Heartbeat - Chapter 28

Shen Xun reached out and pinched Su Jianyue’s cheek. She had to admit, the texture was surprisingly pleasant.

When Shen Xun pinched her, Su Jianyue simply leaned forward obediently. As long as her sister wasn’t angry, she’d do anything.

“Why are you leaning in?” Shen Xun asked with a faint smile.

“So it’s easier for you to pinch,” Su Jianyue replied, her voice remarkably docile.

Shen Xun pinched her cheek twice more before releasing her.

“By the way, were you planning to use that cup right away?” Shen Xun asked casually.

Alarm bells rang in Su Jianyue’s mind as she shook her head frantically. “No, no! I’ll keep it as a gift for my younger sister. She’s still little and loves cute things like this.”

Shen Xun nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Then why haven’t you put it away yet?”

“I’ll do it right now,” Su Jianyue said, quickly wrapping the cup with its little ears in bubble wrap and tucking it into her suitcase.

Once she was done, she immediately declared her loyalty: “Sister, I’ve packed it away! I won’t use the same things as anyone else—only the same things as you.”

Shen Xun looked at the Little Puppy, who was trying to curry favor with her, with a half-amused, half-exasperated expression. She reached out and pinched the Little Puppy’s cheek again.

The Live Stream audience was practically dying of laughter, a flurry of “hahaha” comments flooding the screen.

Sister: Am I a joke to you? Being dragged out to take the blame?

LOL, Xiao Yueliang’s reaction time is lightning-fast! The moment Shen Xun mentioned the cup, she immediately shifted the blame to her sister.

Sister: Just sitting at home, and a pot falls from the sky.

Su Jianyue is so well-behaved, even leaning in to let Shen Xun pinch her cheek! Where can I get a Little Milk A this soft?

Want one too! +1

Seeing how obedient the Little Puppy was today, Shen Xun couldn’t bring herself to say more. She nodded approvingly at Su Jianyue. “Alright then, let’s head downstairs. It’s almost time to start preparing lunch.”

“Mm-hmm!” Su Jianyue hurried to follow.

By the time the two descended the stairs, everyone else had already gathered. As they walked, Shen Xun remarked, “Oh right, isn’t it time for another lottery? We haven’t chosen today’s chef yet.”

“Mm-hmm, we were just waiting for you two to come down,” Zhao Qifei replied with a smile.

Practice makes perfect, and this time the group drew lots with practiced ease. The Alphas and Omegas split into two groups, and whoever drew a numbered slip in each group would be today’s chef.

Su Jianyue glanced nervously at her slip. Phew, I didn’t get a number this time.

After drawing her slip, Su Jianyue instinctively looked at Shen Xun, only to see that Shen Xun had drawn a numbered slip this time.

Zhao Qifei, Jiang Ying, and Liang Wenjing also drew numbered slips. The four of them gathered their things and headed to the kitchen.

Having just upset her sister, Su Jianyue didn’t want to leave Shen Xun’s side for even a moment. Seeing Shen Xun leave, she immediately stood up to follow.

“Hey, where are you going?” Liang Wenjing asked.

“I don’t have anything else to do anyway. I’ll go help Sister with the cooking,” Su Jianyue replied, hurrying after Shen Xun.

Meanwhile, the four chefs were dividing tasks.

“I’ll handle all the stir-fries and main dishes. Who wants to help me wash vegetables and prep ingredients?” Zhao Qifei asked.

“I’ll do it,” Jiang Ying volunteered, happy to let Zhao Qifei show off while she took it easy.

“Alright, I’ll take charge of the main course and cold dishes,” Liang Wenjing said. “We’ve had noodles for several meals already, so let’s have rice today. For the cold dishes, I’ll make a large plate of la pi (mung bean noodles), a cold vermicelli salad, and cucumber strips.”

Shen Xun nodded. “Great! Then I’ll handle the desserts. After dinner, we can all enjoy some sweets and play games or something.”

“Mmm-hmm!” Su Jianyue responded enthusiastically.

Shen Xun gathered the necessary ingredients, including chocolate, milk, and other essentials. Fortunately, the production team had been relatively considerate, providing most of the items needed for making desserts.

First, she dissolved cocoa powder in hot water and set it aside. Then, she turned to Su Jianyue, who was standing obediently nearby, and said, “Little Puppy, could you get two eggs from the fridge and separate the yolks from the whites for me?”

“Okay!” Su Jianyue’s face lit up at the chance to help her sister. She scurried to the refrigerator to fetch the eggs.

Following instructions precisely, she cracked the eggs into a bowl, then used a clean mineral water bottle to siphon the yolks into another bowl.

“What’s next?”

Shen Xun glanced over and, seeing Su Jianyue had finished preparing the ingredients, smiled. “Go soak the gelatin sheets for me. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Okay!” Su Jianyue obediently soaked the gelatin sheets in warm water to soften them.

Meanwhile, Shen Xun added 10 grams of granulated sugar and a touch of salad oil to the egg yolks, then thoroughly mixed the mixture with an electric mixer. Next, she incorporated the previously prepared cocoa liquid and about 50 grams of low-gluten flour, stirring until smooth.

After this, Shen Xun added granulated sugar to the egg whites and whipped them with the electric mixer until stiff peaks formed. She then gently folded the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.

She placed the dark chocolate in milk and melted it over hot water, allowing the chocolate to dissolve completely into the milk.

