Even with fewer people around, the ambient noise remained a chaotic din. Yet, Chu Xin still recognized that voice, which seemed deliberately modulated.
He also detected the subtle scent of hand cream, prompting a mischievous impulse. He reached up, placing his own hands over the ones covering his eyes, and began to rub them playfully.
“You’re doing that again—”
Before he could finish, the hands over his eyes quickly withdrew. He turned, a smile playing on his lips, only to see Ji Yue Xuan glaring at him, her ears a vivid crimson with embarrassment.
“Hey, hey,” Chu Xin chuckled, “that’s not like you at all.”
“Because… my hands are very sensitive,” Ji Yue Xuan mumbled, her voice barely a whisper.
Chu Xin frowned. “What?”
‘Hmph, didn’t he hear? I was hoping he’d keep holding my hand with that excuse.’
Ji Yue Xuan’s expression immediately brightened into a playful grin. “Nothing at all,” she chirped, and in the next instant, she boldly linked her arm through Chu Xin’s.
Chu Xin froze. While Ji Yue Xuan was usually unreserved with her words, physical contact between them was rare, save for the occasional close proximity in the mornings or when he had been in her arms.
A blush crept onto his face, betraying his unease. Fortunately, the surrounding crowd paid them no mind. He worried about the optics, especially near the villa’s entrance. The last time he’d visited Ji Yue Xuan’s home, to retrieve a game console, her parents had regarded him with a peculiar gaze.
It was the kind of look one might give a prospective son-in-law.
In that moment, the world seemed to fall silent around him, the only sound reaching his ears the soft cadence of Ji Yue Xuan’s breathing beside him.
He felt the warmth radiating from her. Turning his head, he intended to speak, but the words caught in his throat the instant his gaze met hers.
Ji Yue Xuan had applied a light makeup, enhancing her already striking features to perfection. Her golden hair, meticulously styled, now fell in soft waves, making her appear far more charming than before. She wore a pristine white dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure with an air of pure innocence, creating a look that was utterly flawless.
She was like a flower blooming on a snow-capped mountain, immaculate and pure, inspiring admiration devoid of any carnal desire.
Yet, as she clung to Chu Xin’s arm, she exuded the image of a delicate, innocent young wife, completely shedding her usual aloofness and hint of nonchalance.
Even knowing her transformation was deliberate, this persona seemed to fit her as if it were entirely natural.
Ji Yue Xuan’s heart bloomed with delight as she observed Chu Xin’s reaction. Still, she feigned shyness, lowering her gaze. “What… what’s wrong? Does your buddy look strange like this?”
Chu Xin stammered slightly. “No, no, no… not strange at all.”
“Then why aren’t you praising your good buddy?”
Chu Xin paused, scratching his head. This was his first—
Ji Yue Xuan covered her mouth, stifling a giggle, and tilted her head back to gaze at him. She inhaled his scent, a unique aroma that was distinctly Chu Xin’s, mingled with a faint, deliberately applied cologne. It captivated her, making her yearn to be by his side every single moment.
However… she also detected a subtle, mature feminine fragrance, tinged with a hint of alcohol, from him.
‘Never mind. Her mood was too good today to bother with that woman for now.’
As she continued to breathe in Chu Xin’s scent, her gaze drifted over his refined face, which held a trace of melancholic detachment from the world, and her eyes grew slightly hazy.
‘Her home was right nearby. Should she… perhaps, just tie him up and take him home?’
‘If they stayed together from morning till night, she wouldn’t have to deal with other women trying to steal him away.’
‘He’s mine anyway… sooner or later.’
She lowered her head, her breathing quickening, a hint of a sickly smile gracing her lips. Almost imperceptibly, the paralyzing stun gun she always kept hidden in her bag appeared behind Chu Xin’s neck.
Just then, Chu Xin, observing Ji Yue Xuan’s bowed head, sensed something amiss. He called out softly, “Ji Yue Xuan? Is something wrong?”
Ji Yue Xuan snapped back to reality, turning to the slightly worried Chu Xin with a smile. “I’m fine, darling~ I just missed you terribly.”
Chu Xin instinctively pulled back his neck. Even face-to-face, hearing her call him that still felt a little unsettling.
‘Was it because of that woman’s scent I just detected?’
