“I’ll heat up so water first.”
After neatly folding Lin Zhengran’s jacket and setting it aside, He Qing effortlessly filled the kettle with cold water, placed it on the small ho heater, and pressed the boil button.
The cold water began to warm up, tiny bubbles forming at the bottom.
Lin Zhengran, sitting nearby, had already started unwrapping the packaging for their self-heating hot pot.
He Qing carefully sat down beside him—very close.
“I can do it,” she murmured, voice soft and sweet. “You should just rest. Let handle sothing so small.”
“It’s just unwrapping packaging, no big deal,” he replied casually.
He Qing hesitated, stealing glances at him—like she had sothing on her mind but didn’t know how to ask.
Lin Zhengran noticed. “Thinking about what just happened with Lili?”
Her hands paused, then she nodded slightly.
“Mm… You two were on a date, weren’t you?” she asked softly. “I rember you saying the competition ended on the 5th or 6th… but today’s the 7th. That ans today was… a date, right? Oh, and I heard from Wenwen that Lili made it onto so ranking list. Sounds impressive.”
She tried to sound neutral, but her voice was laced with a hint of jealousy.
“Yeah, she made it to the top fifty, so I took her to the city to watch a movie.”
“A movie…”
He Qing pursed her lips.
She suddenly realized—she had never been to a movie with Lin Zhengran.
As if reading her mind, Lin Zhengran asked, “Now that I think about it, we’ve never watched a movie together, have we? How about next ti we go on a date, we watch one?”
The kettle began gurgling, the water inside bubbling.
He Qing turned her gaze to him.
“…I’d like that.”
Lin Zhengran reached out and patted her head.
“Then next ti, we’ll go.”
Feeling the warmth of his large hand, He Qing suddenly gripped his sleeve and, with a small whimper, leaned her forehead against his shoulder.
“So…” she mumbled, “you and Lili… are together now?”
She hesitated.
“…How far have you two gone?”
Lin Zhengran t her gaze. “We only held hands today.”
He Qing’s eyelashes fluttered. “But… didn’t she also kiss you? On the neck?”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Was that your first kiss, or… have you two kissed a lot before?”
Lin Zhengran placed his hand over her puffy cheeks, smirking.
“Jealous?”
He Qing pouted. “...A little.”
“Today was the first ti,” he said truthfully. “And that sneak attack she pulled—wasn’t it the sa as what you did back at school?”
He Qing froze.
“…First ti?”
Hearing that, she relaxed a little.
If he had kissed her many tis already, she would have definitely cried.
She lowered her head, absentmindedly playing with the fabric of his sleeve, her voice soft.
“Well… I kinda always knew that you’d end up with both Lili and .”
She smiled faintly.
“After all… we’ve known each other for so long. And you two have been childhood friends forever. I could see how much you care about her. And… I know you really like her.”
She exhaled.
“I told myself I could accept it.”
Her fingers twisted the sleeve in her grip.
“Because I’m an idiot. Ever since we were kids, I’ve just done whatever you told . My brain never really thought about it.”
She gave a small laugh, then continued, voice barely above a whisper.
“At first, I wanted to stop you from liking other girls. I didn’t want you to be with anyone else. But then I thought… if I couldn’t stop you, what could I do?”
She sighed again.
“I figured… at least Lili’s a good person. And she loves you too. So if I had to share, at least I could be her sister.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“But when I saw her kiss you…”
Her grip tightened.
“I don’t know why, but it… hurt.”
Her voice grew even softer.
“I felt… empty. It didn’t feel good at all.”
She took a deep breath.
“Can you…”
She looked up at him, her almond eyes pleading.
“Can you comfort , Zhengran?”
Her fingers clutched his sleeve tightly, as if she were afraid he’d disappear.
“If you say sothing nice, I’ll be okay. I promise. Just… say anything to make feel better, and I’ll be fine.”
She sniffled.
“I can’t stay mad at you anyway. Please?”
Lin Zhengran sighed.
Then—
He opened his arms.
He Qing’s eyes widened in shock, but imdiately threw her arms around his neck.
She half-knelt on the couch, hugging him tightly.
Lin Zhengran had ant for her to just rest against him, but He Qing—having never hugged a guy before—instinctively clung onto him like in the dramas.
This made their bodies even closer.
Feeling his warmth, He Qing finally smiled.
“You’re so warm…” she murmured.
She rested against him, completely at ease.
“…I think this is the first ti you’ve ever hugged .”
Lin Zhengran turned slightly, looking at her.
“You sll different today. Did you take a shower before coming?”
He Qing’s face flushed.
She suddenly rembered what Wenwen had told her about "body scent."
