The System is Abstract, Luckily, So Am I

Chapter 207 : A Man Among Men, A Male Among Males

Western horror focuses on gore: for example, a nurse holding a sharp knife, covered in wounds, mutilating her own face, surrounded by bright red blood.

Chinese horror focuses on harmony: for example, a nurse holding a sharp knife, completely pixelated, mutilating her own face, surrounded by bright green blood.

After watching the horror movie, everyone was actually fine.

"I went to the fucking bathroom, and you spread rumors that I went to change my pants. Isn't that going too far?!"

However, Bai Bufan, who came back from the bathroom and found everyone looking at him weirdly, found the real culprit in one second.

After the horror movie, it wasn't too late yet, so everyone decided to watch another one.

Only this time, it was a romance movie.

Lin Li wasn't very interested in romance movies without action, so he fell asleep while watching.

He was woken up by a scream, presumably from the female lead.

He was resting his head on Bai Bufan's shoulder. *Bad luck.*

*I'll have to wash my hair again later.*

Rubbing his eyes, the movie was still playing. Ding Sihan was gone, Qu Wanqiu was asleep in Chen Yuying's arms, and Chen Yuying was still watching the movie. Noticing he was awake, she smiled and waved slightly.

*Lin Li compared to Qu Wanqiu, it's really infuriating.*

After Lin Li responded, he turned his head. Bai Bufan was also asleep.

Facing the sleeping Bai Bufan, although it was difficult, Lin Li still came out.

—Meaning he walked out without waking Bai Bufan up.

When he got to the bathroom, he happened to see Ding Sihan coming out—normally, no one would specifically go to the third floor to use the bathroom.

"You're awake," Ding Sihan greeted, and Lin Li nodded.

After using the bathroom, Lin Li saw Ding Sihan rummaging through the snacks in the living room.

"Hungry?" Lin Li asked while wiping his hands with a tissue.

"Yeah, the restaurant tonight wasn't good, I didn't eat much. The snacks also feel a bit lacking. Lin Li, do you want to eat anything? I'm planning to order delivery."

Ding Sihan nodded, searched through the snacks on the table for a while, and asked.

"I'll pass, I've already brushed my teeth," Lin Li wasn't very hungry, so he declined.

"Okay," Ding Sihan didn't insist.

"Wait, don't order yet!" Lin Li's voice suddenly rang out.

"Ah?" Ding Sihan was startled. "What's wrong? Do you want to eat? What do you want? I haven't decided yet."

"Delivery isn't healthy. Ding Sihan, let me make you a late-night snack," Lin Li said sincerely.

He suddenly remembered just now that for the task of getting heartfelt praise, if the "4" meant once from each companion, then he hadn't received Ding Sihan's praise yet.

And now, he had acquired the "Cooking" talent, and Ding Sihan was very hungry. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to get her praise.

Hearing this, Ding Sihan swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

But it wasn't out of craving, it was out of trembling—

"Delivery might at most give me a minor illness, but you want my life. Lin Li, my sins aren't that grave, are they?" Ding Sihan said in horror.

The bitter memories had already regurgitated to her brain.

Lin Li: "..."

*That's so hurtful.*

But he couldn't blame Ding Sihan, after all, he had a prior record. Therefore, Lin Li just said sincerely: "Little Ding Ding, a scholar who has been away three days must be looked at with new eyes. You can't look at me with the same eyes as before."

*(Translator's Note: A Chinese idiom meaning people change and improve over time).*

"Then you have to wait another two days. It hasn't even been the first three days yet," Ding Sihan shook her head vigorously.

"Trust me this once. The reason I made it so terrible yesterday was mainly so I wouldn't steal Little Qiu Qiu's thunder. It was on purpose. I'm actually quite proficient in cooking," Lin Li argued strongly.

Seeing that Ding Sihan still didn't believe him, Lin Li continued to persuade:

"How about this, you watch me make your late-night snack later, and you'll see. If you think it's inedible or doesn't taste good, you don't have to eat it."

"...Alright," Ding Sihan nodded hesitantly.

There was no shortage of ingredients in the homestay. There were still quite a few leftovers in the refrigerator from yesterday.

"What are you doing?" Seeing Lin Li take out the ingredients and start carefully closing the door, his head pressed against the crack, Ding Sihan asked in confusion.

"Oh, oh, sorry. In front of the refrigerator, I accidentally started observing the refrigerator light turning off experiment again," Lin Li scratched his head and said.

When he was a kid, when he discovered that the refrigerator light turned off automatically when the door was pressed, he felt like a physics genius.

*Damn it,* Lin Li suddenly remembered that when he was a kid, Wu Min said she would give him a refrigerator as a birthday present, and he was happy for a long time, feeling so blessed.

*I'll give my kid an RTX 4090 in the future.*

After confirming what ingredients were available, Lin Li took out his phone.

"What are you doing now?" Ding Sihan watched this scene from the side and asked in confusion.

