A Friendly Competition

Zhuang Xun held the bubble tea out, her voice calm as she asked, “Senior, why did you want to treat me to bubble tea so badly?”

Shen Xian lifted her gaze, her pink pupils fixed on her junior. No superfluous emotion could be discerned within them. There was only the gentle concern of a senior for a junior.

Even though Zhuang Xun knew the answer she received would likely differ from what she truly suspected, the words had already been spoken; retracting them now would only seem stranger.

“Wasn’t it because of me that you got hurt?” Shen Xian’s gaze settled on Zhuang Xun’s left arm.

The wound, previously hidden by a long sleeve, was now implicitly revealed once more by her new outfit. Zhuang Xun did not reach out to pull back her sleeve, nor did she even spare a glance at her own arm.

“Does Senior still care about that?”

That wound had been self-inflicted—a desperate measure to remain conscious against the pheromones.

“You’re so pretty; it would be terrible if you ended up with a scar.” Shen Xian finally took the bubble tea from Zhuang Xun’s hand.

Zhuang Xun didn’t care about the scar. Moreover…

“Besides, you’re my junior, and I’m the elder. How can you refuse when I’m treating you?”

Shen Xian deftly changed the subject, effectively stifling the explanation Zhuang Xun had been about to offer.

Zhuang Xun replied helplessly, “I didn’t refuse. If Senior is treating, of course, I’d gladly accept.”

“Hmph, but you clearly paid for it yourself just now!” Shen Xian snorted, inserting the straw into her bubble tea and taking a sip.

“Then what would Senior need to stop being angry?”

Shen Xian’s eyes swept past Zhuang Xun, scanning their surroundings before she pointed in a direction. “Let’s go there.”

Zhuang Xun followed the direction of Shen Xian’s finger. It was a large arcade.

“Shall we go?”

“Senior wants to play?”

No sooner had Zhuang Xun turned her head than Shen Xian was already standing before her, ready to head inside.

“Of course we’ll play, and it’ll be in the form of a competition!”

A competition?

Shen Xian, brimming with competitive spirit, explained the rules. “Each of us picks one game. For the last game, we’ll let a staff member choose. It’s best two out of three. The loser has to grant the winner one request.”

Before Zhuang Xun could even speak, Shen Xian stated with extreme seriousness, “You’re not allowed to go easy on me.”

Zhuang Xun nodded. “I understand.”

Even if I don’t go easy, I probably won’t win anyway.

“Se-Senior?” Zhuang Xun reached out, unsure how to comfort the girl in front of her.

Shen Xian abruptly lifted her head, tears glistening in her eyes. “Little Zhuang Xun… you! Didn’t you say you had no idea how to play?!”

The scene rewound twenty minutes.

Zhuang Xun chewed on her straw, looking at the details of the promotion on the arcade sign: ‘Spend 200, get 200 free; Spend 500, get 700 free.’

Could they really not be losing money with a promotion like this? As she thought this, it occurred to her that this was Senior Ning’s family mall, so they probably weren’t losing money at all.

Soon after, Shen Xian approached her, carrying two small baskets overflowing with game tokens. Zhuang Xun put down her bubble tea and took one of the baskets from her.

“Senior, would you like to choose first?” She wasn’t familiar with the available games here.

“Little Zhuang Xun, is this your first time at an arcade?”

Zhuang Xun was momentarily stunned by the question. Had her inexperience been that obvious? “How did Senior know?”

“Hmm… a hunch?” Shen Xian smiled. “Even if it’s your first time, I still won’t go easy on you!”

Zhuang Xun nodded.

“But since it’s your first time, how about I take you on a tour first? This place is quite big. You can pick a game for our competition later.” As Shen Xian spoke, she instinctively took Zhuang Xun’s hand.

The moment their hands touched, Shen Xian remarked, “Your hand is so cold, Little Zhuang Xun.”

Zhuang Xun’s gaze lingered on their clasped hands. “It’s not cold.”

