Chapter Fifty: Spare Me!

“Sigh, you…” Qin Xuan set down his plate. “I’ll go check on her.”

He walked to Qin Lin’er’s door and knocked. “Lin’er, come out and eat.”

After a moment, her voice drifted out, “You guys eat. I’m not hungry right now.”

“Open the door first,” Qin Xuan twisted the handle, discovering it was locked from inside.

With a sudden pull, Qin Lin’er flung the door open, her eyes red as she looked at Qin Xuan.

He sighed, walked in, sat on the bed, and pulled her to sit before him.

“There’s nothing to be upset about. Xi-jie was just joking around with you,” Qin Xuan said, holding Lin’er’s hand gently.

Feeling the warmth of his palm, she whispered, “I’m not mad at her, I just…”

Her words faded to nothing, too soft for Qin Xuan to catch. He simply pulled her to sit beside him.

“Shall I apologize on her behalf?” Qin Xuan looked into Lin’er’s eyes as he spoke.

“No need, I told you I’m not angry!” Qin Lin’er shook off his hand, dropping her head in silence.

“Alright then, let’s go eat. The shrimp won’t taste good when it’s cold.”

Just as he was about to turn her little face toward him, Qin Lin’er suddenly leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

Qin Xuan was stunned. Lin’er hurriedly pulled away, cheeks blazing, and dashed out, leaving him shell-shocked.

After a while, Qin Xuan finally processed what had happened. What on earth did Lin’er just do?

He licked his lips, goosebumps rising, and when he stepped out, he saw the two girls already at the table, peeling shrimp and eating with gusto. Taking a deep breath, he decided to temporarily forget what had happened.

“Qin Xuan! This tastes great,” Liu Ruoxi said, her hands slick with oil. Qin Xuan had to wipe her hands from time to time.

“Of course it’s good, I made it,” he replied, tucking in her fallen sleeve as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Qin Lin’er, head bowed, silently ate without daring to look up.

…

With final exams over, winter break began. The three of them planned to wait a few days before heading home.

Several days had passed since Lin’er’s impulsive act. Since her brother didn’t bring it up, she acted as if nothing had happened. That was her decision.

Truthfully, it wasn’t that Qin Xuan didn’t care—he just didn’t know how to bring it up, and the question weighed on him.

Today, Liu Ruoxi said she wanted to visit the bookstore, so Qin Lin’er took Qin Xuan’s arm and walked home with him.

“Lin’er? About that day, why did you…” Qin Xuan finally asked.

“You mean why I kissed you?” Lin’er replied, unfazed. “Can’t I kiss you?”

“We can’t… We shouldn’t,” Qin Xuan stammered after a long silence.

Unexpectedly, Lin’er slid her hand down and intertwined her fingers with his. “We can.”

“Stop it!” Qin Xuan pulled his hand away without hesitation.

Lin’er looked at her now-empty hand and sighed softly.

They walked home in awkward silence, neither knowing how they made it back.

As soon as they were inside, Lin’er locked herself in her room and didn’t come out, not even when Qin Xuan finished cooking.

Liu Ruoxi seemed to have something to do and messaged them to eat without her.

Qin Xuan was about to knock on Lin’er’s door, but remembering the “incident” from before, he hesitated. Just then, the door opened on its own.

Lin’er stared blankly at Qin Xuan standing at the threshold, then suddenly pulled him inside.

Caught off guard, he was pushed onto the bed. Since when was Lin’er this strong?

She promptly straddled his waist, sending a jolt through him… but he quickly flipped her over, tossing her onto the bed instead.

Lin’er was left dazed—wasn’t this the opposite of how it went in the movies?

“What are you trying to do now?” Qin Xuan straightened his pants, not wanting her to notice his embarrassment.

With a wounded look, Lin’er said, “I just wanted to tell you… I like you! Not the way a sister likes a brother!”

Though he’d suspected as much, Qin Xuan hadn’t expected her to confess outright. He reached out and helped her up.

“But I only see you as my sister. Do you understand?”

Lin’er bit her lip so hard her teeth left marks, even drawing blood.

“But…”

“And what about Ruoxi? What would she think?” Qin Xuan cut her off.

Lin’er thought: What do you think she’s doing right now? She’s giving me a chance! But she couldn’t say that—she’d promised Ruoxi.

“That’s enough. Come eat,” Qin Xuan said, turning and leaving without looking back.

Lin’er sat there in a daze, watching his retreating figure and wishing she could give him a good kick.

So infuriating! Now there’d be even less chance once they got home!

She took out her frustration on her poor Pikachu plush, beating it until its head was crooked.

Meanwhile, Liu Ruoxi was enjoying barbecue rice with Nan Zhiyi.

“Zhiyi?”

Nan Zhiyi, absorbed in her phone, looked up in confusion. “What is it?”

“You like Qin Xuan, don’t you?”

Nan Zhiyi almost dropped her spoon. “No, you’re mistaken, I don’t like him…”

“Don’t bother pretending. Qin Xuan already told me,” Ruoxi lied, bluffing her.

Caught off guard, Nan Zhiyi lost her usual composure.

“I’m sorry, I just…”

“It’s alright, I’m not blaming you. I just wanted to confirm,” Ruoxi said, quickly finishing her meal, grabbing her bag, and paying her bill without glancing at the stunned Nan Zhiyi.

Nan Zhiyi sat there, bewildered. So what was that for? A warning? Or was she giving her tacit approval? She realized she was overthinking.

After eating, she prepared to leave, but a server stopped her.

“Excuse me, miss, you haven’t paid yet.”

“Didn’t the girl before me pay for mine?”

“No, she only paid for her own.”

Nan Zhiyi: Seriously, Liu Ruoxi, you did this on purpose?

Now she felt even more embarrassed than when Ruoxi had exposed her feelings—she felt as if the whole restaurant was staring at her.

Ruoxi had rushed off to get home and “deal with” Qin Xuan, and as for not paying for Nan Zhiyi, it was only natural. Why would she pay for someone trying to snatch her boyfriend? A little embarrassment served her right.

She wondered how Lin’er was doing—hopefully not kissing him again! No, today she was in no mood to tolerate it!

Just as Qin Xuan and Lin’er had finished dinner and were doing the dishes, Ruoxi burst in, brandishing a stick and brimming with anger.

“Where’s Lin’er?”

“In… in her room!” Qin Xuan answered, startled by her intensity. He thought she didn’t know.

“You two… didn’t do anything, did you?” Ruoxi eyed him suspiciously.

Qin Xuan tensed. “Nothing happened! Just dinner and dishes.”

Ruoxi thought: Liar! If I didn’t know better, you’d have fooled me!

That night, the bed was especially lively.

Afterwards, Ruoxi lay sprawled across Qin Xuan’s lap, questioning her life choices. Wasn’t she the one who came back to punish him? How did she end up being punished herself?

The heat radiating from her backside left her bewildered.

She’d interrogated Qin Xuan, and when he finally confessed, she’d tried to use the same move Lin’er had, only to find herself pinned and thoroughly bested. The scoundrel didn’t know his own strength—it hurt!

Qin Xuan reclined against the pillow, savoring the feel of his hands, the frustrations of recent days finally released. Glancing at the crestfallen Ruoxi, he couldn’t help but smile.

Ruoxi tensed under his gaze—oh no, spare me!