Chapter 36

As the words fell, Xu Zhilu’s slap had already passed. She didn’t hold back at all, and she slapped him hard on the wrist. Instantly, a red slap mark appeared on his pale skin.

After this slap, both of them were stunned for a moment.

Shen Siyan seemed dazed and didn’t come back to his senses for a long time. Xu Zhilu stared at the mark in a daze, her mind blank.

The noise they made was a bit too loud, attracting the attention of people at the next table. They turned their heads, surprised, and looked at the two of them with wide eyes.

Xu Zhilu moved her lips and looked up at Shen Siyan’s expression. She opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a word for a long time.

After a while, she said hesitantly, “…It was a conditioned reflex.”

“Um.”

Shen Siyan came back to his senses, looked at her aggrieved expression, and smiled suddenly. “Okay.”

He reached out and patted her head. “I haven’t felt wronged yet, so why are you feeling wronged?”

Xu Zhilu glared at him. “If you hadn’t made a move, I wouldn’t have hit you.”

Shen Siyan laughed and said quickly, “It’s my fault.”

He touched the spot where she slapped him and said, “Tsk, you’re pretty strong.”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

She pursed her lips. “You apologize first.”

“What?”

Shen Siyan looked at her in surprise.

Xu Zhilu looked at him with clear eyes. “If you apologize first, I will apologize to you.” She explained, “You were the first to touch me, so I hit you.”

Hearing this, Shen Siyan was amused. “Okay, my bad. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you without your consent.”

Xu Zhilu nodded seriously. “Well, I forgive you.” She pursed her lips. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have hit you.”

“…”

Shen Siyan laughed and raised the corners of his lips. “I know.” He looked at her with a smile on his face, not angry at the slap. “Have you calmed down now?”

Xu Zhilu thought for a moment and said, “I am calm for now.”

Shen Siyan nodded. “Then let’s eat.”

“……oh.”

Xu Zhilu subconsciously raised her hand and touched her ear. “Don’t touch me again, or I will hit you again.”

Shen Siyan: “…”

He choked and nodded quickly. “Okay, I won’t do that anymore.”

Xu Zhilu nodded very seriously.

Xin An’an and Cheng Song came back with four cups of milk tea. Shen Siyan took a sip and set it aside; he didn’t like the greasy sweetness.

The two of them didn’t notice Shen Siyan’s arm. After eating for a while, Cheng Song finally called out, “Brother Yan! Is your arm allergic?”

“…”

Xin An’an also looked over. After seeing the marks on Shen Siyan’s arm, she squinted and said, “Cheng Song, are you a fool? That’s obviously a slap mark.”

Cheng Song: “Ah?”

He looked around and said, “Who dares to hit my Brother Yan?”

Shen Siyan couldn’t bear to hear him yelling and frowning. “Stop yelling.”

He said, “It was just a mosquito that bit me.”

Cheng Song blinked and asked with an expression of innocence, “Are mosquitoes so powerful?”

Xin An’an listened and subconsciously looked at Xu Zhilu opposite her, asking with her eyes.

Xu Zhilu pretended not to see.

Shen Siyan gave Cheng Song a warning look, lowered his head, and spoke to Xu Zhilu. “Where do you want to go after dinner—to rest or to go somewhere?”

Xu Zhilu thought about it and said, “It’s all right.” She added, “Look at An’an.”

Xin An’an’s eyes lit up, and she quickly said, “Let’s go shopping. I haven’t been shopping for a long time.”

She smiled and said, “I want to buy clothes.”

Xu Zhilu smiled. “Okay.”

Shen Siyan listened, raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.

Cheng Song was quite dissatisfied. He groaned, “Then, Brother Yan, let’s go upstairs and play games.”

Before Shen Siyan could speak, Xin An’an asked doubtfully, “Didn’t you say you quit playing games?”

Cheng Song: “…”

Shen Siyan sneered and began to exaggerate, “He didn’t.”

Although Xu Zhilu didn’t know the full story, she joined in and said, “Ah, Cheng Song is quite good at playing games.”

Shen Siyan: “Heh.”

Cheng Song protested, “No.” He looked at Shen Siyan with dissatisfaction. “Brother Yan, what are you talking about? I’m not as good as you at playing games, but I’m not bad either.”

Xin An’an, finishing off an enemy, said quietly, “But it’s really not that good, not as good as me.”

“…”

The three of them continued to banter, teasing Cheng Song until he felt frustrated. Cheng Song finally asked, “Aren’t you hungry?”

Shen Siyan: “I’m hungry.”

Cheng Song: “Brother Yan, you are really going too far.”

Shen Siyan raised his eyebrows. “Oh.”

Cheng Song was speechless. “Do you believe me–” His words trailed off when he met Xu Zhilu’s interested gaze.

“What are you talking about?”

Xu Zhilu was curious. “Are you going to reveal some big news about Shen Siyan?”

Cheng Song: “…No.”

He fell silent. “Eat quickly, eat quickly, and then we can go play games.”

Xin An’an smiled ambiguously. “Okay, I look forward to your improvement in the game.”