Apparently, when two people liked each other, they could pick up on a unique scent from each other.
She nodded shyly. “Yeah, since school’s starting again.”
Then she hesitated.
“Oh—Zhengran, actually, I wanted to ask you sothing. Not about Lili—sothing else.”
She gazed at him seriously.
“…Can you sll a unique scent on ?”
Lin Zhengran blinked. “Huh?”
“You know,” she explained, “books say that when two people like each other, they can pick up on a special scent that no one else can sll. I can sll yours… can you sll mine?”
Lin Zhengran paused.
Just one second of hesitation—
But He Qing panicked.
“Wait, can’t you sll it?! Is it just shampoo and body wash? No way! Maybe you just didn’t get close enough—try again!”
She leaned in even closer, practically pressing her chest against his face.
Unlike Lili and Wenwen, He Qing had a much more… "generous" upper body.
Lin Zhengran was instantly suffocated by fabric.
“Hey—”
“Sniff harder!” she whined.
Lin Zhengran sighed. “You don’t need to be this close. I can sll it.”
He Qing’s eyes brightened.
“Really?! What does it sll like?”
“…Like dairy. A sweet kind of milk.”
Her cheeks turned pink.
“Milk? Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Kind of like fresh milk, but with a little extra sweetness. I don’t know how to describe it exactly.”
He Qing thought for a mont.
“Oh! I rember one ti when I was little, I spilled milk on myself. My mom said I slled like milk all day… Could it be from that?”
Lin Zhengran chuckled. “That was years ago. No, it’s just your natural scent.”
She pouted. “I don’t get it… but—do you like it?”
Lin Zhengran nodded.
She bead, looking completely pleased.
Lin Zhengran raised an eyebrow. “You said you could sll mine. What does mine sll like?”
He Qing thought for a second.
“…Like a cool sll.”
“Cool?”
“Yeah! Not exactly a fragrance, but… it’s really nice. Every ti we’re alone, I just wanna be closer to you so I can sll it more.”
They both laughed softly.
Then—
She whispered into his ear.
“Since Lili kissed you… I want to kiss you too.”
She hesitated.
“Not just once. Twice. Can I?”
Lin Zhengran gently cupped He Qing’s soft, fair cheeks. She blinked, her round eyes full of anticipation as she waited for his answer.
When he finally agreed, she brightened instantly.
“Alright. Where do you want to kiss?”
“The first one… I want to kiss your neck! But on the other side—since Lili already kissed this one.”
Lin Zhengran smirked and tilted his head to expose the other side of his neck.
“Go ahead.”
He Qing, delighted, leaned in slowly.
Her lips hovered just above his skin as she swallowed nervously.
Then—
She pressed a gentle kiss against his warm neck.
But unlike Jiang Xueli, who had been quick and impulsive, He Qing lingered.
She didn’t pull away imdiately.
Instead, she kept her lips against his skin, eyes closed, savoring the mont.
The jealousy she had been holding in from earlier was much stronger than she had admitted.
She wasn’t going to waste her first kiss with him.
Lin Zhengran let her stay there, one arm wrapped around her small fra.
It was hard to say if this counted as a kiss—it felt more like her lips were simply resting against his skin.
Only after a long mont did He Qing finally lift her head.
This ti, she was truly happy—her cheeks flushed all the way to her ears, glowing a bright red.
Lin Zhengran chuckled. “Alright, that was the first one. Where do you want the second?”
He Qing’s eyes wandered over his face.
From his ears, to his eyes, to his nose…
Then finally, her gaze landed on his lips.
Her heart started pounding.
Would it be okay to kiss him there?
After all, his earlier offer seed to an she could kiss him anywhere she wanted…
She took a deep breath.
“This ti, I want to…”
Just as she was about to say it—
The bathroom door creaked open.
A tiny noise, but enough to startle her like a frightened kitten.
She imdiately panicked, her hands flailing as she jumped off Lin Zhengran, quickly retreating to sit properly on the couch.
The bathroom door fully opened—and out walked Han Wenwen.
“I’m done changing. You two—”
She paused.
Her fox-like eyes imdiately noticed He Qing’s flushed face, her head tilted down, lips pressed together tightly.
“…Qingqing?” Han Wenwen’s voice was teasing. “Your face is so red~”
He Qing’s hands flew to her cheeks, desperately trying to cover her entire face.
“W-What? No it’s not! I’m not red at all!”
Lin Zhengran smirked and turned to Han Wenwen.
“Your outfit looks nice.”
Han Wenwen humd in response, shifting her gaze back to the two sitting on the couch.
She felt a small sting of jealousy but didn’t let it show.
