Chapter 44
Qin Ai wasn’t in the habit of celebrating her birthday, and her personal information was kept private from the public. The Chang siblings, however, had known Qin Ai since childhood and were aware of her birthday.
Chang Wensi had initially planned to ask Zuo Bian out on Qin Ai’s birthday, so she would miss it. But she accidentally let it slip. Now, it was too late to take back her words. Not only that, she also had to endure Zuo Bian’s sincere gratitude.
The happier Zuo Bian smiled, the heavier Chang Wensi’s heart felt. Next time, she would rehearse before talking to Zuo Bian.
“Miss Chang, let’s add each other on WeChat and QQ. If you have anything to tell me, you can contact me through those.”
【Host, you’re amazing! We must capture this informant and extract all the intel she has!】
[Extract it, ribbit! Extract it, ribbit! ]
Chang Wensi instinctively unlocked her phone. Before she could react, Zuo Bian was already tapping away on her screen, and they successfully became friends.
“Bye.” Zuo Bian waved goodbye to Chang Wensi before leaving.
Chang Wensi raised her hand, then immediately lowered it, letting out a heavy snort. She felt like a fool. She should have refused! Refused!
This Zuo Bian was terrifying. She seemed to have the power to bewitch her. Whenever Zuo Bian got close, her heart would race, and her mind would go blank.
After getting into the car, Zuo Bian didn’t contact Qin Ai immediately. Instead, she looked for Qin Tian on QQ.
It was summer vacation now, so even though it wasn’t the weekend, Qin Tian could still play with his phone. Zuo Bian’s message was quickly answered.
Qin Tian: Older Sister Zuo Bian! Ahhhh! You finally messaged me! It’s been so long, I miss you so much! I have to wait until Saturday to see you QAQ. What’s up~?
Zuo Bian: Xiao Tian, I want to ask you something. Do you know when your sister’s birthday is?
Qin Tian: !!!! I just remembered that this Saturday seems to be Sister’s birthday! But she doesn’t like to celebrate her birthday, so I almost forgot. But it’s okay, we still have two days until Saturday. Older Sister Zuo Bian, let’s discuss a grand plan! Should we prepare a surprise for Sister on Saturday?
Zuo Bian: Okay, Xiao Tian, what do you have in mind?
Qin Tian: Ahem, for birthdays, it’s the thought that counts. As long as the thought is there, it’s enough. Let’s make a birthday cake together, and then on her birthday…
After reading Qin Tian’s message, Zuo Bian considered the feasibility of his plan and nodded. “Okay, let’s do as you said.”
Qin Tian: Hehe, great!
The truth behind Qin Tian’s suggestion to make a birthday cake was that he didn’t want to spend his allowance. A handmade cake was both thoughtful and inexpensive, perfect!
After chatting with Qin Tian, Zuo Bian didn’t contact Qin Ai. According to Qin Tian’s plan, she had to deliberately ignore Qin Ai before her birthday, making her think that she had forgotten, and then surprise her on the actual day.
【Why do I sense a hint of mastermind from this kid?】555 wondered, forgetting that it was also just a husky-minded strategist.
555 was husky-minded, and Qin Tian was Alaskan Malamute-minded. They weren’t that different.
*Husky-minded: Huskies are known for being dramatic, mischievous, and often illogical in their actions. They’re seen as silly and prone to making questionable decisions*
*Alaskan Malamute-minded: Similar to huskies in their playful and goofy nature, Alaskan Malamutes are often perceived as even more stubborn, strong-willed, and prone to causing chaos. *
‘Qin Ai sent me a message. What should I do? I can’t resist replying.’ Zuo Bian stared at her phone screen for a while, then finally gave in and replied.
‘Okay, I won’t reply next time.’ Zuo Bian said after replying to the message.
Of course, 555 knew that you couldn’t trust women’s words, especially when they were facing the person they liked.
However, the next time Qin Ai sent a message, Zuo Bian happily replied, even justifying her actions. “It would be rude not to reply to Qin Ai’s messages, and she would worry about me.”
555 could only say: Alright, woman, you win.
===============
The next day, Zuo Bian secretly went to Qin Ai’s house to meet with Qin Tian.
“Older Sister Zuo Bian, did you buy all the ingredients?” Even though Qin Ai wasn’t there, Qin Tian still instinctively lowered his voice.
