Chapter 181

It wasn't that he was being playful, but rather that he wanted to call his wife and hear her voice. After their confession and confirmation of their relationship on New Year's Eve's Eve, their relationship hadn't exactly taken a leap forward, but it had at least returned to what it used to be. Playing games together, voice chatting together, watching anime together, listening to NetEase Cloud Music together... In short, from Hua Xin's perspective, these were all ordinary things to do with her brothers, but from Xia Yan's perspective, they were things that made him so happy he'd add extra spoonfuls of rice to his bowl. Coming to his senses, he apologized to Hua Xin somewhat awkwardly, but the smile in his eyes lingered. He knew she wouldn't mind. In Xia Yan's mind, if Hua Xin could really go further and further down the path of live streaming, he wouldn't mind not going public... that was a turtle-man's thought. For Xia Yan, he didn't want to see other boys having any inappropriate thoughts about Gu Xin Hua. Even though he knew he shouldn't interfere too much with a girl's personal space and had no right to control her, he was still... jealous. He was just unhappy. If Hua Xin hadn't always only called him "boss" during her livestreams, without any other intimate terms or any pressure to get her to cooperate, Xia Yan would have already transformed into Rengar and made it a fait accompli. Despite always being the weaker and more passive party in his relationship with the girl, his possessiveness was considerable. However, what Xia Yan didn't expect was that the girl would so readily admit it. It seemed she already held a high position in his heart. "Are you satisfied now? You pervert...?" Faced with the girl's question, he could roughly guess that she thought he had done this on purpose while watching her livestream. At this point, any explanation would only make things worse, right? So Xia Yan chuckled and replied with a very happy expression, "Satisfied enough that I wouldn't trade it for a hundred gold bars...?" 142. Charge!!! "This is a silent war." "This is the first and last battle, concerning the lives and livelihoods of all of us!!" "We must not back down in the face of endless difficulties, nor can we be cowardly before the battle even begins!" "Win!! Win with dignity! Win decisively!!" "Let's charge together!! Ora???!!!!"...The shop, which had been devoid of customers, fell into a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop. It wasn't that business was bad these past two days; only a dozen or so of Hua Xin's fans would come in the afternoons to sit and pet the cats. The rest of the time, business remained dismal. If Li Xue knew that these dozen or so people weren't there for her shop, but for her human employees, her mood would likely worsen. However... Li Xue's impassioned voice didn't stir the emotions of the other three. Even the listless Chun Qiu and Landmine merely wagged their tails symbolically, too lazy to even meow. It was as if they had automatically ignored Li Xue's pre-battle declaration. Hua Xin: "..." Xia Fen: "..." Shan Qing: "..." All three of them wore expressions of utter despair, as if pleading, "Please stop gloating!" "Can't you guys have some backbone!" "Xue, calm down." Shan Qing, who was the least composed, spoke first, saying helplessly, "We're not declaring war on the other side, we're just introducing our new feature..." "Besides, there's no one around right now, getting all worked up won't do any good." Shan Qing seemed to have become Hua Xin and Xia Fen's mouthpiece, and the two of them nodded frantically. Given the current situation, only Shan Qing could probably stop Li Xue, who was in an extremely unstable emotional state. Under the influence of the cursed pursuit and the dismal business, Li Xue finally lost her previous high spirits, slowly lowering her hands like a wilted eggplant, her head gradually bowing. Her lips trembled slightly, and tears seemed to glisten in her eyes, which were hidden by her hair. Then, Li Xue choked out softly, "What are we going to do..." "At this rate, we won't even be able to afford cat food!" "You always tell me not to worry, not to worry... This time, we've invested all the money we saved for having a baby. If the company goes bankrupt, we'll starve. We'll use Landmine as a food reserve, sell the house to pay off the debts..." "What's the point of having a baby..." "Woof??" Landmine had been planning to slack off, suddenly raised its head alertly, its eyes showing a hint of extreme sadness, but the next moment it immediately turned into a resolute determination. At worst, it'll be like Mao Mao, it won't kill it. Li Xue's words startled Shan Qing. He didn't complain or share Li Xue's sadness and pessimism, but gently stepped forward, hugged Li Xue, and sat down beside her, slowly and calmly comforting her in her ear. Xia Fen, slumped over the table, watched them with envy... Marriage and dating are so wonderful... Even when faced with difficulties and hardships, there are two people to support and help each other through thick and thin. Even after this happened, Brother Shan Qing didn't complain at all, but actively sought solutions, thinking about how to help Sister Li Xue break the curse... etc. Suddenly, Xia Fen's expression froze, as if she had noticed something amiss. Dating???? She suddenly glanced furtively at Hua Xin beside her, who was also lost in thought and confusion, and then fell silent. It seems... they all have partners... Brother Shan Qing and Sister Li Xue, Sister Xin Hua and... her own awkward older brother. That means she's the only single person here now??? Xia Fen's smile and radiance vanished instantly. Damn it, so much for being so socially adept... Hua Xin watched Shan Qing and Li Xue comforting each other, and Xia Yan's image involuntarily came to mind. If she were to experience such sadness and distress, facing difficulties with no one to rely on, would Xia Yan comfort her gently like Brother Shan Qing, and help her overcome this predicament...? For some reason, the answer in her heart was definitely yes. Xia Yan also hug her, making her sit facing him, her head resting on his shoulder, then whispering gently and firmly in her ear, "It's okay, no matter what happens, I'll be there for you..." "Beside you my foot!!!" A scene of Xia Yan's ridiculously chubby face touching her intimately flashed through her mind, instantly making the girl Red Temperature. She would rather hug Landmine or Chun Qiu than hug Xia Yan!!! Hua Xin suddenly tightened her grip on Chun Qiu, making it sigh listlessly. [Chun Qiu: "What's wrong with this stupid human again?"] As for preparing for pregnancy and having children... some childbirth scenes are enough to make anyone blush just thinking about them, but for a girl who has watched countless films, it's as easy as a drop of water. But if the male and female leads were replaced with Xia Yan and her own face... Hua Xin wouldn't be smiling anymore. After New Year's Eve, the girl had developed a kind of reconciliation mentality towards the identities of "Hua Xin" and "Gu Xin Hua." In short... giving up. Whatever happens, happens. Anyway, she had already promised Xia Yan, so she would just treat him like a good brother for now, similar to before.