Xiao Xueer's Phone Call

An Yang looked down at Nie Xiaoqian's skin, smooth as congealed fat, and her nearly perfect proportions. The part of him that should already be standing at attention in the morning grew even more engorged.

"You little vixen..."

An Yang took a deep breath, threw caution to the wind, rolled over to pin Nie Xiaoqian beneath him, and lowered his head to seal her mouth shut.

After all, she was his woman. Why bother with so many scruples?

"Don't... mmph!"

A spring breeze once passed!

Nie Xiaoqian lay in his arms, speaking with concern: "An Yang, after all, we are of different paths—human and ghost. Can you really handle this in the long run?"

An Yang pressed his head against her waterfall of long hair, gently inhaling the faint fragrance within, completely unconcerned: "It's fine. Usually one night's rest is enough to recover, and I go practice the Kunlun Art every morning anyway. You can't drain me dry!"

"What are you even saying? What's this about draining dry or not!"

Nie Xiaoqian gave him a reproachful look, furrowed her brow, then suddenly remembered it wasn't night anymore. Her expression shifted!

"Oh no, it's already morning. You just did it with me once. You should go practice the Kunlun Art now."

An Yang felt his mind hazy and his whole body weak and tired. He rolled over and said, "Don't make such a fuss. Let me lie on you and sleep a bit first."

Nie Xiaoqian's cheeks flushed slightly, but her tone was firm: "No. If you don't go practice, then... you won't be able to perform tonight."

An Yang's mind snapped awake instantly!

Arriving at the park, An Yang pulled out his phone to check the time: 8:31. Old Qin and Old Man He had already played two games of chess. He yawned, sat down on his own to begin cultivation, and started recovering his spent stamina.

Nie Xiaoqian really did drain his vital energy!

The two old men, retired and bored out of their minds all day, had long known about Song Hanshan inviting An Yang out yesterday afternoon. There was no way they'd let him off easy. They teased him between placing their pieces.

"An Yang, why are you so late today?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, your face looks a bit pale."

"Oh? Really now, what happened?"

"Haha, young people sure know how to have fun. But seriously, you should take better care of your health!"

"What do you mean by that? Did Little Song keep An Yang up all night?"

"Hahaha, I'm afraid it's more than just staying up late."

An Yang opened his eyes from his seat on the bench, helplessly watching the two old men putting on a double act—one playing the good cop, one the bad cop; one all concern, the other an old pervert. They looked less like chess players and more like gossiping housewives.

And not a word of it matched the truth.

He had no relationship with Song Hanshan at all. He had indeed spent his energy on a woman, but not an ordinary one—a clear, beautiful, alluring female ghost.

Time passed drop by drop. An Yang repeated his daily routine day after day. Though it was already late August, the summer heat showed no sign of abating, still raging through the city.

The two-month deadline was nearly up. An You and Xiao Xueer's summer jobs were also coming to an end.

That evening, An Yang was snuggled with Nie Xiaoqian on the sofa watching TV when his phone suddenly lit up. On the screen appeared a somewhat aloof but very pretty girl's avatar, with the name Xiao Xueer floating above it.

"What does this girl want calling me?"

An Yang frowned and casually picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Brother An Yang?"

Xiao Xueer's voice wasn't as soft as An You's, nor as sweet. It was naturally quite cool and distant, but now she deliberately softened it, making it gentle and sweet—especially that "Brother An Yang," which felt incredibly pleasant to his ears.

"It's Xue'er. Is there something you need?"

"It's like this: Xiao You and I have finished our jobs, and we got our wages today. I said I'd treat Brother An Yang to a meal. I was wondering if you're free anytime soon?"

"Of course I'm free. When do you want to go?"

An Yang agreed without hesitation. After all, the next mission world was still a few days away.

"Ah, great! How about tomorrow? This is the first paycheck of my life!"

"Sounds good!"

The conversation was over, but Xiao Xueer didn't hang up. Neither knew what else to say. The only sound on the other end was the faint whisper of breathing.

"...Oh, and Brother An Yang, about what happened in the car last time—thank you, really."

An Yang paused for a moment, then said, "It's nothing. Just a small trouble. Don't keep dwelling on it. School's starting soon, right? You should focus on getting ready for university."

Xiao Xueer was silent for a moment.

"I won't forget it!"

An Yang smiled bitterly. "You're still young. You have a long road ahead. Since you weren't hurt this time, let it go. Learn your lesson and move on. Don't hold a grudge."

"...I was talking about you saving me, Brother An Yang."

An Yang said dismissively, "What's there to mention? You're my little sister's good friend, which makes you my little sister too. It was only right."

The other end of the line fell silent again.

"Because Brother An Yang is very handsome and a good person, so I'll always remember the moment you stepped forward."

