Chapter 40: Humph, I’ll eat you!

Su Yao’s forehead broke out in sweat.

She swallowed a mouthful of saliva to moisten her slightly dry throat, took a deep breath, and asked Mu Nanqiu.

“Senior, could you say that again?”

“Be my girlfriend. I like you.”

Mu Nanqiu smiled without changing her expression as she said this.

Those few words felt like an invisible hand pushing Su Yao back against the chair.

It took her three full breaths to regain her composure.

At first, she thought she must have misheard, so she asked again.

But the answer still seemed the same…

Looking at Mu Nanqiu, who was casually playing with her hair, Su Yao still found it hard to believe.

She likes me?

Hah, she actually likes me?

That can’t be… What does she like about me?

Su Yao searched herself but couldn’t find any shining points.

If it was just because they had played games together online for two years, liking me would be too strange, wouldn’t it?

Seeing the doubt and inner drama in Su Yao’s eyes, Mu Nanqiu’s smile deepened.

She stood up and walked over to Su Yao’s side.

The sudden movement startled Su Yao. Facing Mu Nanqiu sitting down beside her, she felt quite pressured.

Mu Nanqiu lifted a strand of Su Yao’s hair with one hand and bent down teasingly.

“I like you. If you didn’t hear me, I’ll keep saying it until you do.”

“I heard!”

Startled, Su Yao blurted out. Before she could finish speaking, Mu Nanqiu suddenly raised her voice and said,

“What did I say?”

“You said you like me!”

Su Yao answered almost instinctively, not yet realizing what she had just said.

Mu Nanqiu let out a girlish laugh, then reached out to pinch Su Yao’s already flushed cheek.

The soft, tender skin felt wonderful, prompting Mu Nanqiu to sigh quietly.

“Good answer.”

“Huh?”

The sudden pinch made Su Yao realize something was wrong, and she immediately thought of the words she had just said without thinking.

At that moment, the private room door opened.

The Waitress looked at them with a perfectly normal gaze, but Su Yao couldn’t help but overthink.

Now she only hoped the Waitress hadn’t heard what she just said.

The Waitress brought several small dishes and drinks over first, setting out two sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Before leaving, she smiled and nodded at Su Yao, and that small gesture was like a fatal blow!

She heard it.

She definitely heard it ahhhhh!!!

Su Yao immediately covered her face with her hands in shame.

She felt like she needed to live on another planet.

How about Mars?

Jovian Moon might work too, or better yet… choose a planet hundreds of light-years away?

Before Su Yao’s brain could fry, Mu Nanqiu opened a glass bottle of Happy Water, inserted a straw, and placed it in front of Su Yao, offering a few comforting words.

“It’s okay if she heard it.

We don’t know her anyway.

Worst case, we just don’t come to this place again.”

“Mm…”

Senior, you’re so carefree.

Su Yao lowered her hands after seeing the Happy Water through her fingers.

She held the cool glass bottle closer but didn’t pick it up; instead, she bent down and took a hard sip through the transparent straw.

The cold, stimulating Happy Water slid down her throat, gradually easing the heat in her body.

After the sugar was absorbed, it all went into rebuilding her thoughts.

After a while, her mind finally felt less chaotic.

Su Yao looked up at Mu Nanqiu.

The weather wasn’t quite cold enough for down jackets yet, and girls who cared about their looks didn’t want to wear bulky clothes—unless it was really cold.

Mu Nanqiu still wore a windbreaker thick enough to resist the early winter chill, not too heavy.

Compared to a few days ago, she now had a red-and-white scarf wrapped around her neck, patterned with cute little white stars on a red background—somewhat contrasting with Mu Nanqiu’s usual temperament.

Senior likes me…

Those five words had already settled deep in Su Yao’s heart.

But if she accepted them just like that, she felt it was too fast.

“Um… Senior, I…”

“No need to rush.”

Mu Nanqiu stopped Su Yao from speaking.

She looked at the bottle of Happy Water, now a third empty, and said,

“Xiaopengyou Yao Yao, we still have to eat later. Don’t keep drinking only drinks.”

“Ah, okay.”

Su Yao pushed the Happy Water aside but kept staring at it.

It was clear how much she cared about it.

Having lost the option to sip from the straw, Su Yao could only play with her fingers.

After waiting a moment, Mu Nanqiu spoke again.

“You might find it strange why I like you. It’s simple: because I think Yao Yao is interesting.”

Su Yao could barely accept this answer.

There’s an old saying: the best things are free.

If Mu Nanqiu had been faking it, Su Yao absolutely wouldn’t accept this kind of love.

The word “interesting” was well-chosen. Su Yao liked it—she thought she was a very interesting person!

“Of course, mainly because Yao Yao is soft, sweet, and cute. I really like it.”

“Ahem, ahem, ahem…”

Su Yao was inhaling when Mu Nanqiu’s words made her choke and almost gasp for air.

Embarrassed by her loss of composure, she looked up at Mu Nanqiu and saw her senior was dead serious saying such things.

I must have misheard, right?

I definitely misheard!

“Senior, you…”

“Let’s do this!” Before Su Yao could finish, Mu Nanqiu interrupted her.

She slapped the table with a “pop,” stood up, straightened her expression, and said, “We can have an Internship Period.

After the Internship Period, we’ll decide whether to go official or not.

You don’t have to decide right now.

How about that?”

Su Yao thought it over and finally nodded.

Seeing Su Yao agree, Mu Nanqiu’s lips curled up, and her voice softened.

“One week?”

“A bit… short?”

Su Yao lowered her head a little, softly mumbling.

“Then one month.”

“…Alright.”

Su Yao originally wanted to negotiate a bit more, but thinking that Mu Nanqiu had already made a big concession, she didn’t bring up extending the time and simply agreed to a month.

The proposal of an Internship Period was itself a concession—a stepping stone for Su Yao.

Where she’d step onto that step was up to Mu Nanqiu.

As for the duration, since Mu Nanqiu had already made concessions, it was just a small matter.

So she generously gave a month for the Internship Period.

Besides, Mu Nanqiu had originally wanted to give two months, but since Su Yao agreed so directly, she wouldn’t be polite.

Su Xiaoyao?

Hmph, I’ve got you right where I want you!!