I Love Watching You Too

Seeing Xiao Yu blush all the way to her ears as she spoke, Qin Yu knew this had to be Xue Ni's idea.

But he had things to do right now. He could look for Xiao Yu later.

At Canaan Academy's grand arena, someone happened to be fighting on the stage when Qin Yu arrived.

He found a seat near the front. The instant he looked over, he recognized the two people onstage.

Bai Cheng and Han Yue.

Qin Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. He had not expected to run into both of them here at once.

Bai Cheng attacked swiftly, his fists cutting through the air with fierce force. Clearly, he wanted to crush his opponent with sheer momentum.

Yet while his assault was fierce, it was somewhat impatient, as if he wanted to blast his opponent off the stage in just a few punches and kicks.

Han Yue, on the other hand, moved across the stage like a streak of moonlight, graceful and composed.

Bai Cheng's fighting style consumed an enormous amount of Dou Qi, while Han Yue was wearing down his stamina and patience bit by bit at the lowest possible cost.

Sure enough, after another dozen exchanges, Bai Cheng's attacks visibly slowed, and his breathing grew ragged.

Han Yue seized the opening and knocked him back with a single strike.

Bai Cheng's face flushed red. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward again, but his rhythm had already fallen completely apart.

Han Yue sidestepped his fist, gathered a ball of silvery-white Dou Qi in her palm, and struck Bai Cheng squarely in the chest.

Bai Cheng staggered back several steps, nearly falling off the stage.

The victor had been decided.

Bai Cheng stood at the edge of the stage. After steadying his breathing, he snorted coldly, turned, and jumped down.

Qin Yu watched Bai Cheng's departing figure thoughtfully.

Han Yue also stepped down from the stage. Her gaze casually swept across the stands, and her steps paused slightly.

She saw Qin Yu.

When they had met in the Scripture Repository a week ago, Qin Yu had still been a four-star Dou Practitioner. Now, the fluctuations of Dou Qi around him were clearly a little stronger.

Five-star Dou Practitioner.

A trace of surprise flashed through Han Yue's eyes. That rate of cultivation... was rather rare.

Their gazes happened to meet.

Qin Yu gave a slight nod in greeting. Han Yue nodded back, then turned and left the arena.

Qin Yu withdrew his gaze and remained in the arena for a while longer, watching several more matches.

Unfortunately, the remaining fights were all rather unremarkable, with little worth studying.

Qin Yu simply got up and left the arena, heading into the mountains to cultivate his techniques and Dou Skills.

By the time he finished and came down the mountain, night had completely fallen.

The dining hall was brightly lit, with groups of students carrying trays in and out.

Qin Yu got his meal and looked around with his tray. He suddenly spotted Xiao Yu and Xue Ni sitting across from each other, leaning close together as though whispering secrets.

He quietly walked over. Before he reached them, he heard Xue Ni's stifled laughter.

"...You asked him that so directly? Oh my god, Yu'er, you were way too bold! Hahaha!"

"Wasn't it you who taught me? You said, 'Test his reaction.' H-how was I supposed to know how to test him..."

Xiao Yu kept her voice low, her words filled with regret.

"I only told you to ask whether he thought it looked good. I never told you to ask whether he loved looking at it!"

Xue Ni covered her mouth, laughing so hard her shoulders shook.

"And you even asked, 'What about me?' Hahahaha... Yu'er, you really knew what you were doing without anyone teaching you!"

"You're still laughing!"

In her anxiety, Xiao Yu kicked Xue Ni beneath the table.

"It's over now. When he sees me tomorrow, he'll definitely avoid me..."

"Not necessarily."

Xue Ni finally managed to stop laughing and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"I don't think Qin Yu is the type to avoid people. You're the one who acts like a mouse seeing a cat whenever you meet him."

"I-I was just nervous..."

Xiao Yu's voice grew softer and softer. Standing several steps away, Qin Yu could not help smiling slightly when he heard that.

So it really had been Xue Ni's idea. It was just that Xiao Yu had gone a little beyond the plan.

He did not continue forward. Instead, he turned, made a detour, and approached from the other side.

"Is anyone sitting here?"

Qin Yu walked over to the table and pointed at the empty seat beside Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu's body visibly stiffened. Her chopsticks slipped from her hand and knocked against the rim of her bowl with a crisp clink.

Xue Ni looked up, saw Qin Yu, then looked at Xiao Yu's reaction and said with a grin,

"No one, no one. Sit!"

Qin Yu sat down and set his tray in place. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Xiao Yu's ears had turned completely red.

Xue Ni tapped the edge of Xiao Yu's bowl with her chopsticks and lowered her voice.

"Hey, he's here. Say something."

"Say what?"

Xiao Yu finally raised her head, darted a quick glance at Qin Yu, then lowered it again. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Xue Ni sighed in disappointment and took the initiative, chatting with Qin Yu about what had happened in class that day.

After a few exchanges, Xue Ni suddenly changed the subject.

"By the way, Qin Yu, where did you go this afternoon? My Yu'er looked for you forever and couldn't find you."

"I went to the arena."

Qin Yu took a bite of rice and answered casually.

"The arena? To watch people fight?"

Xue Ni's eyes lit up, and she immediately became interested.

"Was there anything good? Tell us about it."

"Nothing much. Bai Cheng and Han Yue had a match, but Han Yue clearly treated Bai Cheng like a training dummy."

Although they did not understand what he meant by a training dummy, it probably meant... Bai Cheng had been thoroughly beaten by Han Yue, right?

They chatted for a little longer. Seeing that Xiao Yu still had not said a word, Xue Ni stood and gathered her tray.

"I'll be leaving first. You two eat slowly."

She winked at Xiao Yu, then turned and left.

There were gradually fewer people in the dining hall. After finishing their meal, Qin Yu and Xiao Yu walked out side by side.

The night breeze carried a hint of chill, blowing away the last of the heat from Xiao Yu's face.

"Um... don't take what I said before to heart."

After hesitating for a long time, Xiao Yu finally spoke.

"Which part?"

Qin Yu turned to look at her.

Xiao Yu's face reddened again. She lowered her head and stared at her barely visible toes, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"I-I mean, that line..."

"What line?"

Qin Yu's tone was calm, but the curve of his lips betrayed him.

Xiao Yu finally realized it and looked up to glare at him.

"You did that on purpose!"

"I didn't, I have no idea what you mean. Don't make things up."

Qin Yu shook his head, his expression perfectly serious.

Xiao Yu stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing. The nerves she had been holding taut all day finally eased a little.

"Then..."

"I love watching you too."

This time, Qin Yu spoke before Xiao Yu could. His words made her eyes shimmer. She pressed her lips together and stammered for a long while before finally squeezing out one word.

"Mm."

The two continued onward. Xiao Yu's steps became much lighter, and every so often, she would turn her head to sneak a glance at Qin Yu's profile.

When Xiao Yu returned to the dormitory, Xue Ni was lying on her bed with an art book she had somehow found in her hands.

The moment she saw Xiao Yu enter, Xue Ni immediately put down the book and sat up.

"Well? Well?"

"Well what?"

Xiao Yu pretended not to understand and removed her outer robe. Yet no matter how she tried, she could not suppress the smile tugging at her lips.