Chapter Twenty: The Lovers' Challenge

Qin Xuan and his two companions continued to wander, trailed by a sulking Qin Lin’er, whose foul mood seemed as if it might persist the entire day…

Just as boredom began to set in, they stumbled upon a contest ahead called the “Couple’s Challenge,” and with it came a wave of awkwardness. Qin Xuan had only intended to watch—his inherently lazy nature left him uninterested in participating. However, when he caught sight of the expectant looks in both Liu Ruoxi and Qin Lin’er’s eyes, he had no choice but to sign them up. The prize for first place was a giant Pikachu plush!

This time, Liu Ruoxi graciously yielded the opportunity to Qin Lin’er—mainly because she had no love for Pikachu. In her eyes, only someone as childish as Qin Lin’er would fancy such toys; a mature girl ought to prefer Transformers!

Out of over ten couples, perhaps only Qin Xuan and Qin Lin’er were faking it, though Qin Lin’er’s anticipation was genuine.

The rules were simple: five questions, the couple with the most correct answers would win. In the event of a tie, the questions would continue.

The host, resplendent in red on stage, drew the gaze of many men in the audience, but Qin Xuan kept his eyes forward—after all, Qin Lin’er’s hand was already resting at his waist.

“Couples, please prepare for the first question,” the host announced.

“What is your partner’s favorite fruit? And your own? Write your answers on the whiteboard in front of you.”

Qin Xuan and Qin Lin’er exchanged a glance—was that all?

Without hesitation, they wrote their answers.

“Please display your answers!”

As expected, most couples answered correctly; only two got it wrong, and one pair even broke into a heated argument as a result.

Qin Xuan’s answer: mango and orange, matching Qin Lin’er’s: orange and mango.

For those who had lived together for over a decade, this was a basic question.

“Second question: Where did you first hold hands?”

For couples, this shouldn’t have been difficult, yet surprisingly, half answered differently. The strangest was someone who wrote “hotel,” as if revealing something scandalous.

Qin Xuan and Qin Lin’er both wrote “at home,” which was true—the first time had been one winter when Qin Xuan was still in kindergarten, and Qin Lin’er, complaining of cold hands, reached for his.

Liu Ruoxi quietly wondered: What else have they been hiding from me?

Now only eight couples remained—eliminating so many after just two questions was truly absurd.

“Third question: How many ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends does your partner have?”

The crowd could sense the host’s mischief. When the answers were revealed, two more couples were eliminated, and one pair began arguing heatedly.

“You told me you only had one ex-girlfriend! How dare you lie to me!”

“Yes, I only had one ex-girlfriend,” the man, handsome and delicate-featured, hastily explained as his girlfriend grew angry, “but I also had one ex-boyfriend!”

With his girlfriend stunned, he led her offstage, leaving the audience in an uproar.

Qin Xuan and Qin Lin’er both wrote “0.” No surprises there.

With only six couples left, the host decided to raise the stakes.

“Next question: What is your partner’s favorite sleeping position?”

Qin Xuan knew this one. Qin Lin’er preferred sleeping on her side so she could hold a plush toy, while he slept on his back—a fact she should know, considering how often she had to wake him up.

They wrote their answers confidently, but the other couples were visibly uncomfortable; most were students, and few lived together. Another half were eliminated. Only three couples remained, and Qin Xuan found the whole thing rather easy—these games were simple for siblings masquerading as a couple.

“The final question! This will decide who wins Pikachu.”

“How many moles does your partner have on their body?”

Caught off guard, both Qin Xuan and Qin Lin’er were at a loss, exchanging uncertain glances.

The other two couples were equally bewildered—who would ever count their partner’s moles?

Pen in hand, Qin Xuan hesitated. He knew Qin Lin’er had at least one, but wasn’t sure if that was all. And even if he wrote it down, would he survive the aftermath?

Qin Lin’er, for her part, actually knew the answer, but worried about the consequences—would Liu Ruoxi spank her again when they got home? She still hadn’t recovered from the last time!

Liu Ruoxi’s eyes widened: What a spicy question!

Liu Qin covered her mouth, laughing. In her view, the organizers simply didn’t want to give away the Pikachu.

After much deliberation, Qin Xuan and Qin Lin’er decided to take their chances.

With a flourish, they scribbled their answers on the whiteboard.

When the results were revealed, the other two couples had guessed and both were wrong.

Only Qin Xuan and Qin Lin’er matched. Qin Xuan: partner 1, self 3; Qin Lin’er: partner 3, self 1.

Qin Xuan knew the answer because one time, when Qin Lin’er fell asleep in the bath, he had to carry her back to her room and accidentally glimpsed her backside—entirely by accident.

As for Qin Lin’er… well, that was a longer story. Suffice it to say, she’d done her research.

And so, amid the host’s reluctant farewell, Qin Lin’er carried off the Pikachu.

But as she descended from the stage, she met Liu Ruoxi’s murderous glare. Guilty, she wondered how her brother had known about her mole.

Qin Xuan was thinking the same thing. Clearly, a storm awaited them at home, but for now, everyone maintained their composure.

After growing tired from walking, Qin Xuan fetched a few bottles of water. He couldn’t help but complain to himself about the amusement park’s prices—a drink that cost three yuan outside was five yuan here.

Along the way, Qin Xuan noticed Liu Ruoxi casting the occasional thoughtful glance at the Pikachu in Qin Lin’er’s arms.

Passing a balloon-popping booth, luck was on his side and he won a Stitch plush, which he gave to Liu Ruoxi.

Her foul mood vanished instantly. Though she didn’t care much for plush toys, since Qin Xuan had given it to her, she accepted begrudgingly for his sake.

Liu Ruoxi, now in high spirits, wanted to win another prize but only managed a keychain. Qin Xuan stepped in again and won a panda plush for Liu Qin, who was overjoyed—pandas were her favorite.

The four played until midday, after which Qin Xuan and his two companions bid farewell to Liu Qin.

The three then stopped by the market to buy a fish at Liu Ruoxi’s insistence—she was craving it.

Sure enough, as soon as they got home and Qin Xuan’s hands were still full, Liu Ruoxi dragged him to the sofa and made him lie down. Qin Lin’er, still annoyed about being spanked that morning, ignored them and slipped off to her room with her Pikachu.

“Did you have fun pretending to be a couple with your sister?” Liu Ruoxi asked, smiling sweetly.

“Not at all…” Qin Xuan, seeing Qin Lin’er had left, lied blatantly.

“Hmph!” Liu Ruoxi’s expression darkened as she grabbed his waist. “Tell me! How do you know she has a mole?”

Qin Xuan’s mind raced through a hundred excuses: “I saw it when I spanked her this morning!”

“Really?” Liu Ruoxi sounded dubious, sensing something was off.

“I’ll let it go this time. Go make the fish, I’m hungry,” she ordered, releasing him.

“All right!”

But then Liu Ruoxi realized a detail: how did Lin’er know how many moles Qin Xuan has?

“Qin Lin’er! Get over here and prepare to meet your doom!”