Through their combined efforts—or more accurately, with Chu Tian busy barbecuing and Xu Qingqiu busy sneaking snacks—they finally managed to prepare a good amount of edible food before dark.

At first, Xu Qingqiu diligently helped him pass skewers and other items. However, after Chu Tian grilled the first batch and she took it away on a plate, that was the end of her assistance.

"Mmm~so delicious! Chu Tian, your cooking skills are amazing. You could totally open your own shop; it would definitely be a hit. Who did you learn this from?"

"It's all self-taught. Do you want to learn? If you do, I can teach you."

"Really? Great~" Xu Qingqiu agreed readily, but the skewer in her hand never paused.

So it went: one earnestly teaching, the other busily devouring skewers, until they finally finished just before dark.

Actually, Zhou Yiyi also joined them. She had come over to check on their progress after finishing her own cooking and ended up staying to eat.

The result was a table laden with stir-fried dishes and barbecue. However, the two girls had focused so much on the skewers that, aside from some soup, the stir-fries remained largely untouched.

Chu Tian ate the lion's share himself, only stopping when he absolutely couldn't eat another bite.

"Phew~ ah, that was so good!" Xu Qingqiu sighed contentedly. "If only I could eat like this all the time."

After dinner, the three of them lay on the sofa, not even bothering to clear the table.

After resting for a while, Chu Tian looked outside. It had gotten completely dark, and it was nearly ten o'clock. So, he asked, "Is there anything else you need help with here?"

Hearing this, Xu Qingqiu suddenly realized something and quickly looked up. "Are you leaving?"

Chu Tian thought for a moment. "Um... It's getting late. If there's nothing else, I should head back."

After everything that had happened today, especially that afternoon, Xu Qingqiu felt strangely reluctant to let him go.

She pouted and asked in a low voice, "Are you in a hurry? Can you stay a little longer?"

Seeing the hopeful yet disappointed look in her eyes, Chu Tian's heart softened. It's not too far anyway, he thought, then readily said, "Actually, I'm not in a huge hurry. I can stay a bit longer."

"That's great! Hehe~" Xu Qingqiu smiled triumphantly, as if a little scheme of hers had succeeded, her gaze fixed on Chu Tian.

Yiyi, who was nearby, couldn't stand it anymore. She stood up, tossed aside her apple core, and said, "I'll clean up the table; you two chat."

Chu Tian quickly stood up as well. "I'll help you; there's a lot of stuff."

"No, you're a guest. Please, stay seated," Yiyi said. "There isn't much, and we'll be done quickly."

Prevented by both Yiyi and Xu Qingqiu, Chu Tian could only sit back down regretfully. Still, he felt uneasy just sitting there while they worked.

"Is there nothing else you need to organize?" he asked. "Like some heavy items or something? I'm pretty strong; I can help you move them."

Seeing his earnestness, Xu Qingqiu thought for a moment. "We've moved everything already. But the strings on my guitar are broken, and I haven't had time to replace them. Could you help me with that?"

"A guitar? Sure. You play the guitar too?"

Chu Tian knew a bit about musical instruments. Since the guitar was one of the most common and relatively simple ones, he naturally knew how to play it. Besides, since acquiring the system, he had received music-related rewards several times: Basic Instrument Skills, Instrument Mastery, and even something called Piano Master. He wouldn't be able to handle complex instrument repairs, but changing guitar strings was no problem.

However, after he said this, for some reason, a hint of sadness flashed across Xu Qingqiu's face.

"Where is the guitar? Let me take a look."

"I'll get it for you."

After she handed him a somewhat worn guitar case, Xu Qingqiu glanced down at her dirty clothes. "You can start on the strings. I'm going to take a shower and change."

"Ah?" Chu Tian was taken aback. I haven't even left yet, and she suddenly needs a shower? Shouldn't she wait until I'm gone? Should I stay or leave now? But then he remembered his promise. I already promised to change the strings. Leaving now wouldn't be right, would it?

He hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the streaks of dust on Xu Qingqiu's white T-shirt. "Alright, you go ahead. I saw there's a nice terrace upstairs; it'd be good to catch the breeze there. I'll go up there to change the strings."

"Okay, I'll come find you when I'm done," Xu Qingqiu replied.

Right then, all Xu Qingqiu could think about was taking a shower. When she had gone to get the guitar, she'd vaguely smelled an odd odor on herself, and seeing her dirty clothes now, she just couldn't stand it. Especially with Chu Tian still in the house, she felt terribly awkward being so grimy. So now, almost all her thoughts were focused on taking a good shower and changing into clean clothes. As for where Chu Tian said he was going, she hadn't really heard him clearly at all.

Chu Tian took the guitar and opened the case. It was an acoustic guitar. The third and sixth strings were broken, but the others seemed fine. Inside the case, besides the guitar, was a new pack of strings. It looks like they'd been bought but never used, he thought. Perhaps she didn't have the time, or maybe she didn't know how to change them.

He took the guitar case up to the third-floor terrace. There was a set of outdoor furniture and a furled-up parasol, apparently left by the previous owner. He glanced at the seats; they were quite clean. They must have been tidied recently, he thought. Xu Qingqiu and Yiyi probably hired a cleaning service before moving in.

Sitting on a chair, he first removed the old strings from the guitar and then began to replace them with the new ones. He tested the remaining strings and found they were completely out of tune, probably due to age. He had just started to adjust one when it, too, snapped.

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