Chapter 22: The Only One Left Out-No início, rompimento do noivado? Ela desbloqueia um sistema de culinária e é disputada pelos homens(Brancas flores de pereira sob a chuva outonal ao entardecer.)

Hua Qinmo was not entirely satisfied, but Lei Wuxie had already nodded with a faint smile.

"Fine."

Blocked from the path of staying in the same room as Qiao Xin, Hua Qinmo could only glare fiercely at Lei Wuxie. Lei Wuxie acted as if he noticed nothing and followed Qiao Xin upstairs. Upon entering Qiao Xin’s room, her unique, refreshing scent greeted them.

"Do not touch my things, and you are only allowed to sleep on the bed," Qiao Xin instructed before heading to her cousin's room across the hall.

Lei Miaomiao, who also possessed a spatial ring, pulled out a set of cute pajamas and said with a sweet smile, "Big sister, time to bathe, time to sleep!"

Qiao Xin amusedly took her to bathe. Neither of them were the type to make a fuss in the bathroom, so they were finished quickly. Climbing into bed, the two—one big, one small—hardly exchanged a few words before drifting off to sleep.

Hua Qinmo’s vines crept in from under the door, precisely locating Qiao Xin and gently resting upon her quilt. Lei Wuxie watched his movements from the side, but recalling that this had Qiao Xin’s permission, he chose to ignore it. Although Qiao Xin had told them they could sleep on the bed, neither of them had any such intention. Hua Qinmo only accepted the scent radiating from Qiao Xin, while for Lei Wuxie, it was simply a matter of inherent modesty.

Old Wei and the researchers who stayed behind to conduct tests finally had a rare, restful sleep; the monitors did not make a single sound.

Meanwhile, at the Lin residence, Lin Yifeng was completely unable to sleep. Of the three of them, he was the only one who had been kicked out! Unable to sleep, he buried himself in researching nutrient solutions. The flavors he had originally improved were already quite good, but now that he had the reference of delicious food, he had even more experimental ideas. He buried himself in his work until he was so hungry he felt dizzy, only then venturing out. Madame Lin and General Lin, fearing something had happened to him, followed closely behind, terrified.

Three days had passed. During these three days, Qiao Xin had been puzzled not to see Lin Yifeng. The food she had sent via the brothers Xiao Muxuan and Xiao Muyu had not reached him, yet the "Affection Value" she received had doubled from one portion to two, making her feel that something was amiss. It was only when Little i told her he was busy researching a new nutrient formula that she felt relieved. Such a treasure—aside from the fact that she could not marry him—must be kept alive at all costs!

When Qiao Xin saw his near-death state, she was startled. She first gave him a bowl of stomach-warming chicken soup before asking what he wanted to eat, which moved Lin Yifeng to tears as he gripped her hand.

"Xinxin, you are the best to me~"

General Lin and his wife: We raised you with such hardship; did we do something to offend you?

Qiao Xin looked awkwardly at the grim-faced couple and coaxed him, "Your health is poor; eat first."

Once he finished eating, they could settle any accounts! Lin Yifeng ate blissfully according to the food she provided, and before long, he had stuffed himself full. Seeing that he had eaten well, Qiao Xin breathed a sigh of relief and stopped worrying about him.

With General Lin and his wife being entertained by Xiao Linfeng, she continued to study for her nutritionist exam. The theoretical portion was simply too vast. Even though Little i could help her cheat, she still needed to read through all the materials. Beyond the primary level, there were intermediate and advanced levels as well, since much of the knowledge was interconnected.

Hua Qinmo and Lei Wuxie had three days of experience over Lin Yifeng; one used vines to craft a sunshade and chairs for her, while the other prepared tea, snacks, and fruits, leaving Lin Yifeng green with envy. However, as a researcher of nutrient solutions, his knowledge of star beasts and star plants was comprehensive. When he saw Qiao Xin frowning at certain questions, he would gently explain them, causing Qiao Xin’s eyes to light up instantly.

