My skill tree increases every day.

The days of cramming before exams always seem to pass quickly.

Since it concerns his future, Lin Yu temporarily categorized it on the same level as the college entrance examination.

These past few days, under the constant intensive training from his three roommates, Lin Yu considers himself to be a very detail-oriented guy.

Fortunately, Lin Yu's memory hasn't been acting up these past few days.

Good news, no strange CGs have been triggered in the past few days.

The bad news is that the memories Lin Yu gained in the past few days are still of little use to him.

Damn it! It's been a week and a half since I got this ability. Even if there's no news of any ability that can make me soar to the sky, at least give me a way to solve this immediate problem, right?

Following the typical tropes of urban novels, Lin Yu, while not necessarily a jack-of-all-trades—able to sing, direct, and act—should at least be somewhat famous online based on his daily acquired skills! Then, with each success story snowballing, his wealth and fame would steadily climb, leading him to the pinnacle of life! And along the way, he'd encounter genius girls, wealthy heiresses, and national goddesses…and have a few sweet romances!

But what about Lin Yu now?

It can still guide... though it might not be able to anymore someday.

"Today shouldn't be my last supper, right?"

On Friday noon, Lin Yu lingered outside Aunt Wang's convenience store for a while, but did not go in.

"Kobayashi, come in. What are you doing out there?"

"Oh, here it comes."

Aunt Wang's voice came from inside the door. Behind the counter, Chen Shuyan, with a carefully crafted smile, cast her gaze at Lin Yu. She was wearing a light pink washed cotton long-sleeved shirt, over which was a white short-sleeved T-shirt, paired with a high-waisted white long skirt.

Xiaoxue said that a perfectly timed sweet smile is an invincible skill!

No! Chen Shuyan's expression! It's exactly the same as I remember it from back then!

There was not a moment left for Lin Yu to hesitate.

Next up is—

The strongest subordinate after three days of special training! Lin Yu!

Lin Yu forcefully pushed open the glass door of the convenience store, causing the wind chimes and billiard balls on the lintel to rattle.

"Are you trying to kill me?! This is my door!"

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Aunt Wang's angry shout instantly shattered Lin Yu's aura.

"Xiao Lin, why are you so clumsy today?" Aunt Wang glared at Lin Yu, shoved the sheet in her hand into his, and said, "Go on, get to work."

Old Deng, the inherently evil capitalist, has completely shattered my composure!

Lin Yu, whose composure had been broken by Aunt Wang, could only use work as an excuse to temporarily avoid Chen Shuyan's sharp edge.

Soon, Lin Yu came to a heartbreaking conclusion—

Work can actually be finished!

This was the first time Lin Yu had felt such empathy for a capitalist. The working hours were just too short!

"Here, have a candy, so you don't get low blood sugar again." Chen Shuyan held a candy in her fair palm and handed it to Lin Yu.

How did they remember the reason I made up on the spot?

She really made me cry my eyes out.

"Shall we have a drink together later?" Chen Shuyan said, carrying two cans of low-alcohol fruit wine in a small plastic bag in her other hand, her face still displaying that perfectly crafted smile.

The meal included vegetarian dishes, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a plate of sweet and sour spare ribs with a rich, dark sauce—all home-style dishes that Wu Jing, a local, enjoys.

By this time, Lin Yu had overcome his discomfort with food with bones and had no dietary restrictions when ordering, so he naturally chose the restaurant's signature home-style dishes.

He actually remembered what I liked to eat. Chen Shuyan stared at the plate of spare ribs, secretly delighted.

"Why did you only order this little bit? Since we agreed that this meal would be on me, don't be shy." Chen Shuyan smiled as she took the menu and ordered two more dishes.

"It can't be worse than the time you treated me, can it?"

Chen Shuyan subtly tucked a strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek behind her ear, revealing her slender, fair neck and delicate collarbone. She had practiced this movement countless times under Mo Wenxue's guidance, achieving a skillful yet effortless touch.

"This place makes pretty good spare ribs." Chen Shuyan picked up a piece and gently separated the well-cooked spare rib with her chopsticks. The tender, fall-off-the-bone spare rib immediately separated from the bone. "I remember you don't like spitting out bones, right? This way it's no problem."

The pork ribs, now separated from the bone, were placed whole on a small plate in front of Lin Yu. Chen Shuyan looked up at Lin Yu, her amber eyes filled with just the right amount of concern.

Lin Yu stared at the carefully deboned pork rib on the plate, his stomach churning, as if the deboned part wasn't the rib of the local pig brother, but his own hands.

No way? How am I supposed to eat this? I was already used to it!

Lin Yu didn't eat the piece of pork rib. Instead, he used his chopsticks to pick up another small piece of pork rib with cartilage from the plate and put it in his mouth, deliberately chewing it with a crunching sound.

While gnawing on it, he mumbled, "Actually, it tastes better when you eat it with the cartilage on, it's more chewy!"

Chen Shuyan blinked, watching Lin Yu's slightly exaggerated eating habits.

Xiaoxue said that boys always try to show off in front of girls, is that true? Was he showing off his boldness to me? It's a bit childish, but quite cute.

What should I do now? That's it, just go along with him, pamper him, and treat him like a child. Chen Shuyan nodded to herself, thankfully I was prepared.

"Indeed, that's what makes a boy so heroic."

Hearing this, Lin Yu felt like disappearing into a crack in the ground. What kind of nonsense is this! She's actually seriously trying to cover for me!

However, Lin Yu overcame his embarrassment and chose to continue his attack.

She must have felt embarrassed after hearing those words. I just need to press my advantage!

"Actually, I chose this small restaurant because I was worried you'd spend too much money," Lin Yu said, feigning profundity.

"But this place is really delicious."

"If small restaurants are considered good, then all the big restaurants would have gone out of business."

"But I don't think this is any worse than those fancy hotels outside!"

"The food at that fancy restaurant is indeed delicious. Let's do a simple quality analysis."

"Oh?" This time, Chen Shuyan wasn't just flattering Lin Yu; she was genuinely curious about what he was saying.

"For example, the oil used to stir-fry these vegetables must have been used to fry meat." Lin Yu pointed with his chopsticks at the plate of stir-fried vegetables on the table.

"No way?" Chen Shuyan looked at Lin Yu's chopsticks with a hint of disbelief.

"Try it." Lin Yu waved his chopsticks in the air a few times, gesturing for Chen Shuyan to try it.

"Sigh! It really does taste a bit like pork!" Chen Shuyan picked up a leaf of vegetable and savored it in small bites.

"besides……"

"You idiot, you're spouting complete nonsense! I cooked this dish with lard, can't you taste it? Why are you talking such rubbish!"

Lin Yu suddenly sensed something was off, feeling a strange gaze on his back, like thorns sticking out at him. He turned around and met the staring gaze of the small restaurant owner.

"Kid, tell me again, what is it about my little restaurant that's inferior to those big restaurants?"

"Hahaha……"

At this moment, Lin Yu met the restaurant owner's gaze directly.