“Wow, Brother-in-law, you’re amazing! You did so many in one go!”
While the girl was still dazed, Tang Yayun, standing behind her, had already started clapping in admiration, cheering repeatedly. As far as she knew, someone who could do twenty standard pull-ups at once had already surpassed the vast majority of people.
As she spoke, she shot a glance at her own brother, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Big brother~ Do you want to go up and try too? Your little sister has great faith in you; I’m sure you won’t be any worse than Brother-in-law~”
Hearing this, Tang Chengmin felt a cold sweat break out. This girl… she couldn’t win the argument earlier, so she’s taking the first chance she gets to retaliate! He was the type to stay cooped up at home all day. While his physical fitness wasn’t exactly poor, he was only barely passing—he was worlds apart from Qin Nanfeng. Naturally, he wasn’t going to fall for his sister’s provocation.
After a moment’s thought, his expression became solemn. Putting on a fake serious face, he waved his hand. “It is not appropriate. Because of our bickering just now, I am now physically and mentally exhausted. It is not suitable for me to engage in such strenuous exercise!”
“And so?” “Next time for sure, kid!”
The girl curled her lip. “Keep pretending, you stinky scumbag brother…” “Thank you for the compliment, Little Sister-san!”
Tang Yayun rolled her eyes and gave up on arguing with him. Her “strength” was insufficient this time, and she had fallen into a disadvantage. As an excellent youth of the new era, she understood the wisdom of knowing when to retreat; she would settle this debt with double interest next time.
With that thought, Tang Yayun decided to ignore him. Her eyes drifted toward Lin Xinyuan, who was still staring blankly at the young man. Her eyes darted around as a sly smile crept onto her face. She began to shuffle her feet, quietly inching closer to her cousin…
“Sister Xinyuan~”
Lin Xinyuan was still immersed in that crisp, clean scent when the sudden voice by her ear gave her a massive fright.
“Ah! W-What… what is it…?”
She hurriedly looked up, pretending nothing was wrong, but the uncontrollable panic in her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil. Tang Yayun leaned in curiously, glancing at the jacket in the girl’s arms and thinking back to her cousin’s strange behavior just now…
Before long, the corners of the girl’s mouth curled up. Her eyes were filled with shock and excitement. “Sister, you’re way too… mmm-ph!”
Before she could finish, the girl—having finally reacted—reached out and covered her mouth. Lin Xinyuan was in a total panic. She looked back to see Tang Chengmin watching them curiously, then glanced at the “stinky blondie” who had just stepped down from the pull-up bar. Her head felt like it was starting to steam.
“Don’t say a word!”
She “glared” fiercely at her cousin, but in reality, she lacked any confidence. Her exquisite little face, which was incapable of looking truly threatening to begin with, now looked even more guilty. Tang Yayun finally realized she had almost let a massive secret slip. She tactfully nodded her head like a maniac, making muffled “mm-mm-mm” sounds to show she understood.
But contrary to her obedient exterior, the little person inside her mind was screaming. She felt like she had discovered a world-shattering secret. Wow! I didn’t expect such an elegant young lady to be so… lewd? But… Sister’s blushing face is so cute~
Tang Yayun’s face turned red with excitement, and she grew even more curious about the intricacies of romance. Lin Xinyuan had no idea how her “well-behaved” cousin was narrating her in her head. Only after seeing Tang Yayun nod did she dare to let go, her heart pounding fiercely. She had been truly terrified just now.
It was one thing for Tang Yayun to know; at least she was a girl she could talk to. But if this kind of thing became known to the other two—especially the stinky blondie… Phew… She didn’t even dare to imagine how suffocating that scenario would be.
“I haven’t practiced in a long time; my body has fallen behind quite a bit.”
Qin Nanfeng walked over, stretching his neck. His forehead was slightly damp with sweat, but it only made his handsome face look more dashing. He asked with a smile, “By the way, what were you two talking about that got you so excited?”
He had noticed the girls’ little movements earlier. Seeing their differing expressions and gazes now, a light flickered in his eyes as he began to speculate. Tang Chengmin, who had also approached, was equally curious. However, since they had their backs to him earlier, he didn’t know the details. He only knew they had suddenly gotten worked up and that his cousin had covered his sister’s mouth.