Cheng Song: “…”

This really wasn’t necessary.

_

After dinner, Xin An’an and Xu Zhilu went shopping, while Cheng Song and Shen Siyan went to the game hall upstairs.

The two of them weren’t in a hurry to start shopping and found a place to sit leisurely.

“Are you tired?”

Xu Zhilu nodded. “A little bit. How about you?”

“I’m okay.”

Xin An’an said excitedly, “I didn’t go out much during the summer vacation, so I’m very energetic now.”

Xu Zhilu smiled and looked at her. “I haven’t seen you for a whole summer. You look cute again.”

Xin An’an giggled. “Yeah, yeah, Cheng Song also said that I’ve become cuter.”

“…”

Xu Zhilu raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you see each other every day?”

Xin An’an said, “Ah,” and opened her mouth. “You can praise me; I am cute.”

Xu Zhilu was amused. “Certainly.”

Xin An’an had a lovely personality and a pretty face, with a round face and big eyes that made her look particularly cute. She and Xu Zhilu were similar in some ways but had their own unique traits.

The two chatted for a while before starting to shop. They occasionally talked about their summer vacations, though it seemed clearer when they talked face-to-face.

“Oh, by the way, I once went out to play with Cheng Song.”

Xu Zhilu nodded. “And then?”

“Shen Siyan also came over later.”

Xu Zhilu said “Oh” and wasn’t very interested. “What do you want to say?”

Xin An’an looked at her. “Then I met Xu Zhijia and your mother.”

She observed the change in Xu Zhilu’s expression and said quickly, “Of course, Shen Siyan didn’t come with them. They just ran into us. Xu Zhijia greeted us, and because the elders were there, Shen Siyan responded.”

Xu Zhilu found her nervousness amusing. “Why are you in such a hurry to explain? It was normal for Shen Siyan to greet them and talk to them.”

Xin An’an pouted. “I’m just afraid that you’ll be sad.”

Xu Zhilu looked at her with amusement and shook her head. “No.” She added, “I won’t be sad anymore.”

“Do you want to know what happened next?”

Xu Zhilu looked at her. “What’s the follow-up?”

“After we said hello,” Xin An’an said angrily, “Xu Zhijia wanted to stay and play with us!”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

That was typical of Xu Zhijia’s character. Despite the previous events, Xu Zhijia never seemed to hold a grudge against Shen Siyan and even pretended that nothing had happened, still calling him “brother” in a delicate way.

“Did you play with them?”

Xu Zhilu asked casually.

“Of course not.” Xin An’an smiled. “I thought Shen Siyan would agree at first, especially with your mother there; it’s hard to refuse when the elders are present.”

She smiled. “But when Xu Zhijia brought it up, Shen Siyan politely said, ‘Sorry, I can’t bring her to play.'”

Xu Zhilu: “That’s it?”

Xin An’an shook her head and smiled. “Of course not. Xu Zhijia asked, Why not, since I was there.”

“Your mother also spoke up. She said she had something to do and asked Shen Siyan to take care of Xu Zhijia.”

Xu Zhilu’s eyes flashed. “Yeah.”

Xin An’an laughed as she recalled the scene. “Then Shen Siyan said, ‘Auntie, we are going to get a massage later. Are you sure you want to take Xu Zhijia with us?'”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

She looked at Xin An’an suspiciously. “What kind of massage?”

Xin An’an said seriously, “I don’t know.”

“Anyway, your mother’s face changed, and she looked at Shen Siyan with disdain, then pulled Xu Zhijia away.”

“…”

Xu Zhilu was speechless. “Shen Siyan has really lost it.”

“Maybe.”

Xin An’an couldn’t help laughing. “At that moment, your mother’s face turned livid. She glared at Shen Siyan, muttered something about being immoral, and then left angrily.”

Xu Zhilu held her forehead with her hand. “I really didn’t expect Shen Siyan to say that.”

After a moment of silence, she looked at Xin An’an curiously. “What happened after that? Did you go?”

Xin An’an stared at her with wide eyes. “Of course not, why would we go for a massage?”

She continued, “From the tone of Shen Siyan’s voice, it’s clear he wasn’t talking about a regular massage parlor. It sounded more like one of those places men might go to. That’s why your mother took Xu Zhijia away.”

Xu Zhilu nodded and pressed down the corners of her lips. “Oh.” She couldn’t help laughing. “Shen Siyan must have frequented such places too often.”

Xin An’an looked at her. “How is that possible? Shen Siyan isn’t that kind of person.”

Xu Zhilu glanced at her. “You’ve talked to him about this before?”

“That’s not the case.” Xin An’an hugged her arm and smiled. “I just always stand by the side of my sisters.”

Xu Zhilu patted her head. “Let’s go buy some clothes.”

“I didn’t buy any during the summer.”

“Me neither. Let’s go shopping today.”

“Uh-huh.”

The two of them were absorbed in shopping and couldn’t tear themselves away. Once you get addicted, you never get tired.

By dinner time, Xu Zhilu and Xin An’an had still not stopped, and Shen Siyan and Cheng Song, tired from playing games, joined them for dinner.