Chapter 33

Even Zhu Yuan, though slow to react, sensed something was off between the two, but she had never considered that possibility—after all, aside from that one brief encounter, the relationship between Master Qingyi and Qingfeng was no different from that of strangers.

Could it be that they two are the type who can’t stand each other? Zhu Yuan couldn’t help but feel troubled.

“So what’s going on between you two?”

Zhu Yuan sat between them with a dark expression, arms crossed, and asked.

“It’s this guy who’s been provoking me!”

Qingyi suddenly stood up, pointing at Ye Qingfeng, and spoke first.

Although Ye Qingfeng now knew the truth, it was still unpleasant to be treated like a child by someone whose mental age was far greater than his...

And no one had told him! Moreover, this little girl, barely reaching his chest, was actually a...

Not only that—she was a robot. If you didn’t look closely, you might not notice the differences at her joints.

Has technology advanced this far? In Ye Qingfeng’s subconscious, Billy was what a robot should look like!

Most importantly, she’s this old—and suddenly attacked me! Totally against the code of conduct!

Then again... what material is this? It’s unrealistically lifelike!

“Where did I provoke you?!”

Ye Qingfeng rubbed his still-throbbing cheek, growing angrier by the moment as he shouted back at Qingyi.

“Stop it!”

Zhu Yuan’s cold voice cut through the air.

Qingyi, visibly furious, sat back down and rolled her eyes at Ye Qingfeng.

Ye Qingfeng refused to back down, making faces and sticking out his tongue at Qingyi.

Qingyi silently raised her clenched right fist and waved it at him, brimming with threat.

“Zhu Yuan, look at him!”

Ye Qingfeng knew he couldn’t beat Qingyi, so he quickly hid behind Zhu Yuan and loudly filed a complaint.

“Hmph!”

Seeing this, Qingyi reluctantly lowered her fist and let out a disdainful snort.

For some reason, Zhu Yuan felt a headache coming on; she lifted both hands to press and rub her temples.

Both of them had always seemed so mature and reliable in her eyes—why did they turn so childish the moment they met?!

“Qingfeng!”

“Yes?”

“First, apologize to Master Qingyi.” Zhu Yuan decided to have Ye Qingfeng back down first, but feared he’d refuse and blame her instead, so she added, “Actually, it’s my fault—I didn’t explain things clearly to you. My mistake.”

“Fine, since it’s Zhu Yuan’s face, I’ll let it slide.” Ye Qingfeng scowled, though reluctantly, and said, “Sorry... shouldn’t have treated you like a child...”

“And Master Qingyi, you should apologize for hitting him.”

Qingyi poured herself another cup of tea, took a small sip, and said without looking up, “Sorry... I shouldn’t have hit you...”

“That’s not sincere at all.”

Ye Qingfeng muttered under his breath. Hearing it, Zhu Yuan, sitting beside him, worried they’d start fighting again and quickly urged them to pick up their chopsticks.

The server had quietly finished serving all the dishes during those minutes of silence.

For the rest of the meal, Qingyi ate almost nothing, spending most of her time sipping tea, while Ye Qingfeng and Zhu Yuan ate and chatted casually—soon, the unpleasant dinner drew to a close.

Overall... Ye Qingfeng was angry because Qingyi suddenly rushed forward and punched him—that was his main grievance.

Qingyi’s anger had little to do with Ye Qingfeng treating her like a child; in fact, she found the feeling rather peculiar. The real reason was...

The words he blurted out: “You could be my grandmother already, and you’re still pretending to be young!”

(This was something the protagonist had said unconsciously to the system—Qingyi assumed he was talking about her.)

When had she ever pretended to be young?! And why did Ye Qingfeng emphasize her age so loudly?!

Even if she was a robot, she was still female—and she still cared about her age!

“Come on, let’s go buy some bruise medicine.” Zhu Yuan grabbed Ye Qingfeng’s arm as he prepared to leave, and pulled Qingyi, who was heading the opposite way, “Master Qingyi, you’re the one who hit Qingfeng—where are you going?”

“I didn’t even use any force! I need to go recharge...” Qingyi pointed at Ye Qingfeng’s still-fairly-pretty face, about to refuse—then realized that would leave him alone with Zhu Yuan, so she changed her tone, “Fine... since I’m the one who hit him.”

This time, no further incidents occurred. Aside from one slightly swollen cheek, Ye Qingfeng was unexpectedly found to have multiple other bruises—Qingyi automatically assumed they were from her blows, and a faint sense of guilt rose in her heart.

At that moment, all her resentment toward Ye Qingfeng vanished.

[Ding! Qingyi's affection increased by 5%. Current affection: 0%]

Ye Qingfeng heard the notification and glanced at Qingyi in surprise; she immediately turned her head away. The motion puzzled him. After the doctor gave a few instructions and prescribed medicine, Qingyi suddenly stepped forward to pay the fee.

Ye Qingfeng held the plastic bag and waved goodbye to both of them.

The sky was now completely dark. He walked alone down the street, muttering softly to himself, “Lousy... why is today so unlucky? First beaten by Anbi, then pinned down and beaten again!”

“Wait a minute!”

"I didn't do anything back then—why did Qingyi's affection go up?"

He suddenly remembered the hospital—how her affection had been suddenly announced. Hadn't the system previously emphasized that affection wouldn't increase unless he took action?

【Perhaps Qingyi saw your injuries and felt guilty.】

“Can it work like that?”

Qingyi didn’t know he’d already been beaten by Anbi before she hit him. Since she still had a conscience, he’d generously forgive her.

Unconsciously, Ye Qingfeng arrived at the Rabbit’s Den and knocked on the door.

Earlier, he’d asked Nico for a key, but she had firmly refused, saying another copy would cost more dingni.

He waited a long time without any response. Just as he pulled out his phone to send a message, the door suddenly swung open—a delicate hand shot out, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him forward without warning.

Ye Qingfeng stumbled forward several steps before stopping. He was about to ask what was happening when Nico leaned out, glanced left and right, then quickly shut the door.

“Nico, what happened?”

“Nothing—just worried debt collectors might be lying in wait outside. I finally shook them off today...” Nico turned around, saw Ye Qingfeng’s swollen face, and burst into laughter, “Hahahaha! How did you get so puffed up?!”

“Come on, tell me who bullied you—I’ll help you get revenge!”

Nico laughed for a long while, clutching her stomach before slowly standing up. She’d grown so used to his handsome face that seeing half of it swollen like this felt strangely jarring.

“No, I just fell on my own...”

Ye Qingfeng thought, Surely she won’t believe that? He gently touched his cheek—pain shot through him, making him hiss. If he said he’d been punched by someone one meter forty tall—who could be his grandmother—he was sure she’d laugh until she couldn’t breathe.

“Who’d believe that?! Go ahead, speak up—I’ll make things right for you!”

Nico slapped Ye Qingfeng’s shoulder and spoke sharply.