Chapter 184
Xie Mi suddenly felt a little like one of those lecherous landlords who forcefully snatch village girls.
The man before her had his dark hair falling in soft strands over his forehead, faintly shadowing those soul-snaring eyes. His pale skin was tinged with a blush, lips lightly pursed, gaze flickering as he half-heartedly pushed away the teacup she offered.
The perfect picture of an innocent young man.
Xie Mi nearly blurted out the line, “Don’t be afraid, big sis will take care of you.”
“Shen Yanqing.”
For once she looked serious, meeting his eyes and enunciating each word:
“You smell so good.”
Shen Yanqing, who had just turned his head, expecting her to finally say something proper: “…”
A long pause—then he suddenly laughed.
The sound was deep and pleasant, chest vibrating lightly as his brows and eyes softened with warmth.
“Then smell all you want.”
…
After leaving the hotpot restaurant, they went straight to an internet café. Xie Mi transformed into an overexcited monkey, backpack stuffed with game guides bouncing behind her, sprinting ahead like she was clearing a hundred-meter hurdle.
Shen Yanqing followed with one hand holding two servings of shaved ice jelly he’d packed up for her from the hotpot place, plus a pile of snacks from a convenience store, and with the other hand recording every single one of her moments on his phone.
The perfect picture of a professional sidekick.
The private room at the café was also something Shen Yanqing had reserved in advance.
But compared with all the internet cafés Xie Mi had ever been to, this wasn’t one at all. It was more like a luxurious VIP suite—with two top-spec computers, an oversized display screen, plus all sorts of VR and projection equipment.
“Tsk…”
Xie Mi rubbed her chin, thinking hard, then asked in all seriousness, “Do rich people call castles internet cafés?”
Shen Yanqing instantly understood her point.
“Will you come again next time?”
“Yes!”
Overjoyed, Xie Mi immediately began running around in delight.
The place had a wall of manga and video games, cozy beanbags and rugs, plush cushions and toys.
It was an otaku’s paradise.
After speed-running through all the games with Shen Yanqing, they turned to the manga.
Xie Mi lay on the soft carpet hugging a pillow, flipping through comics and bursting into rolling laughter again and again.
Shen Yanqing, meanwhile, leaned back on a beanbag, lips curved, idly turning the pages of a comic—but his attention was entirely on her.
“Teacher Xie, what do you think of this place?” he asked casually.
“Good. Fantastic!”
Popping a strawberry into her mouth, Xie Mi stumbled upon a hilarious panel and couldn’t resist rolling across the floor twice more.
The smile in Shen Yanqing’s eyes deepened. He closed his book, propped his chin in one hand, gaze fixed on her.
“Then how about I give it to you?”
“Gre—what?!”
Xie Mi shot up as if jolted awake from a deathbed, eyes darting around the dream-house-like room before swallowing hard.
“Give what?”
“This room.”
Shen Yanqing’s lips curved lazily. “If you agree, then from now on it’ll be yours… and mine.”
“You mean…”
Xie Mi swallowed again. “From now on I can come here whenever I want, play all the games, read all the manga, eat everything in the fridge… and not spend a single cent?!”
“Yes—”
“Old Shen!!!”
Before he could finish, Xie Mi slid dramatically to her knees, clutching his hand tightly.
“You—”
“—are my GOD!!!”
Shen Yanqing’s ears buzzed from her shriek, eardrums nearly shattered.
But looking into her clear, sparkling eyes and the uncontainable joy on her face, the curve of his lips lifted on its own.
“Then it’s settled.”
“From now on, this place is ours.”
…
By the time they left the café, night had fallen, and the night market was at its busiest.
Food stalls lined the street, the aroma filling the air and tantalizing every sense.
Two heavily disguised figures stood at the entrance.
On a summer night when everyone else wore short sleeves and shorts, they were bundled up with masks, sunglasses, and caps—sticking out like sore thumbs.
Fortunately, not too many people paid attention to them.
Xie Mi crossed her arms smugly.
“Looks like this time the disguise worked. Nobody recognizes us, and nobody’s panicking. Brilliant, brilliant.”
Shen Yanqing chuckled. “It’s a big improvement over last time’s face-kini.”
But soon their smiles faded.
Because the crowd around them suddenly started to stir.
“There’s only one night market in this area. Old Xie and Old Shen must be here!”
“You sure about that, sis?!”
“Of course. I’ve got microscope eyes. The leaked pics today showed them at a hotpot place on Road A, then at a convenience store on Road C. Since today’s their date day, and Old Shen mentioned on the show that the last stop would be a night market—this is the only one nearby!”
“Holy crap, sis, you’re amazing!”
“Tonight we must bump into Xie-Shen CP! Let’s go—oh wait, these takoyaki look good, gimme a box first.”
Listening to the chatter beside them, the tall and short duo, wrapped up like mummies, stood frozen, sweating buckets.
Well, wasn’t this just perfect.
Not only were they “bumped into.”
They were literally standing right next to the fans.
Luckily, the fans were momentarily distracted by takoyaki, drooling as they crowded the stall.
Xie Mi tugged on Shen Yanqing’s sleeve, tiptoeing to sneak away.
Then one of the girls suddenly shouted:
“I see it!”
Both of them stiffened in place.
The girl continued, “I saw you put cilantro in there! Boss, I said no cilantro.”
“Ah, sorry, I’ll pick it out for you.”
“….”
Xie Mi and Shen Yanqing exchanged a glance and tried again to slip off.
But then another fan spoke up.
“By the way, did you see what Old Xie was wearing in that leaked photo? Hahahaha, a floral shirt and baggy shorts! When will she ever give up her mysterious fashion sense—I swear I’ll die laughing!”
Xie Mi silently looked down at her floral shirt and baggy shorts.
Fan C muffled a laugh.
“Well, at least there’s Old Shen. Look at him today, so handsome. That ink-print shirt, those tailored trousers, those long legs—so abstinent, ah~”
Shen Yanqing, who was indeed wearing an ink-print shirt and black trousers: “…”
“Hey, don’t you think those two next to us are dressed kind of like Old Xie and Old Shen in the leaked pics?” Fan D, sharp-eyed, suddenly said.
Both Xie Mi and Shen Yanqing jolted.
The fans’ gazes all turned toward them.
“Seriously, they do look alike! Exactly the same, even.”
“Wait, let me pull up the leaked photo for comparison… Holy crap, identical!”
“And why are they wearing sunglasses and masks in summer?!”
“Could it be they’re actually…”
“Cosplaying as Xie-Shen CP!!”
