Ye Chen bustled around in the kitchen.
Golden millet and red beans simmered into a fragrant red bean and millet porridge.
He steamed a tender, fragrant egg custard with minced meat and shiitake mushrooms.
He made mandarin fish soup, stir-fried some greens, and that was it.
The aroma of the food wafted through the room.
(╯▽╰ ) It smells so good~~!
Ye Chen served up the food and carefully picked all the bones out of the fish before carrying everything out of the kitchen.
"The food's ready. Have you passed gas yet?"
Ye Chen walked over to Su Ningwei and set the food on a small table beside her, asking gently.
"Mm, I did just now." Su Ningwei nodded, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Ye Chen smiled. "Then you can eat."
Watching the delicious-looking food, Zhao Shiyu couldn't help swallowing, practically drooling.
"It smells so good. Ye Chen, you're an amazing cook! Did you make enough for me? I've been eating boxed lunches every day lately, and I'm sick of them." Zhao Shiyu blinked pitifully as she asked.
"Of course I did. I'll transfer you the money for the groceries," Ye Chen replied.
"No need, no need. It didn't cost much. Letting me join you for a meal is all I ask. I'll go get some bowls and chopsticks." Zhao Shiyu quickly waved her hands and got up to wash them and fetch the tableware.
"Your hands aren't up to it. I'll feed you." Ye Chen smiled as he scooped up a spoonful of fish soup and brought it to Su Ningwei's mouth. "Give it a taste. Does it suit you?"
Su Ningwei opened her mouth with a blissful expression and drank it.
"Mmm~ It's delicious, so fresh, and not fishy at all. You're such a good cook! You're amazing. Could you teach me sometime?" Su Ningwei's eyes widened in astonishment.
She hadn't expected Ye Chen to be such a skilled cook. Su Ningwei was completely smitten with him.
How many other good qualities did this man, Ye Chen, have that she didn't know about?
"Of course. But as long as I'm here, you won't need to cook." Ye Chen scooped up a spoonful of tender egg custard and held it to Su Ningwei's lips. "Try this, too."
"That won't do. I want to learn, too. That way I can be a good wife and mother, someone who can host guests and manage the kitchen." Su Ningwei smiled as she opened her mouth and swallowed the tender custard, feeling blissfully happy.
To capture a man's heart, you had to capture his stomach. The same went for women.
So Su Ningwei was thinking she should work hard to improve her cooking, too, and win Ye Chen's stomach and heart. She couldn't be the only one hopelessly in love. She had to make Ye Chen fall for her, too, so he couldn't bear to leave her.
Zhao Shiyu kept her head down and ate in silence, repeating to herself:
I saw nothing. I'm proud to be single; I'm helping the country save on condoms.
Being single is great for a while, but being single forever is even better. I'm not getting into a relationship!
Though the dishes were light, both Su Ningwei and Zhao Shiyu praised them repeatedly, thoroughly impressed.
After the meal.
Zhao Shiyu had wanted to wash the dishes, but Ye Chen stopped her.
Ye Chen was the host now, and Zhao Shiyu was the guest. How could he let a guest wash the dishes?
Zhao Shiyu went off to take care of her own things.
Ye Chen carried the dishes into the kitchen and washed them, mulling things over as he worked:
The tiny place he was renting clearly wasn't suitable for a family of five. He definitely needed to move into a warm, comfortable, spacious home.
He had more than 850,000 yuan in his account now. That should be enough to put down a portion of the money as a down payment.
[ Ding! Congratulations on completing the task of making a nutritious meal for your wife, Su Ningwei. Your wife is very satisfied and loves you even more.] [Reward: 100,000 yuan in cash and one fully furnished duplex in Tomson Supreme. The property has been purchased in full, all fees have been paid, and the transfer process has been completed. You are welcome to move in at any time. Address: Room 808, Unit 1, Building 8, Tomson Supreme. Dongfeng Express will deliver the documents and keys tomorrow morning. Please be available to receive them.]
Ye Chen was overjoyed.
He'd gotten exactly what he'd been hoping for.
The system had given him a fully paid-for, fully furnished duplex.
And it was in Tomson Supreme!
As expected of the Perfect Life System. It was freaking amazing!
[ Ding! Oh, stop it... I'm set up as a cute little girl, so I don't have one! Don't say that...]
Ye Chen's hands paused as he washed the dishes.
Could the system actually hear his thoughts?
And it was set up as an adorable, understanding little girl...
No wonder every reward was just what he needed.
His phone vibrated. Another 100,000 yuan had just landed in his account:
"Your account ending in 2023 received 100,000 yuan on December 6 at 13:10. Balance: 950,130.56 yuan. [China Construction Bank]"
Woohoo~
In the blink of an eye, he was about to become a millionaire. What a great feeling...
With so many kids, he should buy a seven-seater car, too, to make it easier to get around. Then everything would be perfect...
Ye Chen hummed a cheerful tune, feeling hopeful about life as he washed the dishes with extra enthusiasm.
He had just finished washing them.
His phone started ringing in his pants pocket.
Ye Chen dried his hands and took out his phone to check.
It was Cheng Tong.
Ye Chen quickly switched the call to silent vibration mode before answering.
He was a father now. He couldn't wake his wife and kids.
On the other end of the phone, Cheng Tong asked with concern, "Brother Chen, I was busy this morning, so I didn't call. Are you at the hospital now? Are your parents okay? Do you need me to come over and help out?"
Normally, Ye Chen only asked Cheng Tong for money when he needed help paying for his parents' medical bills.
Cheng Tong had also helped him out plenty of times.
"My parents are fine," Ye Chen replied gratefully.
Cheng Tong asked in confusion, "What's going on?"
"I'm a dad now. I have three kids," Ye Chen said with a smile.
Cheng Tong's voice rose in shock over the phone. "What?! You're a what now?"
"A dad," Ye Chen replied.
Cheng Tong panicked, thinking Ye Chen had been duped. "Y-you're a virgin, aren't you? You don't even have a girlfriend. How can you be a dad? Don't tell me you're raising someone else's kids! And there are three of them! Don't do anything stupid! Where are you? I'm coming over right now."
"What do you mean, raising someone else's kids? They're my biological children." Ye Chen glanced over and saw that Su Ningwei had fallen asleep, so he answered in a low voice.
Cheng Tong frowned. "Really? When did this happen? When did you get a girlfriend? How come I didn't know?"
"It happened when I went to that fashion show. I only found out today that I'm going to be a dad," Ye Chen explained quietly.
Cheng Tong was still skeptical. "What are the odds? You got her pregnant in one night? Are you some kind of sharpshooter? And triplets, too? Society's such a mess these days. Don't be too naive. Maybe you should secretly get a paternity test."
"No need. I trust her. It was her first time when she was with me, and you all know who she is, too," Ye Chen replied with a smile.
The system had verified all three children, after all.
Cheng Tong paused. No way. He knew her, too?
Was it Jiang Xiaocha, the campus belle who'd been pursuing Ye Chen?
Or was it Liu Qianqian, the school beauty who'd fallen for Ye Chen at first sight?