A god-level beauty system? But I'm already a god-level beauty!

"Knock knock knock".

There was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Enter."

Mu Jingyan turned around and replied.

She was still holding a pen in her hand, halfway through writing a solid geometry problem, drawing auxiliary lines and erasing them again and again.

The stack of test papers on the corner of the table was only half gone, but the little robot next to it, tired from writing, was dozing off on the edge of the bed, drooling in its sleep.

The door opened, and Shen Ye walked in.

His hair was wet, with a few drops of half-melted snow dripping from the ends and sliding down his temples.

A small patch of white remained on the shoulder of the down jacket; it was snow that had fallen on the road and hadn't had time to melt.

Mu Jingyan put down her pen and looked up at him.

"What have you been doing all this time?"

Shen Ye did not answer immediately.

He closed the door behind him, walked a few steps to the desk, took out two red, bulging objects from the pocket of his down jacket, and handed them to the two people.

"Here, for you."

Mu Jingyan's gaze was fixed on the two red envelopes.

The gold-embossed "福" (good fortune) character on the paper gleamed under the lamp. The bag was bulging with its contents; when you squeezed it, it was hard and solid—money.

She was stunned.

Mu Jinghuan also propped her head up from the bed, rubbing her eyes, looking dazed as if she hadn't woken up yet.

"It's not even Chinese New Year yet..." Mu Jingyan hesitated before asking, "What does giving red envelopes mean?"

"I won't be here during the New Year," Shen Ye said, gesturing with his hand. "Then I'll give you the red envelopes in advance."

He stuffed the red envelope into Mu Jingyan's hand, then sat down at the table and let out a long sigh of relief.

"I finally got them. The nearest store was closed today. I walked such a long way for these red envelopes, I'm exhausted."

"..."

Mu Jingyan held the two red envelopes in her hands, her fingertips able to feel the rough texture of the paper, and was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

"Hey! Huanhuan, what are you doing!"

Shen Ye's exclamation interrupted her thoughts.

The little robot had gotten out of bed at some point, rushed over, and gave Shen Ye a big hug.

Two little arms wrapped around his neck, and her cheeks rubbed directly against the crook of his neck.

"Thank you, brother!" the girl said in a soft, sweet voice.

Shen Ye wanted to push her away, but his clothes were still wet with snow, and it wouldn't be good to get someone else's pajamas wet.

But the little robot was holding on quite tightly, and Shen Ye tried to push it away twice, but couldn't.

"Alright, alright, get up."

Shen Ye patted her back and resignedly let her hug him.

"call--"

She let out a soft breath, suppressing the slight ache in her heart, and reached out to open the red envelope.

A thick stack of brand-new banknotes.

"Thanks."

She looked at Shen Ye, who was hugging his sister, and said softly.

"No need to thank me," Shen Ye laughed.

Mu Jingyan pursed her lips and lowered her eyes.

Just when she was about to be moved by this guy—

Shen Ye suddenly grinned mischievously.

Those eyes curved upwards, and the corners of his mouth curled up in a smile—a smile that Mu Jingyan knew all too well, a smile tinged with malice.

"but......"

He drawled out the last syllable, his eyes sweeping over Mu Jingyan's beautifully sculpted body.

"Saying thank you is too perfunctory."

"You'd better offer something tangible in return."

The temperature on Mu Jingyan's face instantly dropped.

Oh.

He really is a bastard.

The feeling of being touched just now felt like being doused with a bucket of cold water, leaving me completely chilled.

Mu Jingyan glanced at Shen Ye with disdain.

But she did not refuse.

After thinking for a moment, a blush slowly rose on the girl's cheeks.

She bit her lip, stood up from her chair, walked around the corner of the table, and leaned close to Shen Ye's ear.

Strands of hair fell down, brushing against Shen Ye's face, tickling him.

She stood on tiptoe, placed her hands on the back of Shen Ye's chair, and her thin lips parted slightly.

The sound was extremely soft.

It was as subtle as a breeze brushing past the ear, so subtle that even Shen Ye, who was right next to us, had to hold his breath to catch a glimpse of it.

"......tonight......

Shen Ye's eyes widened suddenly.

Immediately afterwards, an undisguised light ignited in those eyes, so bright that Mu Jingyan had to immediately retreat and take two steps back.

"You promised, you can't go back on your word!"

