Saturday morning.
"Get up, you lazy pig! The sun's practically scorching your butt!" Huang Jing's voice rang through the apartment as she banged loudly on Liu Dan's door.
Half-asleep, Liu Dan shuffled over and opened it. "What's going on?"
"Ahhhh—!"
A soprano scream split the air.
The last remnants of sleep vanished from Liu Dan's mind. Blinking, he stared at Huang Jing, who was still shrieking.
"Jing (Huang jing), you really didn't need to scream that loud just to wake me up," he said, rubbing his ear. "You're going to wake the neighbors."
"You little pervert!" she yelled, pointing at him with wide eyes, before turning and fleeing down the hall.
Pervert? When did I get upgraded to that? he thought in confusion.
Then he looked down—and instantly understood.
"Oh no… what have I done?" he groaned.
He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of briefs—and he'd clearly pitched a tent. Morning wood. Glorious, undeniable, completely unintentional.
With a loud bang, he slammed the door shut behind him.
That's it. My image is ruined. Utterly destroyed. All because of habit—the oldest enemy of man. The ancients were right.
By the time Liu Dan came out into the living room, properly dressed, Huang Jing had her face buried in Fengqin's chest, blushing furiously. Fengqin was gently teasing her.
"Come on, Jing—tell big sis what exactly you saw?"
"Stop it, Qin! You're just making fun of me," Huang Jing mumbled, face still burning as she curled deeper into Fengqin's arms.
Liu Dan looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. But this was his home now. Where could he run?
He awkwardly sat across from them. "So… why'd you wake me up so early?"
Fengqin looked at him with a wicked smile. "Dan, tell me honestly—did Jing'er see something she shouldn't have? Do you want me to make her take responsibility?"
"I didn't see anything!" Huang Jing squeaked. "Qin, stop bullying me!"
Liu Dan blushed and muttered, "Come on, Qin, let's drop it…"
Fengqin grinned. "Relax, little girl. He said you're off the hook. Don't worry."
Huang Jing lifted her red face and glared at Liu Dan. "As if I'd take responsibility for that perv! I wouldn't—"
Realizing she'd said too much, she slapped a hand over her mouth.
Too late.
Fengqin's eyes lit up. "Oh? And since when did Dan become a perv?"
Liu Dan panicked and quickly tried to steer the conversation away. "Nothing happened, really! Jing just… saw a giant rat, that's all."
That got a genuine laugh out of Huang Jing. "Yes! A big fat rat! That's exactly what I saw!"
Liu Dan immediately regretted his words. Does that make me the rat?
Still giggling, Huang Jing collapsed into Fengqin's arms again, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.
Fengqin looked between the two of them, clearly amused but choosing mercy. "Alright, alright. Enough teasing. Time to go."
"Go where?" Liu Dan asked.
Feng Qin smirked at Huang Jing, who gave her an embarrassed glare. Clearly, this hadn't gone the way she'd planned.
Turning back to Liu Dan, Huang Jing said, "No questions. Just come with us. You'll find out soon enough."
What did I do to deserve this? Liu Dan thought. I'm the most wronged man since the dawn of time.
Luckily, Fengqin stepped in. "We're going grocery shopping. We're cooking a proper meal today, so we need you."
Like he was going to say no.
While it had been agreed that Liu Dan would handle the cooking when he moved in, everyone had been too busy to follow through. Fengqin was running the bar. Huang Jing, now in her junior year, was interning at the university hospital. Liu Dan himself had a full day of classes followed by night shifts at the bar. So far, he'd only cooked a few meals—but each one had been so delicious that the girls had grinned like kids at a birthday party.
Now that it was finally Saturday and everyone had a day off, they'd agreed: no more takeout. Today, they'd eat like royalty.
And so the two gorgeous women set off—with Liu Dan carrying all the bags behind them like a loyal porter.
But their first stop wasn't a supermarket.
Nor a farmer's market.
No—it was Women's Street, the holy grail of shopping for the modern woman. Rows upon rows of boutiques, accessories, cosmetics, shoes—everything imaginable. Every few meters, a café or juice bar invited you to recharge before the next round.
Liu Dan was in hell.
Feng Qin and Huang Jing were relentless. They stopped at every store. They tried on every outfit. And every time, they'd turn to him and ask:
"How does this look?"
He would always say, "You two are so beautiful, anything you wear looks perfect."
They'd immediately accuse him of flattery.
So he switched tactics: "It's… okay. Pretty good."
And then they'd pout. "You call that 'pretty good'? This outfit is gorgeous! Ugh, you've got no taste!"
I can't win, Liu Dan thought miserably. The ancient sages were right: nothing's harder to deal with than women and petty men.
As the shopping spree continued, his arms filled with more and more bags. Thankfully, thanks to his internal martial training, his strength and stamina had improved dramatically. Otherwise, he'd be flat on the sidewalk by now. Somewhere, his ancestors were probably rolling in their graves. If they knew their descendant was using secret martial arts to carry handbags, they'd climb out of their coffins and curse me for a disgrace.
Eventually, they stepped into a sportswear store.
"Dan, put the bags down and try this on," FengQin said, holding out a red-and-white tracksuit.
Too exhausted to argue, Liu Dan changed into it without a word.
And when he came out—he looked stunning.
Both women were visibly impressed. He'd always had refined features, but with the tracksuit on, he looked athletic, confident, and effortlessly handsome. What they didn't realize was that since forming his internal core, Liu Dan had begun to exude a calm strength—a kind of invisible magnetism that quietly drew people in.
FengQin stepped forward and adjusted his collar. "This really suits you. Don't bother changing—wear it out."
Meanwhile, Huang Jing had picked out a pair of sneakers, which she helped him put on.
With the full outfit on, Liu Dan looked radiant. Passersby were already sneaking glances.
"Qin, this feels a bit much…" he said awkwardly.
FengQin gave him a mock glare. "What do you mean 'a bit much'? I bought you the tracksuit, and Huang Jing got you the shoes. You dare say no?"
Liu Dan sighed inwardly, but truth be told, he was touched. Since his parents passed away, few people had shown him this kind of care.
Huang Jing leaned in. "We're spoiling you, so you better reward us with a feast tonight. I want braised lion's head meatballs, steamed spare ribs, spicy chicken, minced pork with bok choy… That's just a start. I'll add more later."
She was already drooling by the time she finished listing the dishes.
Fengqin teased, "You might want to wipe your mouth first."
That made both of them burst out laughing.
Huang Jing pouted and playfully swatted her. "You're the worst, Qin!"
Their banter—and the sight of two gorgeous women joking around—had every guy in the vicinity sneaking looks. A few had even gone visibly red in the ears.
After paying, the group finally hit the market and grocery store, returning home with bags full of fresh ingredients.
Liu Dan dove into cooking.
Following the ladies' requests, he whipped up dish after dish. The crown jewel? Three pounds of fresh jumbo shrimp they'd scored from a local fisherman, steamed to perfection with garlic, pepper, and slivers of chili.
The result? So good, they almost ate the plates.
The meal left all three of them groaning with satisfaction.
Even the elegant and usually restrained FengQin was patting her belly and praising the flavors. Huang Jing, practically glowing, announced, "You have to cook like this every weekend from now on."
FengQin chuckled. "Careful—he might fatten you up and sell you off."
Huang Jing pounced on her. "Qin! You're the pig, not me!"
Their laughter echoed through the apartment, warm and unfiltered.
For Liu Dan, it felt like a real home.