Chapter 136

Her little head was filled with affection. Both were petting cats, but the girl, looking at the well-behaved Hachimi, suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity... just like how she had practiced petting a certain Qiu with such practiced ease? But for a cat, going to a cat cafe was like... secretly attending a comic convention cosplay behind its husband's back?? Uh... what NTR plot. And she didn't even have a husband or anything like that! No boyfriend either?! But when she thought of the word "boyfriend," a shrimp-faced creature with a gentle smile involuntarily appeared in her mind. No way. She only had one stray cat at home. "I'm sorry, Chun Qiu, I'll wash my hands properly before going home." "Go away." Hua Xin sincerely apologized in her heart, then, regaining her composure, a hint of confidence flashed in her eyes as she raised her hand and threw out a card. "Kill." A pile of cards lay on the table, with cards arranged horizontally or vertically in front of the two girls, resembling a battle formation. However, judging from the current situation... Xia Fen seemed to be at a disadvantage, with only one drop of health remaining. Xia Fen chuckled and threw out a card, "Dodge!" "Zhuge Crossbow! Kill you!" Hua Xin played another card, then raised Moya's two little paws, mimicking a "hungry tiger pouncing on its prey," looking quite smug and cute. Unbeknownst to her, the "cool and aloof beauty" image she initially tried to maintain had completely vanished, and she now looked more like... a player from some country's Killing Rift, strategizing and plotting. Holding Spring Breeze and the elf in her arms Xia Fen was so nervous that she bit her fingernails, seemingly realizing she had reached a dead end. So she pulled her hand away and resolutely played a "Peach." "I haven't lost yet!" "Baby, you Eastern Wu rat!" She angrily rubbed her head twice, still steaming. "You're playing Lu Meng," the girl kindly reminded Xia Fen, pointing to the general card with a large "Wu" character in the upper left corner. "..." Just as Xia Fen fell silent, Hua Xin, with only two cards remaining, turned Xia Fen face down and calmly said, "Counter-Espionage!" Xia Fen swallowed hard, her eyes darting between the two cards. Finally, she steeled herself and drew the card on her left, confidently shouting, "Spades!!" She flipped it over. It was a Lightning Bolt of Clubs. "... I lost..." Xia Fen released her cards with a sigh of relief, then dejectedly shuffled the cards scattered haphazardly in the deck. A sly glint flashed in her eyes as she casually asked, "Sister Xin Hua, do you often play board games with others? You seem really good at it." "Some of the skills here I don't understand..." "Ah? I'm mostly at home, rarely go out... I just play on the computer a lot." Hua Xin said somewhat embarrassedly. After all, no one likes being recognized as a shut-in, an embarrassing identity. "Oh~" Winning or losing wasn't her main goal; gathering more information was paramount. "Have you graduated yet? If you've been staying home all this time..." "Desserts are here~" Just as Xia Fen was about to try and extract more information, a confident voice reached their ears, interrupting her. But Hua Xin's attention was completely captivated by the two desserts Li Xue had brought over. Cake... this is cake, right? Why does it seem like the smaller and more exquisite the item, the more expensive it is? Could it be even more expensive than the birthday cake Xia Yan gave her? Can I not eat it? I'll pack it up and take it home to eat in a couple of days. The girl looked at the Tiramisu and coffee with a pang of regret, her appetite suddenly diminished. Li Xue pulled over a chair and sat between the two, forming a stable triangle with them. She grabbed a lazy employee from the floor and said happily to Hua Xin, "I told you we'd meet again! It's only been a month... I've been so busy with the opening lately I haven't even had time to check the Landmine." "How is it? Isn't the environment in this shop nice?" she asked Hua Xin with a smile. "Very good," the girl replied earnestly. (Compared to the Milk Tea Shop and pastry shop Li Xue had opened before, it was already a miracle that this cat cafe could open and do so well. It's also remarkable that someone with a special buff could break free of the curse.) So when Hua Xin learned that this cat cafe was the one Li Xue had told her about that night, she was truly surprised. "This time, hopefully they won't open a shop like hers across the street, right?" Hua Xin thought with a hint of unease. "Hey... I'm just average, I'm actually very low-key." "Try the Tiramisu, how about it? It's handmade, not the ready-made kind you buy outside." "And this little sister, try some too!" "Then I won't be polite!" Xia Fen was puzzled as to why Hua Xin seemed to never leave her house according to the information, would know the owner of a cat cafe, but she didn't show any sign of anything amiss. Because... it looked delicious! Seeing the happy expression on Xia Fen's face, Hua Xin also politely greeted Li Xue, then gently picked up the spoon and took a bite. So sweet?... Just like you) The unexpected sweetness and smoothness spread in her mouth, making the girl, who already loved sweets, suddenly feel a surge of happiness, almost bringing tears to her eyes. "Hao Chi?!" Hua Xin said seriously. If she hadn't been constantly reminding herself to be mindful of her image, she would have already picked up the plate and slurped up the whole thing. As she spoke, she couldn't resist taking another bite. It was still sweet. The girl gently put down her spoon, a complex mix of emotions welling up in her eyes. She remembered the small cake from her birthday celebration. The cream had thickened overnight, and the texture couldn't compare to the Tiramisu before her. But it had her name on it. Xia Yan's disappearance back then was probably a hurried trip out of school to get her a cake, perhaps he returned to the playground, realized he wasn't there, and searched everywhere until he found her on the rooftop of the teaching building. Hua Xin remembered her phone was dead, Xia Yan's breathing was rapid, and his sharp suit, worn while singing on stage, was now loose and Xia Yan. Why did she keep thinking about Xia Yan? A pang of guilt washed over her, and an overwhelming urge to cry surged within her. Why had she hurt Xia Yan like that, even confronting him directly? His help had been more thoughtful and patient than she had ever experienced before. The sweetness lingered in her mouth, but Hua Xin couldn't feel happy. "Hey..." Li Xue seemed to suddenly remember something, and without caring that Xia Fen was also beside her, she blinked and asked with a mysterious curiosity, "Xiao Hua... have you and your boyfriend made up?" "How did you resolve things with him when you ran away from home last time? You didn't argue, right?" "Did you talk it out?" Li Xue's question immediately made Hua Xin's head spin.