containing undigested insect carcasses and a fishy smell as some kind of baby tit was born.
Atop the tree branches, at the edge of a bird's nest, a fledgling titmouse, its wings not yet fully grown, was sticking its rear end out, smugly chirping contentedly at her.
It's a bit disgusting.
As Lin Yehuan's handpicked first-rank imperial bodyguard, Gu Ye took out a handkerchief from his well-prepared bag and cleaned her up, trying to lessen her psychological trauma. Like an NPC passively triggering popular science knowledge, he jokingly said, "Birdlings have short rectums and can't digest too much. They can expel the food the very next second after eating it. The mother bird usually takes care of recycling and reusing it, digesting the remaining nutrients."
It was standard human-machine dialogue, but it was supposed to be comforting her, Xu Pengpeng thought. Okay, that's even more disgusting.
Seeing that his efforts weren't working, Gu Ye thought his persuasiveness wasn't strong enough, so he tried to look up and find the image of the mother bird "absorbing the remaining nutrients" to confirm it. He successfully delivered the second batch of nutrients using his forehead.
Lu Xingzhi walked faster, and seeing that the two hadn't followed, he retraced his steps and saw two dejected figures: "I think we can skip this place."
Neither of them objected, and they decided to go back and wash their faces properly first.
The road in this area was paved with bluestone slabs, and there were inevitably some shallow cracks at the joints. Along the way, Xu Pengpeng was carefully considering where to step next, afraid of breaking on these few stone slabs, but the ending was always unexpected.
After their misfortune, the group lowered their guard, and the next second, only two of the three walking side by side remained.
Xu Pengpeng tripped over a barely perceptible crack in the stone.
"Is it really that mysterious?" Lu Xingzhi and Gu Ye helped her up, almost simultaneously asking the question. Before, when they heard her story, they were somewhat skeptical, always feeling that there was some coincidence involved. But after witnessing it twice in a row, they couldn't help but start to worry.
Over the next two days, Lu Xingzhi took over all the investigation work.
Xu Pengpeng was forced by Gu Ye to stay in the study and accompany him to swim in the ocean of knowledge.
Xu Pengpeng sat in the study, holding a book and looking around. Contrary to her impression of Gu Ye as flashy and frivolous, there wasn't a single book in his study. Instead, there were thick tomes, large enough to be used as case tools, neatly arranged one after another.
Gu Ye held a book with utmost seriousness and read it carefully, occasionally squinting his eyes to think. His deep eyes seemed to hold boundless plans and strategies, completely unlike his usual carefree demeanor.
Logically speaking, his family shouldn't be short of pillows...
Xu Pengpeng had no interest in reading; her attention was entirely focused on him. She thought about her past private complaints and gossip with Lin Yehuan, and perhaps she really had too many prejudices in the past.
Gu Ye lingered on page fifteen for a full ten minutes before rubbing his temples and returning to the beginning to reread.
Hmm... it seems she might not be wrong.
During the few minutes she was distracted, as expected, Xu Pengpeng first cut her hand on a book, and then had a book she wasn't holding properly fall on her ankle, which she had just twisted.
“Perhaps I’m the protagonist of this world,” Xu Pengpeng joked as she applied the medicine, amidst the shocked gazes of the other two. “That’s why there are so many coincidences.”
After several busy days, Lin Yehuan finally returned home to rest and sneezed violently as soon as he entered the door: "I caught a cold? That shouldn't be the case."
Lin Yehuan tightened the non-existent coat he was wearing, rushed back to his room, and went to sleep.
Lin Yehuan estimated that he would be able to reach 100% completion by his birthday, as he was not far from finishing the mission.
Although there are many system tasks, they are all scattered and not very difficult. The most challenging task is to ensure that Xu Pengpeng is not injured before her birthday.
"Can I sue you for invading my privacy?"
[Things that everyone knows aren't considered private~]
Lin Yehuan was too lazy to argue with it. According to the pace of real life, Xu Pengpeng should have been bitten by a small snake in the grass in the park on her nineteenth birthday.
But so far, it seems that this problem hasn't occurred yet. When she went to Xu Pengpeng's room this morning, she was sleeping quite soundly.
Lin Yehuan then repeatedly instructed Gu Yeqian to keep a close eye on Xu Pengpeng and to keep her away from any outdoor areas.
Looking at Lin Yehuan's message on his phone, Gu Ye, under the coercion and enticement of this key person who had just finished bandaging his wounds and left the hospital, replied, "I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
The final location was a safe outdoor area that had been checked by several people. Lin Yehuan was overjoyed when he received the gift.
Especially when Lu Xingzhi handed her that stack of beautifully packaged books.
"How did you know I like these things!" Social media, system settings, or maybe there just happens to be someone here who knows her inside and out and is paying close attention to her—any of these could reveal all her secrets, but she still couldn't help but ask.
"Your number." Lu Xingzhi smiled and said only four words, but it was an unexpected answer.
"..." Lin Yehuan was stunned, frowning as he asked, "What?"
"The number on your cup is the last five digits of this book's ISBN," Lu Xingzhi pointed to the next book, "The numbers on the computer correspond to the book's ISBN and the source of your signature..."
Knowing Lu Xingzhi by heart, Lin Yehuan couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The system's rustic background music started playing again.
Did I accidentally press the play button with my breath?! I was initially quite touched, but now all I feel is frustration.
Just like the system's inexplicable background music, the weather in City A is also unpredictable.
We had just set off on our trip as planned, and before we even left the city, the once clear blue sky suddenly turned gloomy, with dark clouds sweeping in and instantly swallowing up the bright sunshine.
A strong wind whipped up dust from the roadside, lashing against the car windows with a crackling sound. Large raindrops followed, instantly turning into a torrential downpour. The windshield wipers swung wildly but to no avail, and visibility was completely blurred.
? ? ?
Lin Yehuan was puzzled. Although the task showed that it was still 1% short, she thought it was just a system delay bug. After all, she had been standing next to Xu Pengpeng all day yesterday and she was definitely not injured.
"Unless it rains gold today, nothing can stop them," Lin Yehuan thought.
[This request is illogical; please correct your statement.]
Do you think I'd dare say the words "plumbing down"?! Go ahead and actually do it if you dare!
Trouble comes from the mouth. Lin Yehuan realized that he really could eat a lot, and he often made the same mistake again and again.
Several people sat in the car and enjoyed a knife feast. Fortunately, they were all fake. Although they blocked the road and prevented them from moving, they did not break the glass or hurt anyone.
It's just that it looks, sounds, and is very strange.
Xu Pengpeng seemed to remain calm and composed, but Lin Yehuan still dared not relax, keeping a close eye on her for fear that something unexpected might happen.
[Xu Pengpeng has been detected to have severe self-destructive tendencies. Please be on high alert and abandon the rescue mission if necessary.]
Huh? When did she secretly go to study acting? She's such a good actress.
Lin Yehuan was already at a loss, and at this moment, the two people in the front row were also stirred up and comforted her with their own "tragic stories".
Can you two please stop making things worse? You were born at a level that no one else could reach, what more do you want?! Lin Yehuan, the only living person, was on the verge of collapse amidst the system's various warnings. What did I do wrong?!
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