“I… no, what are you doing?” Chu Xin, after a single glance, instantly averted his eyes, his face flushing crimson as he spoke with urgency.
Ji Yue Xuan, subtly smoothing her dress back down, chuckled playfully. “Why, it’s a reward for a good brother who listens to me, of course! After all, you changed your wallpaper to me. But Darling, you’re quite bold, aren’t you? At your age, to dare set your wallpaper as your… girl… friend.”
Chu Xin found himself speechless for a moment. Meeting her emerald gaze, he could only reply honestly, “It was… your request, after all. I had no choice but to agree.”
‘Besides, it seems Xiao Jin, my foster mother, and foster sister will find out sooner or later anyway. And Ji Yue Xuan’s photo makes for a perfectly suitable wallpaper.’
‘Hmm.’
‘Darling looks so adorable like this~’
‘It makes me want to ‘cherish’ him properly…’
Ji Yue Xuan covered her mouth, her willow-like brows arching in delight. Watching Chu Xin’s bashful, youthful demeanor, her heart blossomed with joy, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.
Feeling her intense gaze, Chu Xin grew a little self-conscious. “What is it? We’re brothers, after all.”
Though Ji Yue Xuan was somewhat displeased with being called ‘brother’ at that moment, she continued to tease him, prompted by his earlier words. “Then… would you like another look?”
“What?”
Ji Yue Xuan sighed with mock exasperation. “Darling~ some things lose their charm if you say them out loud.”
She gestured subtly towards the area beneath the table. Chu Xin immediately understood her intent, and though he wanted to refuse righteously, he found himself unable to resist glancing downwards.
He watched as Ji Yue Xuan lifted her dress a fraction more, revealing a stretch of pale, flawless thigh that had just been concealed. Chu Xin’s pupils constricted.
He stared, momentarily entranced by that elusive, mysterious territory, before a sudden realization struck him.
‘No… what is she doing? No, no, what am *I* doing?’
He abruptly sat back, nearly knocking his head on the table, and whispered a warning, “There are other people here, what are you doing?”
‘Hmph,’ Ji Yue Xuan thought, ‘playing innocent.’
Outwardly, however, she merely giggled. “So, if no one were here, would you display your manly prowess to your ‘brother’? I never thought you were that kind of person~”
Chu Xin was momentarily speechless, utterly unsure how to respond. Certain images flashed through his mind, and he quickly dispelled them, stammering, “N-no.”
Ji Yue Xuan rose from her seat and moved beside him, gently blowing a soft breath into his ear.
Chu Xin felt a jolt of delicious numbness course through him. He quickly covered his ears, his face burning with shyness, completely at a loss for words.
Ji Yue Xuan was acting entirely unlike her usual self. Even with her usual verbal provocations, she had never been so daring.
Ji Yue Xuan scoffed playfully. “Now it’s truly hard to tell who the girl is~”
Chu Xin was utterly speechless. ‘Was this the destructive power that, in the original work, allowed… those heroines to be gradually corrupted by the ‘yellow-haired’ characters?’
‘It was truly overwhelming.’
However, Chu Xin also possessed a means of retaliation. He leaned in directly, gently lifting her chin with his hand, and declared, “Then… shall I show you what a man is?”
Yet, Ji Yue Xuan, who usually would have blushed and pulled away, merely tilted her head slightly and replied, “Oh, alright. Then show me your manliness~”
‘Her heart, however, swelled with immense joy at Chu Xin’s closeness. She wished it could last forever, just like this.’
Chu Xin was utterly stunned. He immediately slumped back, his counter-attack a complete failure, defeated with effortless ease.
Ji Yue Xuan covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. Then, as if a thought had struck her, she leaned closer to the still-dazed Chu Xin. “So… shall we continue what we were doing?”
Chu Xin looked up, his face still flushed. He was about to speak again, but Ji Yue Xuan playfully pressed a finger to his lips. With a small hand, she pointed around them. “Where… are the people here?”
Chu Xin glanced around, only to find that all the diners who had been there moments ago had vanished. Even the band playing in the central area was gone, leaving behind only an old record player softly playing a lyrical melody.
Moreover, on their dining table, the dishes they had ordered earlier had appeared at some unknown point.
‘When?’
Chu Xin was bewildered. He had no memory of this. ‘Could the ‘butter world’ even swap entire scenarios?’
He looked at Ji Yue Xuan, but she feigned ignorance, then addressed him. “Alright, never mind them. Perhaps they all had urgent matters to attend to? Let’s continue…”
Chu Xin was momentarily taken aback, sensing that something was amiss. ‘Could this girl also possess some kind of ability?’
He couldn’t find anything to say, so he simply stared intently at her.
Ji Yue Xuan grew a little self-conscious under his gaze. Her mind raced, a strange feeling blooming within her. Despite being the one to initiate, she now felt a prickle of shyness.
Slowly, she lifted the hem of her dress a little further.
Chu Xin watched, mesmerized, unconsciously swallowing.
The girl’s mysterious domain was right before him; Ji Yue Xuan’s smooth thighs were now clearly visible.