He pointed at her, a smile he could barely contain himself.

Mu Jingyan's ears were already bright red, and she didn't dare to look at him anymore. She grabbed the pen on the table and buried herself back into the test paper without looking back.

"Get back to what you're doing."

Shen Ye laughed heartily, in an extremely good mood.

The little robot, still clinging to Shen Ye, felt a rare hint of bad mood.

Why can't I hear it myself...?

It seems like my sister is deliberately avoiding me...

--------

"Come on, let's eat hot pot!"

In the evening, the round table in the living room was polished to a shine.

The induction cooker was placed in the center, and the divided hot pot was placed on top, with the red and white soups bubbling and churning.

A layer of butter and chili peppers floats on the surface of the red oil, while a few goji berries and mushrooms float on the white side.

Shen Ye picked up a few slices of beef and dipped them in the red broth several times.

The slices of meat curled up at the edges, their color changing from bright red to grayish-white, and the oil swirled in the boiling broth.

He scooped it up, drained it, and carefully placed it into Lin Chunuan's long-awaited bowl.

"Thank you, brother!"

The little girl couldn't even hold her chopsticks properly before picking up a piece of beef, rolling it in the sesame sauce dish, then rolling it a second time, until the whole piece of meat was coated with a thick layer of sauce, before she couldn't wait to stuff it into her mouth.

Chew, chew.

The girl's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Ugh—!"

She puffed out her cheeks and made muffled, satisfied sounds through her nose, while her legs swung happily under the chair.

"Brother, you should eat too."

Lin Chunuan followed suit, picked up a slice of freshly cooked beef, dipped it repeatedly in her sesame sauce dish, and then, leaning on her chopsticks, held them to Shen Ye's lips.

Shen Ye bit down on her hand.

The salty and savory flavors, combined with the rich sesame aroma, explode in your mouth.

"You added way too much sesame sauce," he mumbled, chewing on the meat. "The meat flavor is completely masked by the sauce."

"That's what makes it delicious!" Lin Chunuan protested, confidently dipping herself in a large bowl of sesame sauce. "Sesame sauce is the soul of hot pot!"

"Soul my foot! Are you eating sauce or meat?"

"Hmph, brother doesn't understand."

The two bantered back and forth, their cheeks smeared with red oil, but neither of them noticed.

Watching the two of them eat with their mouths glistening with oil and chatting happily, Mu Jingyan, sitting opposite them, swallowed hard.

It's a pity she can't handle spicy food...

"Huanhuan, why aren't you eating the spicy hot pot base? I remember you can handle spicy food."

Mu Jingyan picked up a piece of mushroom with her chopsticks and suddenly noticed her sister's bowl.

There wasn't a trace of chili oil; it was all ingredients from the Three Delicacies Hot Pot.

Mu Jinghuan bit the end of her chopsticks, her eyes darting around, and she gave a playful smile.

"If I eat it, my sister will definitely crave it, so I'll eat the same thing as her."

"..."

Mu Jingyan paused in her grip on the chopsticks.

Although she was touched that Huanhuan thought of her as her older sister, she felt like she was being underestimated...

To salvage her dignity and prove herself, she put down the mushrooms and fixed her gaze on the piece of beef stewing perfectly in the red broth.

Three seconds later.

"Cough! Cough cough cough—"

The hot pot meal came to a close amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.

Smelling of the food, the four of them went into their respective bathrooms one after another.

Mu Jingyan was the first to finish washing.

She came out wearing that light gray nightgown, her hair still wet and loosely wrapped in a towel.

She paused for a moment as she passed the living room.

Shen Ye was curled up on the sofa scrolling through his phone when he looked up and met her gaze.

His eyes looked like those of the Big Bad Wolf eyeing Little Red Riding Hood.

Mu Jingyan's ears burned again.

She didn't say anything, only gave Shen Ye a shy look, and then quickly went upstairs.

Shen Ye stared at her back for two seconds and immediately understood.

call--

He suddenly stood up, grabbed his change of clothes from the sofa armrest, and rushed to the bathroom.

The sound of rushing water filled the air.

On the sofa in the living room, Mu Jinghuan hugged a cushion, stared in the direction of the bathroom, and blinked.

The look in my sister's eyes just now, and the anxious look on my brother's face...

The little robot keenly sensed something was wrong.