After paying with a dark look on his face, Shen Luolun stormed out of Heyu Teahouse.
He swore he would never share a table with Zhongli again.
What did they mean, Zhongli had sat there all day, drinking tea all day, until he had nearly drunk half the teahouse's treasured tea leaves?
Pah! He told me he'd just arrived. So that's what he meant by just arriving, huh?
That old bastard's a master liar. Sooner or later, I'm going to dance on his grave!
Shen Luolun darkly entertained countless plans for revenge against Zhongli.
But the thought of the bill made his face fall.
That was 1.73 million Mora, a whole tenth of his writing income.
He had spent a whole month slaving away at the keyboard. That was his blood and sweat!
Even if he was going to splurge, he couldn't spend money like that.
His heart ached. He had to go ask Sister Yuan'er for a hug and soothe his wounded soul.
Before long, Shen Luolun arrived at Sister Yuan'er's house.
The lights were still on inside. Clearly, the person within hadn't gone to bed yet.
Knock, knock-
"Is that you knocking, Little Luo?"
The soft, sweet voice made Shen Luolun's heart flutter.
He hurriedly said:
"It's me, it's me! Sister Yuan'er, please open the door."
With a creak, the lock opened.
The door swung open.
Sister Yuan'er stood charmingly in the doorway, her pretty face flushed.
Shen Luolun swallowed, his body growing hot for no apparent reason.
"Come in, dummy."
Seeing him standing there in a daze, Sister Yuan'er rolled her eyes at him, her gaze utterly alluring.
"Oh, right."
Shen Luolun came to his senses and hurried after Sister Yuan'er.
As the door closed behind them, the inside and outside of the house seemed like two separate worlds.
In the dim room, a man and a woman were alone together.
Shen Luolun looked at the smiling beauty, an indescribable restlessness stirring in his heart.
"S-Sister Yuan'er, what did you mean by asking me to come over?"
Pfft.
Seeing that his face was almost redder than a monkey's butt, Sister Yuan'er couldn't help laughing.
Suddenly feeling playful, she rolled her eyes, leaned closer, and said in an extremely suggestive tone:
"Late at night, a man and a woman alone together. What do you think I meant?"
"Ah, ah?!"
Shen Luolun's face grew even redder.
His gaze wandered as he stammered:
"W-Weren't we going to talk about life? I-I don't know what you mean."
Sister Yuan'er lifted his chin, her breath sweet as orchids.
"What's there to talk about life for? You don't know what I mean? But I know what you mean."
As she spoke, she drew closer and closer.
Only a hair's breadth separated their lips!
Even with Yuan'er's mischievous nature, she couldn't help blushing at being so close to a man.
Still, she had no regrets.
Steam was practically rising from Shen Luolun's nose and ears, and his face was ridiculously red.
He had been a virgin for two lifetimes. How could he have experienced anything like this?
He instinctively leaned back as far as he could, avoiding Sister Yuan'er's pressing gaze.
"I-I don't mean anything, Sister Yuan'er. You're t-too close."
Ahhh, this is so embarrassing!
My heart's going to leap out of my chest!
What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?!
Seeing him so utterly flustered, Sister Yuan'er's mischievous streak was thoroughly satisfied.
Well, well. Usually he acts like a dull, dazed block of wood, impervious to everything.
But he's just a pure-hearted little boy after all. Easy to handle!
Pleased with herself, Sister Yuan'er chuckled inwardly. Knowing it was possible to go too far, she drew back, intending to let him off the hook.
But unexpectedly, she suddenly lost her balance on her heel and stumbled forward onto Shen Luolun.
They had been so close together that, even though she had pulled back a little, they couldn't avoid each other in time.
And so, a familiar scene straight out of a TV drama unfolded.
Sister Yuan'er fell into Shen Luolun's arms, her fragrant lips landing squarely on his.
At that moment, their eyes met.
!!!
Time seemed to stop.
An unknown amount of time passed, or perhaps it was only an instant.
