Infatuation?
Xu Le rubbed his chin. This felt like the beginning of falling in love.
That was acceptable. As long as it was not the kind that made someone lose their mind, he could still control it.
After taking a deep breath, Xu Le quickly found the room and knocked on the door.
The door opened faster than he expected. It was pulled open less than half an arm’s width, but that was enough for him to see clearly inside.
Su Qingcheng stood there with her long hair damp, resting over her shoulders. Droplets slid down along her sharp jawline.
There was no swimsuit as he had imagined.
She was wrapped in the hotel’s standard beige bath towel. The neckline hung loosely, revealing a small stretch of her mist-covered shoulder and collarbone.
“You seem disappointed?” Su Qingcheng looked at him and laughed softly.
Her gaze slid from his slightly furrowed brow to his pressed lips, then down to his still-tense shoulders, as if engraving his stiff reaction into memory.
She truly loved teasing him like this.
“I’m not disappointed. CEO Su, you can go swim. I’ll stay outside. Just call me if you need anything,” Xu Le said, feeling slightly numb under her gaze.
Suddenly, his wrist was grabbed. When he looked up, he saw Su Qingcheng’s fingers loosening the towel at her collar. Her fingertips were still cool from the water.
“Come in,” she said in a lowered voice, stepping closer, her breath soft against him. “Do you know? I’m not wearing a swimsuit underneath.”
The image flashed through Xu Le’s mind instantly.
He pushed her away at once, feeling awkward. “CEO Su, why are you telling me this?”
Her smile deepened. “I don’t want you to feel disappointed.”
Xu Le did not want to be led around by her, so he asked, “What if people at the company find out?”
“So what if they know? Whatever I want to do, I don’t need their permission,” Su Qingcheng said lightly, lifting her chin.
“They might not matter, but if you really want to stay with me, then I won’t go back tonight,” Xu Le said in a low voice.
If Su Qingcheng was serious, he would not be afraid either.
She clearly hesitated, her delicate brows knitting slightly as she pressed her red lips together.
Seeing this, Xu Le did not know what to say. They were a man and a woman in a hotel room. Was he really supposed to stay and let her tease him endlessly, yet not be able to do anything?
Forget it.
“CEO Su, stop teasing me. You don’t actually like me. What you’re doing feels a bit like unspoken coercion. I won’t accept it,” Xu Le said firmly before turning and leaving the room.
He did not want to keep being toyed with.
Even if he was farming rewards, he still had principles.
After stepping out, the hotel lobby’s cool air replaced the earlier ambiguous atmosphere. He finally let out a breath.
Dealing with a bad woman was truly troublesome.
Soon, he heard hurried footsteps. Su Qingcheng walked over in a simple dress and flat shoes.
“Are you unhappy?” she asked softly, brushing a strand of hair aside.
“CEO Su, I’m not a child. I just said what needed to be said,” Xu Le replied calmly.
Since she came out so quickly, she must have already been wearing that dress under the towel.
“As long as you’re still talking to me, that’s enough,” Su Qingcheng said, her eyes clearing. Perhaps she had gone too far.
She suddenly laughed at herself internally. She never expected that one day she would think she had done something wrong in front of a man.
Meanwhile, Lin Xixi patted her small skirt and walked out of the pool. She was about to head back to school when she noticed Su Qingcheng.
She was slightly surprised.
That older sister was truly beautiful, and the dress she was wearing looked like it cost six figures. That noble and elegant aura was definitely not something an ordinary family could cultivate.
No wonder she seemed so high above others.
But that homebody who had been watching her earlier actually knew this beautiful woman?
…
“You were right. You have a girlfriend, so that’s why you rejected me,” Su Qingcheng said quietly, her tone carrying a hint of sourness.
“CEO Su, since you know that, it’s better if we keep some distance. It’s good for you and good for me,” Xu Le said.
He still needed to farm rewards. For him, the less trouble the better.
Who would not want to earn money through effort?
To complete those bad women’s Mission System tasks, he had already worked hard enough.
“Fine. I’ll go touch up my makeup. Wait here,” Su Qingcheng said, returning to her cold and aloof expression.
Xu Le nodded. This was the high-and-mighty female boss he was used to.
After she left, Xu Le noticed something and looked over.
A pure-looking girl stood by the pool, watching a floating toy duck in the water.
“Sister, can you help me pick it up? My little duck fell into the water just now,” a slightly anxious little girl asked Lin Xixi.
“Sure,” Lin Xixi replied.
She cried out and fell backward into the water.
Cold water instantly covered her nose. She flailed in panic, her arms thrashing above the surface.
In that instant, she regretted it. She should not have tried to show off.
She coughed and sputtered, her weak cries blending with water.
“Help… help…”
A lifeguard nearby would probably come save her.
Xu Le made a split-second decision and jumped into the water, grabbing her.
This was a Mission System task. If he was even a moment late, someone else might take it.
Lin Xixi immediately clutched his arm tightly, her cheek pressing against his chest. Her nose turned red as her watery eyes looked up at him.
“I’m scared. I’m so scared,” she said pitifully.
Xu Le’s expression turned strange. “Don’t be afraid yet.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist, his fingers brushing her smooth skin. “Try standing up.”
“Huh?” Lin Xixi froze for a moment.
She lowered her foot and stood firmly on the ground.
She looked up at him, her face instantly turning bright red in embarrassment.
The water only reached her shoulders. She could not swim and had tried paddling like a dog, which only made things worse.
She immediately released his sleeve.
[Completed Lin Xixi’s mission. Reward: 10,000 yuan. Favorability +15.]
[Current favorability: 17. Reached Attention Stage.]
Damn!
10,000 yuan. Totally worth it.
The favorability increase was quite high too.
“Bro, is she your girlfriend? You ran so fast,” the lifeguard said when he arrived, sounding half teasing.
He could not help feeling a little envious. Lin Xixi was truly pure and beautiful.
“Let’s go up first. My clothes are soaked,” Lin Xixi said deliberately without explaining. She bit her red lips and hugged her chest pitifully.
“I’ll get you a towel,” Xu Le said, quickly finding one and draping it over her shoulders.
“Thank you, big brother,” Lin Xixi said sweetly after getting out of the pool.
At that exact moment, Su Qingcheng walked over calmly. When she saw the scene, her expression changed instantly.