Qin Sheng sighed, her voice soft and delicate: “You don’t know, Xi Yan actually really likes playing basketball.
But he doesn’t have money, so he’s never had good basketball shoes. His birthday’s coming up soon, right? I want to give him a gift… Got a problem with that?”
Boys all love the feeling of hitting the target perfectly.
Whether it’s soccer, basketball, or even a crumpled tissue in their hand, or an empty bottle… they find it incredibly satisfying.
Qin Sheng, being on the receiving end, also liked it because it felt great.
So you often see a group of boys walking along when suddenly one of them does a “jump shot,” spinning 360° in midair before landing and flicking their bangs just to complete the move.
Their self-perceived coolness always seemed a little off to the girls—unless it was Shen Xi Yan.
Qin Ge felt a headache coming on, and his chest seemed tight, as if he couldn’t catch his breath: “So, you want me to help carry it?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Me and him…” Qin Ge bit his lip, hesitating to speak.
“Enemies?”
Qin Sheng only realized belatedly, her face full of regret, but she didn’t know how to make it right. In the end, she had no choice but to point at the pile of opened packages on the floor: “Then just carry these downstairs again. Let’s pretend nothing happened.”
Qin Ge: “???”
Deep breath~~
Deep breath~~
Unmoved by praise or blame, she leisurely watches the flowers bloom and fall in the courtyard.
Unconcerned with coming or going, she lets the clouds roll and unfold across the sky.
***
She forgot where she saw it, but it sounded really classy:
Stay calm. Even if Mount Tai collapses before you, keep your expression unchanged.
No way!
Damn it, she couldn’t take it anymore. This was downright too much.
“It was just that one time I asked him, no need to treat me like this, right?!”
“I’m not targeting you.” Qin Sheng looked serious. “I even gave you a gift and you refused. Then you wouldn’t even let me wear it myself.”
With that, she snatched the slippers from Qin Ge’s hand.
“Forget it, they’re too ugly. Might as well throw them out with the trash later.”
Only with Qin Ge did Qin Sheng not worry about any butterfly effect.
Even if she did nothing, if Qin Ge liked Shen Xi Yan later on, she would still be disgusted.
So why should she be disgusted first?
She couldn’t stand it?
Little brat, just wait until the chance comes—I’ll crush you effortlessly.
Teaching people to abandon evil and embrace good was the business of a “Saint Mother,” not Qin Sheng’s.
“You didn’t even give me a gift on my birthday before!”
“Are you Xi Yan?” Qin Sheng rolled her eyes.
“I barely celebrate my own birthday, let alone give you a gift. Besides, Xi Yan’s always so nice to me. Every meal, I say I don’t want anything, but he insists on feeding me. It’s so annoying. Last night before bed, he even told me a story to coax me to sleep—wouldn’t even let me rest properly. Who does that?”
Qin Ge:
Obviously, it was showing off affection, but he could hear the challenge in her tone.
And that was exactly the case. Qin Sheng was doing it on purpose.
If she just naïvely gave the gift, Xi Yan would never accept it no matter what, because it was way too expensive.
No matter how persuasive she was, it wouldn’t work. That was why she needed a bit of trickery… or rather, some “foreshadowing.”
If Qin Ge bore no grudges, how else could she lure him to follow her plan?
The path of courting a husband is long and winding, but dealing with a petty loser like you is a piece of cake.
Before going to bed, Qin Sheng called Shen Xi Yan on video.
While waiting for him to answer, she put on a sleepy expression, eyes barely open.
She even purposely switched the room light to a warm orange, making her complexion look pale and lethargic.
“You’re back?”
“Mm…” Qin Sheng’s voice was weak.
“I heard from Auntie that you were back by six? Why are you only calling now?”
Qin Sheng had always been a child who lied easily to win favor; she spat out a quick excuse: “It’s not like the surgery’s over once it’s done. The doctors and nurses work so hard, I had to bring some milk tea and fruit to cheer them up, right?”
“Besides, Auntie just woke up, and she doesn’t trust Aunt to handle everything, so she gave me extra instructions…”
What nonsense.
They were professional caregivers. Why would they need Qin Sheng to remind them?