"Looking up what dishes can be made with these ingredients and how to make them," Lin Li answered honestly.

Ding Sihan: "?"

Ding Sihan turned and walked away: "I'm going to order delivery!"

*After all that, this guy is learning on the spot!*

*He still wants me dead!*

"No, no, no! That's not a problem!" Lin Li quickly grabbed Ding Sihan.

The talent provided skills and knowledge, and at the same time, his body would directly possess proficiency. Lin Li now knew how to toss a wok and stir-fry, and he also knew how to distinguish and handle seasonings and ingredients... but he truly didn't know any recipes.

*Later, I should activate [Photographic Memory] and memorize some recipes as a knowledge reserve. Looking them up on the spot every time really makes it hard for people to believe I can cook.*

After finding recipes suitable for these ingredients, Lin Li immediately started preparing.

*Chop, chop, chop.*

He started by prepping the ingredients.

Ding Sihan, who had been looking helpless on the side, widened her eyes.

Because Lin Li was chopping too proficiently.

There was almost no distance between the knife and his fingertips. It felt like he would cut his finger the next second, yet Lin Li maintained this distance while cutting the ingredients extremely quickly, evenly, and cleanly.

He was even more proficient and confident than Qu Wanqiu.

If the homestay's knife wasn't dull, he would be even faster.

Heating the wok and adding oil, Lin Li started cooking.

"You really know how?" Watching this scene, Ding Sihan had to believe it.

Lin Li tilted his head, looking slightly smug: "Little Ding, when have I ever lied to you?"

"Dozens of times just today."

Lin Li: "..."

*Seems like it.*

"You made this fried egg so smooth. The eggs I lay are always scattered and can only be used for scrambled eggs," Ding Sihan sighed with emotion.

"That's easy, you have to use eggs laid by a chicken."

Ding Sihan: "?"

"Get lost!"

"Quack quack quack, anyway, you understand now, right? Yesterday I did it on purpose just to make you smile. I didn't show my true strength at all. There's a lot of smoke here, go wait at the dining table,"

Lin Li said with a grin, his face full of deep confidence, his movements unhurried.

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it a bit." A confident Lin Li really was shining. Ding Sihan nodded.

When Ding Sihan's footsteps faded away.

Lin Li was no longer unhurried. He sneakily looked around, immediately picked up a pair of chopsticks, reached into the wok, picked up some food, blew on it, and when it cooled down a bit, stuffed it into his mouth.

"Mhm, not enough."

*Damn it, those bastards who write recipes, what the fuck does 'an appropriate amount' or 'a suitable amount' mean?*

*Don't you have any idea about the skill level of the people who read your recipes?*

*Can't you just give specific measurements?*

...

"Ahaha, chicken soup is here." Lin Li came out carrying three plates and placed them in front of Ding Sihan.

*(Translator's Note: A reference to a meme from the Chinese TV series "The Legend of Bruce Lee").*

"Have this scrambled egg as your main dish. Don't worry, considering you're eating it plain, I made everything relatively light, it won't be salty."

Ding Sihan looked at the dishes in front of her, which looked, smelled, and tasted great. It was hard to connect them with the person who made coal yesterday.

Seeing and smelling them, she felt they couldn't taste bad. Ding Sihan was no longer afraid and picked up her chopsticks: "Then I'll eat."

"Of course," Lin Li nodded and sat opposite her.

First, a tentative bite, and then Ding Sihan's eyes lit up: "Delicious!"

Giving Lin Li a thumbs up, Ding Sihan started to feast.

Lin Li wasn't in a hurry. When Ding Sihan was almost finished, he cleared his throat: "After finishing the meal, you should know what to do for the chef."

Ding Sihan nodded, then left.

She came back two minutes later.

A one-yuan bill was thrown onto Lin Li. Ding Sihan's voice was cold: "Clean yourself up."

Lin Li: "?"

"Why has this one yuan circulated back into my hands?! Did you specifically wake up Bai Bufan to ask him for this money? And why is it 'clean yourself up' again?! What do you guys take me for?!" Lin Li broke his defense.

So, very angry, Lin Li took the money this time, didn't even rub it on his face, and put it directly into his pocket.

"Hehe," Ding Sihan laughed first, then gave Lin Li a thumbs up: "Alright, alright.

"Thank you, Lin Li. I'm very satisfied with the late-night snack you made. Wanqiu can only be the King of Cooking, you are the true God of Cooking in ancient Greece.

"Top-tier God of Cooking, the God of Cooking among Gods of Cooking, the super awesome God of Cooking, the sixth-generation fighter jet of Gods of Cooking, the overwhelming God of Cooking! The Lord of Gods of Cooking! The man who is the most God of Cooking in the world..."

[During this squad experiential learning process, obtain heartfelt recognition and praise from other squad members (3/4).]

Lin Li: "..."

"You were mumbling a lot, you didn't secretly curse me a few times, did you?"

*(End of Chapter)*