The discussion about the electronic bat battle dragged on for quite some time without reaching any conclusion.
Soon enough, they switched to a new topic, since it was just casual chatting—not some serious competition to prove who was better.
Jie Tianxin poked a small piece of cake with her fork and sighed, “Lately, life’s been so boring. After gaming every day, there’s nothing else to do. It feels like life is just empty…”
“Serves you right. Who told you to be single?” Teacher Lin chimed in from across the table. “Xinglan isn’t bored after gaming every night because she has a girlfriend to keep her company.”
Xiaoxi and Ye Xinglan both stayed silent, sitting like two mute stones on either side of Jie Tianxin.
The awkward atmosphere spread. Yet Jie Tianxin seemed to have taken a liking to the suddenly broached topic, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Speaking of which, you two are living together now, right? So Xinglan, after you finish gaming every night, do you sleep with Xiaoxi or…?”
Jie Tianxin blinked innocently, like a curious little baby bombarding them with questions.
“Jie Tianxin, isn’t that a bit too personal?” An’an, sitting across from her, reminded.
Both Xiaoxi and Xinglan felt conflicted.
Pretending to be a couple in public wasn’t awkward at first, but now that their confession had fallen flat and Molan’er had blown their cover, keeping up the charade in front of others felt really uncomfortable.
“It’s nothing. There’s no big secret. We actually sleep in separate rooms…”
Ye Xinglan forced a smile while explaining, but her eyes involuntarily glanced at Xiaoxi.
When she noticed Xiaoxi sneaking a look back, both blushed and quickly averted their gazes.
Jie Tianxin didn’t ask further but caught the flush on their faces. That was obviously shyness!
But why did the mention of sleeping together cause such embarrassment?
Suddenly, she coughed twice, realizing her earlier question might have been too private.
Xiaoxi lowered her head, emotions tangled inside her. She couldn’t help but recall Molan’er’s question from noon.
Honestly, when she rejected Ye Xinglan earlier, she had tried to find many reasons in her heart—but on reflection, most were just excuses.
Like the difference in status. But after all, love is between two people. Molan’er hadn’t objected either, so it wasn’t really a problem.
Like fearing revenge from the Blood Moon Witch. Since that day, the Association hadn’t found any trace of the Blood Moon Witch.
Xiaoxi instinctively felt that the witch was probably just hiding from the Association and didn’t have the energy to seek revenge on her. That wasn’t a problem either.
If those aren’t problems, then why did she stammer and fail to answer Molan’er’s question at noon?
Xiaoxi couldn’t figure it out. Her heart felt like it was shrouded in mist, unclear even to herself.
She only knew she had been subconsciously avoiding the question all this time, and even the unspoken understanding with Ye Xinglan was a form of evasion.
Just then, Xiaoxi noticed Ye Xinglan wink at her. Lost in thought, she looked up in time to catch the tail end of Jie Tianxin’s complaint.
“But that author updates way too slowly! Just one chapter a day after launching, it’s so frustrating to keep up.”
Xiaoxi was stunned, then realized Jie Tianxin was talking about her own School Romance Novel. No wonder Ye Xinglan had that amused look.
Xiaoxi knew her updates were slow, but hearing someone complain about it offline felt strangely awkward… She silently vowed never to let anyone find out she was writing School Romance Novels!
Then Jie Tianxin excitedly launched into how boring gaming was after finishing and how she wanted to try writing novels too, already having the plot figured out.
Both Xiaoxi and Ye Xinglan exchanged looks that clearly said “No hope.” They already guessed where Jie Tianxin was going.
“…I’m going to write a dramatic fanfiction romance about Eternal Star and the Blood Moon Witch!”
No sooner had she said it than a strong killing intent radiated from both sides, but when she turned, all she saw were two smiling faces looking at her in silence.
An’an threw up her hands. “I told you it wouldn’t work. Your ship is too niche; no one wants to read that kind of story.”
“Who says? Exactly because it’s niche, there’s no competition! Maybe I’ll attract a whole bunch of like-minded fans! Besides, none of you write novels, so why judge my idea impossible?”
