Sir, Which One of Me Looks Better

The room was empty and silent, the light dim.

Though the space was quite small,

the stillness made it feel vast.

Only the faint sound of breathing and the barely perceptible heartbeat echoed in the quiet.

The girl was sleeping soundly, her face resting on her arm as she lay on the dark brown desk, occasionally murmuring indistinctly.

"Whoosh—"

A breeze suddenly rushed into the room through the door Xu Xi had pushed open.

The wind was gentle,

like a soft caress.

It rustled the pages of papers and swayed the strands of hair on the girl's forehead.

Amid the harmony of wind and paper, the girl's face was revealed—a serene sleeping face, her eyes lightly closed, her nose twitching slightly, like a night flower quietly blooming.

"Is this..."

"Did she fall asleep from exhaustion?"

Xu Xi stood at the doorway.

He first glanced at the sleeping Wu Yingxue, then at the piles of official documents on the desk, easily piecing together what had happened.

For some reason, Xu Xi felt like laughing.

Had the girl come to help, or just to find a new place to sleep?

"Let her sleep a little longer..."

The girl's sleeping face was so peaceful that Xu Xi couldn't bear to disturb her.

He took a step back, planning to wait until she woke up before presenting her with the greasy, succulent chicken drumstick, wanting the tired girl to rest a little more.

But the next moment,

the sleeping girl woke up on her own.

"Sir?"

Wu Yingxue's consciousness wasn't fully awake yet. She groggily lifted her head, rubbing her eyes several times with the back of her hand before she could clearly see Xu Xi standing at the doorway.

Her hazy eyes instantly brightened.

"Sir, you're finally back!"

She exclaimed with delight.

Then, realizing she had fallen asleep, Wu Yingxue's expression turned awkward.

Her index fingers poked at each other,

and she avoided meeting Xu Xi's gaze.

She claimed she had accidentally dozed off and that she wasn't usually this lazy.

Her cautious demeanor amused Xu Xi: "It's fine. If you're tired, sleep more. There's nothing shameful about it."

Hearing this, the girl immediately relaxed.

Her lively eyes turned to Xu Xi, noticing something she had overlooked in her earlier nervousness.

"A chicken drumstick? Sir, why did you bring this?"

Xu Xi walked into the room.

Under the girl's surprised gaze, he pushed the drumstick toward her: "It's the New Year. We should eat something good. I had some chickens slaughtered, and this drumstick is for you."

"Wow~~~"

The girl's eyes instantly curved into crescent moons.

Eating demon beast meat for a long time

was a painful experience.

Not only did one have to endure the poor texture of the meat, but also its sour, fishy taste.

Now, with a greasy, normal chicken drumstick in front of her, the girl felt her stomach growling uncontrollably.

"Sir, you should have it instead."

After reluctantly glancing at the drumstick,

Wu Yingxue chose not to eat it and pushed it back toward Xu Xi.

"Why?" Xu Xi asked.

"Sir, you work harder than I do. Not only do you have to worry about everyone's food and shelter, but you also often work late into the night. I can't take this meat!"

Wu Yingxue's voice was firm as she shook her head at Xu Xi.

Xu Xi smiled in response: "Don't worry, I've already eaten. Everyone else has rice porridge. This is your portion."

"Sir, you're not lying to me, are you?"

"Of course not."

Xu Xi pointed to his mouth.

He had taken a bite of the drumstick earlier.

Though it wasn't much, he had indeed eaten some, so it wasn't a lie.

"Hehe, then I won't hold back!"

The girl was simple and trusted Xu Xi completely. She chuckled, reaching out to grab the greasy drumstick and taking a big bite.

Her eating style was bold and unrestrained.

Yet her appearance was delicate and beautiful.

The combination of the two created a striking contrast on Wu Yingxue.

"Yingxue, what's with this outfit..."

Xu Xi's eyes swept over her, taking in the light green dress with surprise.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Hearing Xu Xi's words,

the girl suddenly started coughing. She belatedly remembered that she had changed into this outfit today, not her usual red-and-white martial attire.

Instinctively,

her eating became more refined.

She took small bites, chewing slowly before swallowing.

Though the sight of her holding the drumstick with grease-covered hands was still somewhat outrageous, it was a marked improvement from before.

"It's nothing really... just, um,

my old clothes were a bit torn, so I changed into this for the New Year..."

The girl laughed awkwardly as she explained.

"I see," Xu Xi said, examining Wu Yingxue's new look.

It was somewhat unexpected.

In the past, Wu Yingxue had always given the impression of a carefree, bold martial artist, far from the image of a refined lady.

But today,

seeing the girl in a dress,

Xu Xi thought she looked quite beautiful.

He sincerely complimented her: "You look lovely."

The girl's furrowed brows relaxed into a smile: "Really, sir?"

"Yes, really."

"Then... which version of me do you prefer? The usual me, or today's me?"

Wu Yingxue asked curiously.

She wondered whether Xu Xi liked her usual bold self or today's more reserved version.

Under Wu Yingxue's gaze, Xu Xi pondered for a moment.

Finally, he shook his head.

"I can't decide. I think you look great in both."

Xu Xi's voice was filled with genuine admiration. He wasn't just being polite—it was the truth.

If you took the two outfits separately,

neither the red-and-white martial attire nor the plain green dress was particularly striking.

It was the girl's own charm that made both outfits stand out.

In the end, Xu Xi said: "I'm sorry, I really can't choose."

"It's fine, it's fine. I was just asking casually. Don't worry about it, sir."

The girl seemed even happier.

She giggled as she gnawed on the drumstick, her pace quickening. Before long, the entire drumstick was gone.

The drumstick wasn't heavily seasoned,

but the aroma of the grease and the texture of the chicken

left the girl wanting more.

"Sir, this drumstick was delicious," Wu Yingxue said as she put down the bone, her lips glistening with grease.

"I'm glad you liked it. There will be more chances to eat it in the future," Xu Xi said, stepping forward to wipe the girl's face with a damp cloth.

Then,

he took her equally greasy hand,

carefully cleaning it, removing every trace of oil from her fingers.

The chicken bone,

the girl with grease around her mouth,

and the small room

together formed a peaceful and heartwarming scene.

Afterward, Xu Xi began handling official duties. Though it was New Year's Eve, there wasn't much to do or play in the city, so it was better to continue planning for the coming year's "struggle for survival."

Along with martial arts training and future techniques.

"Sir, let me help you," Wu Yingxue said after finishing the drumstick. She didn't leave but stayed in the room to help Xu Xi manage the heavy workload.