Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

Perhaps because the previous topic had just concluded, and no one picked up a new one, the kitchen fell somewhat silent for a moment.

However, among the silent crowd, there was an outlier.

Xiao Ruawen suddenly cracked up with a mischievous sparkle, "Hahaha... What do you guys think, will Brother Fan step into the kitchen with his left foot first, or his right foot?"

"..."

"Pffft hahaha..."

After a brief silence, the infectious nature of her laughter spread among the six of them.

"I bet it's the right foot!" Wu Lingyu was the first to speak up.

"Heh~ then I'll also go with Yu and bet on the right foot!" Xiao Ruawen shifted her bottom so as not to fall off.

She and Wu Lingyu were sharing a stool, but Yu's generously proportioned rear end had unknowingly dominated two-thirds of the space.

Lin Wanning found this amusing, her earlier shyness now nowhere to be found. After exchanging a glance with Zhang Yiyi, she spoke for both of them, "Hehe~ then Yiyi and I will guess the left foot, duck!"

Now only Xia Xiaoxiao was left to guess. The four of them turned their gazes towards her, Yao Jinping and Li Mei Juan also joined in the fun, pausing their tasks to look at her.

Xia Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and said lightly, "I bet he will stand at the door and not come in."

The crowd exchanged glances, blinking.

A moment later.

"That's Xiaoxiao for you!"

"Hahaha..."

...

Xu Qingfan was unaware that the five girls downstairs were betting on which foot he would use to step into the kitchen first, and the stakes were even related to him.

After wetting his hair and sprucing himself up handsomely, he left his bedroom.

"Xiao Fan's up!"

"Has Xiao Fan grown taller again? Come here and let Sister have a look!"

As he came down the stairs, unsurprisingly, he was teased by the mothers, particularly after Wen Wanqing finished saying "Sister," their gazes turned rather unfriendly.

Lin Qiaoshan and Xu Aiguo were chatting in the tea room, but when they heard the commotion in the living room, they glanced over and saw the scene unfolding.

"Good morning, Sister Zhang, Sister Lin, Sister Wen, Sister Zhao." Xu Qingfan smoothly went with the flow and, after arriving, sat down right between Lin Jing and Wen Wanqing.

"Hey, you little brat, warning you to stay away from my wife!" Lin Qiaoshan pointed at Xu Qingfan, jokingly yelling at him.

"Chat your heads off!" Wen Wanqing gave her husband a glare before quickly changing her expression, looping her arm through Xu Qingfan's, "Xiao Fan doesn't need to go anywhere, stay here and chat with us sisters."

The slighted Lin Qiaoshan didn't take it to heart and quickly resumed his conversation with Xu Aiguo about his last experience with lure fishing (for inflatable dolls).

Meanwhile, with Xu Qingfan.

"Xiao Fan, we sisters were just discussing skin whitening. Look here, who among us has the fairest skin?" Wen Wanqing rolled up her sleeves to reveal her arm and leaned in next to Xu Qingfan for comparison.

"Humph~"

"What's there to compare at your ages!"

As soon as Xu Qingfan finished speaking, the unkind gazes of the four mothers were already fixed on him.

"You're all at the age of blossoming beauty, the sisters just need to wash their faces with plain water and they'll be like blooming lotuses, no need for whitening or makeup at all!"

"Absolutely not necessary!"

With a grand gesture, Xu Qingfan set the tone sternly, without cracking a smile. His flattering words left Zhang Chunxue and the others momentarily stunned.

Seeing the four mothers trying hard not to burst out laughing, Xu Qingfan continued, "Rather than worrying about whitening, I think it's better to focus on studying."

The four of them were taken aback again.

Zhao YueMin couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked, "Study what, cooking?"

Xu Qingfan maintained his smile, dampening their curiosity.

"It's not about learning to cook, could it be about learning online games?" Wen Wanqing considered herself quite an open-minded parent, and she occasionally dabbled in the games her daughter played.

Out of nowhere, Xu Qingfan countered with a light tap on Wen Wanqing's head.

"Ow!" Wen Wanqing touched the spot on her forehead that had just been smacked, looking at him incredulously.

Just then, Xu Qingfan spoke up, "With the times as they are, who still has gaming on their mind!"

"What's there to study? Of course, it's for the college entrance exam!"

"There's no time left, the exams are in June next year, sisters better hurry up!"

After his outburst, the four mothers looked at each other, clearly a bit dumbfounded by Xu Qingfan's unexpected approach.

Who knows how long the eerie silence lasted, until someone snorted out a laugh, and the living room was quickly filled with mirthful laughter.

"Goose, goose, goose!"

"Hahaha!"

"Hehehehe..."

