Chapter 116: Let Bygones Be Bygones!

"Qin Xuan, carry me, will you? I’ve been tired all day, just listen to my voice..." Nan Zhiyi pleaded, tugging at Qin Xuan’s arm and swaying slightly.

"Sigh," Qin Xuan sighed as he looked at her expression, then bent down in front of her and signaled, "Hop on!"

"Hee hee," Nan Zhiyi jumped onto Qin Xuan’s back. It was just as comfortable as it had been yesterday!

By the time they reached the night market, Nan Zhiyi still hadn't let go of Qin Xuan. The vendors selling snacks couldn't help but beam with knowing, auntie-like smiles as they watched. The two packed up some food at the market—not forgetting Lin'er’s chicken drumstick—before Qin Xuan finally carried her back home.

Collapsing onto the sofa, Nan Zhiyi felt like a discarded cat. The main issue was that Qin Xuan had noticed her throat was sore and wouldn't let her eat anything spicy. She sat there with a box of non-spicy chicken nuggets... they just weren't satisfying!

Before long, Liu Ruoxi and Qin Lin'er returned from their elective classes. Seeing the spread on the coffee table, Qin Lin'er sat happily beside Nan Zhiyi and started gnawing on her drumstick.

"Zhiyi-jie, can I borrow Qin Xuan this weekend?" Qin Lin'er asked while chewing.

"Hmm?" Nan Zhiyi paused. She glanced at Liu Ruoxi and, seeing no reaction, took it as a tacit approval. She nodded at Qin Lin'er.

"Thanks, Zhiyi-jie!" Qin Lin'er obediently handed over a skewer of gluten. Nan Zhiyi looked at the chili flakes on it and felt her mouth water. Taking advantage of the moment Qin Xuan walked into the other room, she took a bite. It was delicious!

When Qin Xuan came back out, Nan Zhiyi had already finished eating and was pretending to be busy with her phone, congratulating herself that Qin Xuan hadn't noticed her sneaky snack.

After tidying up the trash on the coffee table, Qin Xuan handed Nan Zhiyi a tissue and pointed to the corner of her mouth. Nan Zhiyi was bewildered until she returned to her room and looked in the mirror—what was that bit of chili skin doing on her lip!

...

Qin Xuan lay on his bed playing on his phone; he hadn't touched his computer in two days. Perhaps it was because the last time he had played, the experience had left him questioning his life, and he had no desire to play chess anymore. He took out the photo album Auntie Yang had given him over the weekend and began to flip through it page by page.

"Huh? What’s this?" Liu Ruoxi asked as she returned to the room after a shower, seeing Qin Xuan chuckling to himself while holding an album.

"Zhiyi’s childhood photos..." Qin Xuan replied honestly.

"Oh?!" Now that piqued her curiosity! She had been told early on that Zhiyi was a "snot-nosed brat," but she hadn't seen proof yet. Liu Ruoxi changed into her pajamas and snuggled up against Qin Xuan’s shoulder to look along with him.

"This is Zhiyi?" Liu Ruoxi’s face was filled with confusion. Who was this person who looked like they had just been fished out of a mud pit?

Qin Xuan nodded. It was his first time seeing this page too; he had only flipped through the album casually at Zhiyi’s house, but looking closely now, he discovered many of her childhood "feats."

"Man, this is even more impressive than when you fell into the outhouse as a kid," Liu Ruoxi remarked offhandedly, leaving Qin Xuan between laughter and tears. Speaking of which, that had been during a summer vacation at his grandmother's house... Let’s not talk about the past! Talking about it only brings tears—though not just tears...

"No way, I have to use this to tease Zhiyi!" Liu Ruoxi pulled out her phone, snapped a few pictures, and sent them directly to their group chat of four.

A few minutes later, they heard a frantic knocking at their door.

"Liu Ruoxi! Open the door! I’m going to fight you today!"

"And Qin Xuan, you can die too! Don't I have any dignity?"