“N-Nothing… it’s nothing!”
Lin Xinyuan’s eyes darted around uneasily. Being stared at by Qin Nanfeng, she felt as though all her emotions were laid bare, with nowhere to hide. To mask her awkwardness and shame, she took one last lingering look at the jacket and slowly handed it back. “…Your jacket…”
Beside her, Tang Yayun remained silent, her large eyes fixed on the black fleece-lined jacket. She seemed to be trying to figure out what kind of magic it possessed to make Lin Xinyuan fall so hard. Noticing the girl’s strange gaze out of the corner of her eye, Qin Nanfeng narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the girl for a good while.
“Do you want it or not! If you don’t, I’m dropping it on the ground.”
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Lin Xinyuan’s apricot eyes widened. She looked adorable as she gave him a flustered glare, though her underlying guilt and embarrassment forced her to look away quickly.
Witnessing this, Qin Nanfeng stared at the jacket she was holding out, appearing to have a sudden realization. He let out an ambiguous, low chuckle. “Oh…”
As he took it, his hand accidentally brushed against the soft back of her hand. The girl reacted as if she had been burned, retracting her hand with a sudden woosh.
The rest of the outing wasn’t very enjoyable—at least for Tang Yayun. The more interesting equipment was occupied by kids, leading her to complain again. She wanted to wait, but the thought of how long it would take made her give up. If it weren’t for the fact that her cousin was there, Tang Yayun would have gone up to “discuss” the logic of physics with those brats.
Ultimately, the four of them were too bored and decided to go to the nearby basketball court to watch others play. The players were mostly young people from nearby villages; their skill levels were hit-or-miss, and the spectacle was mediocre at best.
To Lin Xinyuan, it didn’t really matter; she wasn’t interested and didn’t really understand the game. In contrast, the other three were quite different. Qin Nanfeng and Tang Chengmin went without saying, but even the girl sitting next to Lin Xinyuan watched with great interest.
Sitting in the stands, the elegant girl watched the sweating youths in silence. While she appeared calm on the surface, her heart was anything but peaceful. The scene from moments ago kept echoing in her mind—Qin Nanfeng’s mysterious laughter… and that look in his eyes. It all made her feel very anxious.
Lin Xinyuan suspected that guy had discovered something, but she didn’t want to believe it, telling herself she was just overthinking. Despite this, her heart remained restless. Consequently, breaking from her usual pattern, she didn’t sit next to Qin Nanfeng. Instead, she tried to keep her distance and sat on the other side.
As she stared absentmindedly at the court, her peripheral vision was constantly tracking Qin Nanfeng’s movements. Because the two siblings were between them, his direct line of sight was somewhat blocked. She could use this “vision gap” to peek at him without him being able to see her face.
Did he figure it out or not…?
Just as Lin Xinyuan was agonizing over this, Qin Nanfeng suddenly stood up, giving her a start. What made her even more nervous was that with the tall, upright young man standing, the previous obstacles were useless—his gaze came straight for her.
He easily noticed her looking. A charming smile played on his lips. Lin Xinyuan hurriedly looked away, her small hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes. However, Qin Nanfeng didn’t stop there. He began walking directly toward her with a very clear purpose. Realizing this, she grew even more tense, her teeth biting her lip and her legs shaking slightly with unease.
It is human nature to crave a spectacle.
As the footsteps drew closer, the people nearby watching the game noticed the situation and couldn’t help but look over. Even Tang Yayun and her brother were curious—what was Qin Nanfeng doing?
Under the gaze of the crowd, just as Lin Xinyuan’s knuckles were turning white from gripping her clothes, the tall, handsome young man finally arrived in front of her. Lin Xinyuan bit her lip anxiously. Breathing in the faint, crisp scent in the air, her brain felt momentarily deprived of oxygen. She had no idea what this guy was planning to do in front of everyone.
Is he… is he going to do “that” in public? No way…
As the girl’s mind ran wild, Qin Nanfeng didn’t look at her first. Instead, he looked at the youth sitting on the other side of her and gave a polite, slight smile.
“Brother, could we swap seats? My girlfriend is sitting here…”