Between being a gentleman and being honest, you have to choose one, right

Xia Yanchun puffed out her cheeks angrily, clutching her collar, and gave Shen Nian a kick on the shin.

"Let you look, let you look! Looking is one thing, but you had to say it out loud!"

"Kick you to death, kick you to death!"

She landed several kicks in a row. Shen Nian tried to take the chance to fish out his keys and open the door, but Xia Yanchun pushed his hand down and added two more kicks.

"My bad, sis, stop kicking. I won't say it next time, okay?"

Xia Yanchun humphed and grumbled, finally letting go. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, listened to Shen Nian finish his apology, then scolded him with lingering annoyance, "Is that even the point? Can't you be a bit more of a gentleman? The point is you shouldn't look next time!"

"Ah, what's the use of being a gentleman? I have to choose between being a gentleman and being honest."

"Sophistry."

"Alright, alright, I'm really sorry. It's getting late anyway, hurry back, take a shower and go to sleep. So, what time are we eating tomorrow?"

"Lunch, depending on the situation."

"Fine. Just call me when you're heading out. Goodnight."

"..." Xia Yanchun had just been subjected to his very 'shrimp-head' behavior of peeking at her collar. Even though she'd kicked him plenty, she still didn't want to say goodnight to Shen Nian.

Can't give him a friendly face, this guy will climb all over you if you do.

But, to be fair, it was rather surprising that Shen Nian hadn't fought back.

...Was it... was it because he wanted to nibble on the grass near his nest, so he didn't dare strike?

She shook her head, immediately dismissing the thought as soon as it arose.

Such thoughts shouldn't even exist, okay?

Right now, she should think about something happy. When Shen Nian was apologizing just now, he did say 'my bad, sis'.

Sis!

Heh heh, he called me 'sis' again. 'My bad, sis' still has 'sis' in it.

How do you know I'm Shen Nian's sister?

Xia Yanchun felt inflated. For some reason, she had the urge to make Shen Nian call her 'sis' in front of Li Shiyan.

That would feel so satisfying.

"You should go to sleep early too."

In high spirits, although she didn't say goodnight, Xia Yanchun offered a roughly equivalent sentiment, then turned to open her door.

Click. The door opened, revealing a pitch-black interior. Xia Yanchun leaned in to turn on the light, then heard Shen Nian call her name again.

Shen Nian's door was already open, but he was still standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing, not going home?"

"Let's have a hug today too. I won't sleep comfortably without one."

"You hugged me in the car, didn't you? Hugging every single day is so annoying..." Xia Yanchun ducked inside her door, leaving it slightly ajar, peeking out at him with half her face, her eyes dark and glinting.

"I already said the car doesn't count. Come on, I'm dead tired."

Shen Nian stepped closer. Xia Yanchun grew a bit nervous, already prepared to slam the door.

But Shen Nian just stopped in front of the door with a silly grin, which instead made her seem a bit presumptuous.

"Ugh, you really are..."

Xia Yanchun pouted her upper lip slightly, pulled the door open, and her petite figure actively burrowed into Shen Nian's embrace for a moment. Her peach-wood-like arms made a shallow circle around Shen Nian's substantial waist.

Hug then, hug! Seeing as you called me 'sis'!

But this time, Xia Yanchun had learned. Before Shen Nian's arms could fully encircle her, she immediately twisted her body and darted away like a little fox, the door clicking shut behind her.

Shen Nian scratched his cheek.

Darn it. Didn't get to hug her, and instead got hugged by Xia Yanchun.

Hmm...

Not bad either. Can't be bothered to complain.

...

The next day.

Before the sun had even risen over the mountains, Shen Nian had already finished an hour of exercise, feeling light and easy.

Under the effect of [Glimmer Training], his physical fitness was visibly improving, and even his muscle definition had become noticeably more pronounced.

And unlike the muscular giants from the gym, his muscles looked very healthy. Forget steroids, he hadn't even touched protein powder. The muscles didn't even affect his usual appearance; as long as he wasn't specifically flexing, he looked the same as before, just a bit more solid.

The stats seemed a little on the high side.

Watching Shen Nian exercise day after day, the resident NPC grandpa at the park looked on with approval.

"You are simply my grandson," the grandpa said, stroking his beard.

Shen Nian: ?

This old man has no respect for his elders. If there comes a day when he doesn't see the grandpa in the park anymore, he's definitely buying two strings of firecrackers to set off, wishing him an early demise.

"Haha, recently I've been seeing online that people often comment 'this is simply me' under videos. I didn't use it wrong just now, did I?

