Acting Cute with Her Mortal Enemy: Big Brother, You're the Best

When the two of them walked out of the office, the sunset slanted across the far end of the corridor, casting a golden glow over them. They looked like a scene straight out of a 2D comic.

Shao Enci walked beside her in a leisurely pose, one hand in his trouser pocket. He looked at her from beneath lowered eyelids, his deep voice drawing out the words. "Why are you so discouraged, classmate Lu?"

As he spoke, he raised a hand with well-defined knuckles and gave the top of her head a couple of gentle rubs. His lips curved into a faint smile as he said with interest, "Three minutes of kissing me in exchange for a two-thousand-word self-criticism. You came out ahead."

Lu Xiaoxiao impatiently swatted his hand off her head and turned to glare at him. "If you'd kissed me for a few minutes less, Teacher Chen wouldn't have caught us," she said, puffing with anger.

Shao Enci frowned and scoffed, his gaze resting lazily on her face. "You can see the surveillance feed from the office. Did you think Teacher Chen didn't know?" he said flippantly.

Lu Xiaoxiao stopped abruptly and turned to look up at him, a trace of annoyance in her eyes. "Then why did you get so carried away kissing me?"

"You were the one who asked for it," Shao Enci said in a low voice. A carefree, unrestrained smile appeared on his face. "How could I have refused?"

Lu Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together, at a loss for words. She raised both hands to press her temples, lowered her head, and sighed. "Yes, I deserved it. I was greedy for your good looks. That two-thousand-word self-criticism was completely worth it."

That was what she said aloud, but in her heart she complained to 037, Those two thousand words came with completing the task, 037. You have to help me take care of them.

037's voice sounded in her mind, indifferent: [Xiaoxiao, aside from issuing tasks and counting down, I can't interfere in your other affairs.]

Lu Xiaoxiao pressed the spot beneath her nose and took a deep breath, feeling as though she could roll down from the fourth floor the very next second.

Shao Enci looked at her dejected expression, his lips curling up. He coaxed her casually, "Lu Xiaoxiao, if you act cute like you did before, I can write that two-thousand-word self-criticism for you."

No sooner had he finished speaking than 037's voice popped up: [Task 25: Act cute with your mortal enemy and say, "Big brother, you're the best kisser. I super-duper love it!" Countdown: 9 minutes, 59 seconds.]

Lu Xiaoxiao's eyes widened, and she looked at Shao Enci as if she'd seen a ghost. She shouted at 037 in her mind, Tell me the truth. Are you a system Shao Enci invented? Don't tell me it's a coincidence. Whatever he's thinking, you give me a task for it. It's downright bizarre!

037's tone was as steady as ever: [Xiaoxiao, all I can tell you is that you're the luckiest task-taker. All your tasks are connected to your mortal enemy, Shao Enci.]

Lu Xiaoxiao: "..."

She knew that already. Couldn't 037 say something else? Could she please stop getting these cookie-cutter AI responses?

Seeing the frustrated look on her face, Shao Enci assumed she didn't want to act cute and stopped teasing her. He simply put his hand back in his pocket, his voice rising slightly. "Even if you don't act cute, I'll still help you write it."

Lu Xiaoxiao clenched her fingers and lifted her head, briefly meeting his gaze before quickly looking away. She bit her lower lip and gathered her words, her voice soft and a little unnaturally coquettish. "Big brother... you're the best kisser. I super-duper love it..."

[Congratulations to Xiaoxiao on completing task 25.]

Shao Enci stiffened slightly, then bent down with an easy motion, bringing his handsome face close to hers. There was a hint of a smile in his deep eyes. "Then would you like big brother to kiss you some more?"

The coquettish expression vanished from Lu Xiaoxiao's face in an instant, replaced by a pretty smile, though her voice held a threat with a dagger hidden behind it. "Then would you like big sister to reward you with a few slaps so you can have a taste?"

Shao Enci straightened up and walked toward the stairs beside her at an unhurried pace. He turned to glance at her. "Lu Xiaoxiao, you don't have a split personality, do you?"

Then he added, "One is gentle and passionate, and the other is aloof and hard to mess with."

Lu Xiaoxiao tugged at the corners of her lips and replied offhandedly, "Then I really wish the other one could help me do these things."

Shao Enci's gaze darkened slightly. "...I keep feeling like you're carrying out some kind of task."

That brief remark instantly made Lu Xiaoxiao's whole body tense. Her expression didn't change, but she was already nervous. Pretending she hadn't heard him, she hurriedly asked 037 in her mind, If Shao Enci figures out that I was reborn and am doing system tasks, will I be erased on the spot?

037: [At present, you would be erased on the spot, but once you've unlocked more than 70 tasks, you can tell him everything.]

There's a deal that good? Lu Xiaoxiao pressed in her mind as she walked.

[Yep. Once you've unlocked 60 tasks, you'll have permission to see everything that happened after you died in your previous life.]

What?! Lu Xiaoxiao nearly lost her stride. Then can I also find out who killed me in my previous life?

037's tone grew grave: [You'll have to complete 100 tasks before you can unlock the killer's identity.]

Then what if the killer gets me before I've completed 100 tasks?

[Then you'll only have your own stupidity to blame.]

Lu Xiaoxiao: "..."

Before she could think of a response, Shao Enci's voice came from above her. "Want to have dinner together tonight?"

037 promptly refreshed with a new task: [Task 26: Hold hands with your mortal enemy and do a square dance. Countdown: 1 hour, 59 minutes.]

Lu Xiaoxiao didn't answer him. Instead, she silently asked, 037, can we do the square dance anywhere?

[The designated location is a crowded public square.]

Lu Xiaoxiao: "..." Fine.

"Why do you keep spacing out?" Shao Enci's gentle voice brought her back to her senses. "Did something happen?"

Lu Xiaoxiao came back to herself and looked down as she walked down the stairs. Her voice was fairly calm. "Sure."

"Western or Chinese food?" His hand reached over naturally from his side and took hers.

Lu Xiaoxiao was still mulling over the task and didn't even notice the intimate way they were holding hands. She thought for a while before answering, "Chinese."

Shao Enci had already pulled out his phone with his other hand and made a call. He said, "Arrange some Taizhou cuisine for me at Xin Rong Ji. We'll arrive a little after six."

The person on the other end acknowledged him. He hung up and put his phone back in his pocket.

"Shao Enci." Lu Xiaoxiao belatedly looked up at him, her tone a little scrutinizing. "I never thought you were very rich before, not until I recently found out your family owns Happy Valley and the movie theater, and then you bought more than twenty gifts last night."

She narrowed her eyes. "I've realized you're really rich."

Shao Enci tightened his grip on her hand and drew her half a step closer. He lowered his head to her ear, a low chuckle escaping his throat. "Then you've hit the jackpot. Your future man is handsome and rich, has a high IQ, and dotes on you alone."

Lu Xiaoxiao raised her index finger and wagged it gently in front of him, retorting proudly, "You're the one who hit the jackpot, okay? There are very few women like me who are beautiful, kind, and not after your money. You should cherish me."

Shao Enci lowered his eyes to her charming little face, his gaze resting lazily on it. "Then, classmate Lu, could you give me a chance to cherish you and let me be your boyfriend?"

Lu Xiaoxiao immediately let go of his hand and walked forward without looking back, her steps brisk and decisive. All she left him was the sight of her back, tinted by the sunset, and a cold, heartless remark: "We can flirt, but don't expect a title."

Shao Enci stood where he was, both hands back in his pockets. He watched her walk away before following at a leisurely pace, his lips curving upward as he murmured, "Scumbag."