Even a Young Girl Has Secrets She Wants to Hide from Everyone

Shen Nian could easily envelop Xia Yanchun’s clenched little hand with just one of his own, but he didn’t actually do so. Instead, he held it loosely, his palm and fingertips barely grazing hers.

It felt like an adult teaching a child how to write.

Even so, Xia Yanchun was so flustered she started puffing out hot breaths. That guy was standing right behind her—how annoying!

And now he was teaching her how to fish? This guy wasn’t even pretending anymore!

"Fishing requires technique," Shen Nian repeated with a straight face, no longer holding Xia Yanchun’s hand loosely but properly gripping the fishing rod instead.

"Then explain the technique already."

"The technique... ahem, just watch and learn."

Shen Nian didn’t know any techniques. All he did was grab the rod, cast it, and the fish would bite on their own—no struggle, some even flipping belly-up willingly.

"Then why even bring it up?!"

Shen Nian’s warm breath tickled her neck, making Xia Yanchun’s chest rise and fall rapidly. She let go of the rod and slipped out from under his arm, her tension easing slightly.

They were in public! How could he hug her like this without any shame?!

"What’s the big deal? I just wanted to teach you hands-on."

"Liar! You just accused me of asking questions I already knew the answers to."

Shen Nian rubbed his chin, realizing how sensitive Xia Yanchun had become lately.

Before he’d declared they should be "the best in the world," he’d held her hand before—though not as boldly or with the same intentions. Back then, it was just physical contact. Now that he’d openly admitted wanting to be "the best," she was suddenly reluctant.

She’d even bitten him before, but now she wouldn’t.

Was it a case of the closer they got, the worse their relationship became?

All he wanted was for Xia Yanchun to catch a fish too—what was so wrong about that?

Xia Yanchun’s face was flushed pink, her eyelids tinged with a delicate shyness. If they’d been at home, she might not have reacted so strongly, but they were outside! If anyone saw them, they’d probably assume it was some kind of outdoor roleplay—how embarrassing!

Luckily, there was no one around, or she’d have teamed up with Shen Yue to put Shen Nian in his place.

Pouting, she planted her hands on her hips, glaring at him without a word, waiting to hear what excuse he’d come up with.

Before, he’d only sneakily brushed her ear while fixing her hair. Now he was outright touching her hands. If she kept indulging this "Husky Nian," he’d only get bolder.

Shen Nian shrugged. "It’s just hand-over-hand. It’s not like I’m harassing you. Are you allergic to romance or something?"

"Who talks about romance while fishing? And who wants to be romantic with you? Don’t flatter yourself." Xia Yanchun rolled her eyes. Did he think she was some naive little girl?

Not falling for it. Get lost, you sleazy guy.

"I think being ‘the best in the world’ means not refusing to hold hands."

"Please, I see right through you."

If they kept this "best in the world" thing up, they’d end up sharing a bed.

Xia Yanchun was smart and sharp—Shen Nian’s little schemes were way too obvious.

She had to make him face a harsh truth: even if they were "the best in the world," they wouldn’t be sleeping in the same bed.

"What do you see through?" Shen Nian played dumb, just like her.

"I-it’s just..."

Xia Yanchun stammered. Was this something she could actually say out loud?

They both knew what was going on, but putting it into words? No way!

If she said, "Being the best in the world doesn’t mean sharing a bed," Shen Nian would definitely shoot back with, "Xia Yanchun, where’s your mind at? I just wanted to hold hands—are you the one thinking about sleeping together?"

That was exactly the kind of person Shen Nian was. But she was one step ahead—she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

This was just their usual back-and-forth, a battle between long-time rivals.

"You... you know exactly what I mean. Don’t play dumb."

"If you don’t say it, how am I supposed to know? Stop being cryptic."

"Cut the act." Xia Yanchun raised a pink-tinted finger. "Anyway, no more touching my hands."

"Seriously? Do I need to file a request or something?"

"You can’t touch even if you want to! Learn some boundaries!"

