Ever since she had met Shen Yeqing as a child, Xie Mi had felt a faint urge to care for him.
The young Shen Yeqing's eyes and brows looked so much like his present-day self's that whenever she saw those beautiful eyes, she remembered little Shen Yeqing's pitiful gaze, like a puppy pleading for affection.
Now, too, she immediately pulled a Band-Aid from her pocket and earnestly tried to stick it on his ear.
Shen Yeqing was so exasperated that he laughed. He caught her wrist to stop her, his seemingly smiling eyes carrying a hint of frustration at her hopelessness.
"Teacher Xie, I hate how you're such a blockhead."
[Pausing the shipping. I'm off to chop some wood.]
[Hey! Beautiful! I knew Old Xie would never disappoint me.]
[Lick his collarbone! Lick his Adam's apple! What are you doing with a Band-Aid?! Oh my god.]
[Old Shen: My first love is a blockhead.]
[The sensible shippers have already started making their own food. Just from that shot of them hugging, artists in the ship community have already started drawing spicy art.]
[Xie Yeqing Kills the Donkey is the hottest! (Provided you tape Old Xie's mouth shut.)]
"All right! We've rested enough!"
Xie Mi brushed the dirt off herself and stood up, raising an eyebrow at Shen Yeqing. "How about a showdown between brave warriors?"
"Brave warriors?"
Shen Yeqing glanced behind her. "Where?"
"Don't sweat the details."
Xie Mi hauled him up from the ground. "The game's almost over, and you're still spotless. Clearly, you haven't suffered the brutality of live-action Counter-Strike yet. To give you a proper experience, let's wager on a duel."
"How?"
Shen Yeqing lazily folded his arms and watched her with interest.
"On that open patch over there, we'll stand back-to-back, each take ten steps forward,