17 – Chirp~ Goodnight Kiss
The surroundings were quiet, bathed in dim yellow light.
Jiang Yubai tightened his grip on the milk tea bag in his hand, his jaw tensing as he met the girl’s provocative and straightforward gaze.
Jiang Yuxing’s brows curved upward.
She took another step forward, her uniquely sweet scent enticingly wrapping around his senses, utterly alluring.
“Little Study God, are you truly as pure as you claim?”
“Do you really not feel anything for me at all?”
Jiang Yubai’s eyes were unreadable, a flicker of darkness and light swirling within them, his throat growing increasingly dry.
After a long pause, he lowered his long lashes, his voice low and hoarse, “You should head back now.”
With that, he turned and continued walking ahead with his long strides.
Jiang Yuxing stared at his retreating figure and let out a soft humph.
Avoiding the question—there must be something fishy going on!
“Little Study God, Little Study God—”
“Why aren’t you answering my questions? Are they that hard to reply to? You could at least answer one of them!”
The Little Fox, who had been bouncing along behind him, kept pressing relentlessly. Jiang Yubai let out a helpless sigh.
He slowed his pace slightly, his slightly lowered eyes concealing his true emotions. “You, with such a strong thirst for knowledge—if only you could channel it into your studies, you wouldn’t have to worry about finishing your math homework.”
Jiang Yuxing: ?
Ugh!
Why does this guy always bring up studying out of nowhere?
Are studying and homework your first and second wives or something?!
Wait!
Little Study God always seems so fixated on managing her studies—could it be because…!?
A terrifying thought struck her mind.
Jiang Yuxing took a deep breath and abruptly stopped in her tracks.
Seeing her sudden halt, Jiang Yubai also stopped and looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Little Study God, the reason you keep refusing to be my boyfriend… is it because…”
Jiang Yuxing widened her eyes, staring at him in disbelief, her voice rising sharply, “You want to be my dad!?”
Jiang Yubai: ?
“Otherwise, why do you always tell me to study hard!”
Jiang Yuxing conjured another horrifying idea and gasped in shock, “Don’t tell me you don’t want to be my dad, but my… mom?”
Jiang Yubai: “…”
He rubbed his temples in exasperation. “Isn’t your imagination a bit too vivid?”
Alright.
Jiang Yuxing had to admit her mind had wandered a little too far.
She kicked a small pebble on the roadside and cleared her throat. “Ahem, some things are just hard to say, you know? They say if you want to correct someone’s misunderstanding, you have to prove it with actions.”
Jiang Yuxing looked up at him, a sly curve forming at the corners of her eyes. “Unless you agree to be my boyfriend right now, then I’ll believe you.”
Jiang Yubai’s figure stiffened slightly.
For a moment, his heart raced uncontrollably.
His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, churned with darkness, his fingertips clenching tightly as he struggled to suppress the emotions threatening to surge from the depths of his heart.
Under the girl’s expectant gaze, Jiang Yubai clenched his fist, turned his back to her, and replied in a low, magnetic voice that sounded detached, “Then you can keep on doubting.”
Jiang Yuxing: ?
Wait, why do you always refuse to follow the script?!
A disobedient kid like you might end up without a wife when you grow up—did you know that!
Only a few steps away from the school, they soon reached the entrance.
Jiang Yubai handed her the bag of milk tea. “We’re here. Go on in.”
Jiang Yuxing pouted slightly and took the milk tea, feeling a bit disgruntled.Remembering she was still wearing his jacket, she asked, “Should I return your jacket now, or should I wash it first and then give it back?”
Jiang Yubai lowered his gaze to look at her.
Beneath the loose-fitting boy’s jacket, a small section of her waist was exposed.
Although most students were already in their dormitories at this hour, the thought that she might encounter a few late-returning boys on her way back lingered in his mind.
They would surely notice, and their unwelcome gazes would linger on her in places he couldn’t see.
Jiang Yubai’s jaw tightened, and the calm that had just returned to his eyes was once again disrupted by turbulent waves.
He couldn’t bear to think about it.
Just the possibility alone was enough to drive him mad.
Jiang Yubai closed his eyes briefly, his voice suddenly turning hoarse. “Keep it on.”
His long lashes lowered, and his features were barely discernible in the dim evening light. “In the future, don’t wear clothes that expose your waist so casually outside. It’s too dangerous—it might attract… unwanted attention.”
Oh?
Hearing this, Jiang Yuxing raised an eyebrow with interest.
She lifted her delicate, charming face, like a bewitching little fox spirit, and as she spoke, she closed the distance between them step by step, capturing his breath entirely.
“Then—did it attract you?”
Jiang Yubai’s clenched fingers trembled slightly.
His perpetually cool eyes showed the first signs of cracking at that moment.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he turned his handsome face aside, avoiding her intense, provocative gaze. His voice was low and hoarse. “Stop fooling around.”
Jiang Yuxing loved seeing him like this—struggling to maintain his composure.
It gave her a sense of satisfaction, as if she were pulling a lofty deity down into the mortal world.
“Alright, then I’ll change back.”
She smiled playfully, rising slightly on her toes as she leaned toward his ear, which was tinged with a faint blush. She blinked lightly. “I’ll only wear it for you to see~”
Jiang Yubai’s eyes darkened abruptly.
He tried to turn his face away in a fluster, but the moment he moved—
The girl’s soft red lips instantly brushed against his cheek!
The tender sensation, carrying a sweet fragrance, spread across his skin.
Jiang Yubai froze in place.
His already flushed ears deepened in color at a visible pace.
Caught off guard by the unexpected kiss on the cheek, Jiang Yuxing was momentarily stunned as well.
But she soon curved her brows into a smile.
“Mwah~”
The bold and straightforward Little Fox extended a finger and poked his reddened ear tip. “That’s a goodnight kiss~”
“And no matter whether you have feelings for me or not, or whether you think you’re above it all, I’m determined to pursue you.”
Her expression was radiant, her starry eyes sparkling as she looked at him, like a vibrant and enchanting rose, exuding a confidence that was impossible to ignore.
“Sooner or later, I’ll make you admit with your own words that you like me!”
With that, Jiang Yuxing picked up her milk tea and skipped toward the entrance.
Her beautiful reddish-brown long curls swayed gracefully around her waist with her light, lively steps.
Jiang Yubai stared intently at her until her figure disappeared from sight.
After a long moment, he slowly raised his arm, covering the spot on his cheek where the girl’s touch still lingered, burying almost his entire face in his palm.
The matcha tea in his other hand, though ordered with less ice, had already warmed from the heat of his burning palm.
His heart pounded erratically in his chest, as if it were about to leap out.
He suddenly realized.How much longer could I endure like this?
I’m afraid sooner or later, I might lose control…