A Good Match

(Thanks to San San San Ge for the donation, and to San San San Ge and MLZL for the monthly votes.)

"That's amazing. I feel like chatting with you makes running a lot easier too," Ye Wanqing said in surprise after they finished their run.

"Because this is just the right pace," Xiao He replied. "If you're jogging, you should keep this pace. The best speed is one where you can talk to someone without getting out of breath."

As he spoke, Xiao He wiped away his sweat. "All right, go upstairs, take a shower, eat breakfast, then get some more sleep."

But then he saw Ye Wanqing pick up the water bottle and take a long drink straight from its mouth.

"You said you minded it before, but now you're drinking straight from the bottle..." Xiao He said awkwardly.

Ye Wanqing froze, then suddenly realized that Xiao He had drunk directly from that bottle earlier. Her heart skipped a beat... and then she choked.

"Pfft!" She sprayed the water in her mouth out, soaking the front of her shirt. But she had no time to worry about that—the water had gone down the wrong pipe, making her cough violently.

Xiao He hurried over and patted her back. "Oh, come on, what happened? How did you manage to choke just drinking water?"

"Cough, cough, isn't that because... because of you... cough cough cough!" Ye Wanqing coughed until tears welled up in her eyes, glaring at Xiao He furiously.

Xiao He said helplessly, "All right, all right, it's me, it's me... Come on, let's get home. Your clothes are soaked."

Even after they returned and showered, Ye Wanqing was still sitting on the couch hugging a pillow and sulking when Xiao He came out of the bathroom. She shot him a fierce glare.

"Oh, what is it? You've been mad for this long just because you choked on some water?" Xiao He sat down beside her with Tuantuan in his arms. "Here, hit Tuantuan once and vent your anger. Then we'll call it even, okay?"

Tuantuan let out a hissing roar at Ye Wanqing, glaring at her viciously as if she had murdered its father.

"Cut it out!" Ye Wanqing said irritably. "Do you think I'm mad because I choked on water?"

"What's the big deal? We're not middle schoolers anymore. It was just an indirect kiss." Xiao He muttered as he stroked Tuantuan's back. "You're so cute, yet you spend all day pouting like someone's wronged you..."

"And whose fault is that?" Ye Wanqing shot back, though the first half of his words still made her rather happy.

"Mine, mine, it's all mine." Xiao He sighed and pulled out his phone. "What do you want for breakfast? I'll order it for you."

"Just follow the menu Sister Man gave us," Ye Wanqing replied. Then she remembered something. "Come to think of it, Sister Man didn't bring food over today."

"She's probably busy talking to that Spider-Woman and doesn't have time to worry about us." Xiao He glanced at the cameras in the house. "I wonder if they'd notice if I secretly ate something else..."

"Later, we can buy ingredients and I'll cook," Ye Wanqing said as she looked over the dishes on the list. "There's a kitchen at home anyway, and these recipes are pretty simple. What I make tastes much better than those salads from outside."

"And my share..." Xiao He pointed at himself and asked expectantly.

Ye Wanqing sighed. "You pay for the ingredients, and I'll make your portion too."

"Fair enough." Xiao He nodded, then stood and stretched. "Come on, time for class."

After they went downstairs, Xiao He wheeled out his beat-up bicycle.

"My leg is almost completely healed," Ye Wanqing replied.

"Cycling is still faster than walking, right?" Xiao He said, pointing behind him. "Come on, girlfriend."

Ye Wanqing glared at him, but she still sat on the back of his bicycle, secretly feeling a little pleased.

After riding for a while, Xiao He suddenly remembered something. "Do you remember that campus beauty's boyfriend from last time? The one who drove the Bentley."

"I remember," Ye Wanqing answered from behind him. Xiao He said angrily, "You know what? That guy followed me on my way back afterward and actually tried to run me over! Good thing I dodged fast!"

"What happened after that?" Ye Wanqing immediately asked. Xiao He shrugged. "I kicked his bumper, and then his car crashed into the roadside guardrail. Man, it scraped along the whole way..."

"Didn't that expose your identity as a Mutant?!" Ye Wanqing asked unhappily.

"No. The spot where I kicked it was outside his field of vision—a blind spot." Xiao He replied. "Do you know what he said then? He said that even if he ran me over, it would only cost him a few hundred thousand. That my life was worth only that much!"

"That really was awful..." Ye Wanqing muttered. "But I still think what you did was a little too reckless."

"Exactly!" Xiao He said regretfully. "What was the point of damaging his car? I should've broken his legs instead."

"Hey!" Ye Wanqing smacked him from behind. "Just let little things like that go. You're a superhero!"

"You weren't there... After saying that, he even spat right in front of me. How was I supposed to let that slide?" Xiao He protested. "Tell me, if someone like that can date our campus beauty, what kind of good person could she be?"

"I heard her boyfriend is a fairly famous rich second-generation heir. His dad is a well-known director in the entertainment industry... His father got caught up in that yin-yang contract scandal a few years ago, so he hasn't made many movies recently, but he still has plenty of resources in the industry." Ye Wanqing replied from behind him. Xiao He sneered. "I'd say those two must really be in love..."

"I think, from a certain perspective, they're actually quite a good match," Ye Wanqing muttered.

"I know what you mean." Xiao He laughed. "Hmph, isn't it just a Bentley? He only has it because of his dad. One day, I'll use my own abilities to buy an even better car!"

"What's the point of buying such a nice car? You can only use it to show off anyway." Ye Wanqing sounded more relaxed now, perhaps quite content. "It would be better to spend the money on something more meaningful."

"Like what?" Xiao He raised an eyebrow and asked curiously. Ye Wanqing thought for a moment. "I think we could buy an RV, then the whole family could drive it out on a trip together. That would definitely be fun."

"I'm starting to think the two of us really can't find any common ground..." Xiao He sighed. Ye Wanqing asked unhappily, "Don't you want to travel with your family?"

"I'd rather go with just my girlfriend. That way, we could do the things lovers do." Xiao He replied. "As for family, I think my parents would prefer to be alone too. Bringing their kid along would just get in their way..."

"That's why boys only ever know..." Ye Wanqing muttered under her breath, but by then they had already reached the entrance to the teaching building.

"All right, we're here, darling." Xiao He stopped the bike and teased, "Want a goodbye kiss?"

Ye Wanqing gave him a slight smile, though it did not reach her eyes. Then she poked his cheek with her index finger. "See you after class, darling."

Xiao He arrived at his classroom. The moment he entered, he saw Huang Ling sitting alone in the corner, holding her phone and watching something.

"Hey." Xiao He sat down beside her and greeted her. "What are you watching?"

"This." Huang Ling handed him her phone. The video on it showed Yinglong fighting Spider-Man.