Chapter 149: As I kept watching... I found myself missing you.

Before Qin Xuan could even process what had happened, Liu Ruoxi left with a blushing little face.

Biting on the apple in his mouth, Qin Xuan inexplicably felt a familiar taste... Wait~ something was not right.

After finishing his chores, Qin Xuan turned around only to find the living room sofa completely empty. Scratching his head, he walked back to his bedroom, only to discover that Ruoxi was somehow sitting at his computer chair and playing a game.

"Where is Zhiyi?" Qin Xuan asked out of curiosity.

"What? Wishing she was here to keep you company instead of me?" Liu Ruoxi was playing on Qin Xuan's computer—the kind that would freeze completely just from running a game of chess. She had originally intended to help him climb the ranked ladder, but upon hearing his words, she immediately became unhappy.

"I was just asking out of curiosity," Qin Xuan said ingratiatingly as he walked over, scooped her up into his lap, and kissed her on the cheek.

Liu Ruoxi wiped her cheek with an expression of mild disgust. "Nan Zhiyi was afraid you'd be up to no good and that the noise would be too loud, ruining her image, so she went to keep Lin'er company."

Understanding dawned on Qin Xuan. He wrapped his arms around Liu Ruoxi's waist and whispered softly in her ear, "It looks like tonight's imperial consort can only be you."

"What do you mean by *only* me? Don't I care about my image too?" Liu Ruoxi struggled a bit and retorted.

Qin Xuan chuckled as he looked at her. "Isn't it because I love the way you whimper so softly?"

Hearing this, Liu Ruoxi's face instantly flushed crimson, and she delivered a couple of light punches to Qin Xuan's chest.

"Shut up!"

That night, Nan Zhiyi and Qin Lin'er pressed their ears against the door of the bedroom, consumed by curiosity.

"Why can't we hear any sound from them? Didn't you say the soundproofing was bad?" Nan Zhiyi asked, looking somewhat puzzled at Lin'er.

"The soundproofing *is* really bad!" Lin'er didn't know how to explain it. In the past, she used to frequently hear noises coming from her older brother's room, but why wasn't she hearing anything tonight...

The two of them stood there listening for a long time without hearing a single sound from Qin Xuan's room, and finally gave up, crawling back onto the bed with a sense of resignation.

Lin'er tilted her head to look at Sister Zhiyi, then glanced down at herself, letting out a helpless sigh. She felt so unconvinced!

...

The group stayed at home for a few days until the morning of the day before the holiday, when they finally took a plane back to Chengdu.

As soon as they arrived home, Lin'er collapsed onto the sofa, while Nan Zhiyi went back to her own place, taking Meatball along with her.

Qin Xuan placed the takeout stir-fried dishes he had bought outside onto the dining table and opened the boxes. The moment Lin'er smelled the aroma, she sat right back up.

"This braised pork slices dish isn't nearly as delicious as the ones you make, Older Brother," Lin'er said between bites, letting out a helpless sigh.

"I'll make it for you tonight, then," Qin Xuan said, though he thought it tasted quite alright and was enjoying his meal.

"You're just too picky," Liu Ruoxi said while shoveling rice into her mouth. "Anyway, whatever your brother makes is delicious."

Lin'er straightened her posture and proudly puffed out her chest. "Well, of course!"

Liu Ruoxi didn't even know what to say to that. *Do you even have the right to strike a pose like that? There's nothing there to push out even if you try...*

After eating and drinking her fill, Lin'er collapsed onto the sofa once again, resting one leg up on the backrest. "How annoying, I have to go back to classes soon."

Seeing her completely devoid of any proper posture, Liu Ruoxi reached out and gave the hem of her skirt a tug. "Your legs are showing!"

"There's nobody else around..." Lin'er mumbled, casting a glance at Qin Xuan, who was still cleaning up the leftover food.

Hearing this, Liu Ruoxi directly flipped her over onto her stomach and delivered two sharp smacks to her backside.

"Even if there's no one else around, you can't act like this!"

Hearing the commotion, Qin Xuan curiously turned his head and saw Lin'er lying flat on the sofa rubbing her bottom while Liu Ruoxi continued to lecture her from the side.

"I was wrong, Sister Xi!" Lin'er looked at Sister Xi with a pitiful expression and decisively admitted her mistake.

