Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Little Chef
A One-Day Travel Voucher?
Lin Shen had reason to suspect that this [Low Virtue] app was monitoring his life.
Not only were the missions it issued all places he was about to visit, even the items were very suited to his current activities.
Could the cracked app also have built-in user big data?
That was the only explanation Lin Shen could think of.
“Brother-in-law!”
Just as Lin Shen was pondering silently, Gu Wanting in the distance suddenly waved at him and bounced over, pouting coquettishly.
“We’re out having fun, so stop looking at your phone! Isn’t it nice to appreciate the scenery?”
“Mm.”
Lin Shen showed a gentle smile on the surface, but felt melancholy inside.
He had visited these scenic spots with Gu Wanting before, and every corner was filled with memorable moments.
They seemed to be stored in time’s folds, slowly fermenting, only to surprise him when examined closely.
Lin Shen walked slowly around Wukang Building. The roadside was planted with lush plane trees, and the air was filled with a refreshing fragrance.
There were many visitors having fun, laughing as they searched for the best photo spots. The sounds were noisy, but they didn’t prevent Lin Shen’s thoughts from drifting.
He took a deep breath, felt a slight tingling spread from his heart throughout his body, then smiled inexplicably relaxed.
Perhaps fighting fire with fire was a good method for healing emotional wounds.
“Brother-in-law, let’s take photos!”
Gu Wanqing was very smart. Seeing Lin Shen spacing out, she understood everything.
He must be thinking about her sister.
So Gu Wanqing quickly changed the subject.
“Go stand under that tree.”
“…”
Seeing Gu Wanqing so excited, Lin Shen didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm for the trip.
So he followed her instructions, left hand against the tree trunk, right hand unconsciously making a peace sign in front of his chest, earning some complaints.
“Brother-in-law! Do all you guys only know how to make peace signs when taking photos? Try a different pose!”
What a sharp complaint!
Lin Shen felt offended but couldn’t refute it, so he had to put his hands in his pockets, lean against the tree trunk, slightly raise his chin, and gaze skyward.
A very standard melancholy heartthrob pose, making him feel embarrassed being watched.
So embarrassing!
Click—!
“That’s more like it!”
Gu Wanqing walked up to Lin Shen to show him the photo she’d just taken.
Though she used an old phone, both the composition and parameter adjustments were perfect.
“Not bad!”
Lin Shen gave Gu Wanqing a thumbs up.
“You’re really good at photography!”
“I did my homework before coming.”
Gu Wanqing said with a grin, then handed her phone to Lin Shen.
“Brother-in-law, help me take one too?”
“Sure.”
Unlike Gu Wanqing who switched to professional photo mode, Lin Shen only knew how to use the camera’s normal mode.
And he didn’t know about composition either, just taking random shots.
But Gu Wanqing clearly didn’t mind any of this, even praising Lin Shen’s photography skills.
This made him blush a bit.
He knew his own capabilities well.
Back when he was still with Gu Wanting, they’d argue every time they traveled because of photography.
It made Lin Shen somewhat averse to going out.
But Gu Wanqing was different.
Not only did she not complain about anything, she even gave him full emotional support.
This made Lin Shen feel very appreciated.
Indeed, having a supportive companion when traveling was very important!
So the two of them took photos all the way, casually strolling to City God Temple according to Lin Shen’s planned itinerary, and bought ice cream, milk tea, and other sweets along the way.
“Brother-in-law, try mine!”
“Brother-in-law, are you hot? Here’s a tissue to wipe your sweat.”
“Brother-in-law, look! There are foreigners! I’m going to say hi and practice my spoken English, hehe.”
…
Seeing Gu Wanqing so lively and active, Lin Shen seemed to be infected by her, unconsciously smiling.
Honestly, since starting work, he rarely felt passionate about life.
Every day was the same routine between two points, living in a daze without much hope.
Even with the system, Lin Shen always felt like something was missing.
It wasn’t until today that he suddenly understood from Gu Wanqing what that was.
It was love!
Love for life!
Perhaps he should rediscover those hobbies that had been worn down by work.
Lin Shen felt like he’d suddenly understood something, feeling refreshed all over.
“What do you want to eat tonight?”
The sun was setting, and dusk was gathering.
6:30 PM.
The day’s hustle and bustle was gradually fading. Lin Shen sat on a roadside bench, watching pedestrians hurry past and traffic flowing like water.
He began considering what to eat for dinner.
At lunch, he’d taken Gu Wanqing to the Hunan restaurant near home simply because he was afraid she wouldn’t be used to Shanghai cuisine, and he hadn’t had time to plan.
Now that they’d spent the day sightseeing, he should fulfill his duties as a host.
However, Gu Wanqing’s answer was beyond Lin Shen’s expectations.
“Let’s go to the supermarket to buy some ingredients and cook at home.”
Gu Wanqing’s profile seemed gilded with a soft glow from the sunset, her long eyelashes fluttering, looking particularly adorable.
“I noticed the restaurants around here are all so expensive.”
“You can cook?”
Hearing the surprise in Lin Shen’s voice, Gu Wanqing tucked a strand of hair blown by the breeze behind her ear, turned her head with a particularly sweet smile.
“Of course! I usually cook for my grandma at home!”
“You had time to cook when you were so busy with senior year?”
“It was manageable.”
Gu Wanqing looked at Lin Shen with expectant eyes.
“I want to cook for you!”
“Why?”
“Oh, brother-in-law! Why do you always like asking why?”
Gu Wanqing was truly bewildered by Lin Shen’s series of questions.
“Just tell me if you want to eat it or not!”
“I do.”
Honestly, besides his parents, Lin Shen had never eaten food made by anyone close to him.
At home, he used to do the cooking, and Gu Wanting rarely went into the kitchen.
He hadn’t expected Gu Wanqing to actively offer to cook.
“Then that’s settled!”
Gu Wanqing said with a grin, making Lin Shen smile despite himself.
“Alright.”
The two took the subway away from Shanghai’s bustling center to the slower-paced suburbs.
After returning to the neighborhood, Lin Shen took Gu Wanqing to the supermarket for a major shopping spree.
Besides ingredients, they also got a case of Coca-Cola and lots of chips and snacks.
Since they were indulging, might as well go all the way!
Though Lin Shen was past the age of enjoying snacks, Gu Wanqing was still young!
“Thank you, brother-in-law!”
Seeing Lin Shen carrying bags large and small, Gu Wanqing took one of them, her expression full of gratitude and joy.
“You’re so good to me! I don’t understand why my sister insisted on breaking up with you.”
“You’d have to ask her that.”
Lin Shen could now calmly accept reality.
After returning home, Gu Wanqing changed into loungewear and dove into the kitchen.
Lin Shen had originally wanted to help, but she firmly pushed him out.
“Brother-in-law! Just sit on the sofa and wait!”
This girl!
Lin Shen smiled helplessly, watching Gu Wanqing from afar.
Wearing an apron with her hair tied up, she transformed into a little chef, handling ingredients with extremely skillful movements.
Clearly an old hand.
Lin Shen’s worries mostly dissipated, then a surprising thought suddenly occurred to him.
Compared to Gu Wanting, perhaps her sister Gu Wanqing was more suitable as a girlfriend…