An Yang was taken aback and quickly changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about that. I don't think I've asked you yet—which university did you get into?"

Xiao Xueer said, "Yizhou University of Science and Technology, Jinguan Campus. My first choice was Yizhou University, I wanted to be with Xiao You, but my score was just a bit short, so I had to settle for Yizhou University of Science and Technology."

"Did Xiao You get in?"

"Of course, Xiao You was top of her grade. Getting into Yizhou University was no problem."

An Yang nodded and comforted her, "It's okay. Yizhou University of Science and Technology's Jinguan Campus and Yizhou University are both in Jinguan City's university town, and they're very close. You can still hang out and watch movies together in your free time like before. Besides, Yizhou University of Science and Technology is pretty good—it's the second-best school in Yizhou Province."

Yizhou Province was a major education hub. Yizhou University, as the best in the province, ranked in the top five nationally. Yizhou University of Science and Technology was a step behind, but it still made the top twenty nationwide, second only to Yizhou University in the province.

He had to mention—he was a graduate of Yizhou University himself, thanks to a stroke of dumb luck back then.

Xiao Xueer said, "Not really. The campus is huge, and Xiao You and I have different majors. Even if we were both at Yizhou University, we wouldn't have classes together. It's no different from now. Now that I'm at Yizhou University of Science and Technology, I can still go shopping with Xiao You on weekends or when I don't have class. I'm not upset about it. And... since Xiao You and I are both in Yizhou, we can see Brother An Yang more often."

An Yang was stunned again. "That's great, but I'm pretty busy. Oh, I haven't asked you yet—what's your major?"

"Civil Engineering."

"Cough... Are you sure that's a good fit for a girl?"

"What's wrong with it!"

"..."

"Okay, actually, I just picked it randomly. I saw it had a higher score requirement, so I chose it. Otherwise, my high score would've been wasted. Brother An Yang, don't you think it's good?"

"...Kids these days are so impulsive."

After chatting with Xiao Xueer for nearly half an hour, he finally put down his phone and sighed helplessly.

Just a young girl being naive, purely out of a desire for protection, a romantic longing, and a crush on heroes—maybe even influenced by comics and novels.

He comforted himself with that thought.

Nie Xiaoqian seemed to be focused on watching TV, but the period drama that had been on was now showing an ad for Meiting lingerie.

"Being a woman, so beautiful..."

An Yang glanced at her with amusement. "Acting so natural, are you thinking of buying a set? From what I can see, yours isn't small or saggy!"

Nie Xiaoqian broke character and burst out laughing, pinching him. "What are you saying? So improper!"

An Yang rubbed her head and smiled. "Just a little sister. Don't be jealous. If you are, remember what I told you—if you're with me, say what you want to say, ask what you want to ask. Don't hold it in. If you're upset, it hurts me too."

Nie Xiaoqian's smile stiffened, and she hesitated. "But... but the elders always said men handle the outside, women handle the home. A woman shouldn't eavesdrop or interfere when a man is talking to his friends."

An Yang pulled her into his arms. "But those elders of yours are all dead now."

Nie Xiaoqian paused for a moment, then shook her head. "There's nothing to ask. I'll hold on to you tight!"

An Yang laughed, tightening his arms around her slightly. "My Xiaoqian is becoming more and more like a modern woman."

Nie Xiaoqian corrected him. "A modern female ghost."

The next evening, Xiao Xueer and An You showed up dressed to the nines, all made up and beautiful, and picked a... late-night snack place to treat him to dinner.

An Yang spotted them from a distance.

Two young men were with them.

Xiao Xueer wore a tight black dress that made her skin look very fair and soft, accentuating her youthful, fiery figure. The dress was short, revealing a pair of long, fair legs from afar.

An You wore the Chanel dress she'd bought that day, forming a black-and-white contrast with Xiao Xueer. She wasn't as tall as Xiao Xueer, nor as developed, but she had a princess-like aura.

The two young men beside them were very young, dressed professionally in suits and leather shoes, with confident smiles on their faces—clearly social elites.

An Yang approached and greeted them. "Have you been waiting long?"

An You glanced at him, then at her watch. "Twelve minutes."

An Yang rubbed his nose, a bit embarrassed.

Xiao Xueer was more considerate, calling out sweetly, "Brother An Yang~"

An Yang smiled back and complimented her, "Xueer, you've gotten even prettier."

Xiao Xueer's smile grew sweeter.

An Yang turned to the two young men and asked, "Are these your colleagues?"

An You nodded. "Yeah, this is Manager Chen, and this is Brother Yang."

Xiao Xueer added, "Manager Chen and Brother Yang have been really helpful to us, so I invited them along too."

An Yang smiled and nodded, but inwardly he twitched his lips.

Manager Chen...

Brother Yang...

Couldn't you at least give me a full name!