You don't like me, do you

Before leaving the room, Ye Chuan reminded Bai Qianshuang not to say anything inappropriate later.

Luo Xi had already set the table with bowls and chopsticks. When she saw Bai Qianshuang emerge from the room, she flashed a sweet smile. "Hello, I'm Luo Xi."

Bai Qianshuang nodded and instinctively replied, "This one is of the Jade Void—"

Ahem!

She awkwardly cut herself off, catching Ye Chuan’s pointed look before calmly correcting, "Bai Qianshuang."

Ye Chuan exhaled in relief.

Bai Qianshuang remained expressionless, though a single stubborn strand of hair stuck straight up—at least she hadn’t messed up.

I’m sharp as a tack, not dumb at all.

Luo Xi didn’t seem bothered by Bai Qianshuang’s demeanor and invited her to sit. The three of them began their meal.

"Chuan, look—the Taekwondo Club is deliberately hyping this up. Why don’t you just skip this week?" Luo Xi handed her phone to Ye Chuan. Ever since his post responding to Rat Huang (Huang Haotian), the guy had been fuming all night, relentlessly stirring up drama around their duel.

And it wasn’t just the Taekwondo Club members paying attention. Nearly every student who frequented the campus forum was tuned in. Between the club’s president and several members getting ambushed and defeated by one person, and Ye Chuan’s cocky retorts—this was pure entertainment.

Rumor had it the school newspaper was already drafting an article.

Silver Mountain Academy covered grades from elementary through university, so the buzz had easily reached over ten thousand people.

"Skip this week?" Ye Chuan chuckled, then said to Luo Xi, "Actually, I know immortal arts—sword flight, spellcasting. Dealing with a Rat Huang would be a breeze."

Bai Qianshuang stiffened. Wasn’t he worried about exposing her?

Luo Xi, however, just rolled her eyes. "Oh please, and I can do magic too."

Of course, Luo Xi didn’t believe a word of it. Bai Qianshuang, hearing their exchange, chose to focus on her meal in silence. She sipped her soup delicately, finishing it long before their conversation ended.

She stood to refill her rice bowl, then sat back down. Luo Xi, curious, asked, "Miss Bai, why did you choose to rent here?"

The question left Bai Qianshuang at a loss.

Why here?

She’d woken up here without any say in the matter. She hadn’t even learned how to survive in this world yet.

Though she had mastered eating.

But it wasn’t her fault—Bai Qianshuang needed food to sustain herself, a stopgap since she couldn’t absorb spiritual energy here.

It’s not like I’m greedy or anything.

That’s what she told herself.

Seeing Luo Xi’s question hang in the air, Ye Chuan chimed in, "Obviously because my place is great, right, Miss Bai?"

"Mn." Bai Qianshuang caught Ye Chuan’s pointed look and nodded at Luo Xi.

Great?

Luo Xi bit back her words, not wanting to sour Bai Qianshuang’s impression—after all, tenants were hard to come by.

She didn’t want to ruin Ye Chuan’s rare income stream.

The air grew quiet for a moment.

Bai Qianshuang sensed the odd tension. Noticing Luo Xi’s conflicted expression, she decided she ought to say something nice about Ye Chuan.

After a pause, she murmured softly,

"Ye Chuan has been very kind to me, helping me a lot. So I must stay to repay him."

"Even becoming his wife would be acceptable."

The statement left both Luo Xi and Ye Chuan stunned.

Who taught you to say things like that?!

"Oh… I see, that explains it…" Luo Xi forced a smile, though it looked strained. Still, her confusion finally made sense.

This girl was clearly head over heels for Ye Chuan!

She even wanted to marry him!

"Ahem, Chuan’s broke, and his personality’s awful. He’s tricked tons of girls just for free meals—Miss Bai, maybe you should reconsider?" Luo Xi said sweetly.

Ye Chuan: "?"

Since when did you start badmouthing me?

"Ye Chuan is good," Bai Qianshuang immediately countered, her tone serious.

"He’s not~"

"He is."

"No!" Luo Xi’s voice rose abruptly, but under their stares, she shrank back, coughing lightly. "Miss Bai, you should really think carefully. Chuan’s a total heartbreaker."

Bai Qianshuang frowned. "If you’re his friend, why slander him?"

Luo Xi faltered. "I—I’m not slandering him! I’m just… giving you a heads-up! It’s not like I’m scared you’ll steal—I mean, no, I’m just… As his dad, it’s my job to, y’know, keep him from doing bad stuff…"

She devolved into incoherent mumbling before finally ducking her head to slurp fish soup in silence.

"I’ll judge Ye Chuan’s character myself," Bai Qianshuang said flatly.

"…Okay." Luo Xi nodded, though she found Bai Qianshuang’s archaic speech odd.

Ye Chuan studied Luo Xi, puzzled by her reaction. Back when he’d dated other girls, she’d always been chill—even giving him bro-like encouragement and pestering him for gossip.

So why was Luo Xi acting like a cat with its tail stepped on just because Bai Qianshuang praised him?

The rest of the meal passed with Bai Qianshuang clearing every dish on the table, even polishing off the entire pot of rice.

"Wow, Miss Bai’s appetite is… impressive?" Luo Xi whispered to Ye Chuan.

"Nothing wrong with a healthy appetite," Ye Chuan grinned. Keeping Bai Qianshuang well-fed was a priority.

The way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach, after all.

Hearing Ye Chuan’s cheerful remark, Luo Xi’s eyes flickered. She straightened slightly. "Chuan, I’ll go wash the dishes."

"I’ll help."

"No need. Keep Miss Bai company."

"…Huh?" Ye Chuan crossed his arms, catching the hint of dejection in her voice. "Wait, do you like me or something? Why do I smell vinegar?"

"Ugh, narcissist." Luo Xi wrinkled her nose in exaggerated disgust. "I just don’t want to see a nice girl get hurt by you."

"Sure." Just then, Ye Chuan’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out to check—

[New item related to Bai Qianshuang acquired. Retrieve now?]

He stashed it in his inventory for a look.

It was another pill.

[Item: Marrow-Cleansing Pill

Effect: Expels impurities, reforges the body.]