Xu Qingfan figured it out, Xiao Ruawen's goose-like laughter was inherited from her mother.

"Feeling the pressure now, huh? If you're feeling the pressure, better use the time to review. There are still two troublemakers in the kitchen, and I need to go and check on them."

After teasing the mothers one last time, Xu Qingfan bolted.

Behind him, the laughter grew louder, with clapping hands, sofas, and thighs—even Zhang Chunxue, the trillionaire CEO, was no exception.

What, Aunt Zhang laughed the happiest?

Then no worries.

...

The laughter from the living room could be heard in the kitchen. Lin Wanning, curious, opened the door to see Xu Qingfan heading towards the kitchen.

The matter of the laughter could wait—their bet needed to be settled first!

"Is everyone here? What delicious food are we having for lunch?"

"Mom, Auntie, Uncle didn't come with you?"

Just as Xia Xiaoxiao predicted, after walking over, Xu Qingfan stopped at the kitchen doorway and didn't move.

"The tasty stuff is already on the table, Xiao Fan, you haven't had breakfast yet, right? Heated up two buns for you."

"Your Uncle couldn't get up this morning, so he didn't come along."

Li Mei Juan said as she took out the steaming, plate-covered buns from the thermal container.

"Auntie, let me take it, I'll get it!" Xiao Ruawen immediately stood up and took the plate from Li Mei Juan's hands, "Hoo~" blowing on her fingers after getting scalded.

Xu Qingfan stood at the doorway, eagerly waiting for her to hand him the steaming buns. However, Xiao Ruawen walked a few steps, placed the plate on the counter, and left it there.

"Brother Fan, the buns are here, take them yourself. I still have to keep working on these melon seedlings, they're so stubborn." Xiao Ruawen settled back down, her gaze fixed on Xu Qingfan's feet.

Xia Xiaoxiao frowned slightly, said nothing, directly picked up the plate, and handed it to the still dazed and awkward standing 'stinky dog' at the door, "Eat."

"Thanks, Xiao Xiao." Xu Qingfan took the plate, picked up a bun and bit into it.

"Char siu buns, delicious."

"I knew you liked them, Xiao Fan, so Auntie made some extra."

"Brother Qing Fan, this potato seems to have sprouted, it has these little whiskers." Lin Wanning held up the potato in her hand for him to see.

"Really? Whiskers might also be its roots, maybe they weren't broken off during harvest," Xu Qingfan explained, still not entering, standing at the doorway.

Lin Wanning pouted slightly, annoyed that Brother Qing Fan wasn't taking the bait!

"Brother Fan, there's milk in the fridge, don't you choke eating the buns dry?" Xiao Ruawen pointed at the fridge as a reminder.

"Humph~ I'm afraid if I drink milk now, I won't have room for the feast at noon." Xu Qingfan continued to refuse.

Xiao Ruawen couldn't lure Brother Fan into the kitchen. Just when everyone thought the bet would end with Xia Xiaoxiao winning,

Xu Qingfan came in, he actually stepped foot inside.

"Left the plate here, I'll go to the living room and chat with your moms."

"It's the left foot! The left foot!" Xiao Ruawen reminded, and aside from Xia Xiaoxiao, the four girls quickly tried to recall which foot they had guessed.

"Brother Qing Fan stepped in with the left foot!"

"Yiyi and I guessed the left foot!"

As part of the winning side, Lin Wanning, excited, clapped her hands and said.

"Brother Fan, why couldn't you just step in with your right foot first!" Xiao Ruawen glared at him, dejectedly saying.

"Hehe~ Yiyi and I guessed right, Brother Qing Fan, you have to agree to do one thing for us!"

"I should have guessed with Xiao Xiao that you'd stand at the door, then I would have gone to close it!" Xiao Ruawen lamented as she replayed the event.

"Not that... could someone tell me what you're talking about, left foot, right foot?" Xu Qingfan asked, puzzled.

"We were guessing which foot you would step into the kitchen with, duckie, and if we guessed right, you have to agree to one thing unconditionally!"

"Yiyi and I guessed left foot, Xiao Yu and Ruan Wen guessed the right foot, Xiao Xiao guessed that you, Brother Qing Fan, would stand at the door and not come in."

"Yiyi and I guessed right, so Brother Qing Fan, you have to agree to do something for us unconditionally!"

Lin Wanning, as part of the winning group, thus explained the story behind their bet.

"Not that... do I have to agree to something unconditionally, did I agree to this?" Xu Qingfan weakly retorted.

"We agreed on your behalf!" Xiao Ruawen, upset about losing the bet, glared at him and said.

"Exactly!"

"That's right!"

"You have a problem with that?"

"No..." The dog of a man weakly raised his hand and surrendered.

...