“So, please date me both at the same time.”
The two of them were led into the cafe by Lin Xiaojue in a daze. They took a sip of their coffee in a daze, and then they spat it out in a daze.
“Senior!”
“Xiao Jue!”
The two slammed their coffee cups onto the table, causing passersby to turn and stare. Even the snow crystals on the glass window seemed to be shaken loose by the impact.
Lin Xiaojue sipped her coffee expressionlessly. She set the mug down gently, took a napkin, and leisurely cleaned the table, wiping away the spreading coffee stains.
“I have already reiterated the reason. Hmm, although I seem like a Slag Girl, this is the actual situation. If everyone doesn’t date me together, it will be very difficult for everyone, right?”
Silence spread among the three of them. Lin Xiaojue threw the napkin into the trash and signaled a passing waiter for help.
As the steaming brown liquid filled the cup again, Lin Xiaojue added three sugar cubes. She took a sip, her eyebrows knitting together as she stuck out her pink tongue. ‘How bitter.’
She added another three sugar cubes. Now it was very sweet, but she couldn’t drink it. ‘It’s very sweet now, but I can’t drink it. Could it be that moving too fast causes problems?’
Lin Xiaojue couldn’t help but have a strange thought. Things between the three of them had indeed progressed too hastily.
Whatever, the big picture is more important.
“So… have you decided?”
Lin Xiaojue leaned back against the chair, raising her chin to study their expressions.
Xia Yao looked down, stroking her hair as her expression shifted constantly while looking at her phone screen, turning from cloudy to clear and back again.
Su Yaqing clenched her fists and frowned, her wrists trembling as she held her coffee.
“Hey, Xiao Jue, I know it’s all… all my fault. Please don’t scare me, okay…”
“Since you know it’s your fault, then make amends properly.”
Lin Xiaojue grabbed a napkin like a little adult and tapped Su Yaqing on the head. The latter let out a soft whine and covered her head like a large golden retriever.
After the gentle tap, Lin Xiaojue tapped Xia Yao on the head as well. Xia Yao looked up, staring at Lin Xiaojue blankly.
“I’m telling you, why do you both think I’m going to pull some emotional drama out of a female-oriented novel? Don’t you think it’s weird? That would be exhausting.”
Lin Xiaojue was quite dissatisfied, her eyebrows bunching together. Finally, the two were able to focus on what she was saying.
However, because the situation was so ridiculous, the eyes of the people around them were beginning to linger.
Lin Xiaojue felt uncomfortable. She had become accustomed to such gazes a long time ago.
That was back when she was on stage, singing loudly under the neon lights.
The fans below would cheer in unison, and with a flick of her wrist, she would perform magic for the crowd, drawing bursts of applause.
“Lord Tianyu!”
A sudden exclamation reached her ears. Lin Xiaojue looked toward the sound and saw several COSERs wearing sky-blue bubble skirts walking into the cafe.
They were young and lively, with faces full of smiles, enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention.
For some reason, Lin Xiaojue subconsciously touched her own face. She pulled out her phone, and the reflection showed her black hair and black eyes.
She felt a strange sense of relief. Lin Xiaojue looked back at the two who were staring at each other. The cafe suddenly became lively, and the awkward atmosphere eased significantly.
“Can I… can I have Xiao Jue’s forgiveness?”
Su Yaqing suddenly leaned over the table, tilting her head up with teary eyes. Lin Xiaojue waved her hand nonchalantly.
Upon receiving this affirmative signal, the golden retriever’s eyes lit up instantly, and it felt as if a tail was wagging behind her.
“I’ve already forgiven you.”
“Really?!”
“Really. But I’m saying, can you not lean so close?”
Lin Xiaojue couldn’t help but lean back a few inches. Su Yaqing’s longing eyes continued to enlarge in her vision, joy dancing in the corners of her eyes and brows.
She finally restrained her gaze and stopped after Lin Xiaojue’s warning.
