Returning to the living room, Song Qiuyu sat on the sofa, pretending to be calm and looking quite well-behaved. The person beside her, however, had a look of self-reproach on his face.
“Sorry, Lin An. I gave it my all, but I couldn’t win!”
Jiang Xiao closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He really had struggled.
Lin An was not surprised. This was normal; it was what happened when you lost the initiative in a relationship. The person who revealed their feelings first would often be handled by the other party until the end. If love were described as a war, the loser would be the one conquered, left only to be toyed with by the winner.
This logic had once been used by a certain manga author to create a highly popular series. Unfortunately, it still couldn’t escape the fate of most manga from Japan, where the author would eventually pull some ridiculous stunt in the later stages and ruin the entire work.
Yes, although Lin An always teased Xia Qi for reading shoujo manga, he actually read romance manga himself. He had read more than just one or two.
“It’s fine.”
Lin An patted Jiang Xiao on the shoulder with a look that said he understood perfectly.
Before Song Qiuyu could ask about the final result, a frustrated sigh reached her ears. She turned her head and saw Xia Qi staring at the computer, repeatedly reviewing the match. She was muttering to herself, thinking about where her controls had gone wrong.
“Old Lin, you won?”
Song Qiuyu understood instantly.
“Yeah, I won.”
Lin An took off his glasses and leisurely wiped them with a cloth.
Even though her mind was already drifting toward the 5090 she was about to receive, Song Qiuyu restrained her smile and moved toward Xia Qi’s side, gently poking the back of the girl’s hand.
She tilted her head and said, “Alright, don’t be discouraged. Now it’s one win and one loss — a tie.”
“…”
Xia Qi turned to look at Song Qiuyu. For a split second, she was dazed.
‘Male? Female? Is Song Qiuyu male or female? No, someone this cute must be — a boy!’
But at this level of cuteness, did gender really matter?
*Gulp.*
At first, she had been envious that Song Qiuyu could be loved by a man as good as Jiang Xiao, but suddenly, she was starting to envy Jiang Xiao. Why did such a cute boy have to be with a man…
No.
‘Such a cute boy should be put in a little dress and then be picked up by a man and ravished!!’
Consequently, she boldly typed her thoughts into the group chat. She didn’t treat Jiang Li or Sang Tian as outsiders.
[Sang Tian]: Classmate Song is very cute. He’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen!
[Jiang Li]: It’s a pity he can’t give birth.
[Jiang Li]: By the way, I just checked and saw there’s a comic convention near you guys. Why don’t you try taking Brother Qiu Yu and the others out for a walk?
[Sang Tian]: A comic convention? I still have the photos from the Scenic Area saved on my phone. It’s such a shame. If only I were in the same city as you, I’d probably be able to take a few more.
[Jiang Li]: Are they of Brother Qiu Yu and my brother?
[Sang Tian]: Mm-hmm!
[Jiang Li]: Let me see the photos!
[Xia Qi]: Let me see the photos!
***
After much persuasion, Xia Qi finally managed to trick Song Qiuyu and the others into going to the comic convention.
However, to allow Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao to interact naturally, all four of them wore hats and masks to avoid being recognized by fans. Even though their fame wasn’t that great yet, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Along the way, they ate and drank, chatting idly about random things.
“So, are you really treating us to all this food, Xia Qi?” Song Qiuyu looked at the box of takoyaki in her hand, her pretty brows slightly furrowed.
“Yeah!” Xia Qi nodded.
After responding, she felt Lin An’s gaze on her and felt a bit guilty. In reality, the money spent on this food would be reimbursed by Jiang Li later!
Jiang Li’s exact words were that even though Brother Qiu Yu was a boy, her brother would likely marry him in the future. The money spent at the comic convention should be considered an advance on the dowry.
Poor Song Qiuyu had no idea that everything he was eating was actually dowry money.
“Then I’ll really eat without any worries!” Song Qiuyu’s eyes sparkled. It was indeed the right choice to come out to the convention. Moreover, after resting at home for a while and then walking around, her legs had mostly adjusted.
“Eat, eat.” Xia Qi nodded. Anyway, you’ll be the one paying this back with something else later.
She looked at Jiang Xiao again. “But don’t eat too much, or your figure will go out of shape. Careful not to turn into a fat pig and have Jiang Xiao lose interest in you!”
