Chapter 116: Forgive Me, Xia Xia

"Wait for me!" Lu Yuanqiu called out, looking up toward the girl's retreating figure.

"What did you say, Brother Qiu? I'm lying in bed; do you want to come over?" Cao Shuang's voice came through the phone.

Lu Yuanqiu frowned. "Get lost, I wasn't talking to you!"

While speaking into the phone, he chased after Bai Qingxia. "Around... around one o'clock in the afternoon. We need to grab lunch first. If you get there early, just book a small private room."

"You got it, Brother Qiu. You two take your time, heh-heh-heh-heh—"

Cao Shuang's laughter echoed from the phone.

Lu Yuanqiu hung up immediately. Damn, that kid's laugh is even sleazier than mine.

Ten minutes later.

Inside a small noodle shop across from the Qingnian Road vegetable market, business was slow, with only two other customers. The boy and girl sat at a table in the corner by the door; Bai Qingxia sat on the inside, and Lu Yuanqiu on the outside.

"You heartless thing, you actually left me behind! Don't you know I'm not familiar with this area? What if I got lost? What if I got kidnapped?"

"Do you know that human traffickers love boys like me who are innocent and frail? What if they grabbed me and forced me to stand on a stage without any clothes on to perform for bodybuilders?"

Lu Yuanqiu pulled a long face, hugging one of Bai Qingxia’s arms and vigorously rubbing his dry, tearless face against her shoulder.

Bai Qingxia shrank into the corner in disgust, her delicate white hands pushing hard against his head. Seeing the noodle shop owner peeking over from the serving window with a suppressed grin, the girl grew even more embarrassed and annoyed, putting more strength into her push.

"You... go away..."

"I won't! You owe me for the emotional distress!"

Lu Yuanqiu was shameless. Even as his cheeks were pushed out of shape by Bai Qingxia, he continued to press against her like a piece of chewing gum, as if she possessed the strongest magnetic force in the world.

Just then, Bai Qingxia looked up and saw the shop owner's wife peeking out from the window, mirroring her husband’s knowing, motherly smile. She felt like she was about to break down in tears, and immediately gave in to Lu Yuanqiu. "Fine, I'll pay, I'll pay..."

Hearing this, Lu Yuanqiu looked up at her, feigning boredom. "Really?"

The girl leaned against the wall, panting, glared at him, and gave a faint, reluctant nod.

"Then you're treating me to this meal."

"Fine."

"Oh, how generous."

Lu Yuanqiu shrugged his shoulders, chuckling with a "heh-heh-heh." Bai Qingxia straightened up, looking down to fiddle with the vinegar cup on the table, nursing her sulk and ignoring him.

What was actually bothering her wasn't just Lu Yuanqiu's shameless antics, but the fact that he had checked her size while they were at the shop. Even though she usually kept herself bundled up in her school uniform, today she felt as though she had been completely laid bare in front of him. It made her feel shy, awkward, and even a bit helpless.

But Bai Qingxia didn't dare to start a fight with him. She had only walked a bit faster, and yet, he had shamelessly "extorted" her for it. The girl felt a little wronged. Even though Lu Yuanqiu was easy to talk to and they were very close, her personality prevented her from expressing her frustration; she was afraid he would think she was petty or dramatic. Sometimes, she wasn't even sure if being upset over something like this made her petty, but to her, Lu Yuanqiu was someone very, very important...

As she was thinking this, a sincere voice came from beside her.

"I'm sorry. If you felt uncomfortable with what I did in the shop, I apologize. Don't be mad."

The boy beside her reached out a finger and gently poked the back of her delicate hand, testing the waters. When the girl looked over at him, Lu Yuanqiu immediately dropped his grin, his expression turning serious as he lowered his head, pressing his lips together tightly. He put on a show of deep regret, acting as if he vowed to be a better person from now on, and even looked up at her with a pitiful expression.

Lu Yuanqiu truly realized she was upset. Before he was reborn, if he were with other women, he wouldn't have cared. Whether it was sizes or something more, he wouldn't have given a thought to how they felt; after all, they were just playing games, each with their own motives and interests.

But Bai Qingxia was different. In Lu Yuanqiu’s heart, she was very different. She was the purest flower in the world, blooming in a dirty, chaotic vat, never once contaminated. Lu Yuanqiu always cared about her feelings. If his behavior had made her feel uneasy, he felt genuine remorse for it.

Lu Yuanqiu folded his arms in front of him, letting his head droop, and said in a low, muffled voice, "I really know I was wrong. Forgive me, Xiaxia..."

Bai Qingxia turned to him. Seeing his apology, she felt even more flustered, but at the same time, she felt a little happy. She quickly whispered, "It's okay."

Lu Yuanqiu frowned. "No, it's not okay. I shouldn't have looked so blatantly without your permission. Don't worry, I swear I'm already trying hard to forget that your cup size is 32D..."

The girl, who had just started to smile, saw that smile freeze instantly. She gave his calf a light kick with her small foot.

She glared at him with feigned anger while he smirked. But somehow, the atmosphere between the two of them had returned to a comfortable warmth.

After the meal, the bicycle carrying Bai Qingxia arrived back near Wanda Plaza.

"Didn't you say we were going home? Why are we back here..."

The girl sat on the back of the bike, her voice sounding a bit weary. She knew she had probably fallen for one of Lu Yuanqiu's tricks again.

Lu Yuanqiu looked back and said, "I'm taking you to KTV for a bit, and Cao Shuang will be there too. Don't worry, it'll just be the three of us. You've met Cao Shuang before; he's a friend worth having. If you ever run into trouble and I'm not around, he’s the right person to call."

Bai Qingxia knew of Cao Shuang—he was the one who had called her "sister-in-law" in the cafeteria. Although that title had nearly scared the soul out of her at the time, she didn't actually dislike him for it.

The girl didn't respond from behind, but Lu Yuanqiu knew she had taken his words to heart.

Speaking of this boy with the crew cut, his home was indeed near Wanda Plaza, but not in some expensive residential area—it was in a narrow, cramped alleyway. Cao Shuang's father had abandoned them when he was young, and his mother suffered from chronic illness, so he had taken on the responsibility of caring for the family from a very young age.

Perhaps because of his family situation, he was impulsive and held a deep hatred for evil. To keep from being bullied, he had learned to wrap himself in the guise of a "tough guy." But Lu Yuanqiu had always known he wasn't a bad person.

How bad could a silly kid who dreamed of becoming the Monkey King actually be?

Since he had been reborn and knew that Cao Shuang’s future in the previous life was somewhat tragic, Lu Yuanqiu decided that in this life, he would reach out and pull him up.