The moment Yan Zhen touched her, Xiao Xinyan reacted instantly. Her legs clamped together as she lifted her pert buttocks, desperately wanting his hand to slide lower, to rub and tease.
Yan Zhen ignored it. He focused on circulating his energy to dissolve the drug’s effects while stimulating her Shenshu Acupoint.
Xiao Xinyan moaned even louder. In no time, her entire body convulsed again. Seizing the moment, Yan Zhen pressed hard on her Shuifen Acupoint.
“Ah—”
A piercing scream erupted from her lips, nearly echoing through the entire house. The neighbors probably heard it all too.
Yan Zhen badly wanted to pull away, but to ensure every trace of the drug was purged, he kept his finger pressed to her Shuifen Acupoint until her rigid waist finally softened. Her body sank lazily back into the water.
Only then did Yan Zhen withdraw his finger. Glancing down, he saw that the hem of his clothes was soaked through, carrying a faint musky scent.
“Fuck!”
These clothes were ruined now.
He had no idea what the original novel’s author was thinking with this plotline. Even if it was meant to show the protagonist’s kind heart, did it have to go this far?
Looking at Xiao Xinyan, still lost in the afterglow, Yan Zhen felt his own restraint starting to crumble. He untied the makeshift rope from her wrists—made from her twisted-up clothes—hung her garments back on the screen, and turned to leave.
“W-Wait.”
A weak call came from behind him. Yan Zhen tossed back, “No need to thank me. I’ll write about it in my diary,” and slipped out without looking back.
He leaped onto the rooftop and retraced his path. Yan Zhen stripped off his wet clothes and pants, discarding them to the side, then changed into a fresh academy uniform.
A task completion notification chimed in his mind. Yan Zhen pulled up the System Interface and claimed his reward.
【Special Trump Card: Kato Eagle Finger: Upon activation, the host’s fingers gain special properties. Directly touching a woman’s skin causes full-body convulsions and uncontrollable flooding. Effect diminishes against higher realms.】
“…”
He regretted completing this task. Not only had it wasted time, but he’d gotten sprayed with fluids—and the reward was some freakish item.
With nothing else pressing, Yan Zhen should have returned to his room to meditate. But after a moment’s thought, he decided to go buy some groceries instead.
Once back with his purchases, he got to work preparing.
His cooking skills weren’t anything special—just good enough to replicate recipes from videos. So he wasn’t planning a full meal. Instead… he was setting up a barbecue.
By the time the four women returned from classes, Yan Zhen had everything ready: heaps of meat, seafood, vegetables, and mushrooms covering the table. He’d moved it all to the courtyard and set up a grill nearby.
He lit the fire, waited for the coals to glow red, and everything was good to go.
Seeing their bewildered expressions, Yan Zhen planted his hands on his hips and jabbed a thumb at the grill.
“Barbecue tonight! I’ll grill, you eat. Consider it thanks for looking after me these past couple days. Got it?”
Their beautiful eyes lit up one by one. Mi Xue’er and Mentor Yu Xuan had never tasted food made by Yan Zhen’s own hands. As for Yan Meng’er and Yan Ruyu, it brought back childhood memories of him sneaking bird eggs or snaring wild chickens to roast.
“Then Meng’er will help out Cousin~”
“Atta girl.”
Yan Meng’er sidled up to him with a grin. Yan Zhen ruffled her hair fondly.
Siblings in harmony.
Yan Ruyu mustered her courage and stepped forward too, though she huffed, “Fine, I’ll help. No idea if you can even grill properly. I don’t want to go to bed hungry.”
“Relax. It’ll be delicious.”
Yan Zhen thumped his chest confidently. Ridiculous—as the protagonist, how could he fail to grill and attract divine beasts?
Yan Ruyu snorted dismissively.
Mi Xue’er jumped in on the fun. “Little Brother Yan Zhen, I wanna grill too. Pretty please?”
Yan Zhen refused with dead seriousness. “Senior Sister Xue’er, food isn’t a toy. Waste is shameful!”
“How could it be? As long as you eat everything I grill.”
“Why me? You admitting yours’ll suck?”
Yan Zhen stared at her in exasperation. Mi Xue’er stuck out her pink tongue.
Mentor Yu Xuan clapped her hands. “How about this: You grill for us, we grill for you. You’re a big eater anyway. Deal?”
“I approve of Mentor Yu Xuan’s idea!”
“Me too. Fine.”
“Yeah! That’s perfect, Cousin!”
Mi Xue’er, Yan Ruyu, and Yan Meng’er all chimed in with agreement. What could he say to that?
“It’s not impossible.” Yan Zhen grumbled, “But it kinda defeats my original point.”
Mentor Yu Xuan smiled softly. “Forget the thanks. As long as we’re all having fun, right? Overthinking it just spoils the mood.”
“True enough.”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek, a bit embarrassed.
In the midst of their chatter, the women dove right in, eagerly brushing oil on the grill with basting brushes, then grabbing skewers to coat them too.
Yan Meng’er handled it like a pro. Yan Ruyu was a little clumsy. Mi Xue’er? Total chaos. She ended up begging Mentor Yu Xuan for help.
“Mentor, teach me~”
“Alright, alright. I don’t barbecue much myself. Let’s see if we can make it tasty.”
Even the family’s head chef, Mentor Yu Xuan, joined in.
The four beauties, each with her own charm, bent over their tasks side by side, creating a stunning vista that held the eyes captive.
Suddenly, Yan Zhen felt profoundly lucky—and happy.
Sure, his cousin often disrupted his roleplay, his cousin once-removed was his natural rival, Senior Sister Xue’er loved teasing him, and Mentor Yu Xuan had overworked his young kidneys a bit. But deep down, they all treated him well.
In life, you make tons of “friends.” But the ones who truly care? Just a precious few.
—So cherish those who love you.
Yan Zhen gained this sudden insight. Unbeknownst to him, Mental Fire ignited at his brow, flickered gently, and vanished.
If he’d extended his senses right then, he’d have noticed his perception range had grown.
Yan Zhen took a deep breath and got to work himself.
“Cousin, try this chicken wing skewer I grilled~”
Yan Meng’er proudly offered it up. Yan Zhen sprinkled on some seasoning and took a bite, tearing off a piece of crispy-outside, tender-inside meat.
“How’s it taste?”
“Not bad, but the skin could be crispier.”
Yan Meng’er blinked. “Then… I’ll grill the rest a bit longer. This one’s not perfect, so I’ll eat it myself.”
She bit right where he’d bitten, savoring it with delight.
Yan Zhen was too focused on grilling to notice, but the other three women did. They inwardly cursed the girl for her shamelessness—even as jealousy clawed at their hearts.
A thousand schemes are no match for a clever ploy.
Shameless? Sure. But effective!
“Little Brother Yan Zhen, try mine too.”
Blushing shyly, Mi Xue’er held her skewer to his lips, watching expectantly.
It might not taste great, but she hoped he’d at least take a bite—after all, she’d grilled it thinking of him.
Yan Zhen tugged off a piece of meat and a green pepper with his teeth. His face twisted instantly. He forced it down, exhaled sharply, and said, “Senior Sister Xue’er, ease up on the chili powder. Or your asshole’s gonna regret it tomorrow.”
