As soon as Jiang Xiao took the field, all three people were quickly wiped out!
Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but clap her hands wildly for him.
“Am I amazing?” Jiang Xiao asked, enjoying the attention.
“Mhm, mhm! Jiang Xiao, you’re so incredible!” Song Qiuyu gave a final few claps before pulling her small hands back. She held her milk tea, pressing her lips against the straw and taking a gentle sip.
Seeing this, the corners of Jiang Xiao’s mouth curled up slightly. His hands felt itchy with the urge to pinch her cheek.
He glanced at their surroundings; there were too many people.
He frowned and struggled with the urge before finally dismissing the thought and handing the phone back to her.
Song Qiuyu took the phone and took another sip of tea. She glanced at the game screen and hummed thoughtfully.
“You don’t look like someone who just ‘knows a little’ though.”
“Ahem.” Jiang Xiao picked up his own cup of hot milk tea and poked the straw in.
“Compared to the professionals, I really only know a little.”
“…”
Song Qiuyu’s lips parted slightly. ‘Damn it, he actually pulled off a humble brag!’
She gave him a tiny kick under the table while maintaining a serious expression as she looked at the dormitory group chat.
Lin An and Xie Zhuran were actually questioning if the person playing Go just now was really her… or if Jiang Xiao had taken over for her.
Well. In a sense, that was exactly what happened. But Song Qiuyu had no intention of admitting it.
[Xie Zhuran]: @Jiang Xiao, Old Jiang, say something! If you don’t talk, we’ll just assume the phone you’re holding right now belongs to Old Song!
[Lin An]: Now you’re getting anxious? Weren’t you just calling them ‘the little couple’ a moment ago?
[Xie Zhuran]: [A youth’s blushing face says more than words.JPG]
[Lin An]: Look at you, getting worked up again.
[Xie Zhuran]: @Jiang Xiao, Old Jiang, where are you?
Seeing this, Song Qiuyu glanced at Jiang Xiao, signaling him to show his face in the group. At the same time, she posted a bold challenge, stating that she would accept their challenges anytime once they arrived in South Wind City and finished the club recruitment.
Lin An and Xie Zhuran had a lot to consider, but all she had to do was cling to Jiang Xiao’s leg!
‘That’s what boyfriends are for!’
“Pfft.” Jiang Xiao saw the group messages and couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Predictably, he was kicked again by the bristling hedgehog.
[Jiang Xiao]: Sorry, I was crossing the street just now and wasn’t looking at my phone.
[Xie Zhuran]: Really?
[Jiang Xiao]: Why would I lie to you?
[Xie Zhuran]: You’re the only one who hasn’t played yet. Hurry up and find a place to sit, or just sit in Old Song’s milk tea shop. Get in the link, fast! I’ll know if you were the one playing for her after another round!
[Jiang Xiao]: Fine.
“Are you really going to be okay?” Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but doubt him when she saw the message. After all, a person’s style in Go usually stayed more or less the same. It was hard to change it into something completely different.
“Please trust me a little more.” Jiang Xiao rubbed her fluffy head.
“Okay!” Song Qiuyu’s beautiful almond eyes blinked. Even though she was very self-conscious about people watching, she bit her lip and let him rub her head. With so many customers coming and going in the shop, they probably wouldn’t just stare at the two of them.
Jiang Xiao started playing on his own phone.
Song Qiuyu silently watched from the side to learn.
She didn’t know what level counted as a professional player, but in her eyes, Jiang Xiao’s current skill already far surpassed all of them.
‘He obviously put in a lot of hard work in private!’
But since Jiang Xiao wanted to show off, she would let him. Making her boyfriend as happy as possible was surely a girlfriend’s duty.
By the end of the round, the outcome was clear—another victory for Jiang Xiao.
Because his strategy had shifted from a Chinese Opening to a Shusaku Opening, the suspicion of him playing for her seemed to have dissipated.
However, Xie Zhuran and the others still didn’t seem entirely convinced.
A boy’s competitive spirit in games could be ignited in an instant.
It wouldn’t stop unless the power went out, the internet cut off, or they became so hungry they couldn’t stand it.
Jiang Xiao was dragged into another game. After watching for a while, Song Qiuyu’s phone chimed with a new QQ message.
The message was from her mom, Su Luo.
Likely considering her daughter’s solemn declaration that she wouldn’t “do it” with Jiang Xiao for the next six months, this experienced mother was providing some technical assistance to her daughter, who had only been a girl for half a year.
Song Qiuyu picked up her phone and leaned back tactically.
[Mom]: Sweetie, it’s the start of the school season, so some things are on sale. Mommy picked out some gentle, high-quality items for you. Take a look.
