Even someone as slow to react as Zhu Yuan could sense the tension between them. She just hadn't thought much of it before—after all, aside from their brief encounter last time, Qingyi and Qingfeng were practically strangers.
Could they be the type to clash at first sight? The thought gave Zhu Yuan a mild headache.
"What's really going on between you two?"
Zhu Yuan sat between them with a stern face, arms folded.
"He was the one provoking me from the start!"
Qingyi shot to her feet, jabbing a finger toward Ye Qingfeng as she spoke first.
Although Ye Qingfeng now understood—treating someone mentally much older than him like a child wasn't exactly considerate…
But nobody had told him! Not to mention this petite girl who barely reached his chest was actually…
A robot! If he hadn't looked closely, he might not have even noticed the subtle joint seams.
Was technology this advanced now? In Ye Qingfeng's mind, only someone like Billy truly fit the "robot" image.
And most importantly—at her age, suddenly attacking him like that? That's just not playing fair!
Come to think of it… what kind of material is this? It looks so lifelike.
"When did I ever provoke you?!"
Ye Qingfeng rubbed his still-throbbing cheek, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and retorted loudly at Qingyi.
"Enough, both of you!"
Zhu Yuan's cold voice cut through the air.
At that, Qingyi sat back down with a huff, shooting a glare at Ye Qingfeng across the table.
Not one to back down, Ye Qingfeng stuck out his tongue and made a face right back.
Qingyi silently raised her clenched right fist and shook it threateningly in his direction.
"Zhu Yuan, look at her!"
Knowing he was no match for Qingyi in a fight, Ye Qingfeng quickly ducked behind Zhu Yuan and openly tattled.
"Hmph!"
Seeing this, Qingyi had no choice but to lower her fist and let out a disdainful snort.
For some reason, Zhu Yuan felt a headache coming on. She raised her hands and rubbed her temples.
Both of them were mature and reliable figures in her mind—why did they turn into squabbling children the moment they met?
"Qingfeng!"
"Here!"
"You apologize to Senior Qingyi first." Zhu Yuan decided to have Ye Qingfeng back down, but worried he might resent it, she shifted some blame onto herself. "Actually, it's partly my fault too—I didn't explain clearly enough."
"Fine, for Zhu Yuan's sake, I won't argue." Ye Qingfeng pursed his lips and reluctantly muttered, "Sorry… I shouldn't have treated you like a child…"
"Senior Qingyi, you should also apologize for hitting him."
Qingyi poured herself another cup of tea, took a small sip, and without looking up said flatly, "Sorry… I shouldn't have hit you…"
"No sincerity at all."
Ye Qingfeng muttered under his breath. Zhu Yuan, sitting beside him, heard it and, worried they might start up again, quickly urged them to start eating.
During the brief silence, the waitress had efficiently served all the dishes.
Throughout the rest of the meal, Qingyi didn't eat much, mostly just sipping tea. Ye Qingfeng and Zhu Yuan, meanwhile, chatted as they ate, and soon the somewhat awkward dinner came to an end.
All in all… Ye Qingfeng's anger stemmed mainly from being suddenly jumped and beaten up.
Qingyi's irritation, however, had little to do with being treated like a child—in fact, that part felt somewhat… novel. The main reason was…
His blurted-out comment: You could be my grandma, and you're still acting cute?!
(He'd said it subconsciously to his system, but Qingyi thought he was talking about her.)
When was she ever acting cute?! Besides, he'd emphasized her age so loudly!
Even as a robot, she was still female—she cared about her age too!
"Let's go, we need to buy some ointment for those bruises." Zhu Yuan pulled Ye Qingfeng, who was about to leave, and with her other hand tugged Qingyi, who was heading the opposite way. "Senior Qingyi, you're the one who hurt Qingfeng. Where do you think you're going?"
"I barely used any strength! I need to go back and recha—" Qingyi pointed at Ye Qingfeng, whose face remained unmarked and still handsome, and was about to refuse when she realized this would leave him alone with Zhu Yuan. She changed her tone. "Fine… since I did hit him."
This time, nothing unexpected happened. Aside from the slight swelling on half his face, they discovered several other bruises on his body. Qingyi, assuming she was responsible, felt a twinge of guilt immediately.
At that moment, the lingering resentment she held toward Ye Qingfeng vanished completely.
[Ding! Qingyi's favorability increased by 5%. Current favorability: 0%]
Hearing the notification, Ye Qingfeng glanced at Qingyi in surprise. She instantly turned her head away, an action that left him puzzled. After the doctor gave a few instructions and prescribed some medicine, Qingyi suddenly insisted on paying the bill.
Ye Qingfeng, holding a plastic bag of medicine, waved goodbye to the two.
By now, the sky had darkened completely. Walking alone on the street, he muttered softly to himself, "What a day… why was today so unlucky? First, Anby beat me up, then I got pinned down and beaten again!"
"Wait…"
Back then, I didn't actually do anything. Why did Qingyi's favorability still increase?
He suddenly remembered the inexplicable notification at the hospital. Hadn't the system emphasized that favorability wouldn't rise unless he took the initiative?
[Maybe Qingyi felt a bit guilty when she saw all your bruises.]
"Is that possible?"
Well, Qingyi didn't know he'd already been roughed up by Anby before she attacked him. Since she showed some remorse, he might as well be magnanimous and let it go.
Before he knew it, Ye Qingfeng had arrived at the door of the Cunning Hares and knocked.
He'd asked Nicole for a spare key earlier, but she had outright refused, saying making a copy would cost money.
After waiting a while with no response, he took out his phone to send a message when the door suddenly swung open. A slender hand reached out, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him inside without warning.
Ye Qingfeng stumbled forward several steps before regaining his balance. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, he saw Nicole peek her head out, glance left and right, then quickly shut the door.
"Nicole, what's happening?"
"Nothing, just worried debt collectors might be lurking. I finally shook them off today…" As soon as Nicole turned around and saw Ye Qingfeng's swollen face, she burst into laughter, forgetting what she was about to say. "Pffft—hahahaha, how did your face get so puffy?"
"Ahem… tell me who did it. We'll help you get revenge."
Nicole clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she ended up on the floor. After a while, she slowly stood up. It was mainly because she was used to his usual handsome face—seeing half of it swollen like this felt strangely jarring.
"No one, I just took a fall…"
Ye Qingfeng thought, Is it that bad? He gently touched his cheek and winced at the pain. If he admitted he'd been beaten by someone who's 142 cm tall—someone who could technically be his grandmother—Nicole would probably laugh herself breathless.
"Who'd believe that?! Come on, tell me! I'll stand up for you!"
Nicole slapped Ye Qingfeng on the shoulder, her tone sharp and full of conviction.
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