Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

After lunch, the sun became quite scorching, and the reflection on the lake was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The chirping of cicadas came in waves from the depths of the pine forest, and the parasols on the terrace swayed gently in the wind.

Seeing that Lu Ze and the others had finished eating, Xilin quickly ate the rice in her bowl, put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, leaving a shiny trace of oil on the corner of her mouth.

She stood up, looked at An Linyue, and asked her bluntly.

"I'm full. Where's the game room?"

An Linyue was clearing away the dishes when she saw this and pointed to the second floor: "The second room on the left upstairs."

Xilin's eyes lit up, and she turned to run away.

"Wait a moment."

Lu Ze reached out and pulled her along, taking a tissue from the table and wiping the marks from the corner of her mouth.

That brat is always so careless.

Celine tilted her head back and obediently let him do as he pleased, her golden eyes glancing at the ceiling as she impatiently urged him on.

"Are you done yet?"

Lu Ze shook his head helplessly and casually threw the crumpled paper into the trash can.

"Don't play for too long, it's bad for your eyes."

"Okay, okay!" Celine made a face at him, then grabbed Bella and ran upstairs.

The footsteps of the two little girls echoed all the way up the wooden stairs, as hurried as drumming.

Then came the creaking sound of the door being pushed open, followed by Xilin's excited exclamation.

Wow—this monitor is even bigger than mine!

An Linyue smiled as she looked towards the stairs, then turned to look at Lu Ze.

"Your sister has so much energy. Aren't you going to play with them?"

Lu Ze shook his head and carried the stacked dishes into the kitchen.

"Let them have their own fun. I'll help you prepare the food for dinner. Didn't you say you were going to have a bonfire barbecue? You haven't even skewered the meat yet, have you?"

An Linyue was stunned for a moment, then smiled with her eyes crinkling.

"Since you're being so proactive, then I won't hold back."

While Lu Ze was washing the dishes, An Linyue took out large pieces of pork belly, chicken thigh meat, and beef from the refrigerator, skillfully cut them into small pieces, put them in a bowl, added soy sauce, cooking wine, honey, and secret sauce, and mixed them well to marinate.

Lu Ze then moved a low table to the terrace, sat on a small stool, and began skewering the meat.

An Linyue soaked the bamboo skewers in water beforehand to prevent them from burning during grilling.

He skillfully strung the skewers, alternating between lean and fatty pieces, making each string even and plump.

"Your technique is quite skilled. Did you often make barbecue before?"

An Linyue glanced at the movement in his hands and was somewhat surprised.

Lu Ze kept working, stringing up another skewer and putting it into the plate.

"I've baked it a few times when I went out with friends before, and I gradually got the hang of it."

This was certainly not something he learned from hanging out with friends; it was a wilderness survival skill he honed through frequent wilderness adventures.

"Your learning ability is quite strong." An Linyue smiled, didn't ask any more questions, and continued to marinate the meat.

The two worked quietly for a while, with only the faint sound of bamboo skewers piercing through the meat and the intermittent chirping of cicadas in the distance.

After a while, An Linyue carried a new batch of marinated meat out of the kitchen and onto the terrace.

She placed the basin next to the low table, bent down to speak, and suddenly stopped.

A faint fragrance of peach blossoms wafted into her nostrils.

It's not the chemical scent of laundry detergent, nor is it the common fragrance of perfume; it's a clear, subtle, and lingering plant aroma, gentle and long-lasting.

An Linyue moved closer without realizing that the fragrance was coming from Lu Ze.

Her heart clenched suddenly.