What I meant was, you are simply the grandson of my dreams. If my own grandson had even half your diligence, he wouldn't have only scored 400 points on the exam and have trouble getting into university." Seeing Shen Nian's expression turn sour, the grandpa explained.

"Oh, I see. I thought you were insulting me, grandpa. I cursed you for nothing then, haha, my mistake, my mistake."

Grandpa: ?

Do people these days not know how to respect their elders and care for the young?

Is it that the bad have grown old, or the petty have turned bad?

Forget it, no point arguing with the younger generation.

"By the way, how were your recent exams?" The grandpa and Shen Nian chatted daily and were quite familiar, so the question came naturally.

"Pretty low score, just 620."

"You... you are simply my grand..."

"Ahem."

"Uh, hehe, what I mean is, you are simply who my grandson thinks he is."

Shen Nian laughed and casually chatted a bit more.

"Speaking of which, grandpa, you come to watch the square dancing every day. Doesn't your wife scold you?"

"Hmph, scold me?" The grandpa put his hands behind his back, exuding an air of a master. "She's the one who told me to come watch. What do you think?"

Shen Nian applauded. That's just how love is for the older generation.

After chatting a while longer, Shen Nian made his escape. Talking to the grandpa was liable to cause a cerebral thrombosis; not even Brain Platinum would help.

The familiar breakfast shop.

Shen Nian had made a habit of coming here to buy breakfast after his workouts, becoming a fixed NPC.

The shop owner smiled warmly. Seeing Shen Nian arrive, he didn't say a word, already picking up a bag to pack Shen Nian's usual order.

But Shen Nian didn't speak. He stood in front of the stall for a moment, then shook his head faintly and turned to go to the shop next door.

The owner stood there dumbfounded for a while.

Why did it get dark?

Oh, it's because the sky fell.

Shen Nian had already bought his steamed buns and was munching on them as he walked.

No particular reason. Just making a random shop owner confused for a day. Today it just happened to be the turn of the familiar breakfast shop owner.

He'd be back to being an NPC tomorrow. Hopefully, the owner's favorability wouldn't drop because of this.

He just wanted to try a different shop for a change of taste. What's wrong with that?

A little past eight, he went to the park to catch a few fish, then hurried to the market to deal with the bespectacled uncle. The bespectacled uncle was quite polite; when Shen Nian said he'd give them for free, the uncle didn't give him money, but bought him a small bag of dried shrimp instead.

Perhaps it was too early; he didn't even run into the fishing uncle.

A fine, sunny day.

Shen Nian went home and holed up in his room watching advanced online courses. It was nearly noon when his door was finally knocked.

Just as he took off his headphones, the door was already pushed open. A sweet, graceful beauty stood by the doorway, her almond-shaped eyes carefully surveying the room.

It was clear she had put effort into her outfit. A simple, elegant autumn-colored jacket paired with loose-fitting trousers, full of autumnal beauty. Her usually tied-up ponytail was loosely down, resting on her shoulders, blending her usual liveliness with a hint of gentle softness.

"Actually studying? How unbelievable." Xia Yanchun pursed her lips, ignoring Shen Nian's all-too-familiar once-over.

Every time she wore new clothes, Shen Nian would have a comment or two.

"Whether I study or not, I get criticized. If you want to scold me, just come out and say it directly," Shen Nian muttered.

"Would I dare scold you? Hurry up and get ready, we need to prepare to go to the mall."

"You promised you're treating, remember."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Deal."

Shen Nian had already showered in the morning, so now he just threw on a jacket, changed his shoes, and was ready to head out.

Shen Yue hadn't come out of her room. Shen Nian called out to her from a distance, promised to bring her back some Haidilao hot pot, finished putting on his shoes, and left the apartment with Xia Yanchun.

While waiting for the elevator, Shen Nian couldn't resist saying,

"Buddy, you're kinda cute."

"Just figuring that out now? I've known for ages," Xia Yanchun replied without a hint of shyness.

"Nah, I probably realized it about a month or two ago. Before that, I thought you were more like a mother goblin."

"You wanna die?!" Xia Yanchun couldn't help but snap, then clasped her hands, pretending to be nonchalant. "So, why did you suddenly start thinking I was cute a month or two ago?"

"That's a slippery slope we shouldn't go down," Shen Nian said.

"Then why even bring it up?!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. The elevator's here."

Shen Nian grinned cheekily. His hand, hanging by his side, subtly brushed against Xia Yanchun's small hand.

When she didn't react, he grew bolder, hooking his pinky finger around hers and holding it in his grasp.

Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for over 3 million daily visits causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended you use sources from other big platforms.