Meanwhile, at the Jiang residence, Jiang Li had already finished washing up and was sitting on her warm, comfortable bed. She had just picked up her phone when she received a message.
The message was from Xia Qi. Ever since they met and collaborated at the hot spring hotel in Danyang, she, Xia Qi, and Sang Tian had added one another’s contact information.
Before even opening the message, a slight smile played at the corners of Jiang Li’s lips. This was actually the first time she had friends with whom she could discuss her inner thoughts. These thoughts, naturally, could only be about her brother and Song Qiuyu.
She had not told her family about them yet. One did not need to think to know what the result would be if she spoke up too hastily. As long as her brother completely won over Song Qiuyu, the next people they needed to handle were the family members! She would do her absolute best to help her brother.
However, one person’s strength was always limited. Now, she finally had partners she could consult. At that thought, she felt a bit moved and opened the message from Xia Qi.
[Xia Qi]: Jiang Li, there is a game called Bad Woman Game that has been really fun lately. Want to play together?
A link was attached.
“…”
Jiang Li froze for a moment and tried opening the link. After browsing for a bit, she got a general idea of the game’s premise. The game told the story of beautiful girls who were gold diggers.
Consequently, her entire face darkened. An image of a face wearing a mask with long, straight black hair surfaced in her mind.
Shen Xi!
She did not know if Shen Xi had harvested her brother’s money like the girls in the game, but her subconscious felt there was an eighty percent chance she had. Recalling how her brother looked during the period right after he lost his girlfriend, she could not help but frown and let out a short, cold snort.
She really hated her brother during that time. However, after looking at some of the game’s CG displays and content descriptions, she felt that her brother back then was, in a sense, a superman. After all, even though he had lost the person he loved most and looked as if he would not care if he died the next second, he did not actually seek death. He did not think he was already a dead man who should follow his girlfriend. Instead, he carried the dreams his girlfriend never had the chance to realize and entered Nanxi.
Her brother seemed to have fallen, yet he had not completely collapsed. He had simply closed off his heart, trapping himself in the past—in a world where his girlfriend still existed.
Jiang Li began downloading the game. She looked at the characters in the CG with disdain, feeling that both the person training the dog and the dog being trained were equally disgusting. Fortunately, her brother was different from the game’s protagonist. Her brother already had Song Qiuyu!
The internet speed was a bit slow; it was estimated to take another thirty minutes to finish. With a beep, Xia Qi sent another message.
[Xia Qi]: It has been several days now and your brother still isn’t back. He couldn’t be so immersed in a land of tenderness that he’s forgotten about home, right?
A “hee-hee” emoji was attached.
Seeing this message, Jiang Li was stunned. Simply forgetting home was not enough; it would be best if he directly devoured Song Qiuyu and brought him back as a little bride.
She edited a message: “I just want Shen Xi to see that my brother and Song Qiuyu are very happy, and then regret it so much that she cries like a dog!”
“Uh…”
At this time, Xia Qi had also returned home from the hot spring hotel. After seeing this message, she was instantly struck by second-hand embarrassment. For a moment, she even wanted to just tell the other girl that Shen Xi and Song Qiuyu were the same person. But since she had promised to keep it a secret, it was not right to say it. In short, Jiang Li probably would not get to see that “cremation scene” she was hoping for.
Xia Qi reminisced for a while. If Song Qiuyu did not properly continue the Jiang family incense lineage and give birth to five chubby little boys in the future, she feared the situation would never end.
Wait.
Song Qiuyu is a man. How can a man give birth?
Tricky.
The future of Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao seemed predictable at a glance. Regarding this, Xia Qi had no thoughts of sympathy; she only wanted to watch the drama. But then again, one of them was so prone to self-sabotage while the other was willing to indulge him. They truly were a perfect match.
Better lock them together.
Jiang Li’s game finished downloading. At the same time, Sang Tian’s game also finished downloading; the game had been shared by Xia Qi as well. As the three girls played the game, they criticized the plot together. Then, as they played, an idea suddenly struck them. They shared a look in virtual space, reaching a consensus.