Su Yaqing pulled back, a look of uncontrollable surprise hanging on her lips.
Even though Lin Xiaojue’s expression was cold, she was able to smile as she picked up her coffee and gulped it down, completely ignoring the bitter heat.
A thick bitterness spread through her mouth, but Su Yaqing felt it was exceptionally sweet.
For a moment, she felt like the surrounding bustle was all cheering for her, celebrating a future where she had reconciled with Lin Xiaojue.
“Since Senior says so, then I’ll accept it too. But… has Senior thought about the issues in the future?”
“Hmm? What issues?”
Seeing that Xia Yao had finally stopped what she was doing, Lin Xiaojue thought the matter would end there, but she couldn’t help but start thinking because of that one sentence.
“It’s just…” Xia Yao was hesitant, her amber-like eyes shimmering with moisture as her slender fingers fidgeted uneasily. “Taking responsibility. Senior promised me.”
“Responsibility? What responsibility?”
At this moment, a belated Su Yaqing reacted, realizing that during the few days she was away, Lin Xiaojue seemed to have developed an incredible relationship.
“Eh? Taking responsibility? For what?”
Lin Xiaojue paused her coffee-sipping and said the exact same thing before taking an uneasy sip.
*Sip…*
Setting down the mug, Lin Xiaojue suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. She had indeed said those words to Xia Yao, but they seemed to have been misunderstood.
At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it. She only intended to give Xia Yao a relaxed and happy future, never expecting to drag her into the emotional turmoil between the two of them.
Although it was a matter between her and Xia Yao, it had now become a three-way emotional storm.
‘I might as well just roll with it.’
Lin Xiaojue had no choice but to brace herself and push forward.
“Uh, well…” Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, her eyes darting around as she thought rapidly. “I’ll take responsibility.”
After a moment of silence, Lin Xiaojue thought of a decent plan on the spot.
“How about this? Why don’t the two of you date me at the same time?”
“Absolutely not!”
The two of them spoke in unison, a rare moment where they stood on the same front.
Lin Xiaojue couldn’t help but pull a strained smile. If dating at the same time wouldn’t work, then did they want…
“Date me first!”
The two spoke in unison once again, then turned their heads to look at each other, staring blankly.
Having just had a dispute and now knowing that such a dispute would bring trouble to Lin Xiaojue, Su Yaqing and Xia Yao could only return to their seats sheepishly, quietly waiting for their lover’s verdict.
***
That night, Lin Xiaojue still took both of them out together.
Anyin City had a rare snowfall, and a crystalline white covered every street. Lin Xiaojue led them into the snow, one hand in each of theirs, as their six footprints made a *crunching* sound.
“See? Isn’t this pretty good?”
Lin Xiaojue gripped the warmth in her palms. Both hands were transmitting body heat; one belonged to Su Yaqing, and the other to Xia Yao.
“Yeah.”
The two of them were exceptionally shy, keeping their heads down and adjusting their loose scarves—the scarves were gifts from Lin Xiaojue, and there were sparkling rings on their ring fingers as well.
‘I’ve won them both over now.’
Lin Xiaojue couldn’t help but sigh in her heart. She only had two hands now, and she felt the weight was already heavy enough. If there were another one, there would be no way to fit them in.
“Speaking of which, how did Xia Yao know about my relationship with Xiao Jue? I hadn’t told anyone before.”
As they walked, Su Yaqing suddenly asked the question out of the blue. Lin Xiaojue also pulled her thoughts back; she had indeed forgotten to ask Xia Yao about this over the past few days.
Xia Yao subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but Lin Xiaojue gripped it tightly. Her gaze also turned toward Xia Yao. Feeling embarrassed from being stared at, Xia Yao couldn’t help but lower her head.
“I… I heard it from Senior Gu Xue. And then, the things that happened after that… I can’t remember them no matter how hard I try.”