Finally, Shen Xun combined the egg yolk mixture, chocolate liquid, and softened gelatin, stirring until the gelatin was fully dissolved.

She whipped the heavy cream until stiff peaks formed, then gently folded the combined liquid into the whipped cream until evenly mixed.

Su Jianyue watched intently from the side, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “It smells so good!”

“Smells good even before it’s baked?” Shen Xun teased with a smile, then continued bossing around her “Little Puppy.” “Go get me a smaller baking pan.”

“Right away!” Su Jianyue eagerly fetched the pan, happy to be helping her sister.

“Sister, will this work?” Su Jianyue handed over the small baking pan.

Shen Xun nodded, brushed oil into the pan for easy removal later, and poured the mixed batter into it before placing it in the oven to bake.

“Sister, I’ll wash these tools,” Su Jianyue offered eagerly, wanting to make up for upsetting Shen Xun the day before.

Seeing the “Little Puppy” so eager to help, Shen Xun agreed. “Alright, you can do that.”

Su Jianyue happily began washing the dishes, while Shen Xun stayed by her side, wiping down the countertops.

Zhao Qifei, stir-frying chili pork, kept glancing over at Shen Xun. Seeing Su Jianyue constantly by her side, his grip tightened on the wok handle. Damn it! How did their relationship get even closer after Shen Xun went on a date with someone else?

Once they finished cleaning up, Su Jianyue followed Shen Xun to the living room to relax. The oven would automatically shut off when the timer went off, so they didn’t need to worry about it.

“What desserts did you two make?” Zheng Tianming asked. “I bought some red wine yesterday, so after dinner, we can all have some wine and dessert, and then play some games together.”

“We made chocolate mousse,” Shen Xun replied. “It’s perfect for afternoon tea, and it should pair well with the red wine.” Having enjoyed baking at home, she was confident in her dessert.

“What games should we play later?” Mao Ning suggested. “Or should we watch a movie? I brought a projector.”

“Let’s play games first,” Chen Zhibin interjected. “We can save the movie for later tonight.” After all, playing games would help everyone get to know each other faster than watching a movie.

“Alright,” Mao Ning agreed.

“How about something simple like spin the bottle?” Chen Zhibin continued. “Whoever the bottle points to has to choose truth or dare. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but it really works.”

He was eager to play this game, especially the team-based version. Maybe he could even get some intimate contact with the omega he liked.

“Sure, it sounds like fun,” Su Jianyue said, having no objections as long as she could play with her sister.

“Great! Let’s get ready to play after dinner,” Chen Zhibin said excitedly. “I’ll go set up on the third floor. We can play on the carpet there.”

“Okay,” Su Jianyue nodded.

Seeing that no one was moving, Chen Zhibin joked, “No one’s going to help me set up?”

Shen Xun glanced at him and said coolly, “Su Jianyue and I need to keep an eye on the desserts.”

“I’ll go with you,” Ren Peng said, getting up to help Chen Zhibin prepare the third floor.

“Me too! We still have time before dinner, so let’s set up first,” Mao Ning added, stretching before joining Chen Zhibin and Ren Peng upstairs.

Chen Zhibin could only force a couple of awkward laughs as he followed the two upstairs. He had really wanted Shen Xun to come with him, but damn it! She completely ignored his attempts to engage her.

It wasn’t a big deal. Later, when they played the game, he could discuss it with Zhao Qifei and figure out how to maximize their profits.

Downstairs, only Yu Lin, Zheng Tianming, Shen Xun, and Su Jianyue remained.

Yu Lin was holding the ceramic cup from yesterday, already using it.

“Oh, by the way, where’s your cup? Didn’t you bring it out?” Yu Lin asked casually.

Caught off guard, Su Jianyue quickly glanced at Shen Xun before replying, “That cup is so cute, with all the little animals painted on it. I’m planning to take it back and give it to my younger sister. She’s still in high school and loves these kinds of trinkets.”

“I see. That’s a nice idea,” Yu Lin nodded calmly, her gaze shifting to Shen Xun. Their eyes met.

Yu Lin hadn’t realized how much influence Shen Xun had over Su Jianyue. Just to avoid making Shen Xun angry, Su Jianyue was afraid to use the cup.

Meanwhile, the viewers in the live stream were on edge.

Whoa, I can practically see sparks flying between their gazes!

It’s only natural. Our little moon is so adorable, it’s no wonder everyone loves her.

Yu Lin clearly hasn’t given up yet. Is she still planning to keep trying?

But I don’t think she stands much of a chance against Shen Xun. Just look at what Shen Xun has trained Xiao Yueliang into!

Hahaha, seriously! Our baby has been trained by her sister into a well-behaved Samoyed.

Yu Lin seems like a nice person, but it’s a pity she’s up against the childhood friends duo. They’ve known each other for over a decade.

Meanwhile, Mo Yuxin was in her studio, eating lunch while watching the live stream. When she heard her daughter say she was giving the couple’s cups to her younger sister, Mo Yuxin nearly spat out the mouthful of lemonade she had just swallowed.

Seriously? Our little moon is so good at passing the buck! She’s too scared to use them herself, afraid her sister will scold her, so she claims she’s bringing them back for her sister.

Mo Yuxin gave her daughter a thumbs-up. That’s my girl! Always finding a way to weasel out of things.

Just as Mo Fanxing reached the school gate, she suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason. I’m not even sick… Why did I sneeze out of nowhere? Weird.