She scratched her head, a little embarrassed, a shy look on her face. "So is that the real reason you wanted to be friends with me?"

"Friends?" Yelias raised an eyebrow slightly.

Bai Su nodded as if it were obvious. "Yeah. You saved me, I treated you to a meal, we see each other because of Grandpa, now I’m even teaching you how to cook, and you hang out in my livestreams. Aren’t we friends by now?"

Seeing her tilt her head and look at him expectantly, a strange glint flashed in Yelias’s eyes. "I suppose..."

...we are.

’If she knew I was approaching her with an ulterior motive, I wonder if she’d still be so unguarded around me.’

After the meal, Bai Su saw Yelias off, then turned and went into the kitchen to start working on a new dish.

This was an order from the Yan Family; someone would come to pick it up later.

When Lu Tingyan arrived in the evening, she had to discuss with him whether they should attend the Yan Family’s banquet.

Meat was stewing on the stove.

Bai Su yawned, so sleepy she was dozing off beside it.

The Yan Family was the most prominent in the Lion Beastman Tribe.

The chieftain’s clan all had the surname Yan.

According to Yan Jiu, his younger sister had eaten her food and was now pregnant with quadruplets.

This was actually within her expectations.

She had absorbed so much of Li Chenlin’s spiritual power that she had broken through to Level 5 while on the ship. Taking advantage of the Level-up, the Skills she had redeemed from the shop were able to integrate perfectly into her body.

While no one was around, Bai Su activated her Cunning Rabbit’s Three Caves Skill.

In addition to Bai Su’s original body, three identical Clones appeared in the kitchen.

They shared the same five senses and were controlled by Bai Su’s consciousness.

Bai Su tried controlling them and started busying herself in the kitchen.

Controlling the Clones was a bit easier than she had imagined.

She had been afraid that multitasking to control so many Clones would throw her thoughts into chaos.

But to her surprise, that didn’t happen at all.

It was as if having a few extra Clones had also partitioned her mind, easily giving her the ability to handle tasks independently.

It was like having four people helping in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, she had no intention of revealing this Skill to others.

It was a Skill for saving her own life; she couldn’t reveal it lightly.

So, when she opened the restaurant for the noon livestream, she couldn’t use these Clones to help with the cooking.

Bai Su glanced at her Clones with a hint of regret.

The Clones looked back at her with the same regret.

Bai Su thought for a moment, then retracted the other Clones, leaving just one. Her original body cooked in the kitchen while she controlled the Clone to do housework.

Recently, she happened to be researching new dishes.

Winter was setting in, and many summer dishes weren’t as suitable for the cold season.

Fewer and fewer people were ordering cold dishes now.

So, Bai Su thought about updating the menu, removing some of the cold dishes and raw marinated items, and developing some new autumn and winter recipes.

Autumn and winter were the perfect time for nourishing meals; eating more restorative beef and mutton would be good.

After finishing her work, she took an afternoon nap, and by the time she woke up, it was almost dark.

Bai Su thought for a moment and took the rack of lamb out of the refrigerator.

After the lamb thawed, it needed to be marinated with barbecue seasoning, sesame seeds, and salt. Once evenly coated, she added rosemary and set it aside.

While it was marinating, she went to prepare the side dishes.

The more Western-style preparation for lamb chops used a lot of side vegetables, so she chose some cherry tomatoes, potatoes, and cremini mushrooms.

To ensure the potatoes would be fully cooked, they needed to be boiled in rolling water for ten minutes first. Then she cut them into chunks, mixed them with the other side vegetables, tossed them with sea salt and black pepper, and brushed them with oil to lock in the moisture.

The final step was roasting.

Bai Su checked the color of the lamb rack and estimated it was ready. She then wrapped it in tin foil, spread the side vegetables around it, placed a pat of butter on top for extra flavor, and put it into the preheated oven.

By the time she finished all this, it was completely dark outside.

Just then, Lu Tingyan arrived with a bottle of wine.

Bai Su was taken aback for a second. "Where did you get wine?"

Lu Tingyan rubbed her bunny ears. "A gift from one of my subordinates."

Bai Su narrowed her eyes and leaned in. "So, Leader Lu is accepting bribes, is he?"

Lu Tingyan let out a low chuckle. "Then you should arrest me. Better torture me a bit, see if I’ve committed any other crimes."

His eyes were downcast, and his handsome features softened with the curve of his lips.

Even with his deep-set eyes and sharp, narrow features, his expression was still incredibly gentle.

The affection in his eyes was practically overflowing.

Bai Su understood the hidden meaning in his words and shot him a glare. "In your dreams!"

She took the wine and glanced at it. "It’s wine?"

’I thought even cooking techniques had been lost in the Beast World. I didn’t expect them to have things like alcohol.’

Lu Tingyan nodded with a smile. "There aren’t many well-preserved wineries left in the Federation. This is from the only one remaining. My uncle runs it, and when he heard we were engaged, he sent this bottle over."

Bai Su’s eyes lit up. "Does that mean we can have a candlelight dinner tonight?"

"A candlelight dinner?" Lu Tingyan had never heard of it. "What kind of dinner is that?"

Beaming, Bai Su stood on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the chin. "A romantic dinner."

Hearing this, a ripple of emotion passed through Lu Tingyan’s eyes. "Then I’ll look forward to it."

Bai Su turned to open the wine and let it breathe. She then put two glass cups in the refrigerator to chill before going to prepare the other ingredients.

Lu Tingyan took off his heavy cloak, rolled up his sleeves, and walked over. "Need any help?"

Bai Su handed him a basket of live shrimp. "You can help me with these, then. Devein them, and remove the heads, tails, and shells."

Lu Tingyan nodded, drawing out his words in a leisurely tone. "Don’t worry. Unlike certain idiots, I don’t need to be taught how to handle shrimp perfectly."

Bai Su froze for a second, then looked at him with a helpless expression. "Are you being childish?"

Lu Tingyan snorted. "The one who needs to be taught by hand how to peel shrimp is the childish one."

Bai Su ignored him and put a pot on to boil pasta, while a smaller pot simmered with tomato sauce.

The rich, sweet-and-sour aroma of tomatoes drifted out with the BUBBLE BUBBLE of the sauce, creating a cozy and appetizing atmosphere.

Remembering the matter with the Yan Family, she finally asked him, "Did you receive an invitation from the Yan Family? For the youngest daughter’s birthday banquet. I heard she’s pregnant with quadruplets."

Lu Tingyan calmly peeled the shrimp in the bowl, his expression unchanging. "I don’t recall. I’d have to ask Yodel. Did you get one?"

Bai Su nodded. "They invited me. The Yan Family’s youngest daughter ate my food and got pregnant."

Hearing that, Lu Tingyan smiled and rubbed her belly. "Maybe there’s a little cub in here, too."

Bai Su glared at him. "I’m being serious with you."

Lu Tingyan laughed again. "If you want to go, I’ll go with you."

It would be a good chance for her to relax, too. Besides running the restaurant, she had almost no other recreational activities.

Bai Su smiled and nodded. "Okay."

’I’ve been in this world for so long, but I still haven’t had a good look around.’

Bai Su thought for a moment, then asked, "So if we go, what kind of birthday gift should we prepare?"

Lu Tingyan ruffled her hair. "Don’t worry about it. We can just have Yodel prepare something."

Bai Su’s expression darkened.

Lu Tingyan: "What’s wrong?"

Bai Su: "You didn’t even wash your hands after peeling shrimp, and you touched my head."

Lu Tingyan: "..."