Just as Ji Yue Xuan was about to lift it to the point where her pristine lace trim would show, her movement abruptly stopped.
Ji Yue Xuan chuckled. “Alright, that’s enough reward.”
‘If you want to see more, you’ll have to explore it yourself.’
But the very next second, Chu Xin’s action threw her into disarray. He deliberately smoothed down her skirt.
Even Chu Xin himself didn’t know why he had done it; it was a purely subconscious reaction.
She let out a soft “Ugh” and looked at Chu Xin with a face full of indignant shyness. However, Chu Xin at that moment dared not meet her gaze.
She sat back in her seat, somewhat dazed. Under the lyrical music, the meal concluded with the young man and woman’s blushing faces.
****
Back on the bustling street, feeling the sounds of people and the evening breeze, Chu Xin finally snapped back to reality as he saw Ji Yue Xuan still clinging to his arm. He realized he had just done something quite extraordinary.
The meal they had shared had also been finished amidst their stolen glances and silence, though they had been startled by the sudden appearance of a waiter.
Still… it ended rather perfectly, he supposed.
Ji Yue Xuan also returned to herself at that moment. “Shall we proceed to the next step?”
Chu Xin nodded, checking the time. It was just right, perfectly timed.
The two hurried along, making good speed. The cinema was located inside a massive shopping mall. Although it was already late, around seven or eight o’clock, the crowds were still considerable.
They navigated through the throngs of people, heading straight for the cinema.
Curiously, despite the large number of people in the mall, the cinema itself was almost empty, with only a smiling receptionist at the counter. Chu Xin felt a flicker of doubt, suspecting it might be due to Ji Yue Xuan – perhaps she had used her family’s financial power, or maybe it was a genuine ability.
Of course, it was also possible that she was truly blessed by the gods, lucky to the extreme.
After chatting outside for a while, they entered the movie theater. The environment was still excellent, befitting a place in the GDP-centric area of Tianhai City, the provincial capital.
Ji Yue Xuan sat in her seat like a child. Having just eaten, she had ordered a milk tea on the way. “Yay, private screening!”
Chu Xin smiled as he watched her. He always admired her optimistic outlook, no matter the situation, though it seemed she only acted so childlike when she was with him.
Ji Yue Xuan beckoned Chu Xin to sit down quickly, then leaned her head against his shoulder.
Catching the faint, fresh scent from her hair, Chu Xin’s body stiffened, unable to relax.
“How cliché, Darling,” Ji Yue Xuan remarked, suddenly applying force as she clung sweetly to Chu Xin’s arm. “Taking a girl out to dinner and a movie. Tell me! Have you dated before?”
Chu Xin instinctively explained, “Of course not! It was just information I found online. Time was too short, so I didn’t have time to prepare anything else.”
‘In fact, counting his previous life, this truly felt like his first proper date with a girl.’
Ji Yue Xuan merely hummed, saying nothing further, but in her heart, she wondered when this guy would officially confess to her.
Chu Xin had chosen a recently released suspense film. He couldn’t quite recall the title, something like “Secret Room,” but that was all he remembered.
Whether the movie was good or not, he couldn’t say, as the entire screening passed in hushed whispers and exchanges with Ji Yue Xuan.
An hour and a half later, having finished the movie, the two found themselves in a nearby park. Chu Xin was meticulously planning the words he would use for his confession.
Ji Yue Xuan, meanwhile, simply waited in quiet anticipation.
After a while, however, she suddenly spoke. “Darling’s behavior at the restaurant just now was truly bold… could it be that you’ve been thinking of making a move on your ‘brother’ all along?”
Chu Xin chuckled helplessly. “How could that be? If I had planned to make a move on you before, you would have been ‘eaten clean’ long ago.”
Ji Yue Xuan scoffed, offering no reply. Instead, she suddenly darted to a nearby sandbox, standing there with a tranquility Chu Xin had never witnessed in her before.
In that moment, she appeared utterly serene, as if the moon above shone solely to illuminate her.
The pure moonlight bathed her white dress and golden hair, adorning her as if in a pristine wedding gown.
He was captivated for a moment. After a while, he took a deep breath, walked to her side, and gently grasped her shoulders.
Ji Yue Xuan showed no surprise; her eyes were filled with eager expectation.
“I like you, please go out with me!” Chu Xin declared loudly.
Though a thousand words might be spoken, in this moment, they all converged into a single declaration: “I like you.”
Ji Yue Xuan’s body trembled as she nodded. “Yes, I accept your confession!”
‘This guy had completely dispelled the loneliness she felt when she first transmigrated.’
‘Even though she had once simulated the ‘yellow-haired’ character she despised in the original work, he had inadvertently given Chu Xin tremendous courage to interact with those around him.’
‘Her affection wasn’t love at first sight, but rather a gradual development from finding him intriguing at the beginning.’
‘Chu Xin was like a constantly drawing whirlpool, leading her step by step into the abyss called ‘love’.’
She happily pecked Chu Xin’s cheek, leaving him utterly stunned.
Then, the girl suddenly walked in front of him, hands behind her back, and tilted her waist slightly as she spoke, “Xin~ please take care of me from now on~”