Chapter 53: It Was Clearly Me Who Was First (27K)

Lu Mingfei shivered.

The winter in this southern city was not considered cold; the snow from the past two days was merely due to a wave of strong cold air moving south, and it was quite mild compared to last year's snow disaster. Not to mention that he was currently wearing sufficiently thick clothing.

Yet Lu Mingfei just felt a bit cold; this cold did not seem to come from reality, but from the depths of his heart... But why would he have such a feeling?

He looked at Liu Miaomiao on his left, then at Su Xiaoqiang on his right. The little piano beauty and the "Little Heavenly Maiden" had not spoken since they had called each other's names with some confusion a moment ago, merely staring at each other in silence.

It was as if Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng, who had agreed to a duel at the Forbidden Peak, had unexpectedly run into each other while out for a stroll, and thus the situation was on the verge of breaking out.

Both were poised and waiting for the other to make the first move; no one knew if what would follow was the peak collision of the "Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens" and the "Sword Coming from the West," or if someone would take the initiative to say, "I don't work overtime during off-hours, I heard there's a place here with good steamed buns, why don't we try them together"...

What did that make him, caught in the middle—Eunuch Lu being held hostage by "Ye Gucheng"?

But eunuchs wouldn't be held hostage and fought over; the only one who could have such treatment was the Emperor!

"All ministers, please dispense with the formalities and rise, let us put aside the weapons, and keep our useful bodies for the future duel at the Forbidden Peak, how about that..."

Lu Mingfei's brain twitched, and the words blurted out.

Such shocking nonsense successfully punctured the nearly frozen atmosphere; Liu Miaomiao and Su Xiaoqiang glared at Lu Mingfei simultaneously.

Their grades were both top-tier, and they were very smart, so they naturally understood the meaning behind Lu Mingfei's words instantly.

Lu Mingfei shrank his neck; what right did he have to be served by the "Sword Coming from the West" and the "Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens" at the same time? He feared his head might not stay on his shoulders!

【Warning, it is now time for the 【Bedtime Self-Study】 plan...】

Great, now it wasn't just Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng; the Empress Dowager had issued a decree, and even if he were the "Emperor," not obeying would mean a round of "family law"!

He scurried toward home, not forgetting to leave behind the nonsense, "It's starting to rain, I'm going home to bring in the laundry."

"Lu Mingfei!"

Liu Miaomiao spoke suddenly, "Are you still going?"

"Going, I'll go tomorrow!"

Lu Mingfei answered without hesitation; he knew what Liu Miaomiao was asking.

Playing the Piano, of course he had to go; it was arranged on the Schedule, and he couldn't skip it even if he wanted to.

He opened the door, stood at the entrance, turned around at the three-second mark of the warning, waved at Liu Miaomiao and Su Xiaoqiang, said "Good night" to each, and only then entered the house and closed the door.

Having lost the biggest "source of interference," the gazes that Liu Miaomiao and Su Xiaoqiang retracted collided again like magnets.

Only this time, the staring match didn't last long; Su Xiaoqiang suddenly laughed.

She laughed extremely beautifully, like a demon under the moonlight who could bewitch one's heart with a single glance.

"What are you nervous about, classmate Liu Miaomiao? I didn't say I was going to snatch him from you..."

Before Liu Miaomiao could speak, she turned and got into the car.

As the car door closed and it was about to drive away, the window slowly rolled down, and only a slender, fair hand reached out, waving casually, as a clearly provocative voice drifted over.

"For, now, oh~"

The Mercedes S500 slowly drove away, and the taillights disappeared at the street corner.

Liu Miaomiao finally came to her senses, her eyes slowly widening: "What does she mean by that!"

Her family's driver relaxed from the distant standoff with Zhang Yi; in fact, both drivers had been prepared for a fight or a "proxy war" just now.

The driver quietly covered his face, thinking: "It means we suffered a huge defeat in this round..."

The night was already deep.

During 【Self-study】 time, Lu Mingfei chose to immerse himself in 【Biology】.

At this moment, the Proficiency of 【Biology】 had reached 89/100; it wasn't far from leveling up, and he definitely couldn't finish it tonight, but he would certainly be able to grind it out by tomorrow.

He just didn't know what kind of trait it would give.

【Warning, electric shock countdown...】

Lu Mingfei's heart tightened, and he continued to immerse himself in Learning, focused and undistracted.

He still hadn't drawn the curtains; forced into an addiction to Learning, how could he have the heart to think about other things now!

But across the street from his room, the young girl sitting on her bed had a very chaotic mind.

Liu Miaomiao stared at Lu Mingfei, who was looking straight ahead, her cheeks slightly puffed up; she finally understood why Su Xiaoqiang had said that "what are you nervous about."

If she wasn't nervous, why ask Lu Mingfei "are you going," and ask it right in front of Su Xiaoqiang?

She had even subconsciously not mentioned what he was going to do, using that as room to induce a misunderstanding... If one didn't see it, they might be furious, but who was Su Xiaoqiang? Not only did she see through it at a glance, but she also countered with a strike!

