This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
[Challenge Goal 2 :
Mission: Reach 7 reviews for this novel on NovelUpdates.
Reward: One additional chapter.
Progress: 4/7.]
NovelUpdate Link: Here
If you have any question or doubt about this novel you can ask me in the iNoveltranslation Discord Server in the dedicated channel of the novel-discussion section
"Wuhu~~~ take off~~~"
After Lu Xing met up with his senior sister, they each scanned a shared bike and began their first informal street race.
The sky was overcast, and a cool breeze swept through the streets.
Pedaling along and wandering through the city felt as refreshing as chugging a large bottle of four-yuan iced black tea after a long day of hauling bricks on a construction site!
Liu Qingqing huffed and puffed as she struggled to keep up, trying to negotiate.
"Master Lu, can we really not just take a taxi?"
Thankfully, she was wearing pants today instead of a dress.
'Wait.'
Liu Qingqing fell into deep thought.
Knowing Lu Xing's personality, if she had been wearing a dress, he definitely would have opted for a taxi!
Oh my god!
This "failure" was entirely due to her own outfit choice.
She repented with a heavy heart.
Lu Xing rode leisurely.
"This is what they call 'riding a bicycle to a bar', saving where you can, and spending where you must."
Lately, as long as he had free time during the day, he would stay with her.
Although he spent most of his time studying, he had also completely mapped out her daily routine.
In short: she was a total otaku.
The senior sister, as expected of a 2D-obsessed otaku, spent her days in bunny-eared pajamas, sitting by the computer, staring at screens, petting her cat, and watching anime.
She only reluctantly left the house when the student council called or she had to attend class.
But she was a very kind person.
Every time she returned from an outing, she was like a hunter coming back from a successful hunt, fully loaded with bags of delicious food.
But!
As a professional "simp," Lu Xing had to provide supreme emotional value to his clients during his service hours.
Other clients were predictable.
Right now, the only unstable factor was Professor Song, who was currently in the capital.
Lu Xing was terrified she might make a surprise visit back to Haicheng on a weekend and lose her mind if she found a silent, dark house.
Therefore, he checked Professor Song’s "WeChat Steps" every day.
Being a woman of science, her daily step count in the capital was extremely consistent.
If those numbers fluctuated, Lu Xing would know immediately if she was headed back to Haicheng.
Modern data tracking can be a powerful tool for catching a cheater or managing a long-distance relationship!
But that wasn't the point.
While checking Professor Song’s steps, Lu Xing had incidentally discovered that there were days when his senior sister’s WeChat steps only numbered in the dozens!
Dozens of steps!
Lu Xing realized his senior sister was lucky to be naturally thin.
Otherwise, with such a lack of exercise, her fragile limbs would surely snap at a single touch.
So, this was a rare opportunity to get her moving. Since her clothes were practical today, he decided a bike ride was the best form of exercise.
Lu Xing put on a saddened face.
"Is it possible, senior sister, that you don't want to feel the breeze with me?"
Liu Qingqing: ...
Looking at the back of the girl, who was now pedaling furiously with newfound motivation, Lu Xing laughed out loud.
'One sentence, and a woman will ride two kilometers for you.'
As expected.
People don't hate "Green Tea" behavior, they just hate it when someone isn't being "Green Tea" toward them.
...
Arriving at the aquarium entrance, Liu Qingqing let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing Lu Xing still parking his bike, she quickly sniffed herself to make sure she was still fragrant.
"Let me smell."
Lu Xing had appeared beside her and sniffed the air with a serious expression.
Liu Qingqing was so nervous she didn't dare move, fearing he would find her scent unpleasant.
"Mmm..."
Lu Xing hummed thoughtfully, leaving her heart hanging in suspense.
"Just a little more fragrant than jasmine, just a tiny bit. Don't let it go to your head."
Liu Qingqing’s heart finally settled.
After the worry came the shyness.
"Aiya, you!"
She was like a whistling kettle; her face turned beet red as she pushed his shoulder and hurried toward the main entrance alone.
Lu Xing chuckled.
He had calculated the distance perfectly. Given her physique, that ride was just enough.
Too little exercise is useless; too much causes muscle pain.
The calculation was flawless.
As expected of me!
Halfway to the door, Liu Qingqing realized something was wrong. She looked back and saw Lu Xing still standing there.
"Aren't you coming?"
"Am I just walking by myself? I'm so lonely~~~"
Liu Qingqing froze.
Under the overcast sky, Lu Xing was dressed entirely in black, wearing a baseball cap. The brim cast a shadow that hid his eyes and his emotions.
From the moment she first met him, he had been like this.
He always stood perfectly straight, as if nothing in this world could make him bend his back.
But in that moment.
Liu Qingqing felt that he looked so lonely.
She didn't want him to be alone. She wanted to be by his side.
Enduring her shyness, she walked back to him, gently grasped one of his fingers, and gave it a small tug, her head lowered and her face flushed.
"Let's go."
This is fun! So much fun!
Lu Xing looked at her fair cheeks, now a soft peachy pink. It was a beautiful sight that even the most talented painter couldn't capture.
He said simply, "Mm, let's go."
They entered the aquarium.
After browsing a few sections, they stood at the entrance of the underwater tunnel.
A long path of deep blue opened up before them, encased in hard, transparent glass. Countless fish swam right over their heads.
Liu Qingqing fumbled and gently brushed the back of Lu Xing's hand.
He turned to look at her.
"What's wrong?"
She tilted her head up, staring at the colorful fish overhead, and said dazed:
"It's like a deep blue dream."
"I'm a little... scared."
Lu Xing took her hand and said with a soft laugh:
"Then I'll dream with you."
We hold hands in the blue-toned sea. This is a small world that belongs only to us.
Liu Qingqing stared at him, mesmerized.
That day, we shared a blue dream. I couldn't grasp its value until it became a memory.
Having said that, Lu Xing led her by the hand into the tunnel.
It felt like falling into a deep blue world, like breathing at the bottom of the sea.
"So beautiful."
Through the glass, she watched the patterned fish swim leisurely.
"Lu Xing, do you think... we see the little fish through the glass, but do the fish see us through the glass too?"
Under the deep blue light, Lu Xing couldn't see her face clearly, but he saw her sparkling, soft, and innocent eyes.
His rehearsed words failed him. He couldn't deliver his usual lines. He could only manage a dry, simple reply:
"Yes, it should be like that."
He had established his rules from the start:
Take the experienced client to ride the carousel. Take the young and vigorous client to let off steam.
The more you lack something, the more you long for it.
His heart, usually as still as stagnant water, was moved by such pure happiness.
He understood now.
He understood why clients, even knowing the emotions were "fake," would still spend vast amounts of money to buy them.
Because even if I know this is bought...
In this moment.
I can't tell the real from the fake. I can only hear the sound of my own heartbeat.
'I, a mountain so inflexible, would erupt for you.'
(TL: A slightly modified line from the song "The Love I Want" (我要的爱). It implies that even the most stoic or cold person can be overwhelmed by sudden, explosive emotion.)
...
...