The restaurant that Liu Fengying and Hua Shu had agreed upon wasn't very far—only about two kilometers. However, since it wasn't the right time of day for a walk, with the air not only hot but also thick with exhaust fumes from the heavy traffic, the two of them took a taxi as soon as they exited the school gate, so the trip took no more than five minutes.
Thinking that she had finally found a way to deal with Liu Fengying, Hua Shu remained in an excellent mood throughout the ride. Did Liu Fengying find it amusing to flirt with her? Let's see how amusing it would still seem once the fear of possibly being taken seriously began to loom over her.
As for her worries about her outfit, she set them aside, deciding that, in the end, Liu Fengying was right: only a bunch of snobs would think there was anything wrong with her. After all, wasn't it normal for a girl to look a little disheveled after a day at school? It was true that this didn't apply to Liu Fengying beside her, who looked just as fresh as she had in the morning, but one could say she was simply the exception to the rule.
What was the explanation for that? Hua Shu thought that because of the two-week vacation she had taken, Liu Fengying was more well-rested than the others, which was why she had been able to maintain a more rigid posture during class.
However, after watching how gracefully she entered the restaurant and took their seats—instantly becoming the center of attention—Hua Shu began to suspect that something strange might indeed be going on. Perhaps, upon reaching maturity, Liu Fengying had somehow activated a gene inherited from a mythological being about whom only legends remain today, such as elves or mermaids.
A good portion of the time the two spent waiting for their food passed rather peacefully, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring. It was true that, from time to time, a young man would approach their table hoping to exchange contact information with Liu Fengying, but after she turned them down, they withdrew without pressing the matter further, most likely unwilling to become a source of amusement for the patrons at nearby tables.
"I really worried for nothing. Sitting next to you, even if I had dressed as a clown, no one would probably have noticed me…", Hua Shu said, following with her gaze the last man who had left their table looking disappointed. It wasn't as if she needed the attention of anyone interested in Liu Fengying, but no one likes being treated as if they were invisible.
Unlike Hua Shu, Liu Fengying knew that the people around her were drawn not only by her appearance, but also by the fact that, as someone who had embarked on the path of cultivation, she radiated a distinctive presence due to her spiritual energy, far more abundant and purer than that of ordinary people. However, this was not something she could reveal to Hua Shu at the moment, as she was determined not to let anyone discover her secrets until she was certain that no one in this world posed a threat to her.
Still, she thought that perhaps she should say something to change Hua Shu's mood.
"Well, that's because they're aware that it's better for them to ignore you…"
Liu Fengying's words left Hua Shu confused. What did she mean by it being better for others to ignore her? Was Liu Fengying trying to imply that she had a bad temper?
Well, she couldn't deny that her blunt way of speaking wasn't to most people's liking, but she hadn't uttered a single word during the visits from Liu Fengying's "suitors," so how could they have possibly deduced that? Even her father told her almost daily that if she didn't open her mouth, she could be mistaken for an angel. Of course, she hadn't noticed the look of malicious satisfaction on Liu Fengying's face as the men deflated when told they weren't going to get to know her better.
Yet Hua Shu realized another possible interpretation of Liu Fengying's words: they could have been a way of asserting her sovereignty over her. Perhaps, by constantly teasing and coddling her, Liu Fengying had developed a possessiveness toward her? Like a cat playing with a mouse it had caught, she didn't want to share. Who knew—maybe when Hua Shu wasn't paying attention, Liu Fengying had somehow signaled to the young men in the restaurant not to entertain any thoughts about her dinner companion, lest they have to deal with her.
Moreover, Liu Fengying had a history of such behavior. Hua Shu remembered quite clearly how possessive she had been toward her half-sister two years ago. So it wouldn't have been all that surprising if, now that they had grown closer, she had begun to display those tendencies toward her as well.
'Well then, Hua Shu, you probably didn't expect to become the heroine of some stand-in romance story one day…', Hua Shu thought to herself, half joking and half serious.
Of course, she was aware that it was impossible for Liu Fengying to see Liu Zihan when she looked at her; aside from the fact that they were both girls and roughly the same age, they had nothing else in common, whether physically or in terms of personality. Still, she couldn't help wondering whether she had somehow come to occupy the place in Liu Fengying's heart left empty by Liu Zihan's departure.
