Chapter 23: The drug is still the fastest

After finishing their meal, anyone with a bit of sense would know not to disturb a pair of lovebirds any longer.

But Xia Rui was different.

The moment she thought about her beloved Senior strolling hand in hand with her girlfriend, flirting and teasing each other, Xia Rui felt unbearably miserable.

Even though she had already planned out her next steps, she still decided she had to interrupt this couple’s date.

So, Xia Rui followed behind the two of them as they went shopping.

Of course, this was just her way of making herself suffer.

Liang Rou and An Luxi walked hand in hand, looking perfectly matched.

As an “Orange Outsider,” Xia Rui could only watch them longingly from the side, silently walking on Liang Rou’s other side, yet unable to hold Liang Rou’s hand.

How awkward.

In reality, neither Liang Rou nor An Luxi intended to leave Xia Rui out. In fact, they had already planned their itinerary: first, a stroll to digest their food, then a trip to the Arcade.

All along the way, Xia Rui kept chattering nonstop, her sole aim being to prevent Liang Rou and An Luxi from having any chance to flirt.

Neither Liang Rou nor An Luxi noticed anything strange about Xia Rui—they just thought she was a chatterbox.

And An Luxi even naively thought that Liang Rou’s Colleague was truly a good person, actually trying to ease the awkwardness by babbling on and on.

She didn’t understand a word Xia Rui said, but just kept smiling and nodding.

Out of the three, two listened while one talked, wandering aimlessly until they finally arrived in front of the Arcade.

“Let’s go, Rou Rou, Xia Rui, let’s try the Claw Machine~”

But in truth, both Liang Rou and An Luxi were hopeless when it came to Claw Machines.

Liang Rou had already accepted the fact that she was terrible at them, but An Luxi hadn’t realized it yet—she was the type who was bad at it but still loved to play.

As for Xia Rui, she hadn’t played the Claw Machine more than a couple of times; when she went out before, she’d just watched her friends play.

“Sigh, I’ve never managed to catch a plush before,” Liang Rou complained.

Xia Rui, who had been a little disinterested, immediately perked up.

Just as she was about to step forward and try her luck, she saw An Luxi already standing at a Claw Machine, enthusiastically starting to play.

Huh?

Could this girl actually be a Claw Machine Master?

Xia Rui decided to watch and see—if An Luxi really was a Claw Machine Master, she wouldn’t embarrass herself by trying.

After all, she wasn’t sure if she was any good at it herself.

However, when she saw An Luxi spend sixty Coins to win just one plush, Xia Rui breathed a sigh of relief.

Well then, she just triggered the guaranteed win mechanism.

An Luxi excitedly held up the Hamster Plush in front of Liang Rou, looking up at her with big, sparkling eyes like a kitten seeking praise from its owner.

Liang Rou smiled and gently ruffled her girlfriend’s hair.

“Xiao Lu, you’re really amazing! You actually caught a plush—I can’t even get one myself…”

There was even a hint of disappointment in her tone.

As soon as Xia Rui heard this, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.

“Let me give it a try.”

She took the box of game Coins from An Luxi’s hands.

Right now, all she could think about was that gentle tone Liang Rou used to praise An Luxi, and the way she patted An Luxi’s head.

In other words, if she managed to catch a plush, would Senior treat her as gently?

Just thinking about it was enough to make her both excited and full of anticipation!

Xia Rui focused all her attention on the Claw Machine in front of her.

She had never watched any Claw Machine videos or tutorials, so she could only go by instinct.

On her first try, she completely missed, which made her glance awkwardly at Liang Rou.

“Oh, missing once isn’t a big deal—I always miss every other try,” Liang Rou quickly said, smoothing things over and comforting Xia Rui.

Xia Rui felt much better.

She thought this meant Liang Rou really cared about how she did. So she concentrated even harder on the Claw Machine, grabbing the joystick and pressing down firmly.

This time, she actually managed to catch one, but the claw seemed to be coated in something slippery, and the plush slid right off.

“Huh—?”

Xia Rui called out in frustration.

“This is such a scam, isn’t it?” she muttered under her breath, but unwilling to give up, she immediately grabbed two more Coins and stuffed them into the Claw Machine.

She just didn’t believe it—there was nothing in this world Xia Rui couldn’t do! Her family was happy, she was beautiful, her grades were always at the top of her class, and after graduation every Company wanted to hire her.

Someday, she’d inherit her parents’ Company—how could she be defeated by a Claw Machine?

With that, Xia Rui grabbed the joystick once more and pressed down hard.

This time, the imagined “slipperiness” didn’t happen—the plush was actually caught and brought up smoothly.

“Ah?!”

Xia Rui was a little stunned. She’d thought she’d have to rely on the guaranteed win, but didn’t expect it to go so smoothly.

Liang Rou and An Luxi were also shocked.

An Luxi immediately crouched down to pick up the plush that had fallen out, looking up at Xia Rui with admiration.

“You’re really good at the Claw Machine!”

Xia Rui’s mind was a bit blank.

“I don’t think so…”

But after saying those words, she changed her tune, “Maybe I am. This is my first time, but something this simple—piece of cake.”

Having bragged, Xia Rui had no choice but to keep playing the Claw Machine.

“Please, please, bless me! I’ve already bragged, if I can’t catch another plush I’ll lose face in front of Senior and my rival!” Xia Rui prayed silently in her heart.

She forced herself to keep going, and, to everyone’s surprise, Xia Rui succeeded on each subsequent attempt—she barely missed or had any “slippery” moments at all.

Not only were Liang Rou and An Luxi amazed, even Xia Rui was shocked.

Could it be she really was a Claw Machine Master?

Xia Rui excitedly hugged all the plushies she’d caught and showed them off to Liang Rou, her smile dazzling and bold as she held the plushies up high.

“Look, Senior, I caught all of these~”

She completely forgot that Senior’s girlfriend was standing right there.

All she wanted now was for Liang Rou to pat her head just like she did for An Luxi.

She even bent down a little, so Liang Rou—who was a head shorter—wouldn’t have to stand on tiptoe.

But Liang Rou didn’t notice the change in Xia Rui’s mood or actions.

She just smiled, showing eight pearly white teeth, and gave her a big thumbs-up.

“Awesome!”

Xia Rui’s smile froze on her face.

Huh—?

It was only then that she realized—sometimes, no matter how strong you are, it won’t make the person you like love you more.

So…

Maybe drugging her really would be faster after all…