Jie Tianxin argued earnestly. Ye Xinglan thought silently, You better not attract any fans… or one day I might just take you all down for dabbling in heresy.
The Association was already a somewhat religious organization, and Ye Xinglan considered herself half a cultist. If even she found this stuff eerie, it had to be truly strange.
“And I’ve even planned the plot! First, the two fall in love without knowing each other’s identities. Then, when their feelings deepen, they discover who the other really is.”
“The torment of love and the guilt from opposing identities constantly torture their hearts—agonizing and struggling… Isn’t that the essence of a tragic romance?”
Jie Tianxin even began gesturing with her hands, clearly confident in her concept.
But Xiaoxi felt like Jie Tianxin was describing her as a piece of meat tossed onto a grill, sizzling on both sides… yet somehow smelling good.
“Then, as they wrestle with whether to confess their identities, they gradually drift apart. Finally, in a pouring rain, they burst out their feelings.”
“They’re not really bothered by each other’s identities; they just worry whether the other will accept them…”
Xiaoxi suddenly froze.
At first, she was just listening and smiling at the conversation, but the last sentence from Jie Tianxin pierced her heart like a needle.
Worry about whether the other would accept their identity?
Suddenly, Xiaoxi understood where the inexplicable anxiety in her heart came from.
When Ye Xinglan confessed that night, Xiaoxi’s first reaction was to reject her.
The very first thought that came to mind was this exact issue—Ye Xinglan didn’t know her true identity then.
But what if Ye Xinglan knew about her status as Eternal Star?
“How about it? Don’t you think I actually have a real talent for writing novels?”
Jie Tianxin beamed proudly. The two sitting opposite her were about to give their usual negative vote, but then Ye Xinglan and Xiaoxi suddenly spoke in unison.
“You really do have talent!”
Afterwards, they exchanged glances, both puzzled by why they shared such a strong reaction.
Ye Xinglan realized this was because of the identity issue she’d been too afraid to ask Xiaoxi about recently.
That night, she’d planned to press Xiaoxi for clarity, but when Xiaoxi went out chasing the Blood Moon Witch, Ye Xinglan calmed herself.
What if Xiaoxi knew Ye Xinglan’s identity as the Blood Moon Witch?
At this moment, their thoughts coincided perfectly. Love or not was something to consider when both knew each other fully.
Without knowing if the other could accept the true self, how could they talk about love?
Jie Tianxin continued enthusiastically, “You could also add all kinds of obstacles after the two accept each other’s identities. Dating a famous Magic Girl must come with lots of troubles, right?”
“Like paparazzi, revenge from enemies, balancing the identity of lover and hero… Just thinking about it is a headache! I hate trouble, so I definitely won’t date a famous Magic Girl!”
The two rolled their eyes hard at that.
“And you’re so arrogant! Eternal Star liking you? That’s just impossible!”
“What do you mean? I’m the most beautiful of all beauties, alright?” Jie Tianxin placed her hands on her hips. “Eternal Star falling for me at first sight isn’t impossible, okay?”
Seeing everyone’s disapproving looks, Jie Tianxin turned to the calmest person at the table—Xiaoxi.
“Xiaoxi, what do you think? Eternal Star would definitely want to date me, right?”
Xiaoxi: “I don’t think so.”
Though unanimously vetoed, Jie Tianxin didn’t sulk. The whole chat was partly just for bragging, like how netizens say, “Wu Yanzu? Slightly better than me right after a shower.”
“But I think you’re right. Dating a Magic Girl probably is troublesome.”
Xiaoxi lowered her gaze, having come to a realization. She wasn’t struggling with whether she liked Ye Xinglan—she did like her.
But precisely because of that, she couldn’t accept Ye Xinglan’s confession while hiding her identity. That wouldn’t be fair to Ye Xinglan.
Each had their own epiphany. As Xiaoxi stood to help clear the empty plates, Ye Xinglan noticed Xiaoxi grimace and grit her teeth while using her wrist.
“Are you okay, Xiaoxi? Did you sprain your wrist?”
