Monday, inside the club activity room.
Ling Cheng was napping with his head on the desk. After all, this weekend had been so eventful that he’d had to work through the night, pulling an all-nighter.
“Ling Cheng?” Chu Xiaoxiao entered and found him alone in the room, slumped over his desk.
She watched him sleeping peacefully, her gaze lingering on his profile and lips. The temptation was overwhelming.
She swallowed hard. ‘A quick, sneaky kiss wouldn’t hurt, right? No one would find out.’
Chu Xiaoxiao tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, closed her eyes, and leaned down…
“Ling Cheng-senpai, I’m here!” The door was suddenly flung open, and Hua Manyue bounced in, full of energy.
Startled, the guilt-ridden Chu Xiaoxiao jumped back.
Damn it, I was just a hair away from kissing him.
“Senpai, what were you doing?” Hua Manyue spotted Chu Xiaoxiao standing behind Ling Cheng and asked curiously.
“Well… it’s only March, you know. I saw him sleeping like that and thought he might catch a cold, so I was about to put a blanket over him.” Chu Xiaoxiao scrambled for an excuse.
“But… Senpai, you’re not holding anything,” Hua Manyue pressed, tilting her head.
“Umm…”
Just as Chu Xiaoxiao was running out of words, the commotion woke Ling Cheng up.
“So sleepy… well, since everyone’s here, let’s jump into the voice acting. I think we can finish it all this week.”
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Ling Cheng yawned and stretched his arms behind his back.
Meanwhile, An Xin, who was monitoring every move in the activity room through a camera, wore an expression of icy coldness.
He’s supposed to be mine alone, yet that bitch dares to covet him! An Xin stared intently at Chu Xiaoxiao’s face. She didn’t even notice she had bitten her own lip until it bled, letting the blood flow freely.
‘Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting! That thieving cat actually tried to touch my A Chen!’ When An Xin saw Chu Xiaoxiao attempt to kiss Ling Cheng, her desire to kill reached its peak.
‘Good thing my order arrived.’ Looking at the package she had bought through a special channel, An Xin barely suppressed her anger. ‘Let’s have some fun, thieving cat.’
…
“Good morning, A Chen.” An Xin arrived at the activity room carrying a box of desserts.
No one was surprised; An Xin brought Ling Cheng homemade sweets every day.
Hua Manyue even thought An Xin was Ling Cheng’s girlfriend, considering how close they seemed.
“They look delicious as usual. Can I have one, Senpai?” Hua Manyue’s eyes sparkled at the cute cookies.
“Of course.” An Xin smiled as she laid everything out, including four cups of tea.
“Thanks, Senpai! Love you!”
After Hua Manyue took one cup, An Xin handed another to Ling Cheng. “Have something to eat before you start working.”
“Thanks, An Xin. Just leave it there. I’ll have it in a bit.”
“There are two cups left: one jasmine, one passion fruit. Xiao Xiao, which one do you want?”
“Passion fruit, please… thanks.” At first, Chu Xiaoxiao thought An Xin’s kindness was suspicious, but after several incidents without issue, she had let her guard down.
Besides, there were only two cups left. If they were poisoned, An Xin wouldn’t poison herself, right?
“Okay, I’ll take the jasmine.” After Chu Xiaoxiao picked, An Xin picked up the remaining cup and took a sip.
As she watched Chu Xiaoxiao drink, a flicker of triumph crossed An Xin’s eyes.
Because both of those last two cups had been tampered with. She had placed two harmless cups on the outermost side. Greedy Manyue-chan would definitely pick one first.
Then A Chen, who wasn’t all that particular about food, would take the cup she handed him.
That left the final two. No matter which one Chu Xiaoxiao chose, the result would be the same.
As for the toxicity? She didn’t have to speak during voice acting. She could just hold the poison in her mouth and spit it out when she excused herself.
Besides, a tiny sip like that wouldn’t kill her even if she accidentally swallowed it.
“By the way, An Xin-senpai, are you the senior’s girlfriend?” Hua Manyue asked while munching on a cookie.
The seemingly lighthearted question exploded inside the activity room, making the atmosphere tense.
Chu Xiaoxiao put down her script, and An Xin’s pen froze. Everyone’s eyes secretly turned to Ling Cheng.
But Ling Cheng, unaware of the undercurrents, was still adjusting his monitoring headphones, preparing for the next recording session.
“No, we’re just close friends.”
“Then… what kind of girl does the senior like?” Upon hearing that Ling Cheng and An Xin weren’t actually a couple, Hua Manyue’s eyes lit up.
“Huh? Do I really have to answer that?”
“Absolutely! There’s no girl who doesn’t like talking about romance,” Chu Xiaoxiao chimed in, her tone full of anticipation.
“If I had to say… a classy older woman.” Ling Cheng pinched his chin and gave a joking answer.
He honestly didn’t know what type of girl he liked best. As long as she was cute, that should be fine, right?
“Huh?” Everyone showed looks of disbelief.
“What does ‘a classy older woman’ mean?” Chu Xiaoxiao was thoroughly puzzled.
“Wow, that’s intense. Does the senior like Nan Liang?” Hua Manyue, who seemed to have a lot of knowledge, blurted out.
“Just kidding, just kidding. I really don’t!” Ling Cheng quickly explained, since someone from the school broadcasting station was present.
He didn’t want to be labeled a weirdo the next day.
“So… Manyue-chan, what kind of boy do you like?” An Xin deftly redirected the question to Hua Manyue.
She knew that if they kept pressing Ling Cheng, he wouldn’t answer honestly.
“Me?” Hua Manyue hadn’t expected the question to bounce back to her.
“Um… tall, sunny, handsome, and gentle. Someone who can encourage others and lead the team forward, no matter what problem arises.”
As she said this, Hua Manyue didn’t even dare to look at Ling Cheng.
“Sounds super popular, not someone I can compare to.” Ling Cheng, completely oblivious, began analyzing. As far as he was concerned, he wasn’t a sunny person at all—he was just a homebody gamer.
“Looks like A Chen doesn’t know himself that well. You’re pretty popular too, aren’t you?”
At this point, An Xin sensed Hua Manyue’s feelings. She sighed helplessly. ‘Looks like I’ve got another rival.’
“Huh?!” Ling Cheng denied it repeatedly.
In this seemingly relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, the voice acting progressed quickly.
After the recording session ended, Chu Xiaoxiao felt a slight discomfort in her throat—a faint foreign sensation.
She didn’t think much of it. After all, when she practiced alone for two or three hours, she sometimes felt the same.
It was probably just overuse of her voice, since they had been recording almost the entire day.
She’d just drink some loquat syrup or something when she got home.
Thinking about how much she had talked with Ling Cheng today, even having lunch together, Chu Xiaoxiao felt warmth in her heart.
‘He’ll fall for me again soon… just like before.’