A massive list of product links followed.
“Uh…”
They were all private items she had never seen before. To be precise, some of the larger ones felt very familiar in a nostalgic way.
Just looking at the thumbnail images without clicking into the details made Song Qiuyu’s face flush bright red.
‘A suction type… what is this?’
‘Why is there a little red flower? And a little tender grass?’
‘The more I look, the less I understand. What are these things?’
She bit her lip and tilted her screen toward her chest, preventing anyone from catching a glimpse from any angle.
She even wanted to hide from the shop’s security cameras. Then, she took a deep breath and tried clicking one of the links.
‘Wow, is a girl’s world really this colorful…?’
‘Even without a boyfriend, you could have a lot of fun.’
‘Impressive.’
‘A boy’s world is so boring by comparison; it’s just the same mold over and over.’
Her eyes widened in shame, and steam practically started rising from her head. Jiang Xiao caught her changing expressions out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow curiously.
Pretending to be forceful, he tried to snatch her phone. “What’s wrong? What are you peeking at?”
“Huh?” Song Qiuyu was startled. She quickly pressed the phone against her chest and shook her head guiltily. “It’s nothing! Just focus on your game so you don’t lose!”
“Then if I win them all, will you show me?” Jiang Xiao asked as he pulled his hand back and looked at the screen to make a move.
“I told you it’s nothing interesting! It’s just a romance manga Xia Qi shared earlier!” Song Qiuyu frowned. ‘This is just a fair trade. Xia Qi used us as a weapon before, so I’ll use her as a shield now.’
‘A reasonable person like Xia Qi wouldn’t mind!’
But then again… were these “good things” her mom shared something all girls played with in secret? Even someone like Sang Tian, or Xia Qi… or even Jiang Li? On the surface, none of them looked like they would do such a thing.
“A manga? I’d like to see it too.” Jiang Xiao obviously didn’t believe her. Since she was willing to admit she was looking at “dirty” romance manga, then what Xi’er was actually doing must be something even dirtier and more scandalous.
However, he couldn’t wrap his head around it for the moment. She couldn’t possibly be watching a silent version of an adult film in public, right? Xi’er shouldn’t have that much courage.
“…”
Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but shoot Jiang Xiao a dirty look. Then her eyes darted around, and she let out a soft huff. “Fine. If you win them all, I’ll show you then.”
“Great! Then I’ll have to roll up my sleeves and work hard!” Jiang Xiao was suddenly full of motivation.
“Oh.” Song Qiuyu blinked. Looking at Jiang Xiao’s enthusiastic face and then at the scandalous product details on her screen, she pressed her lips together tightly.
Her heart was racing. If she added all the items her mom recommended to the cart, plus the blue pills Old Xie had recommended before, and then showed it all to Jiang Xiao later… wouldn’t that be a case of “hurting the enemy three thousand but hurting yourself seven thousand”?
But it might make Jiang Xiao never dare to look at her shopping cart or phone again. ‘Hehehe.’
*Ding.* Su Luo sent a few more links.
[Mom]: Sweetie, after you buy these things, hide them well in your room. Whatever you do, don’t let Jiang Xiao see them.
“?”
Song Qiuyu tilted her head. She had some thoughts about this but asked her mom for the reason anyway.
[Mom]: Because trouble will happen. He’ll either be severely discouraged or he’ll get overstimulated and want you immediately.
‘As expected.’
Song Qiuyu nodded in understanding. Her mom was clearly someone with experience, but unfortunately, she was half-experienced herself. Once, Jiang Xiao had thrown a tantrum because she was caught reading dirty manga. It was that feeling of “you have a boyfriend but you insist on using something else”—like he was being rejected or wasn’t needed.
Thinking about Jiang Xiao’s overreaction back then, Song Qiuyu wavered. But remembering she had already promised him, she closed her eyes and shook her head. ‘The thing you can’t have will always keep you restless. I might as well just go all out!’
If she didn’t show him, who knew how long he would nag her. Let him look. She believed she wouldn’t be the most embarrassed one.
Jiang Xiao saw the way she was struggling out of the corner of his eye, and the smile in his eyes turned even more tender. He was getting more and more curious.
Song Qiuyu started adding the items to her cart one by one. The more she added, the more her head buzzed with embarrassment. But the thought of her boyfriend being the victim later filled her with energy.
Meanwhile, Lin An and the others walked into the milk tea shop one by one. As the group grew, Song Qiuyu instinctively became reserved and prim, like a cat that had its tail stepped on but didn’t dare to hiss under pressure.
She watched the three newcomers, and a doubt suddenly popped into her head. Why hadn’t they asked her to play against Jiang Xiao? Was their competitive spirit really that overwhelming that they forgot?
