Completely Wrapped Around His Finger

It was the evening of the thirteenth.

Wen Han's studio transferred the money into Chen Shu's account.

Unfortunately, it wasn't much—

Yi Nation currently offered a good environment, friendlier to creators than in his previous life. But competition was correspondingly fierce.

For a lyricist or composer of average fame, getting a few thousand yuan for the lyrics or music of a song counted as a high price. Those with greater reputations could earn ten to twenty thousand. A rare few with strong reputations, proven talent, and fans of their own might have clients come begging for songs and receive a hundred thousand, several hundred thousand, or even more.

But that wasn't their entire income.

There were copyright royalties afterward.

If a song was excellent and its sales exploded, the later income was the lion's share. If the market response was poor, there was basically nothing more to earn.

Chen Shu's fellow townsman had no reputation to speak of.

As for this song, Chen Shu loved it, but it wasn't among the very best in this world. Fortunately, Wen Han liked it too and wanted to build a relationship with him, so he offered a relatively high price.

The lyrics fetched 10,000 yuan.

The music fetched 12,000 yuan.

A total of 22,000 yuan.

For that little money, he'd sold off his fellow townsman's masterpiece.

Chen Shu felt deeply ashamed...

He was now only a few thousand yuan short of a Second-Tier Breakthrough Potion. He couldn't count on Supervisor Wang; there had been no commissions lately, and even if one came in, he wouldn't be paid until next month.

Luckily, Chen Shu had prepared for this.

August fourteenth.

Early morning.

Meng Chunqiu had no classes that morning and slept until he woke naturally. When he came out, he found Chen Shu had been busy in the kitchen for a long time.

The roommate who always gave him a strange feeling was brushing oil onto the inside of a Mooncake Mold. Then he placed a small ball of dough inside, pressed down hard, held it for several seconds, released it, and pressed again. His expression was careful and focused, lending him an uncommon charm.

When he took the little ball out of the mold, it had become a beautifully shaped mooncake.

More than twenty little balls sat beside it.

Curious, Meng Chunqiu sat down to watch closely as one little ball after another became a mooncake.

Chen Shu sprayed a fine mist of water over them and put the mooncakes into an oven preheated to 210 degrees for five minutes. Meanwhile, he took a bowl, cracked an egg, kept only the yolk, added a little water, and mixed them thoroughly. Then he waited.

Resting his chin on his hand, Meng Chunqiu looked toward the oven. "I didn't know you had this side to you, Brother Chen."

"Don't stereotype people."

"You make a good point, Brother Chen."

Meng Chunqiu paused. "I wonder what impression you have of me, Brother Chen?"

"..."

"Ding~~"

"Oh, five minutes are up!"

As if rescued by a savior, Chen Shu hurriedly opened the oven door.

He took out the mooncakes and brushed each with a thin, even layer of egg-yolk wash. They hadn't baked firm yet, so he had to be gentle. This would give them a beautiful color.

He put them back in the oven, lowered the temperature, and baked them for another five minutes.

When he took them out again, the mooncakes had begun to color.

He brushed them again, this time coating the sides too.

Back into the oven for eight minutes.

The finished mooncakes were beautiful: golden, small and adorable, with crisp patterns and no bulging or distortion. They were good enough to sell.

Chen Shu picked one up at random and handed it to Meng Chunqiu. "Try it. I've been making these for years, so they should be fine."

"What's the filling?"

"Just eat it."

"Oh."

Meng Chunqiu broke it open and glanced inside.

Red-date and red-bean paste.

At the first bite, the freshly baked aroma was rich. The filling was soft, its sweetness just right, neither cloying nor bland. It went down remarkably easily.

But this wasn't when it tasted best. Once it cooled and sat for about a day, the oil would seep back through, making it softer and more fragrant. Then it would taste even better.

Meng Chunqiu nodded. "Not bad. This is my first time eating a mooncake fresh from the oven."

Chen Shu smiled and took out three boxes, putting only four mooncakes in each. "I'm taking these to give away. The rest stay here. Don't sneak any. We'll eat them tomorrow night."

"Thanks for the effort, Brother Chen."

"Heh..."

Chen Shu went over and opened the freezer—

The dumplings he'd made yesterday had frozen solid, so he could take them off the trays and pack them together. He took out just two food containers, gathered all the dumplings he'd made, and divided them between the two.

Chen Shu: I'm bringing you dumplings and mooncakes

Chen Shu: Wait for me at the school gate at 12:15

He put away his phone right after sending the messages.

12:15.

Chen Shu arrived on time. Ning Qing had arrived earlier.

She was already waiting at the gate, wearing a mask. Her cool gaze surveyed the students coming and going, and now and then she looked thoughtful.

Chen Shu walked over.

As he approached, Ning Qing turned toward him, pulled down her mask, and tilted her head slightly, looking at him with a trace of puzzlement—

He hadn't snuck up on me today.

"..."

Chen Shu was speechless. "Why are you looking at me like that? Can you stop bringing that up? Once I think enough time has passed for you to forget about it, I'll start again."

Ning Qing said nothing—

Her memory was excellent.