It was necessary to share this game for those two to play.
[Xia Qi]: Say, it is already nine thirty in the evening. What do you think Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao are doing?
[Sang Tian]: Maybe they are playing games?
[Xia Qi]: No, no, no. They aren’t online on Counter-Strike, and they aren’t on Valorant either.
[Jiang Li]: Maybe they are already on the way home?
Jiang Li’s words were based on evidence. Recently, she had only contacted her brother twice. Once was when her brother pretended to be talking to her while actually flirting with Song Qiuyu. The second time was when her brother took the initiative to call the next day to explain the previous incident. He also told her not to worry and that he should be back in a few days.
Since then, three days had passed. She had no doubt they were on their way home. They might even be almost at the front door.
Just then, there were two soft knocks on her bedroom door. She sat up straight, immediately grabbed her phone, got off the bed, walked over, and reached out to open the door.
With a creak, the door of a hotel was pulled open.
Song Qiuyu clenched her fair fists and walked into the first-floor lobby side-by-side with the person next to her. Nothing had even started yet, but her legs felt weak for no reason. Her movements were quite stiff, looking a bit like a “pseudo-human” walking.
Jiang Xiao turned his head, taking in all her nervousness. He felt somewhat helpless, somewhat worried, and a bit frustrated. If you asked him if he wanted to, he certainly did. But if you asked him if he was in a hurry, he was not as rushed as before. However, his Xi’er was different. Xi’er desperately needed a sense of recognition and security. As a qualified boyfriend, he naturally had to cooperate with her to the greatest extent!
Yet, now that they had arrived, Xi’er looked like she could back out at any moment. How could he not be worried? How could he not be frustrated? Thus, he let go of her small hand and deliberately grabbed her slender waist, causing her soft body to suddenly fall against him.
“Mm…”
As if ants were crawling all over her, Song Qiuyu’s body shifted restlessly, her heart rate accelerating. But because the other person was holding her too tightly, every time she squirmed, it felt like she was rubbing against his body. After a few wriggles, her brain almost short-circuited. Thinking about how the current scene might look to others, she bit her lip and settled down.
Then, she spoke before Jiang Xiao could: “Hello, we are here to…”
The young girl behind the counter looked up upon hearing the voice. She opened her mouth, but before a single syllable could come out, she stared intently at Jiang Xiao, her face filled with ecstatic joy.
“Ah! You! You’re the handsome brother from the Sugar-Dipped Lemon short videos!” The young girl covered her mouth with both hands and cheered loudly.
“…”
Jiang Xiao was stunned. Song Qiuyu’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled up her scarf to cover most of her face, lowering her head deeply for fear of being recognized.
When they had no fame, it was troublesome; now that they were slightly famous, it seemed there were even more troubles. Dammit… how could they run into a fan while trying to get a room?
So annoying.
Before they could react, the girl at the counter seemed to realize something. She suppressed her internal excitement and looked at Jiang Xiao, then at the girl Jiang Xiao was holding by the waist, her eyes widening.
“You… you two… you’re not here to open a…” The person who could speak normally a moment ago instantly began to stutter.
“No!” Jiang Xiao denied it before she could finish.
“Then why are you here?” The counter girl was even more puzzled.
“It’s like this: our team has plans to film a new short video, and we are currently looking for a suitable filming location!” Jiang Xiao fabricated the lie with ease.
Song Qiuyu’s eyes widened. Had life sharpened Jiang Xiao into this? Once this lie was told, it needed to be fulfilled. Jiang Xiao then began to converse with the counter girl in a gentle and polite manner, even calling the hotel boss shortly after. After several exchanges, both the boss and the counter girl believed it was true, thinking they had come for that purpose from the start.
With the trouble resolved, Jiang Xiao led Song Qiuyu out of the hotel and pinched her tender cheek.
“What do we do now, Xi’er?” Jiang Xiao teased.