“Old Jiang, are you a pro? Your Go skills are way too good!” Xie Zhuran muttered while drinking his tea.
“I only know a little,” Jiang Xiao maintained his humble tone.
“I want to reach that ‘knowing a little’ level too. Old Jiang, teach me some tricks?” Lin An adjusted his glasses.
“Wait…” Xia Qi glanced at Song Qiuyu, whose ears were inexplicably red. A meaningful smile curled her lips. “Jiang Xiao, have you played against Song Qiuyu yet?”
(…)
As soon as she said that, two people’s eyes lit up. Song Qiuyu gripped her phone tightly. Now she understood—it wasn’t that they hadn’t thought about making her play Jiang Xiao; they wanted to watch it happen in person!
‘How cunning.’
“I don’t think I have.” Jiang Xiao frowned. Naturally understanding the situation, he quickly tapped a few times on his screen.
In that moment, as if by intuition, Song Qiuyu swiftly turned off her vibration and sound. Then, she quietly received a message from Jiang Xiao.
[Jiang Xiao]: Xi’er, what do we do? They’re definitely going to watch your phone. We can’t cheat this time.
Song Qiuyu felt very regretful about the situation. She feigned calmness for two seconds. ‘Maybe I can start with the Drama Club President!’
She looked at Xie Zhuran, Lin An, and Xia Qi. Smiling, she said, “Of course we should play. But it’s almost dinner time, so we should…”
She trailed off and proactively contacted the Drama Club President. She sent a message saying they had all arrived in South Wind City and dropped a hint about it being dinner time.
Sure enough, the President was always generous. He immediately offered to treat them to dinner so they could discuss the recruitment short videos over the meal.
“What’s up, Old Song? Why did you stop talking and keep typing?” Xie Zhuran rubbed his chin suspiciously.
“The Drama Club President sent a message. He said he’s treating us to dinner!” Song Qiuyu said with a straight face.
Hearing this, Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but smile. As expected, his Xi’er was very resourceful. Xi’er was the best.
Song Qiuyu finished the last few gulps of her milk tea and stood up. “He’s booked a restaurant. Let’s head over now. We should drop our luggage off at the rental apartment Jiang Xiao and I…”
“Uh…”
Her face suddenly turned pale.
When she had been making a fuss about living separately from Jiang Xiao, she had rented another place for 6,000 per month.
But now that their relationship was so good… what should she do with that 6,000-per-month apartment? The deposit was quite a lot.
“Qiuyu?” Lin An looked at her in confusion. It felt like she had just suffered a tragic blow.
“Are you okay?” Xia Qi patted Song Qiuyu’s shoulder.
“I… I’m fine! Anyway, let’s go put the luggage in the rental apartment and then go eat!” Song Qiuyu clenched her small hands, setting the headache-inducing problem aside for now.
Jiang Xiao looked thoughtful. He hadn’t forgotten about her renting another place. However, given their current relationship, they theoretically wouldn’t be living apart. At least, they shouldn’t be.
Lin An, Xia Qi, and Xie Zhuran didn’t seem to think much of it.
Their attention was quickly diverted to Song Qiuyu’s face, which had clearly rounded out.
Because of that, she had more of a “meat bun” or “squishy” face look.
“Woah!”
Song Qiuyu was stunned when Xia Qi suddenly pinched her cheek.
“Song Qiuyu, you really did get fat! How much? Like, ten pounds?” Xia Qi joked with a grin. While talking, she winked at Jiang Xiao and encouraged him. “Jiang Xiao, want to try? It’s so soft!”
Jiang Xiao’s fingers twitched instinctively. To be honest, he was grateful for the opportunity Xia Qi provided and didn’t want to miss it. It looked very soft; he wanted to try.
“What do you mean ‘pinch’! Let’s go, let’s go! It’s a walk to the rental apartment, and you don’t want to keep the President waiting, do you?” Song Qiuyu brushed Xia Qi’s hand away.
She saw Jiang Xiao’s eager reaction and turned red. Refusing to play along with their teasing, she grabbed her suitcase and marched toward the exit. Seeing this, Xia Qi stopped teasing and followed with the other three.
Then, Song Qiuyu stopped outside the shop. Taking a breath of the cool air, she quickly tapped something on her phone. While Xia Qi and the others weren’t looking, she shoved the phone into Jiang Xiao’s hand.
She blinked at him and said, “The promised reward. Take a look!”
“Mhm.” Jiang Xiao nodded. Unsuspectingly, he opened his girlfriend’s phone. Then, his heart practically melted—or perhaps stopped—at the first glance.