The knocking outside paused for a moment, then resumed.
Shen Jianxi wasn't naive enough to believe that whoever was outside would think she was asleep, seeing the brightly lit room.
"No, no!" she called out, her voice strained.
She just hoped it wasn't anything important, and that they would leave quickly.
There was a moment of silence outside. "...May I come in to talk?"
Shen Jianxi: ...
This was going to be the death of her. There was a ticking time bomb right beside her.
Shen Jianxi looked at Fu Zi, her expression pleading.
Fu Zi's expression was incredulous. He gritted his teeth, "Impossible!"
"Keep your voice down!" She tugged at his sleeve. If she spoke so loudly, wouldn't the person outside hear?
Fu Zi was reaching his limit. This woman was becoming more and more outrageous. The incident from earlier wasn't even over, and now she wanted him to hide for another man.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He took a deep breath.
"...No."
His voice was extremely low.
After all, it was her request.
Seeing no movement from inside for a long time, the person outside asked again, "Xixi? Can I come in?"
"Just a moment! I need to get dressed!" she replied loudly, then turned and tugged at Fu Zi's arm, acting spoiled, "Zhizhi, please, please, just this once~"
It was the first time she had ever acted so affectionately with him. Fu Zi was almost about to agree, but he managed to pull himself together at the last moment.
He could already imagine that if he agreed to this request, she would surely exploit him even more in the future.
"..." Seeing his stubborn refusal, Shen Jianxi lowered her voice, her already soft voice becoming slightly hoarse, making one's face flush, "Fu Zi~"
"You're the best~ Just for a little while, okay?"
Her big eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
He's so, so cute.
Fu Zi was starting to falter. There were faint signs of him relenting.
The person outside asked for the third time.
Shen Jianxi steeled herself and directly turned Fu Zi's head, kissing him on the lips.
Although he was shocked at first, he quickly took control, cupping the back of her head and kissing her fiercely.
Fu Zi finally pulled away slightly, her lips feeling somewhat red and swollen from the caress.
"...There's no place to hide in this room, is there?"
Shen Jianxi scanned the room, her gaze finally landing under the bed. With a guilty smile, she pointed, "Hehe, you see..."
Fu Zi laughed, his laughter tinged with coldness.
Seeing this, Shen Jianxi plastered a fawning smile on her face and clasped her hands together, silently begging.
They stared at each other, and finally, Fu Zi relented. He sighed helplessly and crawled under the bed.
His tall frame looked extremely cramped.
"Xi..."
"Coming, coming!"
Just as the person outside was about to knock for the fourth time, Shen Jianxi finally opened the door.
"Come in quickly, Xing Lan younger brother."
Lin Xing Lan followed her into the room, but as she turned, he saw some things clearly in the lamplight.
His gaze fixed on her lips—an unnatural redness and moisture, and a slight swelling.
Even without experiencing it, Lin Xing Lan knew what had happened.
His gaze was heavy, and he remained silent.
"What's wrong? Is there something you need now?"
Lin Xing Lan guessed that it might have been Qiu Tao earlier. He didn't say anything and sat down opposite her.
"Are you and Second Senior Brother getting married?"
Shen Jianxi choked. This Qiu Tao really knew how to cause trouble for her. Feeling the murderous intent from behind her almost solidify, she quickly denied it, "No, no, no, don't listen to his nonsense."
Hearing her answer, Fu Zi's gaze behind her softened slightly.
Before she could relax, Lin Xing Lan spoke again, "In that case, Xixi, what do you think of me?"
Honestly, Shen Jianxi hadn't expected him to say it. She had always thought that given Lin Xing Lan's personality, he would probably keep it to himself.
However, his face was now completely red, and he didn't dare to look at her.
In fact, if Fu Zi wasn't glaring at them ferociously from behind, Shen Jianxi would have agreed.
After all...
Who would refuse the joy of being called "older sister"?
However, with Fu Zi watching her so intently, Shen Jianxi couldn't outright refuse Lin Xing Lan either.
Just as she was pondering how to reply, a knock sounded at the door again.
"Xiao Ci'er, are you asleep?"
When Qiu Tao's voice rang out, Shen Jianxi stiffened.
"Coming!"
Lin Xing Lan's expression changed slightly.
Hearing his Second Senior Brother's address, it clearly wasn't him who had been in the room earlier. Then who could it have been?
He turned his gaze to Shen Jianxi, trying to find some answers, but she had quickly calmed down after an initial moment of panic.
Lin Xing Lan also knew that if Qiu Tao saw him at this time, he would definitely misunderstand.
In fact, he wanted to be misunderstood, but remembering Xixi's fleeting reaction when she heard the commotion earlier, and not wanting to make things difficult for her, he spoke first in a low voice, "I'll hide."
The windows were all tightly shut. If he opened one to leave now, Qiu Tao would surely notice.
Shen Jianxi looked at him gratefully. She looked around, about to find a place for him, but when she turned, she saw him already heading towards the bed.
"Hey! Don't!"
But it was too late when she spoke. Lin Xing Lan had already bent down, and just as he was about to get in, he made eye contact with Fu Zi.
Lin Xing Lan: ...
Fu Zi: ...
Shen Jianxi: ...
77: "Xixi, this is exciting."
It was indeed quite exciting.
Just as she was worried that Fu Zi would erupt in the next second, he silently moved further inside, making space for Lin Xing Lan.
Damn it, he wasn't leaving now. Leaving at this moment would purely be giving the two of them space. He wanted to stay and see what kind of nonsense that gaudy butterfly was going to spout!
Seeing that Fu Zi didn't have an extreme reaction, Shen Jianxi breathed a sigh of relief. There was no other way now; they just had to go with it.
Unlike Lin Xing Lan, Qiu Tao wouldn't patiently wait outside for her to open the door.
As soon as Lin Xing Lan had hidden, he pushed the door open and walked in.
Upon entering, Qiu Tao looked at Shen Jianxi, who appeared startled and flustered, and teased, "Why are you so flustered? Did Xiao Ci'er do something to betray me?"
"Or are you hiding a man?"
He was just joking, but Shen Jianxi's heart tightened.
77: This brother has sharp eyes. Of course, she's hiding a man, and not just one, but two.
The two people under the bed, their four eyes, were all staring fixedly at them.
Shen Jianxi was breaking out in a cold sweat.
"How could that be? What are you thinking?"
She tugged at the corner of her mouth, sat down, and poured herself a glass of water to calm her nerves.
Fortunately, the people here didn't understand psychology, otherwise, Qiu Tao would have seen through her attempts to cover up.