Seeing the nearly tangible pink bubbles sparkling in Xia Ji’s eyes, Chu You felt utterly helpless.
This silly girl had clearly become a fervent shipper of her and Lin Mo’s CP.
But the problem was, to cover her own lie, she’d previously admitted with her own mouth that she and Lin Mo were “dating.” Now, it was like shooting herself in the foot—she didn’t even know how to begin to explain.
In the end, Chu You could only press a hand to her forehead, a bit embarrassed as she tried a final struggle, her tone vague as she emphasized.
“That… Xia Ji, although we… um, are dating, for now, it’s still a very pure relationship! You… understand what I mean, right?”
After saying this, she looked at Xia Ji with a sliver of desperate hope.
Xia Ji immediately nodded like a pecking chick, her face practically screaming “I get it, I get it!” She replied obediently, “Mm-hmm!”
However, the excitement and curiosity in her ever-transparent eyes were about to overflow.
Clearly, whatever she was imagining was far more elaborate than mere purity.
Chu You silently pressed her forehead again: …Alright, she totally doesn’t get it.
Forget it, let her enjoy her CP shipping. It’s not like she’ll lose a piece of flesh because of it.
Chu You gave up struggling and resigned herself to her fate.
She sighed lightly and pointed at the bathroom door inside the guest room, her tone helpless: “There, the bathroom’s right here, go ahead.”
Xia Ji nodded cheerfully and skipped into the bathroom, coming out shortly after, shaking her wet hands.
After exiting, she didn’t leave right away.
Instead, she carefully looked around for a moment.
Under Chu You’s puzzled gaze, Xia Ji leaned in mysteriously, lowering her voice with irrepressible excitement and curiosity: “Um, Sister You… I know I probably shouldn’t ask, but I’m really curious—”
She blinked her big eyes.
“Is your current appearance… a disguise? Like in the movies?”
Chu You thought for a moment, then nodded frankly.
“Yes.”
Xia Ji’s face immediately showed a ‘just as I thought’ expression, then she couldn’t wait to ask, “Then… Sister You, are you like, some kind of secret agent on a mission? Like in those novels, the super awesome kind!”
As she spoke, she gestured with her hands, her eyes shining even brighter.
Suddenly, as if struck by some brilliant idea, she grabbed Chu You’s wrists, her voice so excited it nearly cracked.
“You and Mr. Lin Mo, are you two that… dream team of lovers and partners?! The kind who go through life-and-death situations together?!”
The corners of Chu You’s mouth twitched slightly.
Looking at the girl in front of her, so immersed in her own script, she nonchalantly pulled her hands free.
“…Well, you could say that, but maybe not exactly how you imagine.”
Her tone held a hard-to-describe complexity.
“I knew it!” Xia Ji did a little celebratory fist pump, her whole face full of ‘My ship is real!’ satisfaction.
Seeing her adorable expression, Chu You was both exasperated and amused.
She couldn’t help but reach out and pinch Xia Ji’s soft cheek, deliberately lowering her voice and grinning mischievously.
“Silly girl, that red-haired, arrogant guy just now was a Swordbearer, here to catch me!”
“And I’m a secret agent… Hmph, aren’t you afraid I might actually be a bad person?”
Xia Ji tilted her head, looking at Chu You with pure, unwavering determination, without a trace of hesitation: “But Sister You would never hurt me.”
Such straightforward and utter trust left Chu You speechless for a moment, as the softest part of her heart was gently touched.
She lifted the corners of her lips and affectionately pinched Xia Ji’s cheek again, smiling as she scolded, “You’re really such a dummy!”
Xia Ji wrinkled her little nose in protest, her mouth puffing up as she grumbled, “I’m not a dummy!”
“Alright, alright, you’re not a dummy, you’re a genius, okay?” Chu You laughed even harder and used both hands to gently knead Xia Ji’s cheeks, treating her like a soft stress-relief toy.
After playing for a while, she let go and said with a relaxed tone, “Since you know so much already, there’s nothing for me to hide anymore—didn’t we say last night we’d go out together today? Give me a minute, I’ll change, and you get to decide our plans for today!”
At these words, Xia Ji blinked in surprise.
Then, immense delight bloomed on her face. She even hopped up and cheered, “Yay!”
“Don’t be so dramatic…” Chu You chuckled as she opened the door. “Wait for me, I’ll go get changed.”
“Mm-hmm!” Xia Ji responded obediently.
Chu You paid her no more mind and went back to her own room to change.
She shut the door and walked straight to her wardrobe.
Suddenly, she paused, staring at the dazzling array of clothes in deep thought.
Wait a minute?!
Did my clothes multiply?
She grabbed a soft, floral dress, shaking it out in front of her, then touched the simple, all-black T-shirt she had bought for herself.
In the next moment, Chu You suddenly realized something, a cold smile curling on her lips.
That dog Lin Mo… Is he treating this like some dress-up game?
Chu You didn’t bother touching any of the extra little dresses that had magically appeared.
Her gaze slid past those overly feminine styles and landed directly on a simple black turtleneck sweater and a pair of light coffee-colored wide-legged pants.
Decisively, she shed her pajamas, her bare back gradually exposed to the air, with only that plain black chest strap looking oddly out of place—its tight lines not quite matching her current ordinary face.
Chu You swiftly pulled on the turtleneck.
Its fitted shape perfectly concealed the strap while accentuating her graceful figure.
Next, she sat on the edge of the bed, took off her puffy pajama pants, revealing two long, fair legs, and slipped her feet neatly into the wide-legged pants.
Standing up, Chu You went to the full-length mirror, scrutinizing herself.
A dark-toned outfit, simple and sharp—this was the state she felt most comfortable in.
She nodded in satisfaction, took a matching short trench coat from the wardrobe and draped it over her arm, then pushed the door open and left the room.
Entering the living room, Chu You saw that not only was Xia Ji already up and raring to go, even Lin Mo was standing to the side, seemingly ready to head out with them.
She raised her brow slightly in surprise. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
Hearing this, Lin Mo turned, giving her a flawless smile and responding as if it were perfectly natural: “Classmate Xia said you two were going out to have fun. Considering that Gu Qiancheng might still be up to something, to make sure everything goes smoothly, I decided to take emergency leave and personally accompany you.”
He paused, eyes glinting with a bit of mischief as he looked at Chu You.
“So? Don’t you think I’m being very thoughtful and considerate?”
Chu You was both amused and annoyed by his grandiose reasoning, shooting back, “Well, thank you ever so much, then!”
Lin Mo acted as if he didn’t hear the sarcasm, smiling as he waved his hand and walked directly toward her.
With Xia Ji watching with shining eyes, full of excitement, he naturally reached out and wrapped his arm around Chu You’s waist, pulling her closer.
His tone was so affectionate it was almost ambiguous, as he lowered his head and drew out his words at her ear.
“You’re welcome.”
“After all, I am your…”
“Boy-friend~”