Chapter 73

"Bigger, broader frame, long fingers." "Your shoes are clearly a size too small, probably around my size?" "Your height is probably around 1.7 meters, or 1.68 or 1.69 meters, which is quite short for a boy. Even 2D otaku like Mu Feng is 1.8 meters tall." "But if you're a girl..." Lin Qingyu smiled slightly, "I'm already quite tall at 1.72 meters." "Of course, these few points alone aren't enough to prove you're a girl." "Perhaps a rather thin boy? Or maybe that popular term now... 'tomboy'?" Her tone carried a hint of amusement, whether from seeing Hua Xin was already sweating profusely with her head down, or from mocking the popular term. "Tell me, which category do you belong to?" "Hua Xin, little sister." Lin Qingyu leaned back on the sofa, relaxed, her hands clasped on her lap, her expression radiating confidence and triumph. She had initially expected a fierce battle, even speculating that Hua Xin might be a hidden tiger, appearing weak and pitiful on the surface but a venomous snake ready to pounce at any moment. But now it seemed she had already won. "..." Hua Xin opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She wanted to argue, but anything she said now felt like a blank sheet of paper, powerless and empty. Having not spoken to anyone in a long time, she didn't know how to refute Lin Qingyu. "Senior... you have a rich imagination..." the girl forced herself to remain calm, then her hands trembled slightly as she typed under the table, trying to call Xia Yan back to stop Lin Qingyu from continuing. "Should we call him back now?" "Little sister, you'd better think it over carefully." "If Xia Yan comes back now, and I tell him you're a girl, you'll be completely exposed." "Lin Qingyu noticed Hua Xin's little movements and reminded her. The girl's finger hovered over the "send" button, then silently deleted all the messages in the chat box. She looked up, feeling a little guilty and flustered, at Xia Yan, who was looking at his phone in the distance. Then she looked at Lin Qingyu, who seemed to be smiling but not smiling. She slowly raised her hand and placed the phone on the table. With a loud "bang," her heart shattered into pieces... It's over? It's over. This time... it's completely over?! A few tears appeared in Hua Xin's eyes, as if she could already foresee herself becoming pieces lying on a petri dish. "Not struggling anymore?" "To be honest, if I hadn't happened to see you coming out of the women's restroom in the activity hall, I might only have been guessing, far from being certain that you were a girl." "Now, perhaps we can talk about serious matters?" "(The activity hall...?) (Was it the night of the welcome party?...) The girl silently held back her tears. She was on her period that day. Faced with this inevitability, perhaps it was all fate's arrangement. I've come to find you, Niu Niu. How are you doing now? Let's go to the 2D and start over together. I'll choose a painless way to die to see you, it's just a little earlier... I'm sorry, Huhu... Maybe we're not meant to be... I've been troubling you for the past two months, I won't forget the happiness you brought me. Although I swore I would never be happy again... I really couldn't help it. Hua Xin closed her eyes, listlessly placed her hands on the table, waiting for Lin Qingyu to handcuff her hands and then bring her to justice. Lin Qingyu: "?" She was stunned, not quite understanding what the girl was thinking, then looked at the fair little hands on the table and said with a smile, "You haven't broken the law, and I'm not a policeman, why would I arrest you?" "To be precise, I'm here to negotiate with you, Hua Xin." Lin Qingyu, her previous oppressive demeanor vanished, and she blinked, taking a sip of coffee. Though it was cold, it still tasted sweet. What was this called again?... Right... the taste of victory. "?" The girl's death-defying gaze vanished, her small hand, resting on the table with her sleeve outstretched, looking at Lin Qingyu with a hint of confusion, wondering what she was up to. Not arresting me? Making demands? Wait!! Hua Xin suddenly snapped back to reality, her single-threaded CPU spinning wildly. Lin Qingyu only knew I was a girl based on these deductions, not the fact that I was a boy in the past. In other words, she only thought I was a girl disguised as a boy... The girl breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness... her identity was exposed, but not completely. Although her female identity was now exposed, at least she wouldn't be captured and dissected or subjected to experiments like the "Heavenly Dynasty Captain" to fight the Trisolarans. And what Lin Qingyu had just said... The girl frowned, carefully recalling the story Lin Qingyu had told, her mind unusually clear after experiencing despair. Didn't that mean... Does that mean she also wants to win first place in the "chasing Xia Yan" arena? And what does "I've been hiding for so long" mean... why am I dressing up as a boy next to Xia Yan? It's all settled... it's all settled!!! Hua Xin's clever little brain managed to piece together the whole story. Lin Qingyu's inexplicable hostility stemmed from her seeing her and Ye as competitors, and her excuse at the sports meet to "get to know me" was a test to see if she was truly a girl. But... the girl couldn't help but twitch her lips. How could she possibly like Xia Yan? First of all, she'd always interacted with him as a boy—they were practically brothers, how could she possibly think that way? Besides, Hua Xin had never considered herself a girl. (Except when they were playing in the water.) Moreover (trying not to laugh)... Xia Yan already had a girlfriend. "What are you talking about?" "Hua Xin asked calmly, completely free of her earlier panic. Seeing the girl's reaction, a flash of appreciation crossed Lin Qingyu's eyes. Only someone like this as an ally could increase their chances of winning. She put down her coffee cup and looked at Hua Xin with interest: "Form an alliance with me." "?" The girl hesitated slightly and asked tentatively: "The Avengers?" "Cough..."Lin Qingyu's elegant expression suddenly disappeared, as if she had choked. This child's thought process... is a bit special. Then she stared at Hua Xin with a chilling aura and said sharply: "The Willow-Killing Alliance."Hua Xin only heard a "crack" sound. The rather hard iron stirring spoon in her sight was broken in half by Lin Qingyu with her fingers... No... what kind of hatred is this? Will someone die? I'm a primary school student, I want to go home?... The girl looked at Lin Qingyu, whose fighting power had exploded, with fear and said weakly: "Can I not form an alliance..." "Hmm?" " Lin Qingyu's hellish gaze. She tightened her grip, and Hua Xin had no doubt she could turn the steel spoon to dust. (She chickened out.) "I mean, what's our plan?" Lin Qingyu regained her composure, smiling at Hua Xin, "You don't need to use your fake voice anymore." "I need your help." "And you have something on me."