Chapter 111: Rinse Your Mouth!

Once the two had finished bustling about and put on their clothes, Nan Zhiyi hung off Qin Xuan, intending to go take a shower, but as soon as they stepped out, they saw her mother heading upstairs.

"Well, finished already?" Yang Ying, a veteran of such situations, knew exactly what was going on and couldn't help but tease them.

"Mom!" Nan Zhiyi hopped off Qin Xuan, feeling a bit indignant. Is this any way for a mother to act?

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Take this," Yang Ying said, handing a black bag to Qin Xuan. "You two are still students, so do be careful."

Qin Xuan and Nan Zhiyi were left speechless.

Nan Zhiyi snatched the bag away and pushed Qin Xuan back into the room.

Qin Xuan looked awkwardly at the pile of boxes in the bag. This... even a bull couldn't use all of these...

After a while, Nan Zhiyi carefully opened the door, and finding her mother gone, she dragged Qin Xuan off to the bathroom.

...

The next morning, Qin Xuan watched Nan Zhiyi sleeping soundly in his arms and gently got up to prepare breakfast.

He hadn't even finished cooking the noodles when he saw Auntie Yang coming downstairs.

"Qin Xuan? Up so early? Why not sleep in a bit longer?" Yang Ying asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"It's fine, I'm used to waking up early," he replied. Just kidding—after having his way with her daughter last night, how could he dare to sleep in?

Yang Ying hadn't slept much at all the night before. Although she quite liked Qin Xuan, the thought of Zhiyi... still felt a bit awkward, though she didn't show it as directly as Nan Zhengyi might have.

"Zhiyi is a stubborn girl. Qin Xuan, you... I really don't want to see her come running back home crying one day!"

Qin Xuan was stunned. Why hadn't he noticed that Zhiyi was stubborn?

"Don't worry, Auntie Yang, that day will never come," Qin Xuan said with conviction, stirring the pot.

"Hmph, why isn't that girl up yet? I'm going to wake her," Yang Ying said before turning to head upstairs, leaving Qin Xuan alone to his thoughts.

Once upstairs, Yang Ying pushed open Nan Zhiyi's door and habitually opened the cabinet. Though she had been in here many times, the sight of the photos covering the walls still moved her. Most of the photos on the wall used to be of Zhiyi herself, but at some point, photos of Qin Xuan had begun to occupy more and more of the space.

Seeing Zhiyi still fast asleep, Yang Ying didn't know what to say. She had no idea how late they had stayed up!

After a moment of thought, she decided not to wake her. She might as well let her sleep a bit longer, after all...

It wasn't until past ten o'clock that Nan Zhiyi rubbed her tired, dry eyes and came downstairs.

"Qin Xuan~" The first thing she saw when she came down was Qin Xuan sitting on the sofa. "Where's my mom?"

Hearing her voice, Qin Xuan hurried to the stairs to carry her down. "Auntie Yang said she had something to take care of at the office."

Being carried to the sofa by Qin Xuan, Nan Zhiyi felt a slight sense of discomfort.

"Alright, alright, it's not like I can't walk..." Nan Zhiyi said, helplessly collapsing onto Qin Xuan's lap.

"Still hurting?" Qin Xuan asked, stroking her hair.

"A little, but it's not a big deal." After checking her body, she gave Qin Xuan a faint smile.

Thinking back to last night, she reached out and punched him in the arm. "It's all your fault!"

The little fist didn't hurt at all; in fact, Qin Xuan now thought she looked rather cute.

"I don't know who it was that couldn't keep still in the shower..."

Hearing his words, Nan Zhiyi's face flushed red. She just hadn't been able to suppress her curiosity!

"Keep talking!" she threatened, placing her hand on his waist.

"Alright, I'll stop," Qin Xuan said, flinching. When she pulled her hand away, he muttered under his breath, "Can't even admit to what you did yourself."

Just as she had decided to let him off the hook, she heard him—if she hadn't had sharp ears, she would have missed it. She raised her hand and gave his waist a sharp pinch.

