"The girl from the Leng family?"
Shu Yuewu frowned suspiciously. "Who's that? Do you know another girl?"
"No, I don't." Xia Xin shook his head quickly.
Uncle Liu knew he'd been too nosy. How could he talk about his other girlfriend in front of his current girlfriend? He denied it repeatedly, "Right, right, I misremembered."
He slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory. I was talking about Ah Xin from the South Gate, not this Xiao Xin. Haha, people get confused as they get older. I made a mistake, I made a mistake, haha."
"Oh, is that so?"
Shu Yuewu looked at Xia Xin with distrust. Her eyes were three parts angry and three parts stern, like a jealous little woman. With a sullen face, she demanded, "You're not... having another woman behind my back, are you?"
What's the connection? Forget about the other one. He'd barely spoken to her yet. So what was Shu Yuewu saying? When did they have that kind of relationship?
"Well, haha, here's what? Uncle Liu will give you an extra pound of pork belly. Enjoy it at home. Bye."
Uncle Liu was also embarrassed. One look at Shu Yuewu's expression told him that Xia Xin was going to have a rough time tonight. He didn't know whether he'd be kneeling on the washboard or the radiator. He quickly gave him another pound as an apology.
Shu Yuewu remained fuming all the way out of the farmers' market.
But before she'd gotten far, Shu Yuewu couldn't help but burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand, flashing a smug smile at Xia Xin.
"Look, wasn't I clever enough to trick him into giving her an extra pound of pork belly? Look at how he looked just now."
Xia Xin smiled wryly. "Yeah, you were very clever."
So it was all fake.
Her anger just now had him almost believing it himself. When had she become his girlfriend?
With a touch of mischief, a touch of wit, beautiful looks, and a sweet tongue, Shu Yuewu was the kind of girl who everyone liked.
"By the way, who's the girl from the Leng family? Is she prettier than me?"
"Um... I don't know her well either. We've chatted a few times, maybe."
"Oh, really?"
Shu Yuewu looked distrustful. "Never mind. I'm home. This is it."
Xia Xin took a closer look. It was a duplex, a small, elegant-looking villa.
Shu Yuewu waved. "Bye, I'll be back."
"Bye."
"Tomorrow... what about the money?"
"I don't know. I'll try to figure it out. If I can't get it together, I won't go."
"Oh..."
Shu Yuewu narrowed her eyes, drew out her voice, and smiled meaningfully before entering the house.
When Xia Xin returned home, Xia Ye was already slumped over the dining table, clutching her stomach.
She stretched out her little hand to Xia Xin, her voice agonizing. "Half-body, please save me! I'm losing all my magic power and can't maintain my human form. My body's magic is about to go haywire. If the world ends, I won't be able to help."
As she spoke, her little finger scratched the table, a look of intense struggle.
"Sorry, sorry, something went wrong. Someone wanted to solo with me, so I'm back late. It's that handsome guy from Class 2 I told you about yesterday."
"Needless to say, I knew the ending was already decided."
"Yeah."
Xia Ye straightened up immediately upon hearing this, her eyes narrowing in triumph, her radiant face beaming. "Kukukuk, what a foolish creature! It seems that slime doesn't understand that his defeat was doomed the moment he sat across from you."
"Want red-braised pork or Dongpo pork?"
"Hmm, that's a tough choice. Red-braised pork takes longer to make, but it's more delicious. Is this a test from heaven... I'll go with red-braised pork. For that crimson deliciousness, this little wait is worth it. This win should improve our food, right?"
"Ah, yes. I won 5,000. I'll have good food for a long time to come."
The two of them grew up together, and Xia Xin wouldn't hide most things from her.
"Hehe, that's worthy of the title of my first follower. In fact, I've achieved something today."
"What?"
As he spoke, Xia Xin arrived with a plate of tomato and egg soup. "Fill yourself for now."
"What a speed! You've already reached the level of a master chef. This bright red, boiling demon blood is just the right amount to replenish our lost magic power."
Xia Ye carefully scooped a small spoonful with his spoon and blew gently. "That's the fountain pen competition we talked about last time."
"Didn't you skip the training?"
"Well, I didn't have extracurricular training. It costs money. But the teacher said my writing was so good, so he let me enter directly. I won first prize, a golden fountain pen. Hehe, those foolish mortals finally understand the genius of Ye Ye. "The most fundamental difference between me and those mediocre people is the defining gap between humans and the True Ancestors of the Night."
"Well, you're quite capable, but I've never seen you practice."
"Of course. Who do you think I am? Geniuses don't need practice."
"What about the pen? Does it look nice? Let me see it."
"...I sold it. Several female classmates from wealthy families wanted it, so I let them bid on it. The teacher said it was worth a few thousand, but the one with the most money only had a little over 100 yuan."
Xia Ye said, pulling out a 100-yuan bill and a bunch of scattered 20-yuan, 10-yuan, and 1-yuan coins. He said with some pride, "Hurry up and praise my wisdom. I took all the money she had and left her nothing."
Xia Ye said, pushing the money towards Xia Xin.
Xia Xin asked, "Several classmates want it. It must be really nice."