Sister Yuan'er abruptly came to her senses and sprang away as if she'd been shocked. But because of her stumble, she nearly fell again after taking two steps back. Fortunately, Shen Luolun caught her.
Both their faces were bright red, as though they had secretly eaten some forbidden fruit.
Sister Yuan'er covered her mouth, her gaze darting away, unable to speak.
The soft, warm sensation still lingered on Shen Luolun's lips. He raised a hand to touch them and looked at Sister Yuan'er with a complicated expression.
The first kiss he had saved for two lifetimes was gone.
You were serious, Sister Yuan'er?
"Sister Yuan'er, you-"
"It's all your fault!"
Huh?
"Who told you to stand so close?" Sister Yuan'er forced herself to sound calm as she shifted the blame, but her faint voice trembled, and even her fingertips were shaking.
"That's why I-I let you take advantage of me!"
Shen Luolun: ...
Wasn't it you who lost your balance, Sister Yuan'er?
I was on the receiving end.
But looking at her embarrassed, angry expression, the young man swallowed the defense that had risen to his lips.
For a moment, the air was filled with a suffocating mix of intimacy and awkwardness.
No, no.
This can't go on.
Shen Luolun decided to say something to ease the tension.
But when he caught sight of Sister Yuan'er's soft pink lips, he said, as if possessed:
"Sister Yuan'er, your lips are really soft."
Far away in the cosmos, the Aeon of Elation couldn't help laughing and gave him a thumbs-up.
Bro, you've got guts!
As expected.
"Shen Luolun!!" Sister Yuan'er instantly bristled, snatched a soft cushion off a chair, and hurled it at him. "You pervert!"
The young man scurried away with his hands over his head.
"Spare me, Sister Yuan'er!"
Sounds of their scuffle rang out from the room, where the atmosphere had been intimate and cozy just moments before.
After the embarrassed and angry Sister Yuan'er kicked him out, Shen Luolun had no choice but to return home.
Although they hadn't talked about life, it seemed he hadn't come away empty-handed.
But when he opened the door, he saw a familiar figure sitting in the living room.
"Good evening."
"Hm? Are you hurt?"
"So, you saved an innocent girl, but she mistook you for a pervert and slapped you."
The pretty, blue-haired mature beauty in leather boots toyed with the die in her hand as she spoke, looking seemingly casually at the young man who had made that solemn claim.
Shen Luolun nodded firmly.
Without the unmistakable handprint on his face, it would have been a lot less funny.
"But why don't I believe you?"
The mature beauty's lips curled up as she looked someone over.
"Do you know you have a very bad habit?"
"You like to touch a leg when you lie."
"Oh?" Shen Luolun stopped his hand without batting an eye.
What a scary woman.
She even noticed that?
I must never go on a blind date with her.
Otherwise, if I married her, even having an affair would be fraught with difficulties.
"So, could you take your paw off my thigh?"
The mature beauty spoke irritably.
"If you want to touch a thigh, touch your own. Don't go putting your hands wherever you please."
"Stingy."
Shen Luolun muttered and withdrew his paw.
"We've played together since we were kids, yet our physical compatibility is still so poor. I'm really disappointed, Yelan. Have you forgotten our bond?"
"What bond? How can things be the same now as when we were kids?"
Yelan slapped away a certain someone's leg as he tried to rub it against her thigh again, putting a little force into it as she said angrily:
"I'm a normal girl too. Keep a proper social distance between men and women!"
He took advantage of her at every opportunity. Honestly.
Though she didn't really mind.
But.
This guy really didn't see her as a woman.
When he took advantage of her, there wasn't a trace of lust in his eyes.
Only pure appreciation for a bro.
Sometimes Yelan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Should she laugh because he was as unserious as ever, maintaining the purest of friendships with her and putting her at ease?
Or cry because he was a clueless blockhead who wouldn't take what was offered to him?
As Shen Luolun put it: they were too close for him to make a move.
A rabbit didn't eat the grass by its own burrow, because there was plenty of grass outside.