Xiaochi's Request, I'll Indulge You This Once

Chi Qingshui: "!!!"

Hearing her younger sister mention Lin Yu's name, Chi Qingshui's heart leaped into her throat.

Stay calm.

The trickier the situation, the more composure she needed.

Lin Yu was right—with Chi Qingchi's sharp intuition, even the slightest hint of something off would catch her attention.

But this "Little Lin" here...

Was currently launching a full-scale assault on her jeans' button!

How could she possibly stay calm?!

"You mean Lin Yu? Yeah, he came along too."

"He’s not with me right now, probably went to the square to... buy milk tea or something?"

"Eek!!"

A startled cry escaped her lips before she could stop it.

As Lin Yu worked with practiced ease, a tingling chill spread through Chi Qingshui’s entire body.

She quickly covered her mouth and burrowed deeper under the blanket.

"Sis, what’s wrong?"

Chi Qingchi’s puzzled voice came through the phone.

Chi Qingshui released her hand from her mouth and gulped down a breath of air:

"A—a cockroach!"

"Can you believe it? This KFC at the Wanda Plaza is so filthy—cockroaches crawling everywhere!"

A few seconds of silence followed on the other end of the call.

Chi Qingshui’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point.

Did she notice?

Was the excuse too flimsy?

Coming up with a cover story in this situation was hard enough as it was.

Especially when...

Chi Qingshui stole another glance at Lin Yu.

Oh my god!

The Emperor’s New Clothes?!

Lin Yu... what exactly are you trying to do here...

Fortunately, after the brief pause, Chi Qingchi’s voice returned:

"Ew!!"

"Cockroaches? The fast, skittering kind that dart all over the place?"

"Be careful, sis! Don’t let it touch you!"

Chi Qingshui: "Of course, I... dodged it."

The imaginary cockroach was dodged.

But how was she supposed to avoid the one currently wriggling right in front of her?

Watching the undulating blanket and Lin Yu hidden beneath it, Chi Qingshui bit down on her finger, not daring to move an inch.

One wrong twitch, and she might accidentally brush against... something!

"Well, if Lin Yu’s not around, I’ll just call him myself."

Hearing this, Chi Qingshui immediately panicked:

"Call him? What do you need him for?"

"Don’t tell me you’re asking him to bring food back again!"

Chi Qingchi giggled mischievously over the phone:

"Hehe, you could always get it for me instead, sis."

"But I figured you’d say no if I asked you directly!"

Chi Qingshui: "..."

Fair point.

Under normal circumstances, she absolutely would’ve refused.

But right now...

She couldn’t let Chi Qingchi call Lin Yu!

"Ugh, fine. Stop bothering other people all the time."

"What do you want? Spit it out."

Chi Qingshui’s uncharacteristic compliance was met with stunned excitement:

"Really?! Sis, you’re the best!!"

I want fries, a corn cup, and a New Orleans grilled chicken burger...

"...That’s it!"

Chi Qingshui: "???"

Give her an inch, and she’d take a mile!

She actually rattled off a whole list!

Now wasn’t the time to scold her sister, though.

She herself... was being "scolded" in another way...

Chi Qingshui: "You’ll burst! Fine, just this once. I’ll grab it for you after the rain stops."

Chi Qingchi: "Yay! Repeat my order back to me, sis. Don’t forget anything!"

Chi Qingshui: "..."

Chi Qingchi: "..."

Chi Qingshui: "Like hell I’ll repeat it! I remember!"

Chi Qingchi: "Okay, okay."

......

Meanwhile.

At a shopping mall in Pingchuan, an event venue.

The lively event had wrapped up some time ago.

Staff were dismantling the temporary stage.

Chi Qingchi, dressed in a blue-and-white lolita dress, sat by a floor-to-ceiling window.

Holding her phone, she watched the unrelenting rain outside and murmured:

"Sis, do you remember our childhood 'Sailor Moon' doll?"

Over the phone, Chi Qingshui sounded puzzled:

"Of course. Why bring that up now? Didn’t you lose it at the park?"

Chi Qingchi traced the raindrops on the glass with her finger, drawing erratic lines.

"Yeah... It was our favorite toy."

"You were so mad at me back then. I cried for ages."

Her sister’s tone softened:

"Hey... Qingchi, what’s wrong?"

"Did something upset you at the club event?"

A droplet merged with another on the glass, blooming like a flower under her fingertip.

Chi Qingchi straightened up, her voice tinged with melancholy:

"Nah, the event was fun."

"Maybe it’s the rain, but I suddenly felt... empty inside."

"Just wanted my big sis to comfort me, hehe!"

"Feeling better now. Gonna go browse accessories!"

"Bye, sis~"

After hanging up, Chi Qingchi rubbed her temples.

For some reason...

This mood reminded her vividly of losing that Sailor Moon doll all those years ago.

......

Back in the hotel room.

"Lin Yu! You just—"

Before Chi Qingshui could finish, Lin Yu silenced her with a kiss.

"Lin Yu, what are you— Mmph!"

A second interruption.

"Hah... at least let me put on—"

A third.

Chi Qingshui: "..."

When Lin Yu moved in for a fourth attempt, she finally wisened up—clamping her mouth shut.

Her hands, however, weren’t idle, reaching for her discarded denim shorts.

Too bad her intentions were obvious, and her sluggish movements gave her away.

Lin Yu caught her wrist mid-reach.

"Qingshui, listen to me first..."

That opening line again.

She’d heard it multiple times now.

And each instance had led to increasingly perilous situations.

Yet when she met Lin Yu’s earnest, affectionate gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to say "I won’t listen."

"Fine... but no unreasonable demands."

"What you did earlier was already too much! Taking advantage while I was on the— Ah!"

Chi Qingshui yanked the blanket tightly around herself.

Though Lin Yu was still under it, she’d drawn a rigid boundary between them.

Amused by her antics, Lin Yu bit back a laugh.

As if she hadn’t already seen—and touched—everything.

But these things were only meaningful when both parties were willing.

"Qingshui, we’ve tiptoed around each other online for so long, never meeting face-to-face."

"I don’t blame you. You’ve got your pride, your peaceful life you don’t want disrupted—I get that."

"Even now that we’re together, it still feels like a dream. Like... you might vanish any second."

"But even if it is a dream... so be it."

"I’m happy to stay asleep. I want to... make this dream feel real."

"At least right now, you’re mine, and I’m yours."

"So... can I hold you?"

......

(First update today. More to come tonight—striving to update frequently. Thanks for your support!)