There really weren't many simps like him left!

Luo Lianqing shifted her legs a little bashfully, then felt the scorching palm around her ankle loosen.

Wen Ce let go. "If you mind, I can help shield you a little..."

"I don't mind. I'm just afraid you'd find it disgusting," Luo Lianqing said softly. "After all, you're getting the worse end of the deal."

After saying that, she felt her heart beat even faster.

Wen Ce had been about to stand up, but he chuckled at her words. "With this sort of thing, it's always the girl who gets the worse end of the deal."

He stayed crouched where he was. Reaching for the bag she had set beside her, he placed it on her lap. "Cover yourself."

Luo Lianqing tightened her grip on the bag. Watching Wen Ce look down at her foot, her first thought was actually that, thank goodness, she didn't really have athlete's foot...

And her feet were quite pretty.

But watching those handsome hands hold her ankle somehow felt incredibly embarrassing...

Even though he hadn't done anything.

"Give me your sock." Wen Ce held a hand out to Luo Lianqing, only realizing when he spoke that his voice sounded a little off.

He was holding Luo Lianqing's ankle. Her foot was tiny too; he could probably wrap his palm around it. For someone so tall, her feet were just like her courage-only a tiny little bit.

Luo Lianqing's face began to flush. She murmured an acknowledgment and handed him the sock. "It's been washed..."

Wen Ce chuckled softly, his fingers brushing over the top of her foot as though by accident. He felt her toes wriggle uneasily before she drew her foot back a little. "I don't mind anyway."

Luo Lianqing couldn't help reaching up to touch her face. It was burning.

Luckily, there weren't many people on the street right now. Even those who were there would only think it was some boy tying his girlfriend's shoelaces, which was quite common these days.

Many people took one look, then looked away.

After putting Luo Lianqing's sock on for her, Wen Ce slipped her foot into her shoe, then deftly tied a bow.

Afterward, he stayed crouched there without moving.

It was just that standing up right now would be a little awkward.

But crouching left those two shapely, fair calves right before his eyes, and staring at them was awkward too.

Wen Ce sighed and looked away. He couldn't stay crouched forever.

"Why aren't you getting up?" Luo Lianqing asked with some concern, holding her hand out in front of him. "Have your legs gone numb? Do you need me to help you up?"

Please don't. Otherwise, I won't be getting up at all, Wen Ce thought.

But he still said, "Let me crouch here a little longer. Could you buy me a bottle of water? From the convenience store right beside us. I'm a little hot."

Luo Lianqing was feeling a little hot herself, her face terribly red. When Wen Ce said he wanted water, she immediately stood up.

Her movement was a little abrupt, and Wen Ce reflexively looked up.

What met his eyes was that pair of fair, soft, slender legs, so close they felt as though they were about to touch the tip of his nose.

Fuck!

Wen Ce reached up to touch his nose.

"Will ice water do?" Luo Lianqing asked after taking a few steps forward, completely unaware that her legs had nearly touched the tip of Wen Ce's nose just now.

Wen Ce gave a hum of assent.

Then he listened to her footsteps recede.

Only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He looked down, then touched his nose uneasily. "Fuck, I must've been getting too much internal heat lately."

Sitting by the second-floor window of the milk tea shop diagonally across the street, Zhou Chi watched the whole thing: ...I thought this guy was a novice, but he's a damn powerhouse!

He lowered his head and sent Wen Ce a message. [You're the master when it comes to flirting! thumbs-up.jpg]

Wen Ce happened to need a distraction. He pulled out his phone and saw Zhou Chi's inexplicable message, feeling rather speechless.

[Keep talking nonsense and I'll block you.]

[Don't. Didn't you want to know whether she likes you? If a girl doesn't dislike physical contact with you, you've probably got a chance. If she blushes easily when she sees you, you're at least halfway there. Lastly, does she treat you differently from everyone else? If so, she definitely likes you. I'm telling you, I've got experience.]

Reading Zhou Chi's message, Wen Ce decided not to block him for now.

After all, he did seem to be of some use.

Zhou Chi sent another message. [Want to play ball?]

Wen Ce: ...Why is this guy so persistent?

[Aren't you a rich second generation?]

[Yeah, I'm only the second generation. My dad's already planning to stop giving me money. I need to strive to become a rich first generation myself. So, want to play ball?]

Wen Ce was almost moved by his spirit, but he still turned him down.

[Twenty thousand won't turn you into a rich first generation.]

[But without that twenty thousand, I'll starve to death on the streets. Let me show you a photo, then think it over.]

Zhou Chi sent over a photo he had just taken.

The photo was very clear. It showed Luo Lianqing looking down at Wen Ce, and the blush on her face was visible.

It was from when Wen Ce had been tying Luo Lianqing's shoelaces just now.

Wen Ce clicked his tongue and looked up across the street. Zhou Chi waved at him.

Wen Ce: ...

[Delete it. Are you a pervert?]

Zhou Chi: ...What's wrong with this guy?

Hearing footsteps, Wen Ce knew Luo Lianqing was back. He stood straight up and put his phone away.

At the same time, he planned to check Zhou Chi's phone again today. He had to delete all the photos of Luo Lianqing. What was wrong with that guy?

At that moment, Zhou Chi still had no idea his phone was in danger!

Luo Lianqing walked over and handed Wen Ce a bottle of water. "Here. Feeling better?"

Wen Ce's gaze swept across her face. It was indeed still a little red, though he didn't know whether it was because of what he had just done or because it was too hot.

"Much better." Wen Ce took the water, unscrewed the cap, then handed it to her and took the other bottle from her hand.

Luo Lianqing paused, but still accepted the opened bottle from him. "It's so hot today."

Wen Ce took a sip of ice water, briefly extinguishing the fire in his chest. "A little, yeah. Let's hurry over, or the sun will get even stronger later. It doesn't smell good over there either."

Luo Lianqing nodded and packed away the shoes Wen Ce had just set aside in the bag.

The two headed toward the residential complex side by side.

Zhou Chi couldn't resist taking another photo of their backs and sending it to Wen Ce.

There's probably something wrong with me. I'm actually shipping my goddess with another guy, and somehow I even think they look good together?

Am I beyond saving?

"What are you looking at, Chi?" A boy patted Zhou Chi.

Zhou Chi looked away and sighed. "A beauty."

"Where are you finding beauties this early in the morning?" The boy craned his neck and looked around, but saw nothing. "Weren't you all heartbroken after you failed to win Goddess Luo over last time? You're still looking at beauties?"

"Piss off!"

"But did you guys see the forum post? She went with a guy to buy human-cub death bags. Honestly, I'm a little jealous of that guy..."

"Who isn't? I wouldn't dare dream of it..."

"You can dream about it, at least. That figure, hehehe..."

"Shut up, you lot." Zhou Chi cut them off. Though his voice held a smile, the warning in it was strong. "She's still my goddess, after all."

"All right, all right, we'll stop. Hey, about that basketball game..."

Zhou Chi let out a world-weary sigh. There really weren't many simps like him left!