Zuo Bian shook the bag in her hand and smiled. “I bought everything you said.”
Qin Tian excitedly rubbed his hands together. “Okay, then let’s get started. I did my research beforehand. Look, this is the recipe I copied from the internet. We’ll definitely succeed if we follow this.”
Zuo Bian took the handwritten recipe from Qin Tian and pointed at a spot. “What are these two characters?”
Qin Tian peered at the recipe. “My handwriting is a bit messy, but it’s okay, I’ll try to guess what they mean.”
【I have a bad feeling about this. Are you sure you can actually make a cake? Maybe I should guide you. I’m afraid Qin Ai might end up in the hospital after eating your cake.】
Zuo Bian’s eyes widened. ‘555, you’re right, I’ll listen to your instructions.’
【Hmph, I’m 555, the knowledgeable, talented, intelligent, and brilliant.】555 started boasting shamelessly.
“Xiao Tian, stop guessing. Let’s just start making the cake. Tomorrow is Qin Ai’s birthday.”
“Okay, but what should we do first?” Although Qin Tian had copied the recipe, he hadn’t actually memorized it.
Zuo Bian was also clueless. She had barely eaten cake, let alone baked one.
At that moment, 555 timely reminded them, 【First, you need to crack the eggs. It’s called a cake because it’s made of eggs. How can you make a cake without eggs?】
[Eggs, ribbit! Eggs, ribbit! ]
“Let’s crack the eggs first.” Zuo Bian and Qin Tian found a large, transparent bowl in the kitchen. Zuo Bian picked up an egg and clumsily cracked it against the table.
With a crack, the entire egg shattered on the table, yolk and egg white spilling everywhere. Zuo Bian pretended nothing had happened and wiped the table with a cloth. “Haha, this egg is a bit fragile.”
“Older Sister Zuo Bian, you’re too strong. Let me try!” Qin Tian, brimming with unfounded confidence, rolled up his sleeves and picked up an egg.
He did slightly better than Zuo Bian, at least he didn’t completely crush the egg. However, a few pieces of eggshell floated in the bowl.
“Let’s add some eggshells for extra calcium.” Qin Tian said, trying to salvage the situation.
Zuo Bian paused for a moment. “But that will affect the taste.”
“Haha, you’re right. Let’s take out the eggshells.” Qin Tian laughed awkwardly and tried to pick out the eggshells with chopsticks. But his hands were clumsy, and he was sweating profusely by the time he managed to remove them.
The atmosphere became incredibly awkward.
Zuo Bian realized that neither she nor Qin Tian had any talent in this area.
She had already decided that if the final product was inedible, they would just buy a cake. They couldn’t let Qin Ai force herself to eat it and get a stomachache.
“Older Sister Zuo Bian, how many eggs do you think we should use?”
【Just use five or six, it’s just symbolic.】
[I think eight is better, ribbit. Eight, eight, eight, ribbit! Prosperity, prosperity, prosperity, ribbit! ] *In Chinese Culture the number “eight” is a lucky number associated with wealth, prosperity, success and status*
‘I have a bad feeling about this…’
It seemed like she had no reliable teammates. She had to rely on herself.
“Let’s use six. A larger quantity shows our sincerity.” Zuo Bian chose six between five and eight.
While Qin Tian was still cracking eggs, Zuo Bian opened her phone with Little Frog’s help, deciding to consult online tutorials for baking a cake.
“Older Sister Zuo Bian, I’ve cracked six eggs. What do we do next?” Qin Tian said, secretly picking out another piece of eggshell from the bowl.
Zuo Bian took out an electric mixer. “We need to beat the eggs. Let me do it, Xiao Tian, you hold the bowl.”
“Okay!” Qin Tian nodded vigorously, holding the bowl with a serious expression.
At that moment, Little Frog emerged from Zuo Bian’s bag, hopping onto the table and startling Qin Tian.
“Older Sister Zuo Bian, look, there’s a frog! It’s so strange, it looks like a ball.”
“I’m not a ball, ribbit! You’re the ball, ribbit! Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!” Little Frog protested in its childish voice.
Zuo Bian thought for a moment and blurted out, “Xiao Tian, this is a high-tech robot frog I bought. It has the latest artificial intelligence chip, so it can move and talk.”
“Wow! Where did you buy it, Older Sister Zuo Bian? I want one too!” Qin Tian was mesmerized by Little Frog’s round body.