“Huh?”
Song Qiuyu was stunned. She turned her head and looked at Jiang Xiao with a confused little gaze.
“How could that be? I would never lose interest in my baby!” Jiang Xiao hugged Song Qiuyu as he spoke.
The word ‘baby’ combined with the sudden hug made Song Qiuyu’s pretty face turn quite red. Xia Qi and Lin An shared a knowing look that suggested they shouldn’t be there and instinctively looked away.
“Be normal. Do you have any idea how much you look like you’ve been possessed by a dork right now?” Song Qiuyu grit her teeth.
“But Xi’er, I wanted to try calling you ‘baby’ because it’s a cute nickname. Don’t you think so?” Jiang Xiao’s eyes shimmered.
“Ugh.”
Song Qiuyu glanced at the takoyaki Jiang Xiao was feeding her while he spoke. She swallowed her saliva and opened her mouth, letting him feed her.
But after eating it, she was still quite displeased and hurriedly nudged him with her elbow.
The smile on Jiang Xiao’s face deepened. Song Qiuyu gave Jiang Xiao a reproachful look; if she looked away for even a second, this guy would take an ell if given an inch!
Though it seemed she was much the same. If things continued like this, would they really be able to transition from their probation period to becoming official?
“Yan’er, the ones who just walked past looked like Yinglilian and Himmel, and there was a Keqing too.” Jiang Xiao turned his head to look back.
“Hmm?” Song Qiuyu followed his gaze. “Oh, it really is — wait, you know Himmel and Yinglilian? So you watch this show too?”
“Yeah, I caught up with the manga. I like this series a lot because I feel like I can empathize with Frieren in some ways.”
“I see…”
“Yeah.”
Jiang Xiao retracted his gaze and looked at the girl beside him. He saw her habitually scratching the back of her neck with her small hand, but because she was afraid of exposing those ambiguous marks, she didn’t dare scratch too much. She could only lower her eyes and frantically adjust her mask. Immediately afterward, she reached out her hand, her face flushed, and tested the waters twice with her pinky finger before finally hooking it around his own.
“It’s okay now, because Qia’er is back!” she said, whispering softly.
“Yeah. Welcome back.”
Jiang Xiao firmly grasped the small finger she had hooked around his.
Listening to the conversation between the two beside her, Xia Qi suddenly felt like she was having trouble breathing. How was this sweet atmosphere mixed with shards of heartbreak?
But speaking of “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” though…
Watching the cosplayers of Yinglilian and Himmel, who had already met up with Fern and Stark to take photos, Xia Qi couldn’t help but sigh. “Forget about Yinglilian and Himmel, when exactly are Fern and Stark going to be together?”
Lin An’s lips moved slightly, but in the end, he said nothing. He simply adjusted his glasses and moved his gaze to the Keqing coser.
Keqing, huh. He couldn’t help but recall some past events.
Looking at that Keqing, Jiang Xiao remembered as well. Back then, he had been truly terrible, completely immersed in his own world with a kind of beauty that disregarded everyone else’s well-being. But even when he was that awful, there were still so many people who hadn’t given up on him. Over the years, he had encountered too many beautiful sights and kind-hearted people, but in the end, he had missed out on all of them.
Feeling the warmth and softness coming from the small finger in his palm, Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but furrow his brows, feeling extremely fortunate that he hadn’t given up.
With those thoughts in mind, he looked back at the cosplayers for Fern and Stark, smiled, and said, “After all, it’s not a work with romance as the theme. The stories of their journey are what we should pay most attention to, aren’t they?”
“I guess that’s true. Or rather, if it were themed around romance and the main characters confessed, it would probably be close to the grand finale!” Xia Qi crossed her arms and nodded. “If the author went into detail about them having a physical relationship and getting married afterward, there’s an 80% chance they’d start causing trouble. Take ‘Kaguya-sama: Love is War’ for example.”
Hearing the name of that series, Lin An raised an eyebrow and teased, “You really do love reading romance manga.”
At this point, Song Qiuyu, who was best at reading the room, immediately tried to divert the topic. “There’s an event over there for shooting basketballs to get ‘Slam Dunk’ merchandise. Let’s go take a look!”
Xia Qi wouldn’t let it go and even brought up old scores. “So what if I like reading them? After finishing them, I also understood a certain truth.”