Chapter 130: It seems... a bit different?

That night, Qin Xuan happily played video games until past two in the morning before collapsing into bed. It was a rare treat to have the bed all to himself, yet he found himself tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The next morning, Liu Ruoxi and Nan Zhiyi woke up and, noticing Qin Xuan was still asleep, curiously opened his bedroom door to find him snoring away. With no other choice, the two of them quietly went out to buy breakfast.

When they returned, they saw Lin'er still washing up. Seeing them carrying buns and porridge, she wiped her face with a towel, finished tidying up, and came out, asking curiously, "Is Qin Xuan still not up?"

Nan Zhiyi placed the buns on the table and replied, "He stayed up late playing games last night..."

"Huh?" Qin Lin'er looked startled. "You? You guys?! My poor brother... he couldn't hold out against two succubi after all..."

Liu Ruoxi sensed something off about her comment and stepped forward to rap her on the head. "What kind of nonsense is in that head of yours!"

"He just stayed up late gaming..."

"Oh..." Lin'er clutched her head, took two steps back, and eyed Ruoxi warily while muttering under her breath, "Sigh, I should have let Qin Xuan prove himself..."

When the three of them finally managed to shake Qin Xuan awake, he stared blankly at the three of them standing by his bedside, looking uncharacteristically well-behaved.

"Time to get up, Qin Xuan~"

The sight instantly snapped Qin Xuan awake. "What are you guys doing? This feels a bit strange..."

"Strange?" Liu Ruoxi looked at Qin Xuan’s awkward expression. "Get up and eat!"

Qin Xuan’s eyes widened, and he nodded with satisfaction. "There we go, that’s more like it."

As they watched Qin Xuan get up to change, the three girls exchanged glances—you really have no higher aspirations than this!

After breakfast, they headed to school, enjoying the rare, crisp morning air.

"Qin Xuan~ it’s the weekend, want to go out and play?" Lin'er clung to the arm of the still-sleepy Qin Xuan, giving it a tug.

"Hmm..." Qin Xuan turned his head to look at her. "Let's pass. I’m just going to stay home and be a shut-in for the next two days."

Lin'er gave him a look of utter disdain. As expected, he’d been reduced to a salty fish by last night’s ordeal.

Before parting ways with them, Nan Zhiyi leaned in and kissed Qin Xuan on the cheek. She no longer cared about the eyes of others; her boldness had grown quite significantly.

...

After classes ended for the day, Ruoxi said she needed to pick up some things and dragged Nan Zhiyi away. Lin'er came home gnawing on a chicken leg and sprawled out on the sofa. Qin Xuan had originally intended to play some games, but after glancing at his record from the night before, he decided he didn't deserve to play for a while.

Wanzi, curled up on the other end of the sofa, lifted her head and began meowing incessantly at the two of them.

Qin Xuan pulled Lin'er into his arms and examined the cat with curiosity. "Did Wanzi meow like this last night, too?"

Lin'er looked at Qin Xuan, puzzled. "Yeah, it was so annoying. You didn't hear her?"

"I heard her. Does she need a trip to the vet for a little 'snip'?" Qin Xuan asked tentatively, rubbing Lin'er's small hand.

"Hmm..." Lin'er thought for a moment. "That might work."

Wanzi, busy licking her fur, had no idea what the two "mounts" beside her were plotting.

Liu Ruoxi and Nan Zhiyi returned with a mountain of shopping bags, looking speechless at the sight of Qin Xuan lying on Lin'er's lap.

"Can you be a little self-aware and go make dinner?"

Qin Xuan, head resting on Lin'er’s not-so-soft lap, replied, "Don't rush me, let me rest a bit longer..."

Qin Lin'er smiled and ran her fingers through his hair, causing Qin Xuan to close his eyes in comfort. Seeing this, Liu Ruoxi suddenly felt a wave of irritation.

"Sigh, and here I was planning to show you something tonight. What a pity."

"Huh?!" Qin Xuan snapped his eyes open, looking curiously at the half-smiling Liu Ruoxi.

"I'll go make dinner right now!"

Lin'er’s hand hung in mid-air, stunned—he’s just going to be lured away like that?

Liu Ruoxi noticed the weariness in Lin'er’s eyes, sat down beside her, and held up one of the bags. "Don't overthink it. You couldn't pull off an outfit like this anyway..."

"What?" Lin'er, unconvinced, pulled the garment out of the bag, took one look at it, shoved it back in, and said, "Goodbye!"

Liu Ruoxi giggled as she watched her retreat.

"Qin Xuan really loves these kinds of things!" Nan Zhiyi stared at the bag, pursing her lips.

"Oh?" Liu Ruoxi turned to look at her. "Have you tried it on?"

"I have!" Nan Zhiyi admitted generously, laughing aloud as she recalled how impatient Qin Xuan had been that day.

"Tell me everything..." Liu Ruoxi dragged Nan Zhiyi into the room, her face full of curiosity.

When Qin Xuan finished cooking and set the food on the table, he realized everyone had vanished. What was going on?

He called out into the rooms a few times before seeing Liu Ruoxi and Nan Zhiyi emerge, arm in arm, both of them blushing. What have you two been up to behind my back again?

Lin'er had been hiding in her room, doubting her own existence in front of the mirror, until she caught the scent of the stir-fry...

Moments later, Qin Xuan watched as Lin'er sat down, pouting, and began aggressively hacking at the food on her plate with her chopsticks.

The three people around her were dumbfounded. Finally, Ruoxi tapped her on the head.

"Can you eat like a normal person?" Liu Ruoxi looked at her with disdain. So what if she felt discouraged? Some things were natural and couldn't be fixed, so why dwell on it?

If Lin'er knew what she was thinking, she would have been too angry to eat. It’s easy for you to say! Do you have any idea how painful this is? She thought back to the last time Qin Xuan had draped an arm over her shoulder and called her "bro," and felt a sense of helplessness.

Qin Lin'er finished her meal in a funk, dropped her chopsticks, and returned to her room to check the mirror again. She practiced for a long time—did it... actually look a bit different? Was this Qin Xuan’s doing?

At the table, Qin Xuan was still eating slowly. Seeing Lin'er run off, he asked Ruoxi, puzzled, "What’s wrong with her? Did you bully her again?"

"How could we! She’s just feeling a bit inferior," Ruoxi said, leaning forward and placing... on the table.

Nan Zhiyi followed suit, a move that made Qin Xuan struggle to hold back his laughter.

"No! Don't use that to pick on her... even if it is the truth."

"You're one to talk, you’re laughing yourself," Liu Ruoxi rolled her eyes at him, then looked behind him. "Right, Lin'er?"

"What?" Qin Xuan turned around with his bowl in hand to see Lin'er standing behind him, practically fuming...

"I was wrong!"

Lin'er gritted her teeth and lunged at his lap. "Wrong your head!"

She opened her mouth and bit down on Qin Xuan’s arm, pummeling him with her fists.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Qin Xuan quickly broke free from her grip, set his bowl down, and pulled her tightly into a hug.

"I was just joking, I don't mind," Qin Xuan said, holding her so she couldn't struggle, her little head resting against his ear.

Lin'er stared at his ear, tempted to take a bite! But that would probably hurt, so she decided against it.

"It’s all your fault for not growing up with me!" Lin'er whispered loudly into his ear.

"Huh?" Qin Xuan’s hands paused.

Liu Ruoxi and Nan Zhiyi looked down at themselves: But I didn't either...