She never forgot anything she wanted to remember. Anything she didn't want to remember never even lingered in her mind.

Then Chen Shu added, "What matters isn't what you think. It's what I think."

"..."

Ning Qing fell into thought.

He seems to know what I'm thinking.

Chen Shu gave a smug little laugh and raised both hands, a bag dangling from each. "Each bag has four mooncakes and enough dumplings for one person to eat twice. Do you want the Crescent Dumplings or the Willow-Leaf Dumplings?"

Ning Qing stood still and silently watched him.

"Oh!"

Chen Shu handed her the Crescent Dumplings.

Ning Qing took them without expression.

"I'm off."

Chen Shu smiled and turned to leave.

But after only a few steps, he spun around. Ning Qing was still standing there watching him.

"Haha..."

Laughing, Chen Shu walked back, took the bag from her hand, and hung the other one there instead. "Did you think you were the only one good at guessing? I'm good at it too, especially when it comes to you... I really have to go now. I still need to take this bag to Chen Banxia, then get back for Archery Class this afternoon."

It was 12:20.

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Shu arrived at Chen Banxia's home.

Her front door was open as usual, and she was curled up on the sofa, sleeping soundly as usual.

The sight annoyed Chen Shu, and her face was simply too tempting a target. He softened his steps, walked over, and gave her cheek another hard smack with the back of his hand.

"Fire!"

"!!"

Chen Banxia woke instantly, eyes wide with fury. Her already large eyes looked even bigger, bright and sharply black-and-white as she glared at him.

"You hit your big sister again!"

"Here..."

Chen Shu set the bag on the coffee table in front of her. "I made you mooncakes and dumplings especially. There are four mooncakes, filled with red-date and red-bean paste. I only made them this morning, and they'll taste better after a day. But knowing you, I'll let you sneak two today. You have to save the other two for tomorrow. Got it?"

"Got it..."

Chen Banxia's voice softened at once, becoming as soft and squishy as her face—

My little brother cares so much about me and treats me so well. How could I stay mad at him?

"I'll put the dumplings in the fridge. There's enough for two meals."

"Only two..."

"I stayed up last night making them. The campus convenience store didn't have much for sale. Next time, I'll go to a market and buy some fish, shrimp, lamb, and beef, then spend a whole day making dumplings to bring you. Otherwise, every day you either eat takeout or junk food—or skip meals altogether."

"I like Snakehead Fish and shrimp filling!"

"That's why I said I'd make more this weekend."

"You're the best little brother!"

Chen Banxia was so moved her heart nearly melted. She even wanted to arrange for the Second-Tier Breakthrough Potion he would need later.

She wriggled off the sofa, put on her slippers, and followed him to the fridge. Watching him put the dumplings away, she asked, "Why didn't you make those... the willow-leaf-shaped ones you invented? They were so distinctive."

"I didn't invent them."

"Oh! Then why didn't you make any?"

"Next time."

"Okay, okay..." Chen Banxia nodded repeatedly. "Make me some Cooked Chili Oil too!"

"We'll see tomorrow."

"Then are you staying here tonight?"

"I have Archery Class this afternoon. I need to go back."

"But you have to come celebrate with me tomorrow, right?" Chen Banxia suddenly gave a wicked grin. "Unless you're spending it with Qingqing. Then you don't have to."

"I'll come for dinner. I'll head over in the afternoon, stop by the market on the way, buy some groceries and what I need to make your Cooked Chili Oil, then cook dinner for you." Chen Shu gave a lazy yawn. "I'll see if I can bring her too. She's practicing Silence Meditation lately and can't talk. She just stares at people like a fool."

"Bring her, bring her!"

Big Sister was thrilled.

Chen Shu was at a loss for words. He got up and headed for the kitchen again.

It was almost one o'clock. This woman still hadn't eaten, hadn't prepared anything for him either, and was waiting for him to cook for her.

Good thing she was committed to staying single.

If she married someone, it would be a sin committed by the whole Chen family.

Three in the afternoon.

After seeing her little brother off, Chen Banxia lay back on the sofa, nestled her head into its farthest corner, and narrowed her eyes. Satisfaction radiated from her entire being.

There were two reasons for it—

First, her little brother had come to pay tribute to his big sister again. It showed how devoted he was, and the food really was delicious.

Second, in her happiness, she had transferred another ten thousand yuan to him. It showed off her generosity, means, and standing, while also expressing her care for her little brother.

Put together, those two things made her satisfaction complete.

Outside Chen Banxia's residential complex.

Chen Shu mounted a shared electric scooter, phone in hand, and looked at the number in his account.

.94.

It wasn't as if he'd asked Chen Banxia for the money—

She had insisted on giving it to him!

Honestly!

She wouldn't take no for an answer!

Who did that...

He opened Blue Light Company's official website. The T2A Second-Tier Breakthrough Potion was listed at its Mid-Autumn special price, with the discount starting tomorrow.

Then he opened the National Potion Network to compare.

The official site was still cheaper.

He would wait until tomorrow, then.

Chen Shu rode the scooter away.