In front of the bathroom sink, Xia Mengxi frantically splashed cold water on her burning cheeks, trying to cool herself down.
After several attempts, she finally managed to lower her temperature.
Lin Xue’er, who had also finished her business, couldn’t suppress her curiosity after washing her hands and asked Xia Mengxi about her earlier behavior.
“Xiao Xi… what was wrong with you just now? You were so different from your usual self…”
“Ah…”
Xia Mengxi had already prepared an excuse while she was in the bathroom.
When Lin Xue’er asked, she slowly recounted the story she had concocted in her mind.
“Actually, I was just thinking about the novel I read last night. I got so lost in thought that when I accidentally bumped into that girl, I ended up blurting out those lines without thinking…”
To make her act more convincing, Xia Mengxi had to recall the embarrassing scene from earlier, causing her cheeks, which had just cooled down, to heat up again.
Seeing this, Lin Xue’er looked relieved and took out a handkerchief from her pocket, gently wiping Xia Mengxi’s damp hair near her temples.
“I never thought Xiao Xi could be so absent-minded sometimes, hehe.”
“Hey! It’s not like I meant to! Xue’er, you’re so mean! You’re laughing at me just like everyone else!”
Pouting, Xia Mengxi shook her head to free herself from Lin Xue’er’s hand.
Lin Xue’er immediately moved closer with an apologetic expression.
“Xiao Xi… I wasn’t laughing at you. I smiled because I got to see another side of you-one that’s innocent and adorable. If I were a boy, I’d definitely fall for you.”
“……”
Oh my god…!
Is this how smooth Lin Xue’er normally is?
Even Xia Mengxi found herself swayed by her words.
Just as Xia Mengxi was marveling at Lin Xue’er’s remark, the text from the God, who had disappeared not long ago, suddenly reappeared before her eyes.
[Ding ding! Xia Mengxi’s affection +10… Huh? What? The pursuer is the one gaining affection? That won’t do! Young maiden, you must rise to the occasion! Thus, the great God shall lend you a helping hand!]
[Option A: Pull Lin Xue’er aside and press your hand against the wall next to her face, performing a kabedon.]
Choosing this option increases Lin Xue’er’s pursuit progress by +1.
[Option B: Throw yourself into Lin Xue’er’s arms, looking up at her with pitiful eyes, and say, “Hey… Xue’er, do you have to be a boy to like me? Can’t a girl do it too?”]
Choosing this option increases Lin Xue’er’s pursuit progress by +1.
Huh?
For the first time, both options have the same effect!
Could it be… that the God is actually being nice this time?
No, no! It can’t be that simple.
Xia Mengxi froze for a moment, then quickly analyzed the potential consequences of each option while time was paused.
The most obvious difference was the dynamic-Option A would make her the dominant one, while Option B would make her the submissive.
If she were choosing based on personal preference, she’d definitely go with Option A.
But considering all factors and what she knew about Lin Xue’er, Option B was the optimal choice this time.
Darn it, the God is still up to no good, but this time she had to be grateful because it meant she could advance her pursuit of Lin Xue’er by another step.
Alright, being the bottom is fine.
Being the bottom temporarily doesn’t mean being the bottom forever.
After all, she still needed to balance Lin Xue’er’s possessiveness, so she wouldn’t let herself remain passive when facing Lin Xue’er.
“Xiao Xi?”
A delicate figure suddenly burrowed into her arms, leaving Lin Xue’er momentarily stunned.
But what really made Lin Xue’er lose control was the pitiful face in her embrace and the words that followed.
“Hey… Xue’er, do you have to be a boy to like me? Can’t it be a girl?”
Faced with Xia Mengxi like this, Lin Xue’er didn’t show surprise. Instead, she looked… pleased?
Huh? What’s going on?
“Of course it can, Xiao Xi. After all… I’ve been waiting for you, waiting for you to remember the promise you made when we were kids.”
“???”
What the hell?! What’s happening?!
Xia Mengxi froze. Lin Xue’er’s words were absolutely explosive in terms of information.
Aside from a promise she had no recollection of, the implication of Lin Xue’er’s words was undeniably saying that the other had been into girls all along.
It was just that Xia Mengxi had always treated her as a childhood friend and never made any moves beyond friendship, so she assumed Lin Xue’er had turned straight.
Helpless, she could only bury these feelings deep in her heart.
Damn! No wonder the progress bar had advanced twice in just half a day—Lin Xue’er had been scheming against her all along!
Yikes… So that meant her first target was about to be successfully conquered?
Woo-hoo! Let’s… uh, calm down, calm down!
Even though Lin Xue’er was into girls and had feelings for her beyond friendship, a new problem had emerged: what exactly was this “promise” she mentioned?
Her intuition told her that if she said she forgot or got it wrong, Lin Xue’er’s yandere meter would shoot straight up like a rocket.
So she had to respond to Lin Xue’er with extreme caution.
Wait! What if she used vague, meaningless talk to deflect?
Say something without actually saying anything.
That should work!
That way, she wouldn’t expose herself and might even fish out some key information from Lin Xue’er’s words.
“Xue’er, so you still remember too?! I… I thought you’d forgotten…”
In response to Lin Xue’er’s earlier words, Xia Mengxi first looked pleasantly surprised, then hesitated as if to say she hadn’t brought it up because she assumed the other had forgotten.
Lin Xue’er, standing before her, said, “I never forgot. It’s just…”
Just what?
Seeing the sorrowful expression on Lin Xue’er’s face, Xia Mengxi was certain there was a story here.
Unfortunately, Lin Xue’er didn’t seem to want to talk about it, trailing off mid-sentence.
“Since neither of us has forgotten, Xiao Xi, you’ll keep your promise, right?”
Lin Xue’er’s tone carried a hint of unease, mixed with a touch of insistence.
In response, Xia Mengxi smiled at her and said, “Mhm! Of course!”
However, before Lin Xue’er’s smile could fully bloom, Xia Mengxi added, “But not now. Now isn’t the right time.”
“……”
Xia Mengxi hadn’t forgotten that she needed to condition Lin Xue’er’s personality.
So after agreeing to this so-called promise, she played the long game, dangling the carrot to keep Lin Xue’er hooked.
After all, judging by reverse reasoning, their so-called childhood promise was undoubtedly of the romantic variety-something like “Let’s be together when we grow up” or “I’ll be your bride when we’re older.”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to give Lin Xue’er such a dramatic twist at this moment.
And Lin Xue’er’s reaction after a brief pause only confirmed her speculation.
“Alright, I understand… I’ve waited this long, so what’s a little more waiting?”