Xia Ye turned away, not daring to meet Xia Xin's eyes. She explained, "It's... not pretty at all. It's awful. Those worldly things are just fake. An ordinary ballpoint pen is enough."
Xia Xin's heart tightened, and he felt a little uncomfortable. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out to take the money. He wasn't just accepting money; he was also accepting his sister's heart.
He placed another 20 yuan in front of Xia Ye. "You should keep some for emergencies."
"Yes," Xia Ye nodded obediently, accepting it. "Is this month's rent okay?"
"Yeah, I've been lucky lately. I've won a lot. Don't worry."
Xia Xin went to the kitchen and began simmering the braised pork. After a while, he asked, "Ye Ye, do you think I can become a professional player?"
Children of the poor have to grow up early. Xia Ye is much more mature and independent-minded than he appears, so Xia Xin sometimes consults his advice.
"That's only natural. How could those concert singers possibly rival Brother Ge?"
However, Xia Ye's opinions were clearly biased when it came to Xia Xin himself, making them completely worthless.
"Why do you ask? Do you also want to stand on that stage, the center of attention, with everyone staring at you and looking up to you?"
"No, I met someone today who said there are more and more League of Legends tournaments now, and the prize money for regular tournaments is getting bigger and bigger. I asked around, and I heard the prize money for professional tournaments is in the millions."
"Oh, that's amazing! If it were you, Brother Ge, it would be a piece of cake."
Xia Xin smiled. "I hope so, too. But, after all, League of Legends is a five-player game, so it depends on your teammates."
"What are you afraid of? Brother Ge, just play like you always do, one against five."
"...Do you think that's some Bronze match we played for fun?"
As they were talking, there was a knock on the door. After Xia Xin said, "Come in," a graceful figure walked in. Her snow-white dress fluttered, and her beautiful face was expressionless.
"Wow, a cold-blooded priest!"
Xia Ye screamed in fear and ran into the kitchen, hiding behind Xia Xin.
"Um, what's up?" Xia Xin looked at him.
"I can't find the hangers for hanging clothes," Leng Xuetong's cold gaze swept across Xia Ye before looking at Xia Xin. "And there's a bucket for washing clothes."
Yes, Leng Xuetong, the school's most beautiful girl, lived next door to Xia Xin.
She was also the daughter of the landlord of the entire apartment Xia Xin rented.
To prevent rumors from spreading around the school, Xia Xin had promised Leng Xuetong that he would never tell anyone about this.
Of course, Uncle Liu, who lived nearby, knew about this. The two of them had gone to buy meat together, buying more at once for a cheaper price, which led to the misunderstanding.
Xia Xin smiled awkwardly, his mind flashing back to the fleeting glimpse he had last time. Then, seeing the pile of things thrown around, he blushed. "It's on the balcony. I've sorted it out. Wait a minute, I'll get it to you."
"Okay." Leng Xuetong glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, clearly remembering that night as well. She looked away a little embarrassedly.
Xia Xin handed her the bucket and casually asked, "Isn't Aunt Qin here? Why are you doing the laundry?"
Leng Xuetong was immediately displeased, her face darkening. "What do you mean? You're talking as if I've never washed clothes. I... did... wash clothes before."
Leng Xuetong trailed off as she spoke, feeling a little guilty.
Quickly changing the subject, she said, "My mom went to a class reunion. Seriously, she's in her forties, and she's still attending a class reunion."
"Oh, oh."
Xia Ye's excited voice echoed from the kitchen. "Wow, Brother Ge, it smells so good! The braised pork is ready. It's time to take it out of the pot. Hurry, add the ingredients! Get the cold-blooded priest out! The forbidden area will be tainted by the priest's foul aura. Let's eat."
Xia Xin smiled wryly and went into the kitchen to add the rock sugar.
Surprisingly, Leng Xuetong didn't leave in a hurry. Instead, she took small, hesitant steps toward the outside, her icy face a look of hesitation.
Xia Xin pondered for a moment, then guessed, "Well, Aunt Qin's out, so you probably haven't had dinner yet. Why don't you sit down and eat together? Uncle Liu sent an extra pound of meat today, and we can't finish it all."
Leng Xuetong puffed her cheeks slightly and said in a peevish tone, "Why, you want to bribe me?"
Xia Xin smiled. "Yeah, it's easy to beg for mercy. Maybe one day, when you're happy, you'll give me a rent reduction or something."
"Do you think you can bribe me with such a small favor? Well, I'm hungry, too. I'll deduct the food expenses from the rent."
Although Leng Xuetong was somewhat reluctant, she sat down in the chair.
Xia Ye's face grimaced, clutching the back of Xia Xin's clothes tightly, as if someone would snatch her away if she let go.
"Half-body, what nonsense are you talking about? Isn't our blood the cold-blooded priestess's dinner? She'll suck our blood dry."
"Don't worry, priestess don't suck blood, only vampires do. Go sit down on the chair."
"Wow, what if she drains all my magic power?"
"..."
Elsewhere, Shu Yuewu lay sprawled on the bed, her fingers tapping away on her laptop as she contacted Zhu Xiaoxuan on QQ.
"I sent you the video. How's it going? What's your brother's opinion of the captain?"