Please give the novel a rating or a review on NovelUpdates
———-

Chapter 73: Holding Hands Can Only Be Halfway

“Well, how about we be childhood sweethearts?”

Li Mu felt the temperature in the room rise significantly.

He knew that his face had turned red.

In a sense, this could be considered a roundabout confession.

However, the purpose of the confession was not to become lovers, but to want to become childhood sweethearts again.

Was he the first person in the world to confess in order to become childhood sweethearts again?

“Childhood…” Lu Xiaoxi didn’t even dare to lift her head, resting on a little pig plush toy, speaking softly and muffled, only barely audible to Li Mu when he leaned in close.

“Yeah, just like when we were kids…” Li Mu spoke softly as well.

The skin exposed by Lu Xiaoxi had turned slightly rosy.

Just like when they were kids…?

They had been much closer than lovers when they were young.

They had reached a level where kisses and hugs had become tiresome…

Lu Xiaoxi quietly lifted her head and glanced at Li Mu, only to find that his entire face had turned red, just like hers, resembling a little tomato.

“How do we become childhood sweethearts?” Lu Xiaoxi asked softly, with strands of hair falling over her face, which she held in her mouth.

Her delicate pink lips pursed and relaxed, and the entire world was filled with the sound of her own heartbeat.

“Just like this and that, how we were when we were kids, we do the same now.”

“I think you just want to be a rogue…”

The little girl would never share the same ice cream with him like they did when they were kids, nor would she steal his protein, and definitely wouldn’t sleep in the same bed with him.

“Well, maybe a little.”

“You!”

“Is it okay?” Li Mu stared directly into her eyes.

Lu Xiaoxi pursed her lips and gave a super slight nod.

“Then can we define our relationship as childhood sweethearts from now on?”

They would no longer use the so-called ‘neighbors,’ ‘tenants,’ ‘good friends,’ ‘classmates,’ and countless other relationships to describe the two of them.

Now, they only had one relationship, which was very close childhood sweethearts.

“…No way…” Lu Xiaoxi, fearing that Li Mu would run away, quickly added, “Right now, we can at most be considered half childhood sweethearts…”

“What do you mean by half childhood sweethearts?”

“Just, just half childhood sweethearts.”

“Can this thing even shrink?” Li Mu’s eyes widened?

“Ah, you’re so dumb, just go out first.” Lu Xiaoxi tightly closed her eyes, reaching out to push Li Mu’s chest, pushing him away. Once Li Mu opened the door and left the room, she wrapped herself in his blanket like a little caterpillar.

Only she remained in the room, a little caterpillar.

After being kicked out of his own room, Li Mu washed his face, trying to reduce the redness in his face.

During that brief moment, his heart felt like it was about to fly out of his throat.

The sunny, cheerful boy was not always able to remain cheerful about everything.

When Lu Xiaoxi said “no,” he almost fainted.

After finally mustering the courage to “confess,” he was rejected, and the two of them awkwardly avoided each other’s gaze.

Fortunately, the ending was good.

Well, at least half good.

Li Mu had always thought that he and Lu Xiaoxi had a half childhood sweetheart relationship, and even now, it was still a half childhood sweetheart relationship.

But these two “half childhood sweethearts” had essential differences, differing in their measuring standards.

The former referred to time, indicating that they only had half the time as childhood sweethearts.

The latter referred to intimacy, indicating that they only had half the intimacy they used to have.

In summary, their relationship was much better than before.

To be honest, he thought it was unlikely to return to how it was before from the very beginning.

He was not in a hurry at all.

The whole process was like boiling a frog in warm water; when their relationship became so good that the little frog could hardly bear it and wanted to jump out, he would cover the pot…

About twenty minutes later, Lu Xiaoxi finally came out of Li Mu’s room.

“What were you doing just now? Don’t mess around in my room.”

“You were the one messing around.” Lu Xiaoxi pouted.

“Have you thought about where to go play?”

“How about we go see the giant pandas? Let’s go later and come back at night.” Lu Xiaoxi had long wanted to see the giant pandas; the panda cubs were so cute, and she could only watch videos before, which was not satisfying at all.

“Whatever, you don’t have to come back.”

“Get lost, I won’t live outside with you.” Lu Xiaoxi also washed her face and took a bottle of yogurt from the fridge, drinking it on her own.

The strawberry-flavored yogurt was sweet and sour, her favorite flavor.

Li Mu blinked, “What about mine?”

“Get it yourself.”

“At least we’re childhood sweethearts; you can’t even help me get it?”

“It’s half.” Lu Xiaoxi huffed.

She had digested all her emotions in the room just now, and now she had returned to normal.

Although the two of them had become half childhood sweethearts again, their way of interacting wouldn’t change much.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

“Do you really need to shower before going out?”

“You wouldn’t understand; I need to smell good for a date.” Li Mu smiled as he took out a set of clothes he thought matched well, standing at the bathroom door to say this before quickly closing the door.

“I said it’s not a date!” Lu Xiaoxi puffed her cheeks.

It was clearly just going out to play, but she had to think of it as a date.

A date was something for boyfriends and girlfriends to do, and they were just half childhood sweethearts now.

Lu Xiaoxi propped her face up while drinking yogurt, and through the textured glass, she could vaguely see Li Mu taking off his clothes.

Her face turned red again, and she hurriedly closed her eyes, then peeked again.

When she was showering, did Li Mu also look at her like she was looking at him now?

No, she wouldn’t call that lewd; it was… anyway, it wasn’t lewd; a reserved girl wouldn’t be lewd.

Fortunately, when she showered before, she was always consciously avoiding the glass door, so it was completely invisible.

The shadow on the glass paused, as if he was holding something, and then a high-pitched English song echoed in the bathroom.

“Hurry up, I want to shower too.” Lu Xiaoxi urged him loudly.

“Do you also want to smell good before going out?”

“Don’t mind me.”

……

Both of them finished showering.

Lu Xiaoxi changed into a light beige dress, paired with a red little jacket and a familiar small handbag, and wore white long socks with cloth shoes.

She wanted to wear pretty shoes, but going out to play inevitably meant walking a lot, so after thinking it over, cloth shoes were the most suitable.

Li Mu pinched his chin, looking her up and down in front of her, nodding vigorously to express his strong approval of her outfit.

Youthful and vibrant, with a hint of innocence.

“Let’s go.” Lu Xiaoxi felt shy under his gaze, lowering her head to play with her hair.

“Can I treat you?”

“I know you have money, but I have money too; don’t underestimate me.”

“Okay, then you treat me.”

“Just this once.” Lu Xiaoxi poked his arm in annoyance, feeling how solid it was.

They walked towards the subway station.

The two of them walked side by side on the sidewalk, very close, and Li Mu’s hand could easily touch Lu Xiaoxi’s little hand if he raised it slightly.

He tentatively used his pinky to scratch Lu Xiaoxi’s hand, and when he saw she ignored him, he quietly hooked her finger, forming a pinky promise gesture.

“What are you doing?”

“Now that we’re childhood sweethearts, can’t we hold hands?”

“Just half… you can only hold half!”

Lu Xiaoxi’s eyes, capable of holding the stars and the sea, were filled by a certain mischievous person.

———-
Support the Translation! 🌐✨

Your donations not only show appreciation but also keep the translator motivated! Every contribution helps continue bringing you more of what you love. Thank you for being a part of this journey! 💖

https://www.ko-fi.com/maxoofie