Playful Feelings and Teasing

Jia Youcai walked out of the arena and immediately felt himself back at full strength. He lightly stretched his muscles, and his joints let out a series of crisp crackling sounds.

Just then, Yan Lingzhuo jogged over to Jia Youcai. Her slender finger gently poked his chest as she winked playfully. "Amazing! You were ridiculously handsome in that fight just now!"

Jia Youcai froze slightly, caught off guard. Then he laughed. "Haha, wasn't that because those two forced my hand? They nearly tortured me to death."

Tilting her head, Yan Lingzhuo pressed on, "That final move you used—the Electromagnetic Thunder Field—Full-Area Coverage—was insane! You subdued all your opponents at once. How did you even come up with it? My eyes practically popped out watching."

Jia Youcai scratched his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "I was forced into it, really. Zhu Zhuqing had too many clones, and I couldn't handle them all. In a rush, I thought of covering the entire area with this move and catching them all in one net. I didn't expect it to work so well." As he spoke, he gestured through the movements he had made while releasing the skill.

Yan Lingzhuo nodded, her eyes brimming with admiration. "You think so fast. If it had been me, facing that many clones, I'd have been thrown into a complete panic long ago. I never would've thought of such a brilliant solution."

Jia Youcai patted Yan Lingzhuo's shoulder and deliberately teased her. "Praise me some more."

"You! Are! So! Amazing!" Yan Lingzhuo waved her little hand, her face blooming with a radiant smile as she enunciated every word.

The corners of Jia Youcai's mouth nearly reached his ears, but he still waved dismissively with feigned composure. "Oh, it was nothing much. Still, your compliments do sound pretty nice. They make me feel great."

Yan Lingzhuo blinked her large eyes and said brightly, "Super, super, super amazing... You beat them so badly they were utterly defeated."

Jia Youcai fought to hold back his laughter and cleared his throat. "Ahem, your little mouth is sweet as honey. But you're speaking the truth—I really did beat them pretty badly."

"And you're especially smart. No matter how difficult the situation is, you can always think of a way to deal with it," Yan Lingzhuo continued.

Jia Youcai finally burst into hearty laughter. "Haha, of course! Who do you think I am? I, Jia Youcai, am no pushover. Still, you've got good judgment. You can recognize how impressive I am—you've got potential."

At that point, Jia Youcai gradually began to sense that something was off. Yan Lingzhuo's compliments came one after another, which didn't seem like her usual style.

Then he noticed the unusual look in Yan Lingzhuo's sincere eyes. It seemed to hold a certain expectation.

"So... do you want to pursue me?" Yan Lingzhuo gathered her courage and asked directly, a blush rising to her cheeks.

The mood abruptly shifted. Jia Youcai paused for a moment, his gaze darting away as he deliberately evaded the question. "Do I?" He looked off to the side.

Yan Lingzhuo placed both hands on Jia Youcai's head and gently turned it toward herself. "What are you looking at? Don't change the subject."

"N-Nothing... Hey, what are you doing?" Jia Youcai stammered.

"Didn't you just say that you loved me?" Yan Lingzhuo stared intently into Jia Youcai's eyes.

"Did I? Did I say that?" Jia Youcai pretended not to know.

Yan Lingzhuo narrowed her eyes and drew out her voice. "You didn't? Don't even think about denying it."

"Oh, that? Couldn't you tell from my tone back then?" Jia Youcai explained.

"Say it!" Yan Lingzhuo pointed at Jia Youcai and demanded fiercely, "Do you want to pursue me or not?"

"N—" Before Jia Youcai could finish, Yan Lingzhuo cut him off. "Of course, if I could receive the love of the cutest beautiful girl in the whole world, I'd be so happy I'd die." After saying that, a shy yet expectant smile appeared on her face.

Yan Lingzhuo's sudden straightforward attack left Jia Youcai dizzy and disoriented. He scratched the back of his head and stammered, "Th-That came out of nowhere."

Yan Lingzhuo pouted and pretended to be angry. "Hmph, Jia Youcai, you big liar! I was just praising you for being smart, and now you're such a coward? If you like me, just say so. It's not like I'm going to eat you."

Fine, fine, so that's how you want to play? Then I'll tease you too.

Then, his manner suddenly changed. He dropped to one knee, elegantly placed his right hand over his left chest, and bowed his head slightly. Gazing deeply at Yan Lingzhuo, he spoke in a gentle yet solemn voice. "Miss Yan Lingzhuo, your beauty lights up my world like the stars, and your playfulness brushes across my heart like a gentle breeze. I, Jia Youcai, hereby solemnly express my feelings to you. I hope I may have the honor of becoming the one who accompanies you for a lifetime, shields you from wind and rain, and shares every beautiful moment with you." When he finished, he produced a small flower from behind his back—who knew where he had picked it—and offered it to Yan Lingzhuo with both hands.

Yan Lingzhuo's heart trembled. Her already rosy cheeks turned as red as ripe apples. Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, her gaze was flustered yet touched with sweetness as she said in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's, "It's... it's not like I couldn't..."

Seeing Yan Lingzhuo look so adorably flustered, Jia Youcai could not resist lightly flicking her forehead with a finger. "You silly fool, I was just teasing you. You actually believed me!"

"Huh?" Yan Lingzhuo had yet to process it and stood there blankly.

Then Jia Youcai's hearty laughter rang out. "Way, way, way too adorable... little fool..." He deliberately emphasized the last three words.

The moment his words fell, he turned and sprinted madly into the distance.

Yan Lingzhuo was stunned at first, but quickly came to her senses. Realizing that she had been tricked, she stomped her feet in fury and took off after him. She first gave Jia Youcai's butt a vicious kick, shouting angrily, "You big jerk! How dare you mess with me!"

"Ow, don't kick me... W-Wait, go easy on me!"

"D-Don't pinch there... It hurts, it hurts..."

"...Wah... you female pervert... You're even pulling my clothes..."

"I'll beat you to death, you big bastard! I'll beat you to death! Beat you to death! Beat you to death!"