Chapter 123: Proclaiming Their Relationship to the City

It was just past 6:00 PM when they left the cinema. Lin'er’s eyes were still red, and she wouldn't let go of Qin Xuan's hand.

"Let's go get something to eat."

Qin Xuan thought about it; they had only finished lunch a little while ago and neither was particularly hungry, so a bit of wandering around would be enough before heading back. By the time they were done strolling and ready to return, Qin Xuan’s hands were full of snacks, and he would feed Lin'er every now and then. Watching her little mouth stuffed with food, Qin Xuan couldn't hide his pleasure in playing the provider, smiling as he wiped a smudge of grease from the corner of her mouth.

"Hehe!" Lin'er looked up and blinked at him happily.

Back at the hotel, there was still a pile of the things Lin'er had bought left uneaten. Almost by instinct, she looked at Qin Xuan. "Qin Xuan, I can't eat any more!"

Helplessly, Qin Xuan took the half-finished bag of fried chicken tenders from her. "There wouldn't be so much left if you hadn't bought it all," he muttered, though he had to admit, what Lin'er picked out actually tasted quite good.

"Why would I worry when I have you?" Lin'er said as if it were only natural.

"Fine, fine. Go take a shower," Qin Xuan said, expressionless as he finished the leftover snacks, waving her away.

Lin'er had originally wanted to tease him a bit more, but seeing his reaction, she shrugged helplessly and slipped into the bathroom with her pajamas. When she came out, she found Qin Xuan lying on the bed drinking the milk tea—which, of course, was also her leftover.

Lin'er smiled slyly and pounced onto the bed, nestling up next to him. "It's your turn to shower!"

Qin Xuan looked at her, her legs still dangling and swaying on the bed, and felt his heart skip a beat. He nodded.

A short while later, when Qin Xuan emerged in his pajamas, Lin'er was still sitting against the pillows, playing with her phone. Noticing Qin Xuan sitting on the edge of the bed with a smile on his face, she couldn't help but pull the quilt up to cover herself, saying vigilantly, "No way!"

"What are you thinking!" Qin Xuan retorted, gently tapping her on the head. "We can try it a different way!"

After Qin Xuan whispered a few words in her ear, Lin'er backed away slightly, looking at him with an awkward expression. "Do you and Sister Xi do this often?!"

"I suppose so," Qin Xuan nodded, looking at her with anticipation.

"Hmph! Anything Sister Xi can do, I can do too!" With that, she gave herself a little pep talk.

Half an hour later, Lin'er lay sprawled on the bed, looking rather dazed.

"So annoying, now I have to take another shower."

"No need, just rinsing your mouth is fine," Qin Xuan said, reaching out to pull her into his arms.

"Get lost, get lost! Can we just sleep now?" Lin'er shook her shoulders, trying to shrug off his arm.

Qin Xuan found her reaction amusing. "Sleep, sleep." He reached out and turned off the light, but both of them lay in the darkness with their eyes wide open, completely sleepless.

After a long while, Lin'er poked Qin Xuan’s arm. "Qin Xuan? Big brother? Are you asleep?"

"Ahem! Don't call me 'big brother' anymore!" Qin Xuan had just been resting with his eyes closed, but hearing her call him that made him feel increasingly uncomfortable.

"Big brother, big brother!" Hearing him say that, Lin'er deliberately called out a few more times.

Qin Xuan opened his eyes and playfully gave her a couple of light taps. Lin'er immediately covered her bottom and buried herself in his chest, not daring to speak again. This feeling was so strange! Why hadn't it felt like this when Sister Xi did it?

Seeing her go quiet, Qin Xuan thought he might have hurt her. He awkwardly stroked her hair and lifted her chin to look at her face. "Why are you so red?" He looked at her eyes, which were glistening, and saw her biting her lip, not daring to meet his gaze.

*Huh?!* Qin Xuan suddenly realized he might have unlocked something extraordinary. "You are being so strange!"

Qin Xuan didn't dare push it further, merely pulling her shoulder closer. Lin'er, lost in her own thoughts, couldn't believe that something she had only read about in novels was happening to her! This...

For a moment, they both stayed silent by mutual consent. Lin'er reached back, wrapped her arms around Qin Xuan’s back, and silently closed her eyes.

The next morning, when they woke up, Qin Xuan held Lin'er tightly. Drowsily, she was woken by his movement. Seeing the daylight outside, she knew it was morning.

"Let's get up, time to get ready to head back," Qin Xuan said, kissing her forehead.

Lin'er thought for a moment, then tugged at his hand reluctantly. "Can we go back in the afternoon instead?"

"Hm?" Qin Xuan paused, then understood what she meant. "Alright then, we can spend half a final day out."

While Lin'er went to freshen up, Qin Xuan messaged Ruoxi. "We're heading back this afternoon. I'm bringing you roast duck!" He knew the roast duck here was famous, though they hadn't gotten around to eating any yet.

Less than half a minute after the message was sent, Liu Ruoxi replied: "I thought you and your little girlfriend weren't coming back at all!"

Well, he could smell the jealousy from here, even this early in the morning.

"How could that be? You're still at home, aren't you?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, hurry back! I'm starting to miss your cooking."

Looking at the message, Qin Xuan couldn't help but smile. It seemed he was destined to be the provider for the rest of his life.

After they both finished getting ready, Lin'er changed into a T-shirt and put on a white cap with "girlfriend" printed on it. Even Qin Xuan couldn't escape—he was wearing the matching cap, only his said "boyfriend."

Qin Xuan felt a bit embarrassed by the cheesy couple hats, but he couldn't win against Lin'er's stubbornness. Once they stepped out, he clearly felt the strange looks from passersby, but Lin'er was full of excitement, as if she were declaring their relationship to the entire city.

They ate two bowls of rice noodles outside—or, more accurately, Qin Xuan ate one and a half.

After the meal, they strolled along the river, buying things as they went. Lin'er wanted to bring gifts back for Sister Xi and Sister Zhiyi. Seeing how enthusiastic she was, Qin Xuan just bought a roast duck; the aroma could be smelled from quite a distance.

They didn't know how far they had walked, but it looked like they had left the city. Because it was a small town, the sidewalk had turned into a dirt path. Unlike the noise of the city, they could actually see birds perched on fallen trees, preening their feathers. Qin Xuan didn't know their names, but he raised his phone to take a picture, including Lin'er in the frame.

After resting for a while, Lin'er said to him, "Qin Xuan, let's head back."

"Okay." But when Qin Xuan took her hand and turned to leave, he noticed she didn't move, instead looking down and rubbing her legs. He understood immediately.

He crouched down in front of her. "Hop on, girlfriend!"

Seeing how considerate he was, Lin'er patted his head in satisfaction before climbing onto his back.

*Girlfriend*, he thought. *Have I finally earned that title?*

It was past noon when they returned to the hotel. After a brief discussion, they checked out and headed straight for the station with their bags. They had arrived with only one bag, but were heading back with a whole pile of things. Qin Xuan couldn't help but wonder if he had come here to restock a store.