Chapter One Hundred and Forty-One
Back to this again?
Song Qiuyu was stunned for a moment. After a while, she pressed both hands against the edge of the table. Even though her legs were trembling, she used all her strength to stand up steadily.
She feigned composure. “We should have enough. Jiang Xiao and I both brought ours. Use my notebook; I have a desktop in my bedroom. I’ll just use that.”
“Then why don’t we just play in your room?” Xia Qi followed up, pressing the advantage.
The moment those words were spoken, Song Qiuyu became so nervous that her legs shook even more violently. They felt so weak that she could barely stand, nearly sinking back into her seat.
“Stop right there!”
Jiang Xiao was quick to act, grabbing her hand and leading her toward the bedroom with long strides, looking as if he wanted to just pick her up and carry her.
“Since we’re splitting into groups, we might as well play in different rooms. You and Lin An stay in the living room; Xi’er and I will be in the bedroom.”
Listening to him, Song Qiuyu’s heart pounded. she always felt that Jiang Xiao was incredibly good at saving the day exactly when she needed him most.
She couldn’t let him down.
She exerted every ounce of strength to steady her trembling legs, enduring the discomfort.
Seeing Jiang Xiao lead Song Qiuyu into the bedroom and close the door, the expression on Xia Qi’s face was somewhere between a cry and a laugh. She didn’t know what to say.
Perhaps it could be described in four words: trying to hide it only made it more obvious.
Lin An adjusted his glasses and smiled without saying a word.
‘Truly eager to protect his wife.’
‘Your initiative is pretty good, Jiang Xiao.’
*Creeaaaak.*
The door opened again.
“The living room might get cold, though. If you need a blanket, I can get you one.”
Jiang Xiao walked out carrying Song Qiuyu’s notebook computer and closed the door behind him.
“I need one! I definitely need one! If my body freezes up halfway through, I won’t be able to display my true skill level!” Xia Qi walked up and carefully took the notebook from him.
“I don’t need one. If there’s an extra, just give it to Xia Qi,” Lin An said casually.
Xia Qi’s heart skipped a beat at his words. It sounded a lot like he was concerned for her.
“Let her lose to me while she’s performing at her peak. Only then will she realize the gap in our strength, truly admit defeat, and honestly come with me!” Lin An suddenly squinted his eyes and laughed, appearing a bit mischievous.
Xia Qi looked unhappy. Her heart had finally fluttered for a moment, and just as expected, it only lasted a moment before this guy’s mouth made her feel like she was having a heart attack.
“So, Old Jiang, you have to win too.”
Lin An patted Jiang Xiao on the shoulder and said with deep meaning, “You probably don’t want us to stay and continue disturbing your private time with Qiu Yu, right?”
Many things between men can be settled with just a single look.
After a brief eye contact, Jiang Xiao hummed, the corners of his lips curling slightly. “Of course. I will win!”
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Song Qiuyu had been settled into the chair in front of the computer by Jiang Xiao. She turned on the machine and held the mouse, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the door.
Her eyes flickered. She had quite a few ideas regarding the upcoming duel. Theoretically, she and Jiang Xiao should be at the same starting line, but in reality, they weren’t.
She now strongly suspected that when Jiang Xiao played games with her before, he was deliberately pretending to be bad!
Although most boys would probably think about showing off, carrying the girl, and having her praise them, there were always those who didn’t follow the usual path.
Like that Valorant Junior.
Song Qiuyu furrowed her brows and bit her lip. It might be a bit difficult to get her hands on that RTX 5090 Xia Qi offered.
And so, they spent some time getting the game online.
During the download, the group chat kept popping up with messages.
[Jiang Li]: Xia Qi, why don’t you talk to Lin An and cooperate?
[Xia Qi]: Is there a need for that? I feel like they’re just one step away from admitting it openly now.
[Sang Tian]: Not necessarily. We’re still lacking some evidence. There are still other possibilities!
[Jiang Li]: Right.
Seeing this, Xia Qi was about to reply with “I’ll consider it,” but in the next second, her phone was snatched away. In her haste, she only typed a string of gibberish.
“Lin An!!” Xia Qi glared at the person holding her phone.
“I knew it.”
Lin An’s three simple words made Xia Qi freeze in guilt.
‘Oh no, our purpose for coming here has been discovered!’
“Are you going to tell Song Qiuyu and the others?”
“Hmm?”
Lin An pondered for a moment, then shook his head with a light laugh.
He scrolled through the chat history. “Why would I? I think joining you guys is much more interesting.”
“You mean helping us confirm how far they’ve progressed?” Xia Qi looked at Lin An in surprise.