But if things really were as she suspected, what kind of reaction should she have? Normally, she ought to feel honored to become someone special to a girl whom everyone desired, like Liu Fengying—shouldn't she? Yet on the other hand, having spent her entire life more or less as a lone wolf, she felt she wasn't ready for such a responsibility.
In the end, however, Hua Shu reminded herself that all of this was nothing more than her own speculation, so there was no point in troubling herself with such a dilemma right now; it would be best to try to obtain confirmation from Liu Fengying first.
"Uh… I don't really understand what you mean…," Hua Shu thought it safest to play dumb. She didn't want to say something wrong and give Liu Fengying another opportunity to tease her; she had only just barely managed to even the score between them.
One could say that, as a result of her interactions with Liu Fengying that day, Hua Shu had grown wiser, because her caution proved well-founded: what Liu Fengying was about to say was something she had never expected.
"Well… how should I say this? You're just so cute that you look younger than you really are, so they were worried they might get into trouble with the police if they approached you..."
Had Liu Fengying come up with a way to change Hua Shu's mood? Well, yes—but that didn't automatically mean it would make her happy. In this case, its sole purpose was to make her more energetic.
"...," it took Hua Shu a few moments to acclimate to this reality, which was completely different from the one she had imagined.
'So that's what she meant—that I'm being ignored because I look like a kid?', Hua Shu fumed after stripping away the compliments from Liu Fengying's words and being left with their true meaning. This was who she'd been worrying about—someone who was making fun of her.
What annoyed her most, however, was that she couldn't really refute Liu Fengying on this point; she was well aware that her physique was smaller than average for a girl her age. Moreover, aside from her size—which had seen almost no significant growth over the past two years, only about four centimeters in height—her facial features seemed frozen in time. She was fairly certain that if she showed someone a photo of herself from her first year of high school and claimed it had been taken the day before, they wouldn't doubt her for a second.
Thus, the only thing she could use as a counterargument was to remind Liu Fengying that she herself was still a minor as well, so technically the same circumstances applied to her.
However, with her mind still fixated on body proportions, the moment Hua Shu turned her gaze toward Liu Fengying, she couldn't help comparing her own with Liu Fengying's. Well, that was not a very wise move; it was like a level-one player trying to fight a max-level boss. Setting aside the fact that Liu Fengying was much taller than her, there was simply no comparison between their figures. Especially when it came to their chests, Liu Fengying's circumference was probably twice her own.
'With all the rumors that have been circulating about Liu Fengying today, it's honestly surprising no one's accused her of getting a breast augmentation too; they must be at least two sizes bigger than before…', Hua Shu thought to herself. Even though Liu Fengying was wearing loose clothing, she doubted she was the only one who had noticed just how "well-endowed" she had become.
'Well, the other girls probably don't bring it up because they're afraid of being compared to her afterward…', Hua Shu tried to come up with an explanation for this strange phenomenon. 'As for the young men, most likely, in their minds, her chest has acquired the aura of a "sacred object," and speaking ill of it would be sacrilege…'
So caught up in such thoughts, Hua Shu momentarily forgot what she had intended to do.
"...," Liu Fengying was confused by Hua Shu's behavior. For a while now, Hua Shu had been staring at her chest—sometimes with a look as though she were hypnotized, other times frowning as if she had stumbled upon an existential problem.
At first, when Hua Shu began measuring her with her eyes, Liu Fengying had thought that, angered by her earlier words, she was searching for something negative to say about her body as well. But half a minute had already passed without Hua Shu saying anything; had she run out of inspiration? Or perhaps she had been shaken by just how much she liked what she was seeing?
"What's wrong, ShuShu?" Liu Fengying finally interrupted her. Although she wasn't bothered by someone looking at her inappropriately as long as it was a pretty girl, it wasn't a very good thing for it to happen when so many people were watching them. If others saw that she didn't seem bothered by Hua Shu's behavior, might they assume it was acceptable to follow her example?
Snapped back to reality by Liu Fengying's question and realizing what she had been doing, Hua Shu felt extremely embarrassed; wasn't her behavior at that moment no different from that of the young men she had been mocking in her thoughts?
"Uh… nothing…," she said, hurriedly searching around her for her glass of water.
