Ye Xinglan proudly rubbed her head against Xiaoxi’s thigh.
Just the thought of that Eternal Star serving as her maid made her mood feel as refreshing as wearing new underwear on New Year’s Day!
“Hey, tone it down a bit. This is a public place, and there are quite a few outsiders here.”
Their overly intimate interaction had already drawn the attention of many people.
Anyone with eyes could tell their relationship was not ordinary.
Xiaoxi’s face flushed with a hint of shyness.
Ye Xinglan reluctantly sat up, and when she noticed the other customers in the shop, she suddenly had a thought. “So, if someone else ordered your maid service, would you do the same for them?”
“What are you thinking?” Xiaoxi gave Ye Xinglan a light chop on the head. “If it weren’t for you, anyone who made such an outrageous request would’ve been kicked out long ago.”
Ye Xinglan let out an “Oh,” but the strange sinking feeling in her heart didn’t ease.
If others also paid for Xiaoxi’s maid service, then Xiaoxi must also be sitting in other places, accompanying other people to eat, just like now, right?
Ye Xinglan suddenly understood why Xiaoxi had that reluctant, strange expression when they took the group photo earlier—she didn’t want Xiaoxi doing the same things she did with her with anyone else.
Of course, this thought wasn’t because she was possessive of Xiaoxi… it was definitely because Xiaoxi was the Eternal Star, yes!
Only she had the right to trample the Eternal Star underfoot and humiliate her harshly.
If anyone could order Xiaoxi around, where would she, as an archrival, save face?
Yes, it had to be because of that.
If Xiaoxi weren’t the Eternal Star, she certainly wouldn’t have these thoughts!
……
The whole afternoon passed quickly. It wasn’t until Su Ying came to remind her that Xiaoxi realized it was already her off-duty time.
“You’ve worked hard today, Xiaoxi. How does it feel on your first day at work?”
Xiaoxi recalled the day and realized most of the awkward memories involved Ye Xinglan. If there was any shortcoming today…
Xiaoxi remembered a girl had come to buy merchandise, but she didn’t recognize the magical girl Xiaoxi portrayed, which seemed to upset the girl somewhat.
“That’s not your fault,” Su Ying waved her hand. “The magical girl she’s a fan of has only recently started to gain popularity. It’s normal you’re unfamiliar with her, especially since the merchandise just came out.”
“That girl seemed to have bought many identical pieces of the merchandise. Is she planning to give them as gifts?”
Xiaoxi remembered too. The girl had indeed bought a dozen identical items.
“It could also just be a way to show off dedication by owning multiple copies. That kind of thing is quite common.”
“Ah, I see. Seems like she really likes that magical girl.”
“Not necessarily,” Su Ying shook her head. “Some people deliberately support lesser-known magical girls because those girls have fewer fans, which means more interaction opportunities and higher chances of being remembered.”
“And if those magical girls become popular later, they can become esteemed original fans.”
Xiaoxi frowned, feeling uneasy. “That sounds more like… an investment.”
Xiaoxi’s dislike of the current Magical Girl Association partly stemmed from this. In her eyes, magical girls should be heroes standing up to protect the people, not entertainment distractions.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Alright, you can get off work now. Your girlfriend has been waiting over there for quite a while.”
Su Ying nodded toward the corner where Ye Xinglan sat at the same spot as before, playing on her phone with a look that said she wouldn’t leave alone before Xiaoxi.
A warm feeling blossomed inside Xiaoxi. “Let’s go, Xinglan. Thanks for helping me with the clothes today.”
Ye Xinglan said nothing, just took Xiaoxi’s hand and walked toward the exit.
She hadn’t waited here so long just to accompany Xiaoxi, but because she feared the cooked duck might fly away.
Now that she knew Xiaoxi’s true identity, she naturally had to keep a close eye on her.
“Xinglan, what do you want for dinner tonight?”
Ye Xinglan didn’t answer, only gave a faint smile.
Xiaoxi didn’t care what she wanted to eat, but she already knew exactly who she was going to devour tonight.
After returning home, Xiaoxi hurried to her room to change clothes.
She still had to cook dinner and write some more later.
She wished there were 48 hours in a day.
Just as her head barely peeked out of the collar of her casual short-sleeved shirt, Xiaoxi was startled. Ye Xinglan had somehow silently appeared in her room.
Does Ye Xinglan walk without a sound? She was like this back in the café’s resting room when Xiaoxi changed clothes too.
Why did Ye Xinglan enjoy watching her change so much?
Before Xiaoxi could speak, Ye Xinglan suddenly pounced, pinning her down on the bed.
“Hey hey hey? What’s this for?”
Xiaoxi’s eyes spun with confusion. Ye Xinglan not only pinned her on the bed but deliberately locked her wrists, holding down both her hands. This helpless position made Xiaoxi feel a little uneasy.
What was this about? Had Ye Xinglan been struck by lust after the maid café today, and was now taking advantage of Xiaoxi while she changed clothes?
“Xiaoxi, I have something to ask you,” Ye Xinglan pulled out a photo album hidden behind her back and spoke slowly. “You are the [Eternal Star], right?”
A faint, barely noticeable red light flickered in Ye Xinglan’s eyes.
Xiaoxi felt her heart skip a beat. Glancing at the wardrobe, she realized the lock on the third drawer was gone!
Damn it, how did Ye Xinglan get through all these things!
Xiaoxi wasn’t nostalgic by nature, but she didn’t want constant reminders either, so she had locked away all items related to her old teammates in the wardrobe’s secret compartment.
These were things she had left behind when she was still active as the Eternal Star. If Ye Xinglan found out about them…
If before Xiaoxi just didn’t want anyone to know her Eternal Star identity for personal reasons, after realizing she owed someone a debt of affection, she absolutely could not let Ye Xinglan know she was the Eternal Star!
Recalling how gritted-teeth angry Ye Xinglan had looked when mentioning the Eternal Star before, Xiaoxi was sure Ye Xinglan would kill her if she found out!
Trying to explain now that she hadn’t meant to be a bad girl, but it was because she had a second personality… no, that would only sound like making excuses!
Xiaoxi swallowed hard. She decided to take a gamble, betting that Ye Xinglan was too busy rushing to deliver her clothes earlier to thoroughly search through the wardrobe.
Facing Ye Xinglan’s face just inches away, Xiaoxi feigned calm and spoke.
“Haha… what’s so surprising about it, Xinglan? The cabinet just has some [Eternal Star] merchandise and my personal stuff.”
“You know I’m a fan of the [Eternal Star]. Of course, I have to keep these things safe.”
Xiaoxi quickly recalled.
The cabinet should only have some gifts from teammates and collective memory items like photo albums.
If she insisted these were just merchandise, it should be believable… right?