It's me Are you happy now

Unlike the other trapped martial artists, the scene around Gu Yan was entirely different.

The atmosphere between the two was slightly peculiar.

Leng Qingqiu’s expression stiffened—had she just heard Gu Yan call her... *Qingqiu*?

But... that couldn’t be possible!

Her disguise was flawless. There was no way Gu Yan could have seen through it.

Oh, right—he must have misspoken. Or... was he testing her?

Leng Qingqiu decided she had to keep up the act of being Leng Bingning.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Qingqiu? What are you talking about, little brother?"

"My sister isn’t here."

"Or are you already hallucinating?"

Seeing Leng Qingqiu still playing her role, Gu Yan couldn’t help but smirk. "Qingqiu, you’re adorable when you’re into roleplay."

"Why did you disguise yourself as your sister to protect me? Was it because you were too shy to admit it?"

The moment those words left his mouth—

*Hiss!!* He actually knew?!

".........!!!"

Leng Qingqiu’s eye twitched, her composure crumbling.

And now that she’d been exposed but kept pretending, the whole thing just felt unbearably embarrassing. She had no idea what to do.

*What now?*

*What should I do?*

How was she supposed to explain that the supposedly blind and powerless young lady of the Leng Family actually had extraordinary martial prowess?

*Xiao Leng, what do I do?!*

[...]

[*I told you not to do something so foolish, but you wouldn’t listen.*]

Xiao Leng sighed, though she also found it amusing. *Hmph, seems I still understand our furnace better.*

After all, she’d already guessed that Gu Yan knew Leng Qingqiu was pretending to be someone else.

[*Just tell him the truth, other me. It’ll save you the embarrassment.*]

*Ugh...*

Leng Qingqiu inwardly groaned. *How did it come to this?*

On the surface—

*Snap!*

With a resigned sigh, she flicked her fingers lightly.

In an instant, the image of Leng Bingning vanished, replaced by Leng Qingqiu’s true appearance.

Her face was tinged with a faint blush of humiliation from being exposed. She crossed her arms and lifted her chin defiantly, as if saying, *Yes, I was acting. What are you gonna do about it?*

"Hmph! Happy now? That’s right, it was me!"

She paused, then added, "Don’t get the wrong idea. I was only protecting you because I didn’t want Ling'er to miss out on your cooking!"

Seeing this, Gu Yan’s interest was piqued. He stood up and finally took Leng Qingqiu’s hand without hesitation. "Got it, got it. All for the sake of your little sister, right?"

"But still..."

As he spoke, he idly rubbed her hand, thoroughly enjoying himself.

*Ahhh... Qingqiu! That familiar softness!*

He grinned. "Who knew you were hiding such skills? You fooled everyone—even me."

Leng Qingqiu flushed at his words. With a light huff, she pulled her hand away from his wandering fingers. "Now that you know my secret, what do you plan to do about it?"

"What do I plan to do? You kept calling me 'little brother' while pretending to be your sister."

Gu Yan smirked, undeterred, and wrapped an arm around her waist, leaning in to whisper by her ear, "Do you like that kind of roleplay?"

"Or should I prove to you just how much of a 'little brother' I really am?"

*!!!*

*He actually said that?!*

"Pervert!"

Leng Qingqiu’s heart raced wildly. Her ears burned red as she shoved him away, lips trembling slightly. "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

"I only said that to stay in character!"

*No, no—Leng Qingqiu, calm down.*

*Remember all those romance dramas you binge-watched after learning how to use electronics?*

*You memorized all the strategies. This is a battle of love—if you blush, you lose.*

*So—*

She forced herself to steady her breathing, then grabbed Gu Yan’s collar threateningly. "Don’t you dare tell Ling'er about this!"

"About what?"

Gu Yan raised his hands in mock surrender. "That you like roleplaying?"

Leng Qingqiu’s face reddened further. "Tch! I mean the fact that I’m actually a martial artist!"

*Oh, that’s all?*

Gu Yan nodded repeatedly. "Fine, fine. But Qingqiu, if you want me to keep quiet..."

He paused, catching her hand again with a playful grin. "Just saying it isn’t enough."

Leng Qingqiu immediately saw where this was going and scoffed. "Blackmailing me?"

"What exactly do you want?"

At this moment, Gu Yan had yet to realize the gravity of the situation.

He rubbed Leng Qingqiu's chilly hands and cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's nothing, just... we haven't been, well, intimate in a while. Could we... Ouch, ow ow ow!!!"

Before he could finish, Gu Yan found his ear twisted sharply by Leng Qingqiu's deft fingers. Her deceptively gentle voice followed: "Intimate?"

"You want intimacy? After I rushed here worried sick, putting myself in danger just to protect you?"

"And all you can think about is this? Do you even realize how perilous this place is?"

Leng Qingqiu fumed inwardly—what kind of man fantasizes about such things at a time like this?

But—

She bit her lip. Gu Yan had been pushing himself relentlessly at the Martial Arts Division, and now, trapped in this forbidden zone, his stress must be unbearable. His forced nonchalance was likely just a coping mechanism.

She scanned their surroundings. The area did seem secure.

And... she had kept secrets from him too. That was her fault.

Most importantly...

It had been quite some time since they last... exchanged fluids.

So...

"Just this once..."

"Don’t expect me to ever do this outdoors with you again..." Leng Qingqiu muttered, her cheeks burning with mortification.

Gu Yan perked up instantly. "Once! Absolutely just once!"

Little Cold (Xiao Leng): ["...Other Me, you’ve become a stranger to me."]

"Shut up! What do you know?!"

Little Cold: ["??"]