But Shen Xi Yan was a bit of a “dork” and didn’t suspect anything. When it came to taking care of Auntie, she truly didn’t mind being a bit troublesome.
Qin Sheng yawned: “I’m just letting you know… so you won’t go visit Auntie at noon tomorrow and get scolded again, right?”
Shen Xi Yan glared at her: “If you don’t tell Auntie, I’ll get scolded?”
Calling happily to ask about her condition and then getting scolded right away.
“If I don’t tell Auntie, does she even know you’re so ‘filial’?”
“Why do I need her to know if I’m filial or not? I know myself.”
Qin Sheng waved her hand: “That’s not how it works… Don’t you understand how people’s feelings work? Auntie raised you all with such difficulty. She says not to visit, but it’s just words.”
“You can’t really not go. Only by going will she be comforted and feel like she didn’t raise two useless kids… that all these years of hardship were worth it.”
“From now on, Auntie can leave the caregiving to me, so you can rest easy. Just wait for the weekend, and let’s not contact each other these days…”
“Why?” Shen Xi Yan’s expression was stunned.
Had Qin Sheng given up?
No, it was more like Qin Sheng hadn’t come to terms with it, and he hadn’t figured it out either.
Perfect!
Qin Sheng clasped her hands over her chest: “I need to build up my emotions, hold it in until the weekend, then when I see you, I’ll be so happy I might go crazy.”
“This is called ‘leading up by holding back’… You know about preparing for pregnancy, right? It’s kind of the same. You drink tonic soup like crazy, hold it in for ten or fifteen days, then gulp it all down at once.”
“By the way, I have one small request. On our date, can you wear white underwear?”
“What for?”
Shen Xi Yan absolutely hated white underwear.
No other reason—just that it was too easy to turn yellow and dirty. Even a stray hair was especially obvious and looked gross.
“White makes it look bigger. I like it big… Wuwuwu.”
“Get lost! Hanging up.”
“Hey! Don’t!”
“… What now?”
“I won’t see you these next few days. Let me watch you enough tonight, okay?” Qin Sheng made an excessive request. “Can we keep the video call on while we sleep, please~~”
“??? ”
“Xi Yan, please, please~~ Just because I’m so devoted to Auntie, can’t you keep the video on while we sleep? What’s the big deal?”
Shen Xi Yan thought about it and silently propped his phone next to the tissue box on the bedside table.
It wasn’t something he couldn’t accept.
Qin Sheng smiled: “Hehe! I knew you cared about me. Love you to death! Mua Sleep well Tonight’s definitely going to be a good dream!”
Shen Xi Yan turned off the light, and the room darkened instantly, only the faint glow from the air conditioner illuminated his silhouette.
Qin Sheng pulled the blanket up high, lying on her side facing him, mouth and nose buried in the blanket. Her shiny black hair spilled over the white pillow, and only her big eyes blinked not at all, staring at Shen Xi Yan.
“Xi Yan, you’re on your side; I can’t see your face.”
Shen Xi Yan turned toward her: “… You’re so annoying. Just go to sleep!”
She would turn off the phone when she fell asleep, then say it died in the morning.
“Don’t hate me for being annoying~~ This way it feels like we’re sleeping together. I’m so happy.”
… Your happiness is really cheap.
“Xi Yan~~”
“Xi Yan~~”
“Xi Yan yan yan yan~~ Not even chatting with me before bed?”
“Stop making noise! Sleep!”
“Oh…”
Qin Sheng curled up, initially quite sleepy, but now more and more alert.
“Xi Yan… How was the audio from yesterday? If you’re shy, just turn the camera away, I can call it out for you live, okay?”
“… You really want me to turn off the video, huh?”
“Oh… Sorry, sorry… I’ll shut up. I’m gonna pee first; wait for me~~”
Qin Sheng stepped out in her slippers.
Then Shen Xi Yan heard the bathroom door close, followed by the sound of rushing water.
He couldn’t help but imagine the scene… a heat spreading down below.
Wait!
Shen Xi Yan suddenly realized something: how could Qin Sheng’s peeing sound be so loud?
She was sitting down, right? So she must be squatting over the toilet?
Why did it sound so… seductive, drilling into his brain?