Nan Zhiyi had seen the photos in the group chat and laughed at first, wondering who that unlucky child was. After a moment, she realized something was wrong and zoomed in on the image.

*What the?!* Isn't that the dress I wore as a kid?

In an instant, everything came flooding back. The memory of that disastrous weekend made her shudder. Her father had taken them out for a spring outing, and she had been wearing that floral dress her parents had struggled to squeeze her into. It was her first time wearing such a dress, so she was incredibly uncomfortable—she much preferred overalls. While watching a group of boys throwing stones in the field, she had been curious and went over to see.

She had ended up sliding headfirst into a mud pit. She remembered being confused at the time why her parents didn't let her wash up immediately after pulling her out. So that was it! They were watching her make a fool of herself? And they took photos? And gave them to Qin Xuan?! Where was she supposed to hide her face now?

Hearing the relentless knocking, Liu Ruoxi couldn't take it anymore. She got out of bed and opened the door to find a ferocious-looking Nan Zhiyi. Nan Zhiyi immediately lunged at her and tackled her onto the bed.

"What are you doing?" Liu Ruoxi let Zhiyi sit on top of her, watching her with curiosity. *She dares to fight back?*

"You still have the nerve to ask! Where did you get my photos!" Nan Zhiyi huffed, pinching Liu Ruoxi’s wrist.

Liu Ruoxi giggled. "Qin Xuan showed them to me, obviously. There are even more! You were so cool back then!"

"Qin Xuan!" Nan Zhiyi looked up, blushing with embarrassment. *How could you show these to Ruoxi-jie! It’s so humiliating...*

"Then come over here and I’ll tell you about Ruoxi too?" Qin Xuan beckoned to her.

Seeing this, Nan Zhiyi climbed off Ruoxi, ran to the other side of Qin Xuan, pulled up the blanket, and looked at him expectantly. Liu Ruoxi, meanwhile, thought disdainfully, *What kind of dirt could he possibly have on me?!*

"Let me tell you, one year in middle school..." Before Qin Xuan could finish, Liu Ruoxi lunged over to cover his mouth.

*How could I forget about that!* Liu Ruoxi’s face turned bright red.

"Don't you dare! If you say that, I’ll tell her about your summer vacation!"

Qin Xuan obediently closed his mouth. They were all one family; there was no need for mutual destruction.

"Alright, go back to sleep!" Liu Ruoxi calmed herself down and shooed Nan Zhiyi away.

"No, I’m sleeping here tonight," Nan Zhiyi said, clutching Qin Xuan’s arm and refusing to let go.

"No way!" Liu Ruoxi naturally disagreed.

Nan Zhiyi’s eyes darted around. She looked pitifully at Qin Xuan while her hand rested on his waist. "Qin Xuan~ can you give me a chance?"

"Qin Xuan! Think carefully!" Liu Ruoxi, not to be outdone, placed her hand on the other side of his waist.

Qin Xuan scratched his head innocently. "Why don't you two play rock-paper-scissors?"

Then, Qin Xuan learned exactly what it felt like to be pinched until he went numb.

After arguing for a long time without a result, Qin Xuan simply rolled off the bed, slipped into Nan Zhiyi’s room, turned off the light, and went to sleep. However, not long after, he felt Liu Ruoxi squeeze into his arms. A while later, the door opened again, and Nan Zhiyi crept back in as well.

Qin Xuan thought drowsily, *Why go through all that trouble? You argued for so long just to end up like this?*

The next morning, Qin Xuan sat up and looked at the empty bed beside him, confused. *Was I dreaming yesterday?*

He got dressed and went to wash up, only to find Liu Ruoxi and Nan Zhiyi standing side-by-side at the sink, brushing their teeth in perfect harmony.

"You're up? Breakfast is already bought. Get ready to eat," Liu Ruoxi greeted him as soon as she saw him.

"Hmm?" Qin Xuan was curious about what had happened after he fell asleep last night.