Song Qiuyu looked up at Jiang Xiao. Despite being shy, she did not swat his hand away, allowing him to bully her face. It was indeed troublesome now. What they wanted to do required showing two identity cards. But because of her previous decision, she had not replaced her ID with a new one; it still identified her as a male.
Just as she was frowning in distress, a call from her father came in.
“Child, your mother and I are going out to play for two days before coming back. You two be careful and don’t make too much of a mess at home!”
“…”
Song Qiuyu’s head buzzed. She felt like there was so much she wanted to criticize, but in the end, she said nothing. She only gave a few obedient responses. After her father hung up, she clutched her phone and turned her head sheepishly toward Jiang Xiao, her lips quivering.
Jiang Xiao had heard it too. They looked at each other, both forgetting to breathe.
Song Qiuyu did not know how she got home; she only vaguely remembered following Jiang Xiao to a convenience store and buying three whole boxes. When she came to her senses, she was kissing Jiang Xiao passionately in the bathroom.
“Mmph!”
Her feet, clad in white stockings, were already on tiptoe, her toes pressing against her flip-flops. Her white shirt was already soaked by the warm water. The slightly rising skin and the patterns at her chest were half-visible under the slight transparency. Her back was pressed against the bathroom wall covered in granular mist, her slender arms hooked around Jiang Xiao’s neck as she fully accepted his kiss.
Jiang Xiao let go briefly.
“Jiang Xiao…”
Song Qiuyu felt a sudden inspiration. Her fingertips moved slightly as she proactively pushed aside her collar. Along with the exposure of the red mole on her collarbone, water welled up in her eyes, and she bit her moist lip in shame.
Jiang Xiao kissed her without hesitation. Then, the white shirt slowly wrinkled. With a gentle push, the green fruit that had been so carefully nurtured faced the fate of a mess once again. Jiang Xiao seemed to have turned into a hungry werewolf urgently seeking fruit; having caught the fruit tree, he began to feast.
“Ah!”
Song Qiuyu’s legs could not help but tremble. Her toes, perched on her flip-flops, were about to lose their balance. Everything she had been suppressing was pouring out.
“Jiang Xiao, can I ask you… a question?”
“When you first found out I was Shen Xi, you must have been… um… very angry, right? But later, you were just very, very good to me.”
“Do you really not hate me?”
Jiang Xiao’s movements paused. His gaze darkened slightly, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. He only let out two low, husky chuckles. His large hand moved near her lower waistline and gave a tug.
“How could I not hate you?”
“Ha…”
The white stockings were pulled down. Along with that, Jiang Xiao’s care became even more direct, causing Song Qiuyu’s entire face to turn bright red. Her short-circuited brain struggled to understand Jiang Xiao’s words. She did not want to respond perfunctorily. She wanted to take serious responsibility for the past; only by facing it correctly could she truly look toward the future.
“I am just even more grateful.”
“…”
“Grateful that you are still alive and well, Xi’er.”
“I…”
“If a person dies, there is truly nothing left. So even when I wasn’t receiving any messages from you, I was still trying hard to keep living.”
“If you put it that way, I am also very grateful!” Song Qiuyu responded loudly. “Thank you, Jiang Xiao. Thank you for staying alive. Thank you for…”
Halfway through, tears blurred her vision. Her voice became choked, and more words became impossible to utter.
“Starting to cry now is going to make things difficult for me, Xi’er.”
Jiang Xiao sighed softly and tilted his face up. Song Qiuyu wiped her tears with her small hands and saw more clearly. Looking down, her apricot eyes were instantly filled with a mist of bashfulness once again.
The fragile place that needed care was being breathed on by Jiang Xiao again! This guy was so bad!
” I’ll be even worse. You’ll have plenty to cry about next!”
Jiang Xiao wrapped both arms behind her, hugging her tightly and pressing her fiercely against him. Instantly, Song Qiuyu’s toes tensed, and she could no longer catch her breath.