Shen Nian didn’t stay too long at Xia Yanchun’s place. Delivering fish was just an excuse—he wasn’t about to shamelessly barge into her room under that pretense.
He preferred sneaking in.
Xia Yanchun went upstairs alone, surprised that Shen Nian hadn’t pulled any tricks this time. After handing over the fish, he obediently went home.
At least he had some conscience. She had studying to do in the afternoon—if he’d caused any trouble, how could she have finished her homework?
Honestly, Shen Nian better not come back tonight either. And definitely no climbing over the balcony!
So, Xia Yanchun enjoyed the entire afternoon to herself, blissfully doing homework with the AC on.
Next door, Shen Nian was also hunched over his desk, grinding through exam papers. It took him the whole afternoon just to finish his fifth set.
The main quest for becoming an intermediate adventurer was halfway done—at this point, he was practically a semi-pro.
...
Mid-Autumn Festival arrived.
Shen Yue took the earliest bus back, but even so, it was already 2 PM by the time she got home.
Shen Nian had to ride his electric scooter to the town entrance to pick her up. Thankfully, the weather was nice and cool.
"Ugh, little bro, you reek of sweat," Shen Yue complained from the backseat, pinching her nose dramatically.
"Whose fault is that? If you’d come back earlier, I wouldn’t have had to do all the chores alone. Mom even made me clean your room yesterday."
"Haha, well, thanks for that, little bro. I’ll treat you to a monthly game pass~"
"Nah, I quit playing."
Sadly, he could no longer join his fellow "flame enthusiasts" in defending the village. Life had gotten busier, and games just didn’t hold the same appeal.
But his "Will of Fire" hadn’t disappeared—it had just evolved. Yesterday, he downloaded a One Piece mobile game, so now his fiery spirit had morphed into a Devil Fruit.
After dropping Shen Yue off at home (Chen Minyue and Shen Shi were out), she rested for a bit before grabbing a giant mooncake to deliver next door.
"Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Xiao Chun!" Shen Yue hadn’t seen Xia Yanchun in a while and immediately went in for a hug, reminiscing about the good old days when they’d team up to keep Shen Nian in line.
"Happy Mid-Autumn to you too!" Xia Yanchun smiled, adjusting her shorts as she put away the gifts. "My parents went to the market—we’ve got relatives coming over tonight."
"Got it. I’m kinda sleepy, so I’ll head back for a nap."
"Sure."
Xia Yanchun nodded, watching Shen Yue leave before flopping back onto her soft bed. She’d already finished her National Day homework bit by bit, so now all she wanted was to laze around.
She rarely played games, occasionally killing time with mobile poker. Without homework, she was bored out of her mind—Shen Nian hadn’t shown up since delivering fish two days ago.
Wonder what he’s up to?
Ever since senior year started, Shen Nian had been acting different, constantly making his presence known. A month ago, she would’ve been thrilled if he stayed away—every time they met, they’d end up arguing.
Sure, she could’ve mustered the courage to sneak onto his balcony and ambush him, but even boredom had its limits.
She had trauma. The last thing she needed was to see something she shouldn’t and get an eye infection.
...Though, surely even he’d have the decency to close the curtains if he was doing that, right?
Xia Yanchun cupped her warm cheeks, then jolted upright. Why was she even thinking about this? Ugh, stupid Shen Nian, get your blacklist-worthy antics out of my head!
By 4 PM, the clatter from the kitchen downstairs drew her in. The living room was packed with uncles, so she politely greeted them before heading to help Wen Zhining with dinner prep.
Don’t let her lazy reputation fool you—Xia Yanchun was actually a decent cook.
"There’s some mooncakes in the living room, gifts from your dad’s friends. We’ve got too many, so take a few small ones over to Shen Nian’s place. I’ll handle the cooking."
"But there’s so much to make..."
"It’s fine, I’ve got nothing better to do," Wen Zhining chuckled.
Their family was pretty traditional: men entertained guests, women cooked. The thing was, Xia Herui had a wide network—people often asked him for work favors, so holidays meant a steady stream of visitors. Gifts piled up, but cooking at least felt more meaningful.
Xia Yanchun gave an "okay," washed her hands, and grabbed the mooncakes.
