I Helped My Best Friend with Her Romance—and Fell for the Enemy’s Strategist - Chapter 37

Lin Ruocheng’s reason for being busy was also being called back by her two mothers to have dinner together.

Even before stepping through the door, she spotted her twin sister.

Lin Shuyi darted out from the entrance, and Lin Ruocheng barely managed to sidestep in time.

Otherwise, her sister would have ended up sprawled all over her.

“Sis, save me! Mom’s gone crazy and decided to cook. You know her cooking, even a dog wouldn’t touch it. What are we going to do? Should we call an ambulance in advance? I think it’s a good idea. Let me reserve a decent hospital bed first.”

“It can’t be that bad. You’re overthinking it.”

Lin Ruocheng was full of skepticism. Although she and Lin Shuyi had mostly lived in dorms since childhood and rarely tasted their mothers’ cooking, they knew one of their moms was an exceptional cook, after all, being a researcher meant she was meticulous, even timing every step of her cooking.

But the other one? A total disaster.

When they were just over two years old, they sat on the bed and witnessed the kitchen fill with thick, black smoke.

The memory was still etched in their minds.

It almost turned into a full-blown fire.

Surely, after all these years, she must have improved a little.

“I’m telling you… I’m not exaggerating… Mom even ordered takeout.”

Lin Ruocheng: “…”

Alright, she believed it.

Lu Shi walked out of the villa, her tall, slender figure reminiscent of a model’s.

Though faint wrinkles were beginning to appear on her face, it was clear she had been a great beauty in her youth.

She calmly collected the takeout from the delivery person.

Spotting the two sisters, she waved them over.

“Chengzi? You’re back? Come in and eat.”

“And Lin Shuyi, don’t even think about running away.”

Lin Shuyi immediately deflated, letting out a dramatic wail toward the sky.

Then, as if struck by a thought, she leaned closer to her sister.

“Oh my god! Is today some kind of doomsday? We haven’t even caught a few criminals yet, and now I’m going to die at the hands of our own mother. Sis, if that’s the case, does that mean in my next life I can be your older sister?”

“Sure, you can even be my ancestor if you want.”

Lin Ruocheng strode into the house without looking back.

She completely ignored her younger sister trailing behind.

“Wait, sis, if I’m your ancestor, wouldn’t that mess up our generations?”

Lin Shuyi snapped back to reality and hurried after her.

Lu Shi placed the takeout on the table. Although she didn’t advocate for ordering takeout, it was often too oily, salty, and lacking in nutrition, her partner’s cooking skills…

She simply couldn’t bring herself to offer any praise.

For over a decade, she had been the one handling all the cooking, no matter the occasion.

She could take care of Lin Yue for a lifetime without any issues.

Except when it came to cooking, that was absolutely out of the question.

She didn’t want their daughters to end up in the hospital with food poisoning so soon after returning home.

So, ordering takeout was necessary, it was a matter of survival.

“Lu Shi! Come here and give me a hand.”

“Coming.”

Lu Shi turned and walked inside, leaving Lin Ruocheng and Lin Shuyi exchanging uneasy glances.

With their mom helping out, it should be fine… right?

Surely, they’d survive this meal?

They didn’t have high standards when it came to food, as long as it was edible and kept them alive, it was good enough.

“By the way… sis, are you dating anyone?”

Lin Shuyi still hadn’t forgotten the monetary commission from her future sister-in-law. After all, she had taken the money, and taking money meant she had to deliver, otherwise, she’d be drifting further and further from the concept of credibility. She was still saving up to find a wife, though at the moment, she hadn’t met anyone she particularly fancied.

“What? Are you going to set me up with someone? Who? Fu Yanxi? I’m just wondering, how much did she bribe you for you to sell out your own sister like this? I’ve never seen you so eager to suck up before.”

“Me? No way! It’s just that Fu Yanxi is so good-looking, she’d make the perfect sister-in-law. And, sis, I did some background checking. It turns out she went to the same middle school as us.”

“She was even the class monitor of Class 3 next door, the one you mentioned seemed to dislike you, the girl who’d turn and walk away without even saying hello whenever she saw you. You mentioned it once before and then forgot all about it. I think her name really is Fu Yanxi.”

“Huh?”

Lin Ruocheng hadn’t done any background checks because she’d known from the start that Fu Yanxi was her middle school classmate. As for anything beyond that, she wasn’t sure. But now that it was brought up, she vaguely remembered, back in middle school, she often felt like the class monitor next door had some kind of issue with her.

Even when she took the initiative to talk to her, the other girl would remain silent.

Over time, she got busy with other things.

She couldn’t expect everyone in the world to like her, so she let it go.

“Do you have a photo?”

“Yeah, I’ll send it to you.”

Lin Ruocheng glanced at the photo her sister sent. The girl in the picture stood stiffly upright.

She was wearing the school’s custom-made, oversized uniform.

Her eyes were just as indifferent as ever, with a hint of seriousness.

Her glasses were thick, with round, black, heavy frames.

She looked completely different from how she did now, back in middle school, she still had a bit of baby fat.

Her hair wasn’t the long, straight black it was now, either.

It was more of a mullet style, though just as thick and voluminous as today.

It looked like an ID photo.

She looked pretty cool. Lin Ruocheng hadn’t had much of an impression of her back then.

“Alright, come and eat.”

Lin Yue called out to her two daughters.

Lu Shi followed behind her, carrying bowls of rice.

She wasn’t sure if the food would be edible.

Lin Yue’s cooking had improved a lot compared to before, at least it looked presentable. But whether it was edible remained uncertain.

Lin Shuyi poked her sister.

Lin Ruocheng had no choice but to prepare herself, mentally ready to dial 120 if needed.

Better safe than sorry, in case the hospital had no available beds.

Everyone sat down at the table, but no one dared to pick up their chopsticks.

“Eat! Aren’t you guys hungry? Or do you think I might’ve cooked some dark cuisine?”

“The kid’s not eating, honey, you have some.”

Lu Shi: “…”

Well, the wife’s word is law.

With the resolve of one marching to their doom, she picked up a slice of lotus root and put it in her mouth.

Her expression didn’t change as she ate it.

“Delicious.”

Lin Ruocheng & Lin Shuyi: “…”

They didn’t buy it…

“By the way, Xiao Chengzi, do you like Fu Yanxi? I heard you’ve been getting pretty close to her lately. Do you know about her family situation? Fu Yanxi doesn’t seem to be into girls, right? She can’t be gay, she really can’t be.”

Lin Yue usually preferred not to meddle in her children’s love lives.

But she didn’t want them to get hurt, especially after hearing Lin Shuyi’s report last time.

She had been conducting background checks all along, but Lin Shuyi’s understanding was rather one-sided.

Only she seemed to have uncovered that sorrowful chapter from Mrs. Fu’s early years, which made her reluctant to let Lin Ruocheng develop feelings for Fu Yanxi. This relationship was bound to be difficult, as she also knew Mrs. Fu would likely disapprove.

“Yuck~”

Several people turned to look at Lin Shuyi simultaneously.

While pretending to gag, Lin Shuyi gave a thumbs-up.

“It’s delicious… yuck~”