The two began discussing various topics, even touching upon the habits and growth patterns of star beasts and star plants. Lei Wuxie would occasionally chime in, while Hua Qinmo, not yet fully recovered, became a mere background fixture. The brothers Xiao Muxuan and Xiao Muyu avoided the immense amount of knowledge and chose to play with Lei Miaomiao instead. Lei Miaomiao, however, just stared at her brother—who she felt was completely dispensable—and sighed while stomping her feet in secret.

He Qing did not come to disturb her, as she was at home practicing for her star training. Consequently, Lin Yifeng successfully secured the identity of her "study companion," though Qiao Xin still made him go home at night.

"Xinxin, it’s so tiring to run back and forth like this!"

"It’s only a few steps. As a Wind-attribute user, how could you possibly be tired?" Qiao Xin looked at his clingy demeanor; if it weren't for the fact that he was tied to her parents' situation, she would have wanted to kick him twice. She had already promised to provide his meals for life, so why was he so dead set on marrying her? Love at first sight? Lusting after her looks? Surely not?

Qiao Xin found his persistence difficult to understand. She could understand love at first sight regarding the food she made, but to insist on marrying her solely because her food was delicious was a bit incomprehensible—especially since she sold that food to the public and his family was not short on money.

"Xinxin..." Lin Yifeng was still struggling in his final throes. Behind Qiao Xin, Hua Qinmo bloomed a flower to provoke him, while Lei Wuxie stood to the side like a spear, his presence undeniable.

Qiao Xin grew impatient. "If you don't want to go back, I will have someone send the food to your house tomorrow."

"No, I’ll go!" Lin Yifeng had no choice but to leave, looking back every few steps.

General Lin and his wife: How shameful! But for the sake of his health, they had no choice but to accept it. Procreation in the interstellar era was too difficult; they had only managed to conceive one child in all these years, otherwise, they truly wouldn't want to deal with him anymore.

Watching him disappear into the distance, Qiao Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief. If he didn't bring up the topic of marrying her, he would actually be a very good friend. Qiao Xin had never intended to rely on a man in her own world, and that was absolutely impossible in this world.

Turning around, she saw Hua Qinmo handing her a white flower. Its faint, delicate fragrance smoothed away her irritation. She took the flower and smiled.

"Thank you~"

"Fragrant, happy!" Hua Qinmo had been stabilizing well over these past few days, but his berserk level had not continued to drop, and Old Wei had already returned to the research institute to study. Qiao Xin had asked Little i, but Little i did not know what to do either, so they could only let him stay.

Life continued this way. Qiao Xin gained a deeper understanding of the star beasts and star plants of the interstellar world; Lin Yifeng even prepared complete specimens for her so she could become more familiar with them. This was something neither Hua Qinmo nor Lei Wuxie could do, and he felt secretly proud.

The machines Qiu Shaohua took back spread directly through the Seventh Legion. All ten regiments of the Seventh Legion requested to be equipped with them, so Qiao Xin provided him with eighty-one sets, ten for each regiment. Consequently, the Seventh Legion could contribute over forty-five thousand Affection Value points to her in a single day. In just three days, she had harvested over one hundred thousand points.

With this, she stopped catering to Lin Yifeng, exchanged for a "Sanctuary Amulet" for her parents, and began to immerse herself in her studies. A month passed quickly. When Little i announced that Lin Yifeng’s tasks were complete, Qiao Xin welcomed her primary nutritionist exam.

Hua Qinmo’s berserk level had finally decreased slightly during these days, and his speech had become much more fluent, though his personality was no longer docile, often becoming overwhelmingly assertive. Whenever he was out of Qiao Xin’s sight, he would suppress Lin Yifeng and Lei Wuxie in fights, but because he was countered by Lei Wuxie, the three would engage in secret scuffles, with no one gaining the clear upper hand. Lin Yifeng would always mock him for being an SSS-rank who couldn't beat two S-ranks, which only made Hua Qinmo resort to even more underhanded tactics in the shadows.