"As long as you know," Liu Ruoxi said, picking up her bag and walking back to her room. Watching her leave, Lin'er turned to look at the curious Qin Xuan, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes as she secretly slid her hand beneath the hem of her skirt and suddenly flipped it up!

Qin Xuan wasn't paying attention for a moment, and by the time he reacted, Lin'er had already put it back down.

"Just you wait, I'll deal with you tonight!" Qin Xuan said as he gathered the trash and tossed that warning her way.

Feeling quite proud of herself, Lin'er ran over behind Qin Xuan and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Then why aren't you dealing with me right now?"

Qin Xuan raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you won't be able to hold back and will end up disturbing the neighbors."

A blush spread across Lin'er's face, and she landed a punch straight onto Qin Xuan's waist. "You talk too much!"

"If you hurt my waist, I might just let you off the hook tonight," Qin Xuan said with a smile. Hearing this, Lin'er wanted to put some force behind another punch, but then she thought about the nighttime...

After weighing the pros and cons, Lin'er ultimately loosened her fist and pressed her little face against Qin Xuan's back, savoring the sense of security he brought her.

"Alright, go back and watch your show," Qin Xuan said, grasping Lin'er's small hand, intending to return to playing his game for a bit.

Hearing that, Lin'er acted a little coy. "No... the more I watch... the more I miss you."

Seeing Lin'er's blushing face, Qin Xuan reached out, hoisted her up, and slung her over his shoulder. "Then I'll take you along to play games."

Except for when she was a little kid, this was only the first... well, second time in her adult life that Qin Xuan had carried her over his shoulder, giving her quite a start.

Carrying Lin'er, Qin Xuan strode straight into his bedroom.

Liu Ruoxi happened to be changing her clothes and looked up just as the two of them walked in, with Lin'er almost bumping right into the doorframe.

Qin Xuan dumped Lin'er onto the bed without paying her any further mind and immediately turned on the computer.

Feeling a bit dazed from being tossed, Lin'er raised her head and blinked at her older brother. *Just like that? This is completely different from what I imagined!*

A short while later, Nan Zhiyi returned carrying Meatball. She opened the cat crate and released Meatball, who familiarly trotted back to its little nest.

Curious about where everyone had gone, Nan Zhiyi eventually heard sounds of exclamation coming from Qin Xuan's room. Her spirits instantly perked up—time for a room inspection! What are they up to, what are they up to?!

Pushing the door open, she saw all three of them gathered around the computer playing a game, leaving her deeply disappointed. *So childish!*

She went back to her own room, tidied up briefly, sat down at her desk, and pulled out the diary she hadn't written in for days.

She wrote in it: *Finally went to Qin Xuan's house again, and even received a red envelope. I suppose I'm finally considered a daughter-in-law approved by Auntie Wang and Uncle Qin now, right? It's a pity I didn't get to see Grandma.*

...

As evening approached, Qin Xuan hurriedly dragged Lin'er along to go buy groceries, thinking he might as well buy her a chicken leg since she hadn't had one in days.

On the way back, Qin Xuan strolled leisurely with Lin'er piggybacking on him. Lin'er was nibbling on a chicken leg, and fearing that any oil drips might stain Qin Xuan's clothes, she deliberately held a piece of tissue underneath to catch them.

"Older Brother~ can we take another walk around?" Lin'er pressed the chicken leg close to Qin Xuan's mouth as a gesture to share, speaking with a hint of reluctance.

Qin Xuan took a bite of the chicken leg. "There are still two hungry people waiting at home."

"Oh, just for a little while longer, please," Lin'er coaxed, shaking her body back and forth discontentedly on his back.

Seeing this, Qin Xuan let out a helpless sigh. "Just a little while, then."

Carrying Lin'er on his back, he crossed the main road and trotted over to the small path beside the river.

With the river breeze blowing past, Lin'er hummed a tune happily while enjoying the ride on Qin Xuan's back.

Ten minutes or so later, Lin'er rested her chin on Qin Xuan's shoulder. "Alright, let's head back, otherwise Sister Xi and the others will blame me for running off with you."

Qin Xuan turned his head to look at her.

"Such a silly thought. The future is still long, and I'll be able to carry you all the way until we're old."

Hearing those words, Lin'er smiled, propped herself up slightly, and planted a kiss on Qin Xuan's cheek.

"Forget it. Do you really think you'll still be able to carry me when you're old?"

"Of course I will. Don't you know how great my physical stamina is?"

"Bah! Older Brother, you're so shameless!"