Volume 1 Chapter 131.2: At Least for Today, She Belongs to Me
"Xiao Xue..."
"Oh? I didn't expect Lin Luoyu to send the information over so quickly. Her efficiency is as high as ever..."
"Xiao Xue?"
"Let me see, let me see. Wow, it's actually pretty detailed... Specifically..."
"Xiao Xue??"
"Wah?!"
Apparently startled by Qin Xiyao suddenly raising her voice, Bai Muxue finally pulled her eyes away from her phone screen.
"Ahaha, Xiyao, what's wrong?"
Feeling embarrassed, a faint blush appeared on the girl's cheeks, and she unconsciously looked away.
Seeing that the person who had been staring at her phone the whole time had finally decided to pay attention to her, Qin Xiyao became annoyed.
She raised her hand and gently pinched Bai Muxue's soft cheek.
"Have you even been listening to me at all?"
In the past, the reserved Qin Xiyao would never have dared to do something as intimate as pinching Bai Muxue's cheek.
But now...
"Huh?"
Bai Muxue blinked blankly, looking like someone whose brain had temporarily frozen from processing too much information.
At the moment, they were sitting in a milk tea shop by the street. Not far away was Wangdu's large shopping center.
Looking up, they could see crowds of people riding the escalators, spiraling upward through the building.
"Weren't we discussing what to eat later? Ah, Xiyao, do you have any restaurant recommendations...?"
As someone who had spent twenty years struggling through working life, Bai Muxue's greatest skill was finding topics to talk about.
"That conversation ended a long time ago!"
Unfortunately, her skill at making conversation did not work on Qin Xiyao.
The girl's cheeks puffed up slightly, and the fingers pinching Bai Muxue's cheek slowly applied more force.
"Wah, ow, ow, ow!"
"Honestly, Xiao Xue has been spacing out this whole time!"
Seeing Bai Muxue's pretty face scrunch up in pain, Qin Xiyao's heart softened, and she quickly let go.
However, the dissatisfaction in her heart did not disappear so easily.
Pouting slightly, she rested her chin on her hand and stared at Bai Muxue as if examining a suspect.
"Tell me the truth! What were you thinking about just now? Were you... thinking about that blonde, blue-eyed maid at your house?"
Her tone sounded playful, but her slightly sharp gaze and the way her foot kept tapping under the table revealed her real feelings.
She was not joking. She was completely serious.
Bai Muxue naturally noticed this and thought to herself that someone's imaginary rival had changed from Shen Jingyi to Heidi surprisingly quickly.
Honestly...
This girl is usually so quiet and gentle. Why is she always so hostile toward the girls around me? Can't everyone just get along?
Of course, she could not say that out loud. Besides, Qin Xiyao was an ordinary person. She absolutely could not be dragged into these inhuman incidents.
While rubbing her sore cheek, Bai Muxue casually replied,
"H-How could that be? That girl just works at my house. Xiyao, don't overthink things, okay? I really was listening to what you were saying. Seriously."
Bai Muxue nodded solemnly.
"Oh~ So Xiao Xue is still being stubborn, huh?"
Qin Xiyao narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Then tell me what I was talking about just now."
"Uh..."
"Weren't we talking about... what books we're going to look at in the bookstore later? But honestly, books in bookstores are usually pretty expensive these days. It might be better to buy them online—"
Bai Muxue's eyes wandered nervously as she spoke with a guilty expression.
Qin Xiyao immediately showed a gentle smile.
"Oh? But I actually wasn't talking just now."
"Huh?"
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Bai Muxue gave a dry cough. Her brain spun at high speed, and she quickly came up with another excuse.
"Ahaha, of course I know you weren't talking. I just felt like you were probably thinking about the bookstore. Probably."
In short, the girl was determined to keep resisting to the very end.
Hearing this, the smile on Qin Xiyao's face grew even wider.
"My, my. It seems our busy little Xiao Xue really was thinking about something else just now... I was asking whether you wanted to go look at some new clothes."
Bai Muxue: "......"
Qin Xiyao's trick was basically a perfect trap, and it caught the already guilty Bai Muxue completely off guard.
If she had honestly admitted that she had been distracted, she might have been able to make up some other excuse.
But she insisted on denying it until the end, and now she was stuck with no way out.
Waaah... Since when did Xiyao become this good at this?
Bai Muxue, who always considered herself a mature and experienced adult, suddenly felt sweat forming on her back.
Her impression of Qin Xiyao had always been that she was a girl who liked reading, was a little emotional, tended to overthink things, but was generally gentle and easygoing.
But why...
Why did it feel like Qin Xiyao was becoming more and more...
More and more aggressive toward her?
Not in the direct way she used to be.
Instead, little by little, without realizing it, she would push Bai Muxue into a corner.
"Come on, Xiao Xue, tell me. Who sent you that message just now? It was some pretty girl, wasn't it? Can I meet her?"
Qin Xiyao's curiosity was in full force as she stared at the visibly nervous Bai Muxue with great interest.
Before Bai Muxue could answer, Qin Xiyao continued her own analysis.
"It was definitely that blonde girl, right? I only saw her briefly, but she was really cute. She definitely looks like the type of girl you'd like."
Hey, hey, hey! Since when did Heidi become my type?
Okay, I'll admit she's pretty, but she's not exactly the brightest person. Sasha is much better in that regard... Wait, that's not the point!
The point is, wouldn't I know what type of person I like?
Bai Muxue's mouth twitched as she complained inwardly.
She had not even said a single word yet, and Qin Xiyao had already skipped straight to the conclusion.
After several rounds of exchanges, even Bai Muxue felt cornered. One wrong move and Qin Xiyao would immediately seize the opportunity. Besides, if she was being honest, this really was her fault.
Her mind had been completely focused on checking the information Lin Luoyu had sent, and she had unintentionally pushed Qin Xiyao aside.
Even though she was the one who had invited Qin Xiyao out in the first place.
Bai Muxue sighed inwardly. A trace of guilt appeared on her beautiful face.
"It really is my fault... I got distracted just now. Sorry."
She picked up the milk tea on the table and finished it in one gulp.
Then she stood up, stretched, and gave Qin Xiyao a bright smile.
"Ahem. As an apology, let me spend the rest of today properly keeping you company!"
"...Okay."
For some reason, after seeing Bai Muxue's smile, which seemed even brighter than the sunlight outside, the slight dissatisfaction in Qin Xiyao's heart, along with the little tests and tricks she had been using, completely disappeared.
She slowly stood up as well and returned a gentle smile.
That's right.
What happened just now was just a small interruption.
I can't let something like that throw me off balance.
At least... for today, Xiao Xue belongs to me, doesn't she?
The girl silently thought to herself.