“Of course, it’s not that I look down on you, my friend, it’s just… well, if you genuinely like her, you should take it easy. That petite figure isn’t built for roughhousing, you know? Tsk, seriously, don’t you feel a pang of guilt?”
Confronted by his friend’s scrutinizing gaze and thinly veiled suspicion, Tian Zheng’s only desire was to draw his sword, pin him beneath the table, and then deliver a couple of swift kicks for good measure.
Here you are, with your thick eyebrows and large eyes, looking utterly honest and dependable, yet what perverse thoughts are constantly swirling in your mind all day long?
Tian Zheng felt a surge of regret over his choice of friends. However, to claim he harbored absolutely no feelings for Bai Xia would be a blatant lie.
While it was still far from the ethereal concepts of ‘love’ or ‘romance,’ an undeniable, peculiar fondness had certainly taken root. Otherwise, given his temperament, he wouldn’t have indulged Bai Xia so consistently. Did they truly believe he was merely a naive fool with money to spare?
As for being labeled a ‘loli-con’? In Tian Zheng’s estimation, that was utter nonsense. He held no significant interest in ‘lolis’ whatsoever.
More accurately, it wasn’t the ‘loli’ attribute that piqued his interest, but Bai Xia as an individual. The ‘loli’ aspect was simply a characteristic that happened to accompany her.
However, Tian Zheng saw no point in explaining. With differing personal views, any attempt at clarification would only sound like a clumsy cover-up. Thus, when faced with his friend’s probing, he merely scoffed.
“You should worry about yourself instead. If Grandpa Chu ever finds out you’ve ‘taken’ his granddaughter, he’d flay you alive and pull out your tendons.”
“Uh… I was the one who got ‘taken,’ alright?”
Qian Zhong, who had been about to retort, paused at the words, then offered a wry smile.
In response, Tian Zheng simply took a sip of his tea, neither confirming nor denying.
Qian Qiao, whose real name was Chu Qiao’er, was a full five years younger than Qian Zhong. Logically speaking, the probability of the two of them ending up together wasn’t particularly high.
However, the patriarchs of both their families had served in the military, having been superior and subordinate for over a decade.
After retiring from the army in their old age, they lived in close proximity, spending their days chatting and playing chess. Coincidentally, both sets of parents were either constantly working away from home or rarely seen throughout the year.
As a result, Qian Zhong, Qian Qiao, and Dream Butterfly were practically raised by their grandparents.
Thus, Qian Zhong and Qian Qiao could genuinely be considered childhood sweethearts.
Initially, Qian Zhong harbored no special feelings for the young girl. From childhood, she had always preferred playing with her younger sister, Dream Butterfly, as they were both girls. Later, due to their schooling, opportunities for them to meet became exceedingly rare.
Online, however, the two often teamed up for games, even pulling Tian Zheng and Dream Butterfly into their sessions.
Beyond gaming, Qian Zhong had, of course, tried dating several girlfriends during his university years. Yet, for reasons unknown, each relationship inevitably ended after only a few months.
After graduating and entering the workforce, he became so engrossed in daily life that he almost abandoned gaming entirely. Naturally, this left him even less time for romance.
It wasn’t until about two years ago that Qiao’er suddenly appeared at his company, looking for him.
Qian Zhong didn’t think much of it at the time. The ‘little rascal’ claimed she had simply teamed up with a few friends to visit the area for a few days after her holidays and had decided to drop by since he suddenly came to mind.
At the time, the reason seemed perfectly plausible, and Qian Zhong was rather touched. After all, it meant his affection for her since childhood hadn’t been misplaced!
Consequently, he did something unprecedented: he put aside his mountain of work and took the young girl out for a good time. He even completely forgot about her so-called ‘friends’ who had supposedly come with her.
Ultimately, in a daze, he brought her back to his own residence.
During dinner, at Qian Qiao’s urging, they even had a few drinks. This was seemingly innocuous, as Qian Zhong’s entire family, with his father and grandfather both being heavy drinkers, had a remarkable tolerance for alcohol.
While Qian Zhong himself had never indulged in binge drinking, he considered his own capacity quite good, especially since they were only having a few casual sips.
Yet, no sooner had the second glass gone down than he collapsed.
His memory of the entire night was a hazy blur; he had absolutely no idea what had transpired. Upon waking the next morning, he saw Qian Qiao ‘smoking a post-coital cigarette’ – oh, no, wait, she was actually leaning against the headboard, gnawing on a lollipop.
The young girl’s expression, as she looked at him, was precisely like that of an ancient tyrant who had forcibly taken a virtuous woman. It made Qian Zhong, a grown man, involuntarily shiver.
Fortunately, the subsequent developments remained within acceptable bounds. After Qian Qiao candidly admitted her ‘crime,’ she smoothly launched into a heartfelt confession.
She revealed that she had liked him for a very long time. However, because she was still underage back then, she had worried he wouldn’t accept her. Now that she was legally an adult, she had come to find him without hesitation.
Of course, Qian Qiao was fully aware of her actions. Her methods weren’t exactly honorable, so she was prepared to accept whatever choice Qian Zhong made.
What more could Qian Zhong possibly say?
Was he supposed to tell her, at this very moment, that he only saw her as a younger sister, that they could never be, and to please, just go back home?
Would an unexpected pregnancy, a car accident, or a miscarriage then follow as part of the dramatic plot?
Perhaps these were the usual tropes of romance novels or melodramatic dramas, but neither of them were clearly the archetypal protagonists of such stories.
So, in the aftermath, they chose to fully indulge.
Alright, it was indeed a bit beastly, but what could be done? Who could resist in that situation?
Subsequently, the two became deeply entangled. Their feelings, far from fading, grew even more passionate, much to Tian Zheng’s astonishment when he learned the full details.
Naturally, both Tian Zheng and Qian Qiao were deliberately keeping the matter hidden from their respective grandfathers.
After all, such a revelation would be incredibly delicate. If Grandpa Chu discovered that Qian Zhong had ‘taken care of’ his granddaughter just as she reached adulthood, even if Qian Zhong was the passive party, and even if both families had an excellent relationship…
The old man would absolutely pull out a gun and shoot him dead!
Indeed, Grandpa Chu might not even need to lift a finger; Qian Zhong’s own family would likely be willing to do the deed.
However, their plan was actually quite simple: stall for a few years, then, after Qian Qiao graduated from university, they would simply get their marriage certificate. They would then present it directly to both grandfathers, essentially saying, ‘You two figure it out.’
Given the families’ strong relationship, perhaps the old men might even clap their hands in delight when the time came?
Furthermore, the reason the two had been so intensely affectionate when Tian Zheng and Bai Xia entered earlier was due to their circumstances: one was still in university, while the other managed a company, making real-life meetings difficult on weekdays.
Even though the university student had ample free time and the company manager’s schedule had stabilized considerably, their geographical distance meant that despite being deeply in love, they usually had to rely on video calls to chat.
They hadn’t seen each other in person for a long time. While their current interaction was only within a game, it was at least a tangible sight and touch compared to a video call, wasn’t it?
Consequently, upon meeting, they naturally found it hard to control their emotions and forgot their surroundings. In truth, neither Qian Zhong nor Qian Qiao were typically such unrestrained individuals.