As for continuing to argue with Liu Fengying over having been told she could be mistaken for a child, Hua Shu felt that, under the circumstances, it was no longer such a good idea—especially when she herself had practically handed Liu Fengying the very weapons she could use to attack her. She could almost hear her saying, "And your mentality is that of a child too. Just look at how fascinated you are by breasts…"
Hua Shu's retreat—accompanied by her abandonment of all weapons—struck Liu Fengying as extremely amusing. Moreover, seeing how embarrassed Hua Shu was, she was now fairly certain that Hua Shu really had been thinking about her chest while standing there staring at her, rather than her mind wandering off elsewhere and simply forgetting to move.
In that case, how could Liu Fengying possibly restrain herself from teasing her a little? So she leaned toward Hua Shu, who had just brought her glass of water to her lips, and said in a low but alluring voice:
"If you're that curious, it's not impossible for me to let you try them with your hands. But this isn't the right place right now…"
Well, one could say that this time Liu Fengying didn't hold back her seductive abilities at all. Setting aside her provocative words, the visual impact of her movement alone was enough to leave Hua Shu speechless. With her blouse pressed between her abdomen and the table, the fabric was stretched to its limit, making the shape of her chest far more pronounced than before for a few moments; it could be said that, in her previous life, Liu Fengying had learned a few tricks.
"Glug!" Hua Shu choked, nearly dropping the glass from her hand. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise, as the coughing fit it caused helped pull her somewhat out of the shock induced by Liu Fengying's words.
'That vixen! She's getting more and more outrageous! Look at this—her teasing has become a danger to my life…', Hua Shu complained inwardly as she wiped away the genuine tears brought on by choking on water.
More than being angry at Liu Fengying, however, she was annoyed with herself; she was the one who had set the ball up perfectly for Liu Fengying, allowing her to spike it with full force. Besides, she should have expected Liu Fengying to seize such an opportunity to tease her—what fox wouldn't bite when a chick walked right up to its mouth?
Liu Fengying felt a little guilty about Hua Shu's current state; driven by the thought of striking while the iron was hot, she had indeed chosen a rather inappropriate moment to tease her.
"Are you okay, ShuShu?" she asked, handing Hua Shu a napkin.
Seeing the concern on Liu Fengying's face, Hua Shu's first impulse was to say yes. Setting aside the fact that no one wanted to appear weak in front of a very beautiful girl, Hua Shu also felt it would be a crime if, because of her, the smile were to disappear from such a perfect face even for a second longer.
'No, Hua Shu! Don't let yourself be fooled by her fox tricks! She may be acting all submissive now with her ears drooping, but the moment she sees that I've forgiven her, wicked thoughts will start forming in her head again. She needs to learn that her actions have consequences…', Hua Shu lectured herself internally; by constantly trying to please Liu Fengying, she was only encouraging her to become even more unrestrained around her.
"Do you think I look okay?" she asked bitterly, gesturing toward her eyes. Even though there had been no makeup to ruin, her eyes were red and slightly swollen.
Honestly, at that moment, Liu Fengying found Hua Shu more tempting than usual, her disheveled expression stirring certain hidden desires deep within her. Of course, she was smart enough not to voice that thought out loud.
But she couldn't exactly agree with Hua Shu and say she didn't look fine either—what girl would want to hear that? That would probably only upset her further.
"Well, even now, Shushu is extremely cute. Yes, you have eyes like those of a giant rabbit..." Liu Fengying finally came up with a censored version of what she was thinking.
"Heh, if you like it that much, maybe I should help you look the same," Hua Shu said, shooting Liu Fengying a threatening glance. Setting aside the fact that she didn't want to forgive Liu Fengying so easily, the words had struck a nerve.
'What do you mean I look like a rabbit? Are you saying I have no offensive power at all?'
It was worth noting that she wasn't bluffing; she had already come up with a plan to make Liu Fengying feel embarrassed. Hadn't she said she'd let her touch her chest if she wanted? Well then, she was now determined to accept that offer. After all, just as fire is fought with fire, shamelessness must be fought with shamelessness as well.
She could hardly wait to see the expression on Liu Fengying's face when she dug in her fingers—trained through countless hours of clicking mouse buttons and typing on a keyboard—into those so-called "legendary items."
********
Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next update will be on Pa*tre*on, so I'll be back next week (there will be two chapters per week for a while).
https://www.pa*tre*on.com/Cantis11