Presenting flowers in public Then make a gift of what one receives from another (Bonus update)

In Lin Yu's life plan,

"Showing off in front of classmates" was never part of the agenda.

After graduation, 90% of his classmates would drift apart, never crossing paths again.

Wasting time on such things seemed utterly pointless.

Yet, as Lin Yu basked in the thunderous applause around him,

a tiny flicker of vanity swelled in his chest, filling him with unexpected satisfaction.

This was an experience his past self had never known—

especially seeing the forced claps from the members of the Blazing Sea Demon Crew.

The sheer pettiness of it made his heart soar!

Lin Yu pressed his palms together, fingertips touching his nose,

and bowed humbly—not once, not twice, but several times.

Three bows would’ve been… suspicious.

Little Chi reacted similarly, thanking the cheering crowd profusely.

Chi Qingshui stood proudly nearby, clapping for Lin Yu and her sister with a warm smile—

until it froze abruptly on her face.

Lv Rou, who’d just messaged Chi Qingshui moments ago, came skipping over with a grin,

holding out a pink rose to Lin Yu.

"This flower is for the white moonlight in my heart—my darling Kaneki!"

"Lin Yu, your cosplay was spot-on!"

"It’s a prop leftover from our shoot yesterday. Consider it a tribute to Kaneki."

"Everyone gave applause—how could we skip the flowers?"

Lin Yu stared at the rose, inwardly marveling.

Damn. Impressive.

Only Sister Rou could pull this off!

Her flawless delivery left no room for refusal.

How could he say no?

The flower wasn’t for him—it was for "Kaneki," the character he’d cosplayed.

Rejecting it wouldn’t just be rude; it’d humiliate Lv Rou in front of everyone.

He’d look like a socially inept fool.

But accepting it?

That’d give Big Chi (Chi Qingshui) ammo to tease him later.

He could already hear her sarcastic jabs in his head.

After a mental debate lasting seconds, Lin Yu nodded graciously and took the rose.

The moment it touched his hand, the crowd erupted into playful jeers,

dragging up their past roleplay assignments to tease the pair.

"Oho~ Is the General’s Wife making her move IRL?"

"Idiot, ‘mistresses’ ‘make moves’—this is just PDA!"

"Hah! Should’ve brought flowers to the shoot yesterday, Madame General!"

"Who says she didn’t? You think they’d report bedroom affairs to you?"

"HAHAHAHA!"

"......"

The room buzzed with laughter.

Though Lv Rou scolded the jokers playfully,

her flushed face looked more like getting caught than denial.

This level of finesse? Most couldn’t hope to match her.

Chi Qingshui could only force an awkward smile, powerless to retort.

The whole scene had nothing to do with her—she had no place to intervene.

Besides,

her relationship with Lin Yu was still underground. She wasn’t ready to go public yet.

As the noise died down, Lin Yu finally spoke up:

"Alright, alright, settle down! I’m not even in the anime club—

I just helped Little Chi out at the con. Never expected to win anything."

"A talented horse is common, but a discerning judge? Rare."

"This flower belongs to my judge—Little Chi!"

"Sorry, Lv Rou—borrowing your gift to honor Buddha!"

With that, he handed the rose to Little Chi,

his gaze briefly locking with Chi Qingshui’s.

[Ding!]

[Masterstroke! The Saint’s "borrowed flower" move earns his Dao Companion’s silent praise!]

[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]

Their eyes spoke volumes:

Chi Qingshui’s smirk said: Hmph. Smooth talker.

Lin Yu’s shrug replied: Her idea, not mine~

The move seemed simple,

but it sent a clear-yet-subtle message to the class:

He and Lv Rou aren’t a thing.

If they were, why would he give her gift to another girl?

Suddenly, Little Chi’s feelings seemed more important than Lv Rou’s.

The subtext screamed:

Little Chi > Lv Rou!

This was just a joke—don’t read into it.

Lv Rou, of course, felt the sting firsthand.

But for now, all she could do was smile.

Yet Lin Yu miscalculated one thing:

Little Chi’s reaction.

[Ding!]

[Masterstroke! The Saint’s public flower-giving sends the Joyous Sect Bell Envoy’s heart racing!]

[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]

Little Chi accepted the rose without Lin Yu’s reservations—

but that didn’t mean she lacked thoughts of her own.

Lately, she’d spent a lot of time with Lin Yu, even weathering "adversity" together.

His presence in her mind had grown… vivid.

She’d always suspected something between him and her sister.

But after dreaming of him repeatedly,

a wild idea took root:

What if Lin Yu’s closeness to Sister is just… to get closer to me?

With that mindset, his rose gesture hit differently.

If Lin Yu confessed to her in real life…

She might actually be… happy?

The only problem?

If Sister found out, their parents would too!

Living under the same roof, how could they hide it?

She couldn’t even stash a manga properly—how would she hide a whole boyfriend?

Speaking of manga—

Little Chi’s mind flashed to last night’s horror.

Drunk Chi Qingshui had been terrifying.

She’d dragged Little Chi to her room,

flipped through the hidden manga page by page,

scolding every panel, twisting her ear every two pages—

traumatizing her thoroughly!

Not only was the manga confiscated,

but a surprise inspection uncovered two more.

One she’d hidden for ages, waiting for the perfect time to savor.

Now? Gone before she’d even read it.

Thunk!

A knock on her head snapped her back.

Chi Qingshui glared.

"Quit daydreaming. Sit down. What’s on your mind?"

Little Chi rubbed her head.

"Uh… just thinking about lunch."

......

(Update delivered! More battles tomorrow!)