"You bastard!"
As soon as Ye Qiu finished speaking, Ning Rongrong sat up and punched him.
She glared at him angrily.
So all those emotional feelings just now were for nothing?
She had actually been touched for so long!
Just thinking about it made her teeth itch.
"You're so annoying!"
"Hey! You promised you wouldn't hit me!" Ye Qiu said, holding his stomach and smiling bitterly.
"Hmph! Be grateful I didn't push you off the roof!" she snapped, her brows raised sharply.
"Well… I can taste it again for you later," Ye Qiu muttered.
Then he remembered the taste.
His face changed instantly.
"Of course… only if it's not that bad."
"Hmph! It wasn't that terrible!" Ning Rongrong said stubbornly.
"Did you even try it yourself?" Ye Qiu asked.
"I… I didn't dare," she admitted, turning her head away and blushing.
Ye Qiu was speechless.
Then he frowned.
"Then why did you force Xiaolan to eat it?"
"I didn't!" she argued. "She wanted to eat it first! She kept asking about the feast reward! She took the reward but didn't finish it, so I made her!"
Her face turned red as she clenched her fists.
That foodie Xiaolan dared to blame her!
Ye Qiu froze.
Maybe Xiaolan didn't expect it to taste so bad at first.
And what he ate was already an improved version…
He didn't even want to imagine how bad the first version was.
Thinking about the black soot on Xiaolan's lips earlier, he could guess how "explosive" it tasted.
Ye Qiu sighed.
He suddenly remembered Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo fighting to praise the food.
Those two were real heroes.
Ning Rongrong suddenly stood up.
Her long hair and nightdress moved with the wind, and a faint fragrance drifted toward Ye Qiu.
"Hmph! Enough talking. It's way past my beauty sleep time!"
She covered her slightly red face, then stretched her arms toward the moon.
But the corner of her eye was secretly watching Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu stood up too.
"I should go back. I have to go to Tiandou Imperial Academy early tomorrow."
"Ye Qiu!"
She stopped him just as he was about to leave.
He turned around—
And suddenly she hugged him.
Her body was warm, and he could smell a soft floral scent—maybe wine, maybe her natural fragrance.
"Thank you for talking with me," she said gently, resting her head on his shoulder.
"It's nothing. You were talking with me too," Ye Qiu replied.
He was just about to gently push her away—
But she suddenly lifted her head and stared at him closely.
"Why aren't you blushing?"
"Huh?" Ye Qiu looked confused.
"Xiaolan said every time Zhuqing hugs you, you blush. Why not now? Am I not good enough?"
She straightened her posture and looked at him angrily.
Ye Qiu instinctively glanced downward for a second.
That was a mistake.
"You bastard!"
She noticed his reaction immediately and moved even closer.
Her face was inches from his. He could feel her breath on his skin.
For a moment, Ye Qiu finally felt heat rush to his face.
"I— Xiaolan just talks nonsense—"
Before he could finish, she pushed him.
Boom!
Ye Qiu fell straight into the flowerbed below.
"Blushing now? Too late! Hmph!"
She stood above him with her hands on her hips, looking very satisfied.
"Thank you for your advice. I've decided—I will become a proper young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School!"
After saying that, she turned around proudly.
Ye Qiu was still lying among the flowers, staring at the roof.
His nose felt a little warm.
"She really should wear longer pants…" he muttered.
"What?!"
A wine glass flew down and hit him.
"You shameless rascal!"
Ning Rongrong was standing under the gazebo, her face completely red.
She had heard every word.
Originally, she wanted to help him up.
Now she just wanted to kick him again.
Tightening her nightgown, she hurried back to her room.
Ye Qiu lay there, smelling the flowers and looking at the moon.
"Hehe… Xiaolan!!"
He gritted his teeth.
That little loudmouth!
With a thought, blue silver grass wrapped around his body, glowing softly.
The small scratches on him healed quickly.
After stretching his body, he walked quietly toward Xiaolan's room.
He opened the door softly.
Moonlight stretched his shadow across the floor and onto Xiaolan's bed.
She was sleeping peacefully, drool at the corner of her mouth, probably dreaming about food again.
Ye Qiu reached out and gently pinched her soft cheeks.
"Mmm…"
She frowned in her sleep, eyes watering slightly.
"Xiaolan~ Wake up."
She slowly opened her eyes.
"Brother~"
Her sleepy blue eyes looked innocent and harmless.
Ye Qiu's heart softened instantly.
"Yawn~ Brother… what's wrong? I'm sleepy…"
"It's nothing. Just wanted to wake you up. Go back to sleep."
He gently patted her head and left the room.
Xiaolan stared at the door blankly.
A few seconds later—
Her face fell.
Tears gathered in her eyes.
"Stupid brother! You're bullying Xiaolan!"
-------------------------
The Next Morning
At dawn, Ye Qiu woke early to practice the Purple Demon Eyes.
When he opened the door, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
The opposite door was open.
Ning Rongrong was already awake, sitting in the gazebo in her nightdress.
"Miss Rongrong, good morning," Ye Qiu greeted.
"Morning," she replied sleepily.
"Why are you up so early today?" he asked.
"Hmph! I said yesterday I want to become a qualified young lady!"
She yawned, looking tired.
Ye Qiu looked at her strangely.
"You're still young. The most important thing is to focus on cultivation."
"Oh? Really?" she asked with exaggerated surprise, then nodded seriously.
"Of course," Ye Qiu said confidently.
Suddenly—
"Pfft~ Hahaha! Do I look strange to you?"
She laughed playfully and walked toward him.
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