“On the condition that you can beat me.”
After finishing, Lin An returned the phone to Xia Qi, walked back, and started a match of Monster Hunter by himself.
As he played, he remarked, “The internet speed at Qiu Yu’s place is pretty good.”
Xia Qi also sat back down on the sofa, looked at the computer screen, and opened Monster Hunter.
“It should be a while before they can start. Should we go first?” Xia Qi raised an eyebrow.
Lin An adjusted his glasses and agreed.
A while later, the two people in the bedroom finally finished downloading the game. However, one of them no longer had her mind on the match.
A duel between a normal man and woman would, of course, be fair and square. But Song Qiuyu believed she could be different.
‘Bad women have their own ways of winning games!’
Only a few seconds after the game started, she looked up and glanced at the person sitting next to her using the notebook. Then, she took a shallow breath. Her fair, bare feet stepped on the heels of her plush slippers. She reached out her small hand and moved it close to the thigh beside her.
Jiang Xiao caught her clumsy yet bold—though still slightly hesitant—actions out of the corner of his eye and was momentarily stunned.
Then, he saw her fingers lightly tapping like she was playing a piano. But after a moment, those beautiful fingers curled inward, as if she were hesitating.
‘What is Xi’er trying to do?’
After hesitating for a long while, her small hand stopped moving. To his surprise, she started tickling him right then and there!
“Uh…”
Jiang Xiao suffered a momentary lapse in concentration, causing a major blunder in his gameplay. However, he remained unhurried. Instead, through the error, he became even more proficient with the basic controls.
“Jiang Xiao—”
Then, while managing the game, Song Qiuyu moved her chair and nudged Jiang Xiao’s shoulder twice with her own small shoulder.
Jiang Xiao forced himself to remain calm and continued his maneuvers. However, he then saw her let go of the mouse. Her body tilted, and she unexpectedly lay directly across his lap, facing him. Looking both innocent and seductive, she fell into his embrace. Immediately, those slender fingers on his thigh slid along his waistline, quickly and lightly reaching his collar. With a tug, she pulled his upright waist down!
Very close. His breath mingled with her warm breath. Their noses brushed lightly. He could clearly see the tiny, soft hairs on her face.
Jiang Xiao’s eyes darkened slightly. He took one last glance at both their computer screens before his gaze fell back onto the sweet smile right in front of him.
“Stop playing the game. Come… play with me…” Song Qiuyu’s beautiful apricot-shaped eyes blinked twice.
“Xi’er, you…”
As he spoke, the girl’s elegant fragrance and her warm, moist breath filled his senses. Jiang Xiao’s heart rate continued to accelerate.
“Mhm, it’s your Xi’er. The Xi’er who likes you most. The Xi’er who’s yours to play with however you want…” Song Qiuyu cupped Jiang Xiao’s cheeks with her soft, smooth hands, her eyes constantly teasing him.
After a long gaze, Jiang Xiao’s breath hitched. After a moment of internal struggle, he finally put the game down. One large hand supported the back of her head, while the other moved to her slender waist, intending to kiss her lips.
Just as he was about to kiss her, the person lying on his lap suddenly sprang up as if she were on a spring. *Whoosh.* She sat back in her own chair, her hands moving like lightning as she finished the game. Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.
“I won! I won!! Xia Qi, I won—”
Song Qiuyu stood up excitedly, loudly announcing the good news of her victory. In the next second, her expression changed, and she slumped back into her chair.
Her small hand rubbed her abdomen and squeezed her legs. She pressed her lips together tightly. Then, her hand was covered and caught by a large, warm hand.
Jiang Xiao squeezed her hand and looked at her with a raised eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.
“Alright, I know cheating isn’t right, but I really want that RTX 5090!” Song Qiuyu immediately lowered her voice and said.
“Mhm, I know.” Jiang Xiao nodded.
“But have you considered that because of this, they might have to stay for the time being? Your secret might be exposed.”
“Of course I thought about that!” Song Qiuyu bit her lip and said with a frown, “But I believe Old Lin won’t lose.”
“Oh, you have that much faith in Lin An?” Jiang Xiao looked away, feeling a bit annoyed.
Then, Song Qiuyu let out a light laugh. She cupped Jiang Xiao’s face with both hands again and took the initiative to kiss his lips.
“Alright, alright, don’t look like that. I only like you.”
Jiang Xiao hummed in response. He took the opportunity to catch both her hands and kissed her back deeply for a while.
As they kissed, the tips of Song Qiuyu’s ears turned red. She gradually shifted into a straddling position. Her plush slippers naturally slipped off, revealing two small, fair, tender feet with toes clenched tight.
It lasted for a long time.