Shen Nian’s front door was open. Chen Minyue and Shen Shi were out, the living room floor still damp from mopping, and the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
"Shen Nian!"
A head popped out from around the bathroom corner.
"Wow, look at you, all grown up and bringing gifts."
"Just mooncakes."
Mid-Autumn mooncakes were basically currency—today’s gift to Uncle Two might end up back in your hands tomorrow via Uncle Four. They weren’t always tasty, but they made for great social lubricant.
Earlier, Shen Yue had brought a giant mooncake, so now Xia Yanchun was returning the favor with a few smaller ones.
She set them by the sofa, hands behind her back as she glanced around. "Cleaning?"
"Wow, Sherlock, how’d you guess?" Shen Nian turned off the faucet and wiped his hands haphazardly. "Four mooncakes wrapped like gold bars."
"That’s the trend—fancy packaging means higher prices."
"You need something else?"
"What, can’t I just visit?"
"Didn’t say that. You just looked like you were about to bolt after dropping those off, so I figured I’d ask. No need to snap."
Shen Nian sighed. Who pissed her off this time?
Xia Yanchun huffed. "Your tone sucks."
"My words might, but my voice is fine. Actually, since you’re here, wanna help me clean? My uncle’s dropping by later, so this place needs to be spotless."
"Where’s your sister?"
"Dead in her room."
"Just came home and already napping?"
Watching Shen Nian scramble around alone, Xia Yanchun’s heart softened.
Psych.
The worse off he was, the happier she got. She’d dance on his grave if she could.
"Do your own chores."
Her inner villain awakened. Xia Yanchun plopped onto the sofa, crossing her fair legs, ready to enjoy the show. Later, she’d stomp her dirty footprints all over his freshly mopped floor.
"You little—Xia Yanchun, I’m sneaking into your room tonight. Don’t lock the window." Shen Nian pointed at her like an accusatory husky. He knew she was up to no good.
"Try it and die."
"Big talk."
Too lazy to argue, Shen Nian went back to fetching water. He still had to wipe the coffee table. With guests coming for the holiday, Chen Minyue had ordered a full first-floor cleanup.
He’d been supposed to do it that morning, but he got too absorbed in studying and procrastinated.
As Shen Nian scrubbed the table, Xia Yanchun sprawled sideways on the sofa, watching with amusement. There was something oddly satisfying about seeing him suffer through chores.
Xia Yanchun was wearing shorts today, lying on her side, her long and well-proportioned legs as soft and pale as mutton fat.
Shen Nian glanced at Xia Yanchun and noticed she was looking back at him.
"Chunbao, can you stop looking at me?"
"How am I supposed to sneak a peek at your legs if you keep staring?"
"Shen Nian, what were you up to yesterday?" Xia Yanchun casually brought it up.
"Did a lot of stuff—went for a morning run, worked on test papers in the morning, went fishing at noon, more test papers in the afternoon, ate dinner, took a shower, and then more test papers at night. Even pulled an all-nighter studying," Shen Nian answered truthfully. "Why?"
"Pfft, yeah right. If you actually studied all day, I’d straight-up call you 'Mom.'"
"Believe what you want. Studying all day is exhausting, but it’s not impossible. People are different, you know. Once, in a fit of extreme frustration, I powered through twelve straight hours of English..."
"Oh wow, playing word games now, huh? 'Call you Mom'—guess I really do need to put you in your place."
Halfway through, Shen Nian finally caught on. With a smirk, he reached out and tickled Xia Yanchun’s stomach, making her squirm and giggle uncontrollably until tears welled up in her eyes.
Times had changed—now Xia Yanchun didn’t have the strength to fight back. The more she struggled, the weaker she became, her laughter fading into breathless whimpers, her feet feebly kicking at him.
She seemed a little... dead.
But soon enough, Shen Nian stopped and settled back onto the couch.
The soft, smooth sensation of the girl’s stomach still lingered on his fingertips. Even though he was the one tickling her, it felt like she was the one making his heart itch.
A hot-blooded high school boy like him could hardly handle such a test.
"Chunbao, I gotta go wrestle with my alter ego for control of my brain. I’ll come back to deal with you later."
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