Meanwhile, Otto slowly closed the thick book in his hands. His gaze wandered and happened to land on a not-so-distant corner.
There, Fu Lin and Kiana☆ were leaning side by side against the wall, utterly absorbed in their books, oblivious to the world around them.
Otto couldn't help but muse,
"How interesting. What kind of book could draw both of them in so deeply? I'll have to check it out myself~ (smile)"
With that thought, he gently placed his book on a nearby table and headed straight toward Fu Lin.
-----------------------------------------
Otto, full of curiosity, shuffled her steps and quietly moved closer to Fu Lin, her face only a few centimeters away from Fu Lin's cheek, and asked softly,
"Big brother, what are you looking at? Can I take a look too~?"
As Otto drew near, a faint and elegant lily fragrance wafted gently through the air, drifting straight to Fu Lin's nose.
Fu Lin slightly lifted his gaze, shifted his eyes away from the book, and moved his body slightly to the side. However, Otto didn't seem to notice this small movement—instead, she leaned in even closer with greater speed.
Fu Lin sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling that being too attractive might not be such a good thing after all. He slowly put down the book in his hands, turned his head to look at Otto, who was smiling with curved eyes, and said,
"There are plenty on the bookshelf. You can go look for one."
Hearing this, Otto's smile grew even sweeter. She placed both hands on Fu Lin's shoulders and leaned her whole body against him,
"Aiya, but I just want to read the one in big brother's hands~"
While speaking, she even blinked those bright, watery eyes at Fu Lin, filled with flirtation and expectation.
At this moment, Kiana☆ also noticed the situation and looked on in disbelief, then pointed directly at Otto with an outstretched finger, exclaiming excitedly,
"You—why are you here? And why are you so close to Fu Lin!"
Facing Kiana☆'s questioning, Otto first feigned surprise, covering A-Ming mouth with a hand and letting out a gasp,
"Ah? Little sister only just now noticed I was here? Oh dear, I'm so heartbroken! Just now I was chatting and laughing with big brother over there. We were having such a good time!"
After speaking, she even stuck out her tongue at Kiana☆ in a mischievous manner.
Seeing Otto's provocative behavior, Kiana☆ felt a sudden surge of nameless rage rushing to her head, her chest heaving violently.
Her outstretched finger trembled slightly. She wanted to continue scolding Otto, but at that moment, she suddenly realized her vocabulary seemed extremely limited, leaving her momentarily tongue-tied.
"You... you... I…"
Kiana☆'s face turned red as she struggled to find the right words, regretting deeply that she hadn't studied more phrases to handle situations like this.
Otto revealed a slightly teasing smile, then slowly said,
"What's wrong? Are you too excited to see big sister? But pointing at others isn't very polite~"
Hearing this, Kiana☆ abruptly raised her head, her big eyes wide with anger, and retorted,
"Who—who said you're my big sister! Don't flatter yourself!"
Seeing Kiana☆'s flustered expression, Otto's lips curled up slightly, ready to stoke the flames even further.
Otto suddenly turned her gaze to Fu Lin standing nearby, blinked seductively at him, and said bluntly,
"If I win over big brother, then wouldn't you have to obediently call me big sister?"
Hearing this, Kiana☆ froze instantly. It was as if she had been struck by lightning. She turned her head in shock to look at Fu Lin beside her.
At this moment, Fu Lin's lips twitched fiercely, and several dark lines appeared on his forehead.
Without saying a word, he swung his arm and threw the book he had been reading straight at Otto, saying crossly,
"Akari, stop joking around. This is only our second time meeting."
After saying this, Fu Lin gently reached out and patted Kiana☆'s little head, as if to soothe her startled heart.
"Hehe~ Don't overthink it, little sister. I was just joking. But I've already gotten what I wanted. Let me see what this book is all about... Uh…"
Otto looked at the book she had obtained with a smile on her face, but the moment she saw the title printed on the cover, the smile instantly froze.
In an instant, all her interest in reading the book vanished without a trace. However, Otto quickly glanced at the author's name and silently committed it to memory.
After doing so, Otto still wore a seemingly gentle and harmless smile as she handed the book back to Fu Lin standing beside her, and said in a slightly regretful tone,
"Aiya, so it's just a plain old novel."
As soon as she finished speaking, Otto's gaze naturally drifted toward the book in Kiana☆'s hands.
Upon discovering that both books were written by the same author, the last bit of interest Otto had completely dissipated, leaving her feeling a sudden sense of boredom.
After another round of conversation, Otto hurriedly left the library under the pretense of having something to do, and her departure allowed Kiana☆ to breathe a sigh of relief.
When Otto reached the outside of the library, she quickly turned into a secluded alley.
Once inside, Otto's appearance began to change. Enveloped in silver soulium liquid, she gradually reverted to her original form.
Then Otto pulled out his phone from his pocket and skillfully dialed Amber's number.
Soon, Amber's familiar voice came through on the other end of the line.
Otto spoke in a slightly cold tone,
"Amber, there's something I need you to investigate."
Amber responded respectfully,
"Yes, Lord Otto. Please give your orders."
"Look into an author on the xx novel platform who goes by the name Temple Spirit, and also..."
Otto paused for a moment, then continued in an icy voice,
"Silently get rid of him."
Hearing this command, Amber was clearly shocked and confused. She hesitated briefly, then cautiously confirmed with Otto again,
"Uh... just a regular novel author?"
Otto countered,
"Is there a problem?"
"I understand, Lord Otto."
Amber quickly complied, and then the call ended.
Staring at the pile of work in front of her, Amber sighed, then turned to contact an assassin to deal with the poor soul Otto had set her sights on.
...
Over the next few days, as if fate had arranged it, no matter when Fu Lin and Kiana☆ went out for a stroll, they would always run into Otto due to all sorts of strange coincidences.
After each encounter, the three of them would naturally end up walking together.
However, as this kept happening, Kiana☆'s feelings of discontent gradually grew.
Finally, on the eve of their departure from the border city—
That afternoon, sunlight poured through the dessert shop window, casting dappled shadows on the wooden table.
While Fu Lin went to the restroom, Otto's charming eyes gazed at Kiana☆ sitting across from her and softly asked,
"Little sister, do you know what love is?"