“Cough! Cough!”
Tang Shuyao’s grip was surprisingly strong, making me cough twice as I quickly pushed her hand away. “Hey! Are you seriously trying to strangle me? It wasn’t on purpose!”
But Tang Shuyao gritted her teeth and shouted, “Give me back my first k!ss! Give it back!”
“Fine! Here you go!” I frowned, then planted a k!ss on her lips.
Watching Tang Shuyao freeze in shock, I stood up from the floor and said, “There, returned. Want another?”
“Ahhh! I’m going to kill you!” Tang Shuyao snapped out of her daze, scrambled to her feet, and lunged at me again.
Mei’er quickly stepped between us, blocking her path. “Yao Yao, what are you doing? Mei’er won’t let you hurt Xia Tian!”
Tang Shuyao froze when she saw Mei’er, her expression turning flustered. “M-Mei’er?! Y-you’re here!” She stammered, “Mei’er, I—I swear, Xia Tian and I are innocent! It’s not what you think! I mean—you saw that, right? It was all an accident! A complete accident!”
What the hell is she even saying? It was an accident!
“Yao Yao, what are you talking about?” Mei’er looked utterly confused.
Tang Shuyao’s face flushed red. “N-Nothing! I’m going out to watch a movie! Yeah, a movie!” With that, she turned and bolted.
Mei’er blinked in bewilderment before turning to me. “What’s wrong with Yao Yao?”
“No idea,” I shrugged helplessly. Honestly, I had no clue what had gotten into her.
“Alright then,” Mei’er sighed, then smiled. “Let’s go out too.”
Hand in hand, we walked into the living room.
The atmosphere was much livelier than when I’d first returned—everyone was back from class, chatting in the living room. Of course, Qin Mengdie wasn’t there; she was busy cooking.
Tang Shuyao shot me a glare when she saw me but immediately averted her gaze when she noticed Mei’er.
What’s up with this girl? She was usually so bold, even joking about masturbation, but now she was acting all flustered over an accidental k!ss?
Sister Lin smirked at us. “Oh? The lovebirds finally emerge. What took you so long? Doing something naughty?”
I raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Yep! Sister Lin, wanna join in for a threesome?”
“Tch!” Sister Lin rolled her eyes and went back to watching TV.
Tang Shuyao muttered under her breath, “Pervert.”
I was left speechless.
Xu Xin, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke up with a smile. “Are you going to the bonfire party tonight?”
“Oh yeah! The bonfire party!” Tang Shuyao instantly perked up, as if she’d completely forgotten what had just happened. Women—so unpredictable.
Honestly, I wasn’t too interested in the bonfire party. I’d never been one for big crowds. Even back at Third High, I’d only ever been a spectator at school events.
But Mei’er tilted her head curiously. “What’s a bonfire party? Mei’er wants to go!”
Well, if Mei’er wanted to go, then I’d tag along. It’d be a good chance for her to experience something new.
I smiled at Xu Xin. “Sure, why not?”
“We don’t welcome perverts!” Tang Shuyao snapped, glaring at me.
What the hell? Why is she bringing that up again?
Sister Lin’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “Yao Yao ran out of your room earlier with a red face. Did you really do something shameless with Mei’er?”
“I did your sister!” I shot back, exasperated.
Sister Lin smirked victoriously. “Mei’er is my sister. Didn’t know you had such guts!”
D*mn it! No other word could capture my frustration right now.
“Alright, everyone, dinner’s ready,” Qin Mengdie announced calmly as she set the dishes on the table.
I immediately grabbed my chopsticks and sat down. “Enough nonsense. Let’s eat.”
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
Just as I was about to take a bite, the doorbell rang.
Sighing, I got up. “I’ll get it.”
“Beautiful lady, would you honor me with dinner?” A man’s voice greeted me as soon as I opened the door, thrusting a bouquet of roses into my face.
I stared blankly.
Dude, are you blind? I’m obviously a guy!
“Buddy, I think you’ve got the wrong place,” I said, eyeing the guy, who was still looking down.
“No way, I made sure—wait, why does your voice sound like a man’s?!” He finally looked up, and our eyes met.
“It’s you?!” we both exclaimed simultaneously.
It was none other than Wei Junzhi—the guy I’d met in Beidaihe!
I smirked. “Well, well! You’re still looking for your underwear, huh? Sorry to disappoint, but I tossed it ages ago.”
“Y-You!” Wei Junzhi sputtered, too furious to speak.
What’s he doing at Shenghua? Is he a student here? His face wasn’t familiar, but then again, the school was huge.
Wei Junzhi took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “I’m here to see Miss Xu Xin. Is she home?”
“Xu Xin?” I blinked, then grinned. “Sorry, no one by that name lives here.”
How the hell does he know Xu Xin? With that sleazy look of his, I wasn’t about to let him near her.
Wei Junzhi scoffed. “Don’t lie! I did my research!”
“Seriously, she’s not here,” I shrugged.
I thought he’d give up, but instead, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled into the house, “Miss Xu Xin! It’s Wei Junzhi!”
This guy’s shameless! Before I could react, Xu Xin walked out.
Wei Junzhi smirked triumphantly. “See? Told you she was here. Did you really think you could fool me? I’m way smarter than that!”
Xu Xin’s eyes flashed with disgust. “How did you find this place?”
“I just wanted to invite you to dinner. Nothing more. Would you do me the honor?” He gestured grandly to a sleek sports car parked nearby. “I even drove my car here!”
Rich pretty boys and their flashy rides… Not that I recognized the brand, but it looked expensive.
Xu Xin frowned. “Sorry, I’m busy.” She turned and walked back inside.
Panicking, Wei Junzhi tried to push past me, but I blocked him.
“Move!” he snarled.
Before I could retort, Sister Lin called out, “Xia Tian, what’s taking so long? The food’s getting cold!”
“Big pervert, if you don’t come back soon, I’m eating everything!” Tang Shuyao added.
Wei Junzhi peeked inside, his jaw dropping at the sight of all the girls at the table.
“This can’t be real! How are you living with so many beauties?! This has to be fake! Fake!” He clutched his head in despair. “I don’t believe in love anymore!”
“Bye.” I slammed the door in his face.
Back at the table, Sister Lin asked curiously, “Who was that?”
Before I could answer, Xu Xin said flatly, “Some idiot. Let’s eat.”
I nearly choked on my rice. I’d love to see Wei Junzhi’s face if he heard that.