Today, she was wearing a light red sweater paired with a classic pleated skirt.
Soon, as winter approached, she’d likely add tights to the look.
Lin Zhengran always felt that girls’ outfits were mostly similar, but they would emphasize tiny differences—like a new sweater or a different color sche.
He Qing peeked through her fingers, stealing a glance at Lin Zhengran.
Lin Zhengran caught her gaze and smirked slightly.
His eyes seed to say:
"Next ti, when we're alone, I'll let you kiss properly."
He Qing’s face turned even redder—but she smiled secretly and nodded.
Han Wenwen, being keenly observant, didn’t miss the silent exchange.
She pretended not to see it, though she could feel her own jealousy building up.
She walked over to check the hot water kettle.
“The water’s ready,” she noted.
Then, looking at the three untouched self-heating hot pots, she raised an eyebrow.
“…Why are they still in their packaging?”
She grabbed a few cups, poured so hot water, and then poured cold water into the bottom compartnts of the self-heating hot pots.
As she worked, He Qing suddenly felt an urgent need.
She had been holding it in for a while, but earlier, she had been too caught up in the mont to notice.
“I’m going to use the bathroom real quick,” she said.
Han Wenwen nodded. “No rush. The hot pots take about five minutes to heat up anyway.”
He Qing quickly got up, but before shutting the door, she stole one last look at Lin Zhengran, then bashfully closed and locked the door.
Inside, she sighed in relief.
However, due to the thin walls of the apartnt, both she and Han Wenwen had to be careful in the bathroom—otherwise, the sound would carry outside.
That also ant—
For the next few minutes, Lin Zhengran and Han Wenwen were alone.
The mont the bathroom door closed, Han Wenwen’s expression completely changed.
Her polite smile vanished, and she let out an annoyed huff, looking thoroughly jealous.
She turned away from Lin Zhengran, pouting dramatically.
She had been patient this entire ti—
Letting Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli have their mont.
Then letting He Qing have her mont.
But now?
Her patience had run out.
“Zhengran-ge,” she grumbled. “So, you had your date with Lili, and now you’ve finished comforting Qingqing, huh?”
Lin Zhengran sighed.
This fox definitely got jealous the fastest out of the three.
“Mm. Feeling jealous again?”
Han Wenwen turned to face him, looking utterly pitiful.
“What do you think?” she pouted.
“Not only did I watch you and Lili be all sweet in public, I even gave you space so you could comfort Qingqing.”
Her eyes glistened with pretend suffering.
“My heart hurts so much!”
Lin Zhengran leaned back against the bed and stretched out his arms.
“Co here.”
Han Wenwen huffed, tilting her chin up.
“Hmph! I’m still mad at you.”
But before he could withdraw his arms, she imdiately rushed over and buried herself in his chest.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist as she nuzzled against him, refusing to let go.
As if to make up for her sulking, she whispered,
“…Aren’t you gonna pet my head?”
Lin Zhengran sighed fondly.
“You really are a fox.”
As his fingers gently ran through her soft hair, Han Wenwen finally started to feel better.
Still, her jealousy hadn’t completely faded.
She tilted her head, her fox-like eyes gleaming.
“So, Zhengran-ge… How was your date with Lili? Did you have fun?”
Lin Zhengran, recalling the day’s events, answered truthfully.
“Yeah, I had fun. I always enjoy spending ti with you three.”
Han Wenwen narrowed her eyes. “And what exactly did you two do?”
Lin Zhengran shrugged. “We just watched two movies.”
“…Two?”
Han Wenwen’s sharp mind imdiately caught onto that.
Watching one movie was already a long ti sitting in a theater.
Why would they watch two?
Then it hit her.
She squinted at him suspiciously.
“…Your heart wasn’t really on watching movies, was it?”
Lin Zhengran looked at her calmly.
“You’re overthinking it. We really just watched movies. She was too tired from last night, so the first movie was basically just a nap for her.”
Han Wenwen raised a brow.
“…And the second one?”
“The second movie… I thought she’d be fully awake after her nap and finally enjoy it—since that was the one we actually wanted to watch. But she fell asleep again. So even though we technically spent the entire morning on a date, she spent most of it asleep.”
Han Wenwen blinked her captivating fox-like eyes, looking completely skeptical.
“…Zhengran-ge, are you ssing with ? There’s no way she slept through two entire movies! This was a date! Does Lili really have that kind of heart?!”
Lin Zhengran chuckled. “I don’t know why, but she really did. If you don’t believe , why don’t you sll for yourself? You can tell how long she was leaning on just from her scent.”
Han Wenwen paused, then nodded.
“You’re right! Let check if Zhengran-ge is lying.”
She placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned in.
Her fox nose twitched, as if awakening so ancient bloodline, and she carefully sniffed every part of him.
From his face, to his neck, to his shoulders, all the way down his upper body.
Lin Zhengran almost laughed out loud.
“This is getting ridiculous. You could just take a quick sniff—why the full-body investigation?”
Han Wenwen ignored him, continuing to inspect.
“If I’m gonna sll, I have to do it properly. Otherwise, I might miss so important details.”
She made a full round, then returned to his neck, sniffing a bit harder.
Her brows furrowed.
Because the scent here was… too strong.
And not just one scent—
There were two distinct ones, and one was particularly fresh and strong.
Clearly, it was He Qing’s lingering scent from earlier.
Han Wenwen puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
Lin Zhengran couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore. “So? Do you believe now?”
She pouted. “I do… but! You two held hands, didn’t you?”
“We did.”
“…For a long ti?”
He nodded. “She fell asleep while I was holding her hand, so I just kept holding it.”
Han Wenwen’s jealousy exploded.
“…But when I fall asleep, Zhengran-ge never holds my hand the whole ti!”
Lin Zhengran raised an eyebrow. “Well… you’ve never fallen asleep around .”
Han Wenwen froze.
“…Oh. That’s true.”
He smirked. “You said it yourself—when you’re with , you treasure every second, so you don’t want to waste ti sleeping.”
She huffed, but still pouted deeply. “Still! You never held my hand while I slept! That’s unfair!”
Lin Zhengran sighed. “So now you’re just finding reasons to be upset, huh?”
Han Wenwen crossed her arms. “Yep! I am! What are you gonna do about it? It’s your fault for being such a playboy! You even let Lili kiss you in public! What if soone saw?!”
“I didn’t expect her to do that either.”
“Hmph! Good thing she was the one who kissed you—if it had been you kissing her, I’d be so mad I’d probably have a stomachache and not be able to eat all day!”
Lin Zhengran smirked. “That’ll happen eventually.”
Han Wenwen clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Ugh, Zhengran-ge! Even if that’s true, don’t say it out loud! Also… did Qingqing kiss you just now too?”
He nodded. “She did.”
“And you hugged her too, huh? Your whole body slls like Qingqing right now.”
“…I had to comfort her sohow.”
Han Wenwen sighed dramatically.
Having multiple girlfriends was fine when they were separated—everyone understood their sisterhood.
But the mont they were all together, it was nothing but jealousy and competition.
“…Then I want a kiss too.”
Lin Zhengran raised an eyebrow. “Where do you want it?”
Han Wenwen thought for a mont, staring at his neck.
Then, a mischievous glint flashed in her eyes.
“…Actually, I have a question first.”
She leaned closer, smirking. “So far, everyone has been kissing you… but have you ever kissed anyone first?”
Lin Zhengran chuckled. “Not yet. Holding hands with you guys is already a recent developnt—I haven’t reached the level of just casually kissing you all.”
Han Wenwen pouted.
“Then… I don’t want to be the one kissing you.”
She tilted her head up, their noses touching.
“I want you to kiss .”
She lowered her voice, teasing.
“…Kiss my neck. You can even bite a little if you want~”
The little fox brushed her nose against his, rubbing against him like a pampered kitten.
“Co on~ Just one little kiss. Please?”
Lin Zhengran suddenly rembered sothing. “Weren’t you terrified of being bitten last ti?”
Han Wenwen grinned confidently.
“That was last ti! Now I’m ntally prepared!”
She suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered—
“Oh, and speaking of that…”
Her voice was dangerously soft, dripping with seduction.
“Even though my 18th birthday wish is to give myself to Zhengran-ge… that doesn’t an we can’t do other things before then.”
Lin Zhengran’s expression shifted slightly.
Han Wenwen giggled.
“I know boys start having thoughts at a young age~” she cooed. “So if you ever feel restless, just co find .”
She grazed her finger over her lips, her cheeks turning a deep red.
“I can’t do everything yet, but…”
Her voice dropped to a sultry whisper.
“…I can help in other ways.”
Lin Zhengran flicked her forehead.
Flick!
“Ow!” Han Wenwen yelped, rubbing her head.
Lin Zhengran scowled. “What the hell have you been reading?”
Han Wenwen pouted dramatically, pretending to be in pain.
“Waaah~ Zhengran-ge is so an to !” she whined. “I was just trying to be a good girlfriend!”
Lin Zhengran sighed. “You’re such a little fox.”
She bead, her tail practically wagging.
“Of course! But I’m a fox that belongs only to Zhengran-ge~”
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