Actually, Liu Miaomiao didn't know why she had asked that way at the time; it not only exposed her nervousness but also made her seem a bit "guilty."

She was probably in a rush; it was clearly her who discovered that Imperial Green was hidden in this broken rock by the roadside first, and she hadn't even warmed it in her hands yet, so how did it get targeted by others?

And the one who targeted it was Su Xiaoqiang!

Even as a fellow girl, Liu Miaomiao had to admit that the Little Heavenly Maiden's looks, figure, and even family background could crush all the girls in the entire Shilan Middle School...

Actually, it was nothing, right? They just practiced a piano lesson together and caused a widely circulated rumor of misunderstanding at school... There was no substantial progress in their relationship.

But at this moment, the words Lu Mingfei had said while touching her head in the hallway during the day surfaced in her ears again—"At the very least, I have to make others think your taste is fine!"

Hey, hey, young man, is your way of making others think my taste is fine to let your Imperial Green radiance shine in someone else's hands?

If that were all, it would be fine, but adding Su Xiaoqiang's "I didn't say I was going to snatch him" really made Liu Miaomiao very unhappy.

What did that mean?

Was it implying that if you wanted to snatch him, I definitely wouldn't be able to win?

No, the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

It was clearly me who was first!

On the other side, Su Xiaoqiang closed her eyes slightly.

As soon as she closed her eyes, the previous ear-piercing sound of screeching brakes and the feeling of losing control of her body enveloped her.

But what followed was a light and agile force wrapping around her, guiding her body and holding her firmly.

Su Xiaoqiang shrank her body; for the first time, she realized that no matter how much of a loser Lu Mingfei was, he was still a boy, with a broad, hard chest and powerful arms.

Besides, it seemed he had already stopped being a loser... there was a hint of a salted fish turning over, preparing to leap over the dragon gate.

If it were only that, it wouldn't have been enough for Su Xiaoqiang to add the word "temporarily" when she left, after having already said to Liu Miaomiao, "I don't intend to fight you for him."

Su Xiaoqiang knew of a psychological effect called the "Suspension Bridge Effect"—in a high-pressure or stimulating environment, people easily mistake feelings of tension and excitement for attraction to someone nearby.

This is why, after a hero saves a beauty, the situation of "offering oneself in return" often occurs. Unless the hero who saved the beauty is truly too unsightly, in which case it becomes "I will be a beast of burden in the next life to repay my benefactor."

So, after discovering that she felt a bit "heart-fluttering" when she was held and saved by Lu Mingfei, her first reaction was to suspect whether this psychological effect was the cause.

Then she just stayed in Lu Mingfei's arms and didn't get down... since she was already being held, what difference did it make if the time was a little shorter or longer?

But it wasn't until the hormones in her body metabolized and dropped to a lower level as the tense and stimulating situation disappeared that she realized... something was wrong!

How did this loser look... a bit good-looking?

She observed carefully and discovered that this was not an illusion.

In the past, not to mention Lu Mingfei's hunched shoulders and retracted neck, his hair was cut by some old man on the side of the road for a few bucks; it was truly a miserable sight, simply unkempt.

Therefore, she had never really looked at him closely.

But now, at such a close distance, his brows, eyes, nose, and lips all came into view, and everything was just right. It wasn't the kind of sharp handsomeness that steals one's soul, but a natural softness, as if a breeze were brushing past and cherry blossoms were falling.

Su Xiaoqiang couldn't even find a single pimple or acne spot on Lu Mingfei's face; the quality of his skin was so good that even she felt a bit envious.

That damn hairstyle ruined at least eighty percent of this face's attractiveness! Add in Lu Mingfei's previous posture... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that over ninety percent of his looks were obscured.

In that case, if he were to groom himself a little, how good-looking would he become?

Su Xiaoqiang discovered that she couldn't imagine it at all.

Was this transparent little nobody who had been a loser for so many years actually a hidden handsome guy?

It felt like the pleasant surprise of accidentally finding a treasure!

Good-looking people naturally deserve different treatment; as the "Little Heavenly Maiden," Su Xiaoqiang had always been daring, decisive, and passionate, and she admitted that she was a sucker for good looks.

That was why she teased Lu Mingfei by asking "how much to buy him out," and left Liu Miaomiao with a "temporarily," which counted as a notice.

Don't say I'm being unreasonable, sisters; besides, you two aren't even a couple yet, are you? Then it doesn't count as immoral poaching; after I verify it, I really will make my move!

……

Airport.

"Are you sure it's this flight?"

Jiude Mayi frowned impatiently, "I saw the weather forecast saying there's severe convective weather; won't it be delayed?"

"It's this one."

Potato Chip Girl yawned on the other end of the headset.

"What severe convective weather? When have Slavs ever looked at the weather when flying planes? The flight will only arrive earlier! Hurry up and pick up Sanwu Niu; if she doesn't enter the field soon, I'm afraid it'll be too late!"

This chapter is 2.7K! I crawled out of bed at eight in the morning, bought a neck brace to relieve my stiff neck, and have been writing until now without eating... please give me monthly tickets and follow-up reads~

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(End of this chapter)