Little Frog bounced on the table, its chubby body jiggling. “I’m one of a kind, ribbit.”
Zuo Bian explained seriously, “This is cutting-edge technology. Little Frog is the only one in the world. Alright, let’s start beating the eggs.”
“Mm-hmm! Let the storm begin!” Qin Tian yelled, startling Zuo Bian, who accidentally turned on the mixer.
Bzzzz—splat—
The egg mixture splattered everywhere uncontrollably.
Zuo Bian frantically tried to turn off the mixer, but it was her first time using one, and she couldn’t find the switch. Qin Tian accidentally stepped on the cord, and the mixer finally stopped.
“I’m dirty, ribbit! Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit! I’m not clean anymore, ribbit…” Little Frog rolled around on the table, crying and croaking. Its chubby body bounced up and down, looking incredibly squishy.
【Dip it in the egg mixture and deep-fry it. I’m the kid next door, and I’m drooling.】
“Older Sister Zuo Bian, the eggs are all over the place. Should we start over? I wonder if we have enough eggs left. This mixer is definitely broken! Older Sister Zuo Bian, failure is the mother of success, don’t give up, we can do this!” Qin Tian looked at Zuo Bian, his face covered in egg batter. Only his big eyes were still visible.
“It’s okay, we can just add more eggs to the remaining batter. It’s the same.”
“I told you to use eight eggs, ribbit!” Little Frog bumped against Zuo Bian’s arm, leaving a round mark.
【Little Frog is unreliable, listen to me! I’m the one in charge, listen to me!】
Little Frog: “Eight eggs, ribbit! Eight eggs, ribbit!”
Qin Tian: “Older Sister Zuo Bian, I think it might be because you’re not good at using electrical appliances. Let me try.”
Qin Tian: “Oops, the eggs splattered again. It’s okay, add more eggs!”
“It’s time to add sugar.” Zuo Bian opened the sugar jar, unsure how much to add. Thinking that sweeter was better, she accidentally poured in half the jar.
“Oh!” Qin Tian exclaimed.
Little Frog: “Add more sugar, ribbit! Add more sugar, ribbit! It needs to be sweet, ribbit~”
Zuo Bian looked at the mountain of sugar, unsure if she should scoop some of it out. In the next second, Qin Tian started mixing the batter. Zuo Bian silently withdrew her hand and looked up at the ceiling, pretending nothing had happened.
The two humans, one frog, and one system, none of them actually knew how to bake a cake.
Occasionally, they could hear someone exclaiming from the kitchen and the sound of things falling to the ground. By the time the final product was ready, the entire kitchen was a disaster zone.
Of course, Zuo Bian and Qin Tian weren’t spared either. They were covered in egg batter and flour, their hair and eyebrows white.
“It’s okay if it’s not smooth! Add strawberries! Add a lot!” Qin Tian chanted “Make it pretty, make it pretty” as he piled on the strawberries.
The cake, covered in strawberries, didn’t look as bad anymore. Zuo Bian felt a pang of sadness for some reason. She wiped her eyes, adding another smudge to her face.
“Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep—” Qin Tian quickly ran to turn off the alarm clock. He turned to Zuo Bian. “Older Sister Zuo Bian, quickly hide the cake! Sister is coming back!”
Zuo Bian frantically hid the cake. Just as she finished, Qin Ai entered the house.
The kitchen in Qin Ai’s house was semi-open, so as soon as she entered the hall, she saw the messy kitchen.
Zuo Bian, her hands still covered in flour, greeted Qin Ai with a smile. “Qin Ai, you’re back.”
Qin Tian tried to sneak away quietly, but Qin Ai grabbed him by the back of his collar.
“Did you blow up the kitchen?” Qin Ai’s voice was filled with amusement. She had sensed something was wrong since yesterday, and after connecting the dots, she had guessed the reason.
Zuo Bian shook her head frantically. “No, Xiao Tian and I were just having a flour fight.”
“Yes, yes, yes! It was a flour fight!” Qin Tian struggled to break free from Qin Ai’s grasp.
“Oh, I see. Go wash up, I’ll take you out for dinner tonight.”
Seeing that Qin Ai wasn’t suspicious, Zuo Bian and Qin Tian both sighed in relief. However, they didn’t know that Qin Ai had already seen through everything.
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