Shen Nian bared his teeth. Oh, so now she cared about boundaries? When he climbed through her window and she let him in without a fuss—no boundaries. When she bit him—no boundaries. But now suddenly it was all about boundaries? The hypocrisy.

She was being way too spoiled.

In the middle of their argument, Xia Yanchun’s hair had gotten all messy.

Shen Nian reached over to fix it, discreetly pinching her cute earlobe, which only made her more flustered.

Are you even listening? I said no more touching my hands—hello?!

Oh, wait, he was just fixing her hair. That was on the "allowed" list. She didn’t mind that—in fact, she kind of liked it.

But holding hands? Absolutely not. That was blacklisted!

While they bickered, Shen Nian’s fishing rod jerked, and another small fish was effortlessly reeled in.

"Stop being mad. Come fish," Shen Nian said, changing the subject.

"No. The fish don’t like me."

After standing there for ten minutes with no bites, Xia Yanchun—who already had zero interest in fishing—was even less inclined to try.

"Come on, this time I guarantee you’ll catch one."

"..."

Xia Yanchun pouted and reluctantly grabbed the rod again, making sure to avoid Shen Nian’s hands—though she still ended up standing way too close to him.

One last try. If nothing bit, she’d just sit on the side and scroll through her phone. Fishing was so boring.

The blush on her face had mostly faded. The weather was perfect—clear skies, a crisp autumn breeze. The girl’s flushed cheeks were hidden, and though Xia Yanchun hated lying, sometimes she had secrets she wanted to keep from everyone.

Shen Nian kept one hand on the rod the whole time, and his fishing skills didn’t disappoint. Within seven or eight minutes, the water erupted in a flurry of splashes.

It was her first catch, and Xia Yanchun was nervous, gripping the rod with both hands, afraid she’d get dragged into the water along with it. Without Shen Nian’s help, she was sure she’d lose her grip!

"It’s—it’s a big one!"

Shen Nian didn’t respond, using his other hand to pull harder. The fish quickly stopped struggling, nearly flipping belly-up right in front of them. Don’t let the theatrics fool you—it was still very much alive.

"Shen Nian, hurry and pull it up! My arms are giving out!" Xia Yanchun kept her eyes shut, straining with all her might, terrified the fish would escape.

"It’s not moving anymore."

Shen Nian was speechless. All of Xia Yanchun’s strength was in her fingers—she held the rod deathly tight but didn’t actually pull.

Even a fishing expert would facepalm at this.

Shen Nian scooped the fish out of the water. No wonder it had fought so hard—it was huge, easily over ten pounds. If not for his unnatural fishing skills, they might not have landed it.

"Wow! Such a big fish! I’m amazing!" Xia Yanchun’s eyes sparkled as she crouched down, snapping photos with her phone.

She’d brag to her bestie tonight—her very first fishing trip, and she’d caught a monster! Too big for a bucket, they’d need a sack!

"Amazing, truly impressive," Shen Nian humored her. "But the bucket’s full now. Let’s go sell it at the market."

"Huh? We’re selling it?"

"Mm, a fish this big would be too much to finish even after processing. Usually, you wouldn’t want to eat it again after one meal, and leaving it in the fridge for too long is worse than just selling it."

"That makes sense…" Xia Yanchun pouted, feeling a little regretful about selling the first big fish they caught. It seemed like such a waste.

She still believed it would’ve been better to eat it themselves.

Xia Yanchun pushed herself up from her knees, and as she straightened, her eyes met Shen Nian’s. A flicker of guilt made her glance away, but after a moment, she shot him a defiant glare.

Feeling guilty was a bad sign—after all, a rival shouldn’t feel guilty.

This whole "best friends" thing had messed with her head, making it impossible to treat Shen Nian the way she used to. She thought it’d be better if they just went back to being rivals. At least back then, she wouldn’t have blushed just because Shen Nian grabbed her hand—she’d have thrown a punch instead.

Being "best friends" was just a straight-up nerf. Revert Xia Yanchun to her original state.

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