The Annoying One

"This... no rush, let's wait for Aunt Xian to come out, and we can discuss it properly," Chen's Mother said.

"Alright."

After hanging up, Ye Shuang took a deep breath, the cold air-conditioned air filling his nostrils with a slightly pungent chill.

Once he collected himself, he slowly returned to the dining table and sat down, feeling somewhat more at ease.

"Whose call was it?" Chen Qin asked while peeling shrimp, then piled them all into Ye Shuang's bowl.

Ye Shuang looked at the small mountain of shrimp in his bowl and picked a few pieces for Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke. "Aunt Chen mentioned something about dinner this weekend."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

At that moment, Ye Shuang noticed warmth against his palm. He looked up to see Bai Yuyou holding his hand, her voice soft as she asked, "Ye Shuang... unhappy?"

"Not at all," Ye Shuang replied with a smile, though inwardly surprised by how sharp her intuition was—he hadn’t said a word.

Chen Qin, resting her cheek on one hand, seemed to pick up on Ye Shuang’s subtle unease after Bai Yuyou’s question. But she didn’t press further, simply continuing to peel shrimp for him.

"You don’t have to peel for me, eat some yourself," Ye Shuang remarked.

"Then peel one for me."

"Fine." Since he wasn’t particularly hungry, Ye Shuang wiped his hands with a wet wipe and began peeling shrimp for the three girls.

But Chen Qin stopped eating after just a few bites. Noticing this, Ye Shuang asked, "Why aren’t you eating more?"

"My stomach’s been a bit off lately, so I’m eating light," Chen Qin said cheerfully, then added, "Plus, it’s good for losing weight~"

Ye Shuang glanced at her slender waist. "You’re already thin enough. Eat more."

Chen Qin had a naturally great figure, further enhanced by her regular gym workouts. The only place with any noticeable curves was her backside—Ye Shuang had once seen her in black yoga pants, and the sight was undeniably peach-like.

"Mmm~ If I could eat your cooking every day, I’d eat more," Chen Qin said, her eyes half-lidded as she flashed a bright smile, her tone carrying a hint of suggestion.

Ye Shuang sighed lightly. "I never said you couldn’t come over. Just let me know when you want to."

"You said it."

"Yeah."

"Then maybe I should just move in," Chen Qin ventured.

Ye Shuang looked at her. "If I recall, your office is pretty far from here. Won’t you be late for work?"

"Who cares about being late when you’re the boss?" Chen Qin shrugged. "At most, I’d just have to worry about meeting times."

"Up to you. I don’t mind." To Ye Shuang, taking care of one more person made little difference.

Besides, Bai Yuyou was gradually becoming more independent, which warmed his heart.

"Just kidding." Chen Qin laughed even brighter at how readily Ye Shuang agreed. "There are only two beds anyway. Unless I’m supposed to share with you?"

Bai Yuyou suddenly spoke up. "It’s... okay..."

"I usually sleep with Ye Shuang..."

"Enough space..."

The atmosphere instantly turned heavy, almost eerie. The girl’s innocent remark seemed to ignite something unspoken.

Tang Keke, sensing the tension, shrank into herself and focused on eating shrimp, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.

Yikes. Is Yuyou secretly a natural-born troublemaker?

"You two sleep together?" Chen Qin’s gaze locked onto Ye Shuang, as if demanding confirmation.

Ye Shuang nodded. "Yeah."

Chen Qin’s eyes welled up instantly. She stood abruptly, her diamond earrings swaying violently. "Did you two do it?!"

"Why... why her, when I—"

"We didn’t." Ye Shuang’s calm reply froze Chen Qin in place. She blinked, muttered an "Oh," and slowly sat back down.

"Do... what?" Bai Yuyou asked.

"It’s like a samurai duel. You’ll understand later," Ye Shuang said.

Bai Yuyou, recalling the onion-peeling incident from before, nodded thoughtfully around her chopsticks.

"It’s not as complicated as you think," Ye Shuang added to Chen Qin. "Yuyou’s understanding of many things is still stuck at an 8-year-old’s level. No need to overreact."

Chen Qin pouted, still sulky. "Whatever. She’s still a healthy 18-year-old girl—pretty, fair, and clean... Who knows when you might lose control?"

Ye Shuang sighed. "My morals won’t allow that. If I wanted to be a scumbag, I’d have done it long ago."

"I’m not listening." Though slightly mollified, Chen Qin huffed and turned away.

Why can’t I have a piece of this?

The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached.

Her eyes reddened again. As the eldest daughter of the Chen family, she’d never shed tears over grievances—yet now, for some reason, her nose stung unbearably.

Ye Shuang sighed inwardly. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted Chen Qin to find out.

But this was just who she was—even knowing he was a porcupine, she’d still reach out, despite fearing the pain.

"P-Peel me three shrimp... and I’ll... forgive you," Chen Qin sniffled, her voice trembling.

She then aggressively wiped her eyes with a tissue, looking for all the world like Ye Shuang had committed some unforgivable sin.

"Of course, Miss Chen." Ye Shuang resumed peeling shrimp for her.

Lately, I’ve been making girls cry way too often.

Still, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried to dissuade Chen Qin. But she’d made it clear—short of death, she wasn’t giving up.

Ye Shuang had thought about a future with her—seriously, in fact. But his emotions were too tangled now. If he couldn’t offer his whole heart, being with Chen Qin would only be unfair to her. He simply didn’t deserve the blazing intensity of her love.

After the minor drama, it was time for Tang Keke to head home. Since her apartment complex was just behind theirs, she didn’t need an escort. With a quick goodbye, she dashed off.

So Ye Shuang and Chen Qin headed down to the underground garage together.

"Look, your makeup’s smudged," Ye Shuang remarked in the elevator, eyeing Chen Qin’s reddened nose.

"Not letting you see..." Chen Qin mumbled, turning away.

She never wore makeup at work—her natural beauty was more than enough. But for Ye Shuang, she always put in extra effort. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her with ruined makeup.

When they reached the third basement level, Ye Shuang paused to watch Chen Qin walk to her car—but she suddenly stopped too.

"What’s wrong?"

"I think one of the gems fell off my earring," Chen Qin said. "Can you check?"

"Gemstone? Did a diamond fall off?" Ye Shuang walked over, just about to check which diamond was missing from her earring when a sudden wave of fragrant breeze swept by. Chen Qin abruptly turned her head and kissed him.

Feeling the jelly-like softness against his lips, Ye Shuang froze for a moment. By the time he processed what had happened, she had already pulled back, stepping away with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Hmph, you jerk." Chen Qin's cheeks were now flushed crimson. She stuck out her tongue mischievously before slipping into the car.