Guilt

(Thanks to Qiyan Zhibai for the tip—an old friend, too.)

"Oh, I know. This is Yinglong, the Mutant our country found recently, right?" Xiao He asked.

"Yeah, he's amazing, isn't he?" Huang Ling said with a smile. "He can even handle a typhoon. He's got to be beyond LV5, right? Compared to him, those foreign LV5 Mutants are a joke."

"Mm..." Xiao He felt conflicted. It was nice to know he had a fangirl, but his true ability also worried him. What would people think if they learned the truth about Yinglong's power?

Huang Ling put away her phone and smiled. "Let's talk about your girlfriend."

"What about her?" Xiao He asked curiously.

"What do you think of her?" Huang Ling asked with a smile.

"She... is actually a pretty good person, but we just don't get along in any way..." Xiao He sighed. "The two of us are really something. It's rare to be this incompatible. I like things clean and have a bit of a germophobia; she's sloppy and careless. I think things will work themselves out when the time comes; she likes to make plans in advance. I like wandering around outside; she likes staying home... There's too much."

"Sounds like you're complete opposites," Huang Ling said with interest.

"Yeah." Xiao He gave a bitter smile. "That's why pretending to be a couple is so hard."

"Then end the partnership sooner rather than later?" Huang Ling said with a smile. "Once you've earned enough, get out."

"Mm..." Xiao He fell into thought.

Ever since his battle with that spider woman, he had realized that he was not mentally prepared for death yet. There were still too many things he wanted to experience. No matter what, he had to at least lose his virginity first, right? But given his current situation of pretending to be a couple with Ye Wanqing, losing his virginity was honestly pretty difficult...

But... ending his partnership with Ye Wanqing seemed even harder than losing his virginity. Their abilities were formidable when combined, but separately, they were both basically useless. How were they supposed to end it? Once they did, they would just be ordinary people with mediocre education among the vast sea of humanity.

"By the way, are you free tomorrow at noon? How about we go out for lunch together?" Huang Ling asked with a smile.

Her voice was soft, but very clear. But...

"I'm following a weight-loss meal plan right now..." Xiao He said awkwardly. "Let me ask for permission first."

"Just treat it as gathering intelligence. Find a good restaurant, then take your girlfriend there later," Huang Ling teased.

"Hm? Put that way, it seems..." Xiao He rested his chin on his hand and thought. He happened to have classes tomorrow morning while Ye Wanqing had none, so he could simply eat outside at noon before heading back. But for some reason, the thought of leaving Ye Wanqing home alone suddenly made him feel guilty... The feeling was almost like he was cheating, and it made him uncomfortable.

What am I thinking? We're only pretending to be a couple. Why should I feel guilty? Xiao He reassured himself inwardly.

Huang Ling laughed happily. "Then it's settled? See you tomorrow after class."

"Mm." Xiao He nodded. Then the bell rang, and the teacher entered as well.

Sitting beside Huang Ling felt pretty nice. There was a faint scent of osmanthus about her that he liked. And from the corner of his eye, he could admire her long, beautiful legs and the soft black hair draped over her shoulders. Ye Wanqing's hair was thick and smooth, while Huang Ling's was fine and soft like a cat's fur. Just looking at it made him want to touch it.

Having a girl like this as his girlfriend would make every day so happy... Though her chest was a little small.

After class, Xiao He said goodbye to Huang Ling, then pushed his bicycle downstairs to wait for Ye Wanqing.

"Honorable Lady Ye." When he saw that familiar figure, Xiao He went up to her with a fawning grin.

Ye Wanqing shot him a disgusted glare. "What do you want? So gross..."

"Well, I wanted to discuss something with you? Tomorrow at noon, I'm planning to go out to eat with Huang Ling." Xiao He smiled ingratiatingly.

Ye Wanqing's heart skipped a beat. She did not know why it had skipped a beat, but she still felt a little annoyed. So she snapped, "Then go. Why are you telling me?"

"Just giving you a heads-up. You'll be eating alone at home tomorrow noon..." Xiao He said carefully.

"So what?" Ye Wanqing retorted. "I'm not a child."

"Mm..." Xiao He nodded. "Then it's settled? I have four classes in the morning. Once they're over, I'll go eat with her. After lunch, I'll come back and take you to class. You have four classes in the afternoon, right?"

"No need. I can get to class by myself, so I won't trouble you." Ye Wanqing said coldly. Xiao He suddenly felt like he was walking on thin ice. "Why are you angry? I thought we had already agreed on this..."

"I'm not angry. This is just my normal state," Ye Wanqing replied blandly. Of course, she knew she should not be angry, but she was still angry. That only made her even more annoyed at herself for getting angry over this.

"Come on, it's fine. I'll bring you something tasty when I get back." Xiao He patted her head. "I'm just scouting the place out, too. If it's good, I'll take you there another time. You can even bring your parents to try it."

Ye Wanqing slapped his hand away, but for some reason, those words calmed her down a little. She did not know whether it was because he would take her there later or because he had mentioned her parents. Still, it was not enough to completely soothe her anger.

She climbed onto the back seat of Xiao He's bicycle and said coldly, "Let's go."

On the way back, Ye Wanqing suddenly said, "You didn't actually need to tell me about this. You don't need my permission."

"Well, aren't you my girlfriend?" Xiao He sighed. "Not getting your permission makes me feel... guilty."

"Tch." Ye Wanqing sneered. "Scumbag..."

"Hey, explain yourself," Xiao He said irritably. "That's only because we're pretending to be a couple. If you really were my girlfriend, I would never go eat alone with another girl. Even if I were scouting out a place, I'd take you with me."

"Can you swear it?" Ye Wanqing asked in return. Xiao He answered without hesitation, "I really can swear that!"

"Alright, enough!" Ye Wanqing interrupted him unhappily, then pointed toward the roadside. "Stop at the supermarket over there. We need to buy some ingredients for lunch."

"Yes, ma'am," Xiao He drawled, steering the bicycle toward the sidewalk.

As they went up onto the sidewalk, they crossed a curb, and the bicycle jolted. Ye Wanqing immediately let out a cry, nearly getting bounced off the back seat. Frightened, she hurriedly wrapped her arms around Xiao He's waist.

Xiao He immediately braked to a stop. The atmosphere became rather awkward for a moment, and neither of them spoke.

After Ye Wanqing released Xiao He, she muttered softly, "You should lose the flab around your waist."

"When you lose the flab on your legs, I'll work on getting six-pack abs," Xiao He replied with a smile.