Seeing his expression change, she finally let go. Serves him right!

After they playfully bickered for a while, Qin Xuan grabbed her hands and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" Her stomach had been growling before she even came downstairs. With all the physical activity from last night and no breakfast, she was starving!

"Then I'll go make some food," Qin Xuan said, starting to get up.

"Eh, forget it, let's just eat when we get back." Nan Zhiyi thought of the other two girls at home and feared they might tear the house apart if they didn't return soon.

Qin Xuan considered this. "That works. Have a little snack to tide you over, and I'll make you something delicious when we get back."

"Okay!" Nan Zhiyi nodded, holding his hand.

On the other side, Qin Lin'er and Liu Ruoxi were lounging on the sofa, playing on their phones with no regard for their image.

"Sister Xi~ Why isn't brother back yet? Takeout is not good at all!" Qin Lin'er nudged Liu Ruoxi's shoulder, depressed.

"He should be back soon. If he doesn't come back, we'll go find them!" Liu Ruoxi gripped her phone tightly. Sleeping without Qin Xuan to hold her was miserable! It was cold and boring!

"Hmph! When he gets back, I'm definitely going to beat him up!" Qin Lin'er waved her fist in frustration.

Near noon, Qin Xuan and Nan Zhiyi returned home, strolling along with groceries from the market.

Nan Zhiyi pushed the door open first, wanting to pounce on the two on the sofa. "Ha! We're back~"

Of course, she pounced on empty air, tumbling onto the sofa in a daze, which made her injury ache.

"So you finally remember to come back?" Liu Ruoxi looked at Qin Xuan with a hint of resentment.

Qin Lin'er had already run over to help Qin Xuan carry the bags. What happened to beating him up? All talk and no action!

"Are you hungry? I'll go cook," Qin Xuan said, ignoring Liu Ruoxi's remark—better to just be a obedient feeding machine.

Seeing Qin Xuan escape, Liu Ruoxi and Qin Lin'er turned their gazes to Nan Zhiyi. Nan Zhiyi pulled her collar up in fear.

"What... what do you want!"

"Heh, what do you think?" Qin Lin'er was still angry that her brother had been snatched away, and she rolled up her sleeves, preparing to give Zhiyi a piece of her mind.

"I... I'm still sore, can we do this next time?" Nan Zhiyi ventured.

Qin Lin'er's movements faltered. Forget it, she'd spare her this once.

Qin Xuan laid out a table full of dishes, but Qin Lin'er had no appetite. The thought of her brother and Zhiyi... left her feeling inexplicably lost. What about me?

The simple meal left a bitter, sour taste in Qin Lin'er's mouth.

Nan Zhiyi, on the other hand, happily ate the food Qin Xuan placed in her bowl, thinking that she would finally be able to eat like this for the rest of her life.

After the meal, Nan Zhiyi went back to her room to sleep some more, feeling quite exhausted. Liu Ruoxi cast a disdainful look at the frail-looking Nan Zhiyi. Is that it? That's all she's got? Then Qin Xuan wouldn't be escaping her grasp anytime soon!

Liu Ruoxi dragged Qin Xuan, who had just finished doing the dishes, into the room and pressed him into a chair.

"Well? Are you happy?" Liu Ruoxi knew exactly what was on Qin Xuan's mind. She sat astride his lap and stared at him fiercely.

"..." Qin Xuan scratched his head helplessly. How was he supposed to answer that?

Seeing he wouldn't speak, Liu Ruoxi changed her question: "Where are you sleeping from now on?"

"Here, I suppose..." Qin Xuan paused, realizing what she meant.

"That's more like it!" Liu Ruoxi leaned in and kissed him on the face, then immediately grabbed a tissue to wipe her own cheek.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! It must be covered in Nan Zhiyi's kisses!" The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt, and she stood up, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Qin Xuan asked, puzzled by her retreating back.

"To rinse my mouth!"