Chapter Seventeen: Qin Xuan’s True Thoughts

As the three of them stepped out and passed through the lobby, Qin Xuan couldn’t shake the feeling that the waiters were looking at him strangely, their gazes tinged with a hint of murderous intent and... envy? He suddenly understood—this wasn’t the first time, after all—so he flashed them a brilliant smile, as was customary in Qin Xuan’s kindergarten; it was his way of showing goodwill.

Unfortunately, it was clear these people hadn’t attended the same kindergarten as Qin Xuan. To them, his smile was pure provocation—a shameless display of pride.

After their singing session, it was already past eight. Qin Xuan had no intention of cooking, so the trio wandered until they found themselves on a bustling food street near the school—a place that truly came alive at night. They squeezed through the crowds and entered a barbecue shop. In the end, neither Qin Xuan nor Qin Lin’er ordered anything; it was Liu Ruoxi who selected a mountain of dishes, insisting she’d sung herself hungry and needed to replenish her strength.

Once she’d finished ordering and noticed there were no seats left, Liu Ruoxi told the owner to pack everything up to go.

Halfway home, as Liu Ruoxi devoured the food, Qin Xuan doubted whether the barbecue would even survive the journey back. Predictably, by the time they reached the bottom of their building, Liu Ruoxi stared helplessly at the empty boxes, only then realizing that Qin Xuan and Qin Lin’er had eaten very little—nearly all of it had found its way into her own stomach.

In a fit of frustration, she tossed the boxes into the trash and complained to Qin Xuan, “If I’d known, I would’ve ordered more. None of you ate enough!”

Actually, it was you who didn’t get enough to eat! Shameless! Qin Xuan rolled his eyes at her words.

Back home, Liu Ruoxi collapsed onto the sofa, pressing her hand over her stomach through her clothes, seemingly only eight-tenths full.

Qin Lin’er sat nearby, phone in hand, gesturing at Qin Xuan.

“What are you two up to? Whispering and scheming?” Liu Ruoxi had her eyes on Qin Lin’er at all times, wary of any mischief.

“None of your concern!” Qin Lin’er shot back.

“Oh?” Liu Ruoxi narrowed her eyes and replied coolly, “Looks like someone’s itching for a beating, huh?”

Qin Lin’er hurried to Qin Xuan’s side, putting on a soft, pleading tone. “Brother, look at her! She’s always bullying me.”

Qin Xuan said nothing, silently fiddling with Qin Lin’er’s phone.

After a brief and fruitless staring contest, Liu Ruoxi lost interest and left the two behind, returning to her room.

More than twenty minutes later, Liu Ruoxi was engrossed in a novel, right at a climactic moment, when an enticing aroma wafted into her room. At first, she thought it came from outside, but as the scent lingered, she sensed something was amiss. She quickly tossed aside her phone and opened the door.

“What the hell!” she cried. On the coffee table sat a feast of crayfish and three grilled fish.

Who could endure such injustice?

Liu Ruoxi glared at the other two, while Qin Lin’er shot her a provocative look.

“You’re eating behind my back!” Liu Ruoxi stormed over to Qin Xuan, puffed up with righteous indignation like an angry pufferfish.

“You already ate all that barbecue and you’re still not full?” Qin Lin’er teased, knowing full well that Liu Ruoxi had a bottomless appetite—and, infuriatingly, never gained weight.

“I... I...” Liu Ruoxi was momentarily speechless, but in the end, she surrendered to the food before her. “So what if I’m still hungry!”

“If you’re hungry, then sit and eat,” Qin Xuan quickly interjected, fearing the two would come to blows.

“Oh!” Liu Ruoxi obeyed, pulling over a chair and taking the gloves Qin Xuan handed her. Staring at the two boxes of crayfish, she hesitated, unsure where to begin.

Qin Xuan had ordered both garlic and spicy flavors. Though he wasn’t fond of spicy food, crayfish was an exception.