“No, it’s just that I’ve been using it a lot lately. Feels a bit like tendonitis…”
Xiaoxi meant her hand was strained from typing so much.
But after she left with the empty plates, Ye Xinglan saw the other three quietly watching her.
Jie Tianxin thought, I knew it! Pretending to sleep in separate rooms… Does that cause tendonitis?
“No, don’t overthink it. It’s not what you’re all imagining!” Ye Xinglan’s face flushed. “Xiaoxi’s tendonitis is because…”
She bit her lip and stopped herself. She suddenly remembered promising Xiaoxi not to tell anyone about the School Romance Novel. Now it was impossible to explain!
An’an pointed a finger. “I never expected this, Xinglan. We all thought you were the type, but Xiaoxi looks so cute… That’s a pretty adorable contrast, right?”
“I told you it’s not like that!”
Ye Xinglan’s face burned red, prompting laughter from the others. The café was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Later that evening, when Xiaoxi was about to leave work, Su Ying stopped them both, wanting a few photos.
Su Ying had been researching new products to attract customers and planned to launch a couple’s combo.
She wanted a few pictures of them for social media promotion.
“All the previous promos were just with Xiaoxi, so luckily you have such a photogenic girlfriend.”
Seeing Su Ying’s smiling face, they couldn’t refuse. Ye Xinglan felt a pang of regret, thinking that if she’d agreed to pretend to be a couple back when they first met, things wouldn’t be so awkward now.
“Get closer… yes, just like that!”
“Xiaoxi, raise your hand a bit, wrap it around Xinglan’s waist, okay?”
Su Ying snapped several photos, clearly satisfied.
Though they stood close, neither dared to look at the other, but the physical sensation was undeniably real.
“Hmm…” Su Ying flipped through the album thoughtfully. “One last shot—can you be a little more intimate?”
“For example, Xinglan could do this,” Su Ying demonstrated putting an arm around someone’s neck, “and then… give a kiss. How about that?”
Su Ying didn’t think the request was difficult.
She remembered very well when Ye Xinglan first came to her store for maid service, she made Xiaoxi hold her shoes and call her “master”… who knows what they got up to in private!
But seeing them both blush and hesitate, Su Ying suddenly understood.
“Am I bothering you? How about this—I won’t watch, you just take a selfie. Just make sure to include the desserts on the table.”
She made a framing gesture with her hands, then nodded. “That’s pretty good. Selfies might actually look more natural. I was worried the posed shots seemed a bit fake.”
Su Ying handed over her phone and went behind the counter, leaving the two alone, staring at each other.
They shyly adjusted their poses in silence. Xiaoxi felt uneasy and hesitantly spoke.
“Xinglan, if it’s really too much trouble, maybe ask the manager to pick a different pose? It doesn’t have to be…”
Before she finished, warm, soft contact touched her cheek. The phone’s flash went off with a “click.” Xiaoxi could feel Ye Xinglan gently breathing near her ear, her hair tickling her neck.
“Just take it quickly, then it’s done.”
Ye Xinglan quickly ran to return the phone to Su Ying. Xiaoxi touched her cheek, the warmth lingering, filling her with guilt.
She neither clearly rejected nor agreed to Ye Xinglan, yet kept such intimate proximity. This behavior…
Ye Xinglan, handing back the phone, whispered, “Send me a copy of that last photo,” feeling the same guilt.
She not only lacked the courage to reveal her identity and clarify Xiaoxi’s feelings but also forced Xiaoxi to keep up the fake girlfriend act as if nothing was wrong.
At that moment, they shared the same thought—
What’s the difference between this and being a heartless jerk?!
No, they couldn’t drag it out any longer. Tonight, they would confess their identities to each other!
The guilt steeled their resolve. When they rested later that night, they would find a chance to speak.
But as fate would have it, just after Xiaoxi finished dinner, she received an urgent overtime notice from Miss L. By the time she returned, it was almost bedtime.
When Xiaoxi opened the door, she was surprised to find the living room light still on and Ye Xinglan sitting on the sofa waiting for her.
“Um, Xiaoxi (Ye Xinglan), I have something to tell you—”
They both spoke at the same time.