Hearing Lin Yu's words, Chi Qingshui's eyes instantly lit up.
That tone of voice—
Didn't it imply a chance for reconciliation?
Chi Qingshui could no longer cling to her pride or aloofness. She quickly followed Lin Yu's lead and continued:
"It's true! You might have been too far away to hear me clearly at the time."
"I really did say that, and I said it firmly, without any hesitation."
"I thought to myself, since those guys probably saw us together anyway..."
"But they shouldn’t go around spreading rumors. Causing trouble would only backfire on them."
"Oh, and Lin Yu, I also want to thank you for stepping in when they tried to snatch my phone."
"I saw it! I know it was you who threw that stone to help me out..."
"So, let’s not let them ruin our mood anymore, okay?"
By the end, Chi Qingshui couldn’t help but lower her head.
No matter how you looked at it,
Lin Yu was innocent in this whole mess.
They had all been in such high spirits, going out together to take photos,
only for a few shameless jerks to ruin everything.
Lin Yu turned to face Chi Qingshui directly,
opening his arms in response:
"Of course! If you’re in trouble, who else would help you if not me?"
"Honestly, I already knew you must’ve clarified things with Shi Yanhai earlier."
"You just got caught up in the heat of the moment and couldn’t control your emotions."
"I’m sorry for taking my frustration out on you."
Chi Qingshui shook her head repeatedly, her cheeks puffing up as her eyes reddened.
Like an obedient kitten, she quickly buried herself in Lin Yu’s embrace,
holding him tightly while still shaking her head.
"No, no... It’s not your fault, not your fault at all..."
Listening to his flustered little girlfriend,
Lin Yu could tell her reaction stemmed from how much she cared.
So, she hadn’t blamed him for getting angry—
she just wanted to clear things up as soon as possible and move past it.
With one hand holding their belongings and the other gently stroking her hair,
Lin Yu murmured,
"Such a happy day shouldn’t be spoiled by tears."
"Seeing you cry breaks my heart."
"Alright, alright, it’s over now. Consider this our first little fight after getting together."
"Couples argue all the time—don’t dwell on it."
Chi Qingshui nuzzled against him, quickly wiping away the few tears that had escaped.
Only after composing herself did she lift her head, gazing tenderly into Lin Yu’s eyes:
"Really? It’s really over, right?"
"Then from now on, neither of us brings it up again—no holding grudges!"
With that,
she raised her right hand, sticking out just her pinky finger in the classic "pinky promise" gesture.
Lin Yu hooked his pinky with hers, both chanting the nostalgic childhood rhyme,
and sealed it with a "stamp" to affirm their vow.
"Convinced now? I’m a very forgiving person."
"If things don’t work out between us... maybe look inward for the reason."
Chi Qingshui couldn’t help but laugh, giving him a light smack.
Lin Yu seized her hand, pressing her against the door as he "sealed" the resolution of their little spat—
with a domineering, lingering kiss that finally chased away the last of the gloom in Chi Qingshui’s heart.
By the time they returned to the dining table, everyone else had already taken their seats.
But Aunt Qimeng was nowhere to be seen.
It didn’t take a genius to guess she’d stepped out early to greet someone.
Playing dumb, Lin Yu asked the group,
"Where’s Aunt Qimeng? Did she go out?"
Huang Feirong, leaning against Shen Buyao, countered with curiosity:
"Lin Yu, is there some special guest coming today?"
"Aunt Qimeng said she’s going to meet someone and will be right back."
"If it were just one of the girls from the apartment, she wouldn’t make such a big deal of it, right?"
Lin Yu almost wanted to give Huang Feirong a thumbs-up.
When it came to smooth segues, the queen of risqué humor never disappointed!
Scratching his head, Lin Yu feigned ignorance:
"Really? Aunt Qimeng didn’t mention anything..."
"Let’s chat for now. I’ll go check if there really is another guest."
But before he could take a step,
Lin Yu froze in place.
Seemed like there was no need—
He could clearly hear a series of footsteps approaching the apartment’s entrance,
along with Aunt Qimeng’s unmistakably delighted chatter.
Clang!
The apartment door swung open.
Everyone at the table stood and turned to look.
Those who hadn’t met the Xia Sisters were especially eager to catch a glimpse
of the legendary young heiresses.
Yet, the woman who entered alongside Chen Qimeng, leading the group,
was an elegant, ageless "beautiful lady" radiating sophistication.
If not for her mature, figure-hugging crimson dress, her true age would’ve been impossible to guess.
Lin Yu fixed his gaze on the woman, forcing himself to stay sharp.
She’s finally here...
Du Ruxue!
The woman he’d encountered countless times online, in virtual worlds, even in dreams—
had now shattered the barrier between realms and stood before him in the flesh.
The moment Du Ruxue appeared,
the girls in the apartment erupted into murmurs...
Chang Xiaoxiao: "Ruirui-jie, is this the nurse’s sister from the apartment? She’s so gorgeous!"
Mao Ruirui: "Such an elegant older sister! I’ve never met her before either!"
Fang Xinran: "She gives off such a wealthy vibe—so bold with her fashion. I feel like a country bumpkin next to her."
Chi Qingchi: "Wow! She looks straight out of a manga—a CEO heroine! Who is this... sister? Aunt?"
Huang Feirong: "Who is she? Isn’t she the nurse’s sister?"
Shen Buyao: "Nope! First time seeing her too, but definitely not!"
Shen Jiuyi: "A new character enters the stage? Seems like she’s close with Aunt Qimeng."
"..."
Guided by Chen Qimeng, Du Ruxue gracefully approached the group.
Chen Qimeng announced cheerfully:
"Ruxue, let me introduce everyone to you, starting from this side—"
Before she could finish,
Du Ruxue raised a hand, smiling.
"Qimeng, how about letting me guess first?"
"Weiwei told me so much about everyone here on the way over. Let’s see if I get it right!"
...
(Extra chapter delivered! More to come tomorrow—thanks for all the support! The audiobook version is also out now with several new chapters. Feel free to give it a listen if you’re interested.)
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
spital. Good news: I've bound a system. Bad news: I'm still a baby. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the middle-aged for being poor — Divorce Comeback System." "Your marriage may have failed, but your luck in love has never run dry. Your childhood sweetheart, out of contact for twenty years, reappears. Her beauty remains, yet her eyes are brimming with tears." [Listen to the childhood sweetheart's sorrowful story.] Chen Zhi looked down at the diaper he was wearing, then at the little childhood sweetheart crying her heart out beside him, and fell into deep thought. Can anyone relate? I'm having a midlife crisis at an age where even rolling over is a struggle.
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