Liu Ruoxi grabbed a plump, spicy crayfish and transformed into a shell-peeling machine, occasionally taking a bite of fish—her joy was utterly palpable.

In the end, Liu Ruoxi polished off half the crayfish and even claimed half of Qin Xuan’s grilled fish.

After finishing their takeout, the three lounged on the sofa. Liu Ruoxi’s head found its way onto Qin Xuan’s lap. Qin Lin’er tried to push her aside, failed, and gave up.

“Sister Xi, how do you eat so much and not gain weight?” Qin Lin’er finally voiced her long-held curiosity.

Liu Ruoxi shifted her head. “Ah, that must be because fairies like me are naturally immune to gaining weight!”

“Pfft, shameless,” Qin Lin’er retorted, though she was genuinely envious of the ability to eat without consequence—a trait she dubbed “lean-pig type.”

After a good rest, they each washed up and retreated to their rooms.

Surprisingly, once Liu Ruoxi had digested, she started doing sit-ups on her bed, thinking, “Lin’er, truth is, I envy not gaining weight, too!”

She recalled back in her first year of high school, she’d eaten so much that she’d ballooned to 110 pounds. That entire summer was spent dieting and jogging every morning just to slim down. Since then, though she couldn’t control her appetite, she made a point of exercising daily. Her stomach was the easiest place to gain weight, and as luck would have it, Qin Xuan liked girls in swimsuits (delete that).

After a solid workout left her drenched in sweat, still in her pajamas, she slipped out to the bathroom.

Half an hour later, restored to her fairy-like self, Liu Ruoxi, dressed in pajamas, stood in front of Qin Xuan’s door. She’d intended to return to her own room, but somehow her legs disobeyed her.

She opened the door and entered. Qin Xuan was still gaming. Hearing the door, he turned—and for a moment, Liu Ruoxi standing there looked like a goddess fresh from a bath. He froze, stunned, until his teammates shouted, “AFK dog!”

Coming to his senses, he muttered to himself, “Beauty is but a skeleton, beauty is but a skeleton...” and resumed his game.

Liu Ruoxi was baffled. Was she not pretty enough, or were there girls in the game?

She leapt onto the bed, extended her long, fair leg toward Qin Xuan, nudging him. When he didn’t react, she just laid her foot on his lap.

“What are you doing? Don’t mess around, I’m gaming!” Qin Xuan, flustered by her antics, grabbed her ankle and tossed her foot onto the bed.

Liu Ruoxi: ?

“So, the game’s more fun than me?” Liu Ruoxi leaned against his back. Qin Xuan felt something indescribable pressing against him; his gaming skills faltered instantly. In that moment, he understood the consequences of spending the night with a girlfriend before a match—no wonder you lose!

“Stop it, stop it, I’m almost done.” Qin Xuan typed to his team: “Almost there, just being distracted by a little minx!”

Three minutes later, Qin Xuan led his team to victory.

He turned to find Liu Ruoxi eyeing him playfully.

“Liu Ruoxi!” Qin Xuan shoved her to the other side of the bed. “From now on, you’re not allowed in my room!”

Though he said so, he figured it was fine to occasionally forget to lock the door.

“Looks like I’ll have to tell your mom I can’t be her daughter-in-law after all!” Liu Ruoxi pulled the covers over herself. “After all, her son doesn’t like me one bit and even hits me!”

“Hey, hey, don’t say that,” Qin Xuan protested.

“What, the first part or the second?” Liu Ruoxi asked, though she knew exactly what she was doing.

“All of it!”

Liu Ruoxi’s eyes lit up. “Oh, so you do like me after all?”

“Well...” Qin Xuan was at a loss for words.

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes!” Liu Ruoxi scooted over, took his hand. “Alright, time for bed!”

She didn’t wait for him to reply, simply pulled him down, turned off the light, draped his arm over her neck, closed her eyes, and basked in his warmth.

Qin Xuan was dumbfounded. What’s going on? What are you doing? But the hand that instinctively slipped around Liu Ruoxi’s waist betrayed his true feelings.