It wasn’t cold at all now. In fact, it felt rather warm.

Shen Xian led Zhuang Xun through the entire arcade before they returned to their starting point. “Is there anything you want to play?”

“Does Senior have anything in mind?”

“I’m asking you, though.” After saying that, Shen Xian waved her hand dismissively. “Seeing how unfamiliar you seem, I’ll choose the first game.”

Shen Xian scanned the area, her eyes landing on a corner. “Want to play some basketball?”

Zhuang Xun’s gaze shifted between Shen Xian and the basketball hoop game. Although she hadn’t been to an arcade before, she had occasionally played basketball in the past. Even though her current body was much smaller, shooting hoops wasn’t a weak point for her.

“Okay.”

“Have you played this before?” Shen Xian released her hand and tossed a token into the machine.

Zhuang Xun watched the hand that had just let go, the lingering warmth still present on her own palm. After a few seconds, she followed suit, dropping a token into her machine, and replied calmly, “I’ve played basketball, but not this kind.”

Shen Xian rolled up her sleeves, a cheerful smile gracing her lips. “In that case, if you lose later, you can’t say I bullied you.”

Zhuang Xun nodded, her words blending with the sound of basketballs rolling down the ramp. “Okay.”

Minutes later, Shen Xian’s eyes were glued to the two digital scoreboards. The numbers showed a narrow difference. Zhuang Xun stood quietly beside her, observing her.

“Little Zhuang Xun…”

“Senior…” Should I really have gone easy on her?

“You clearly have incredible talent!” Shen Xian pointed at the scoreboard, where the numbers 880 to 920 stood out prominently in Zhuang Xun’s favor. “Just by a tiny bit! I come here to play all the time, but you actually surpassed me directly!”

Zhuang Xun glanced at the scoreboard. “Senior, aren’t you angry?”

Shen Xian paused, surprised. “Angry? Why would I be angry?”

“……” I just thought you would be.

Shen Xian didn’t know what Zhuang Xun was thinking, so she spoke her mind directly. “It’s just that you surpassed me so easily, which makes me a little unwilling to accept defeat. Or is it…”

Shen Xian suddenly had a mischievous idea. She stepped closer to her junior.

Zhuang Xun only had to lower her head slightly to notice Shen Xian’s long, dense eyelashes.

“Do you think your senior is such a petty person?”

Zhuang Xun met Shen Xian’s gaze, a hint of helplessness in her cool tone. “Senior clearly knows I didn’t mean that.”

“Oh~ really?” Shen Xian stepped back to her original position, her eyes, however, never leaving Zhuang Xun.

Zhuang Xun felt a little uncomfortable under Shen Xian’s scrutiny. “Is there something on my face?”

Shen Xian shook her head, a smile still playing on her lips. “No, nothing at all. It’s your turn to choose next.”

Zhuang Xun’s gaze fell to the side, and she pointed. “Can we do that one, Senior?”

Shen Xian followed Zhuang Xun’s direction, agreeing without hesitation. “Of course.”

“Phew, it seems Little Zhuang Xun isn’t very good at racing games, huh?” Shen Xian propped her head on her hand, gazing at Zhuang Xun. She leaned lightly against the back of her arcade chair, her eyes full of victorious amusement.

The large ‘LOSE’ displayed on Zhuang Xun’s screen was impossible to ignore.

Zhuang Xun admitted defeat. “I just didn’t expect Senior to be so skilled.”

Even though she had simply pointed at the game at random, she hadn’t won a single round after several attempts. She felt like she had mastered the basic technique, yet her senior still managed to beat her decisively every time.

“I’m just better compared to you, that’s all. There’s only one more game left to break the tie. Shall we go find a staff member?”

Zhuang Xun casually picked up the unfinished bubble tea. “Okay.”

Returning to the present, Shen Xian continued incredulously, “Why are you so good at claw machines?!”

Zhuang Xun didn’t elaborate. For things that required patience, judgment, and a bit of luck, she rarely lost.