‘Never mind. He’s by my side now. I don’t just want his body; I want his heart too~’
‘Only then will he rely on me, becoming a fool who can’t live without me~’
She giggled, pulling him towards the restaurant Chu Xin had reserved. “Come on, my darling~ Let’s go!”
Chu Xin scratched his head. He had no idea how she knew which restaurant he’d booked, but it didn’t really matter. After all, ever since they’d grown closer, she seemed to know everything about him.
****
A high-end restaurant truly lived up to its name; it was exactly as Chu Xin had only ever seen online.
Sleek and minimalist, it was dominated by a black aesthetic. Enormous floor-to-ceiling windows offered panoramic views of the entire area. In the center, where no tables were placed, classical music that Chu Xin couldn’t identify was being gently played.
Ji Yue Xuan immediately pulled him to a table, even reciting Chu Xin’s reservation name and phone number with perfect clarity.
The young hostess at the front desk watched them with unconcealed envy.
Once seated, they casually ordered dishes that Chu Xin didn’t recognize. These few items alone were nearly four figures. Chu Xin felt a pang of heartache over the cost, but perhaps it was worth it, considering it was his first… date with her.
Ji Yue Xuan grinned mischievously. “I thought you’d do something outlandish for your official confession, but this is surprisingly cliché, isn’t it?”
Chu Xin retorted, a hint of displeasure in his voice, “What do you mean ‘cliché’? I spent an entire afternoon thinking this through!”
“Oh, really? So you were thinking of your ‘buddy’ then,” she purred. As she spoke, her shoeless foot began to trace patterns on Chu Xin’s leg beneath the table, seemingly intent on provoking him.
Chu Xin, however, remained unfazed. He stated firmly, “We’re just buddies, what’s there to talk about?”
It was Ji Yue Xuan’s turn to deflate, but in the next second, her spirits rebounded. A faint blush on her cheeks, she asked, “Young Master Chu, are you… are you going to officially confess here?”
Chu Xin flinched, glancing at the other diners around them. He whispered, “Here… here? Wouldn’t that be inappropriate? Besides, we’re still going to see a movie later.”
Ji Yue Xuan clicked her tongue. She had initially wanted a bigger audience, but then reconsidered, realizing that more time alone with Chu Xin was preferable. She merely clicked her tongue again.
Chu Xin smiled wryly. It was truly astonishing. He had met her when he was a new student, unfamiliar with both people and places. He recalled the shock he felt when the original `gal game` simulator had identified her as the original story’s blonde `Phoenix Empress`.
Back then, he hadn’t been close with anyone, only having brief acquaintanceships with the characters from the original story, including the three from the Su family.
In this strange way, he had become her ‘buddy.’ But it seemed… that was also when the heroines of the `h-game` began acting strangely.
Nevertheless, these peculiar circumstances had allowed him to grow familiar with them, and gradually, he had integrated into this world.
Seeing Chu Xin lost in thought, Ji Yue Xuan grew slightly impatient. She snatched his phone, skillfully entered the password, and directly opened his messaging app. After changing her contact name, she glanced at his wallpaper before finally returning the phone, a look of satisfaction on her face.
Chu Xin, still bewildered, asked, “What did you do?”
Ji Yue Xuan chuckled. “Nothing at all! And as the person who fixed your phone, what’s wrong with taking a peek?”
Chu Xin nodded helplessly. He had already tested it; no one but him could see that cheat software.
As for why Ji Yue Xuan claimed she fixed it, that was a long story.
His phone had traveled with him across worlds, making it quite an antique. It had stopped working after an accidental fall, but Ji Yue Xuan, patting her bouncy chest, had assured him that his ‘buddy’s’ problems were her problems.
Furthermore, that cheat was embedded within any electronic device he touched, so Chu Xin wasn’t concerned she could copy or even perceive such a supernatural artifact. When she returned the phone the next day, it was not only fixed but also ran much more smoothly.
However, since then, not only had Ji Yue Xuan learned a great deal about him, but it also seemed a surprising number of new phone models had appeared on the market.
Ji Yue Xuan chuckled again. “You actually changed it, huh? Alright then, as your buddy, I suppose I have to give you a little reward.”
‘Reward? What reward?’
She gestured for Chu Xin to look down.
With a bewildered expression, Chu Xin looked beneath the table. There, Ji Yue Xuan smiled, subtly lifting a small portion of the dress covering her ‘legs for days’.
“Want to see?”