Chapter 8: Suspected Romance Exposed

On the way back, Shu Qian seemed unusually quiet.

She was desperately trying to suppress the urge to disappear into the ground, staring wide-eyed seriously at the road, while a phrase echoed in her mind over and over:

Her image… was ruined.

Classmate Erbaiwuwuxue softly said: [Don’t worry, a person’s tolerance grows in proportion to the situations they encounter. Maybe she’s already used to it.]

Shu Qian: [But I’m not used to it!]

Erbaiwuwuxue: [All I can do is advise you to be strong.]

Shu Qian silently sped up the bike.

At this moment, she just wanted to get home quickly.

Song Xun noticed her unnaturalness. His cold gaze swept over the slender waist barely fitting within his sight. His pupils flickered, and a faint smile curved on his lips.

The live stream viewers also noticed something was off.

[Why do I feel the atmosphere between them is weird? They haven’t said a word the whole way.]

[Exactly, who knows what happened before they got on the bike?]

[If I’m not mistaken, just before getting on the bike, Song Xun said something and Shu Qian’s expression changed.]

[Oh my, could it be that Shu Qian made an excessive request to Song Xun, he refused, and now she’s upset and doesn’t even bother pretending?]

[No way, if that’s true Shu Qian is way too dramatic.]

In silence, the motorcycle stopped in the yard.

Song Xun carried the groceries to the kitchen, taking them out one by one to put into the fridge.

Shu Qian lingered in the yard, knowing that getting close to Song Xun was like stepping into danger.

She hesitated whether to go inside and help.

If she did, she feared the system might trigger some weird mission.

If she didn’t, the livestream viewers might accuse her of acting high and mighty, bullying Song Xun.

After weighing the pros and cons, Shu Qian decided to go inside.

After all, dying a little was temporary; quitting the circle was permanent death.

“Anything you want me to help with?” she asked.

She glanced at the ingredients on the counter meant for lunch. Song Xun was washing the pork ribs.

Song Xun glanced sideways: “No, you rest.”

His delicate fingers were pulling the ribs out of the water piece by piece, the contrast of red meat and white bones stark.

[Song Xun’s hands are amazing, like a goddess’s final work.]

[Old fox! Don’t wash ribs, come wash me!]

[I wonder what someone who’s renounced the world thinks when they see meat…]

[These ribs should be for Shu Qian, right? Why isn’t she washing them herself and letting our Buddha boy touch this filthy thing?]

[True, Shu Qian is really annoying!!]

Shu Qian shook her head. She wouldn’t just wait for Song Xun to serve her. Instead, she took all the vegetables out of the bag.

“I’m not tired. I’ll wash the vegetables.”

The two stood side by side at the counter, focused on their tasks, not exchanging a word.

Sunlight poured in through the window, casting soft shadows on them and the floor. The two figures, one tall and one short, looked unexpectedly harmonious.

The livestream viewers thought the scene had a filter, surrounded by pink bubbles, and even imagined some background music playing.

[I’m doomed! I actually think their backs look good together!!]

[Get real, think about Shu Qian’s character, and my dream’s instantly shattered.]

[Our Song Xun has such good aura, he has cp chemistry with anyone.]

Shu Qian absentmindedly fiddled with the vegetable leaves.

By now, Song Xun had finished preparing the ribs and looked toward the sauce and spice bottles, asking, “What flavor do you want for the ribs?”

Shu Qian blinked, suddenly feeling that having the pure and detached Buddha boy cook meat for her was maybe a bit too much.

“Are you going to cook? Or teach me? I could try cooking myself… It shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

She wasn’t confident either.

Song Xun’s eyebrows twitched: “Are you sure you want to?”

“Uh… then you do it. I’m fine with anything, whichever is easier.”

Shu Qian made a respectful gesture inviting him to proceed and silently stepped aside.

She leaned against the refrigerator, her gaze fixed on Song Xun as she followed his every move.

Song Xun’s actions were skillful and swift. The sunlight fell on half of his face, softening some of the usual aloofness, making him look much gentler and more down-to-earth.

The veins on his forearm holding the spatula slightly bulged, his shirt covered by an apron, creating a strong contrast.

[He gives off such a strong husband vibe.]

[I want to eat it all!! Just toss it all in my mouth!!!]

[The female star and her little darling husband… I love watching this!]

[The pure and detached Buddha boy has fallen to the mortal world /crying/]

He really looked like he was good at…

Cooking.

Suddenly, Shu Qian realized how dangerous her thoughts were, cleared her throat lightly, and looked away.

[Beep beep~ Please wipe the sweat off your target in one minute. It must be done by hand~ Host, start quickly~]

She knew it…

Shu Qian was speechless for a moment—she knew Erbaiwuwuxue was relentless.

[Host, hurry and start. Surely you don’t want the viewers to see, right~]

Shu Qian: [Erbaiwuwuxue, please stop saying random nonsense!]

She looked around; there were five camera angles just in the kitchen alone. There was no way to get a good cover shot even if she wanted to.

But for the mission…

Shu Qian gritted her teeth and took a step closer, standing right beside Song Xun.

The distance between them suddenly shrank. Besides the aroma of the food, Song Xun seemed to catch a unique scent that belonged only to Shu Qian.

For a moment, Song Xun’s mind faltered.

“Oh wow, smells so good, Teacher Song, you’re amazing~” Shu Qian leaned in, sniffing with sparkling eyes.

This caught her completely off guard.

Song Xun’s gaze was calm: “Amazing at what?”

Shu Qian was momentarily stunned.

“Haha… of course at cooking~ Didn’t expect Teacher Song to be so skilled.”

She smiled brightly and suddenly leaned her body closer to Song Xun.

“Ah, Teacher Song, you’re sweating. Let me wipe it off for you.” Saying this, Shu Qian’s hand reached for Song Xun’s forehead.

The touch was cool and delicate. Faced with the man’s surprised look, Shu Qian almost couldn’t hold herself.

She gently wiped across his forehead, her fingertips sliding down his cheek.

Hearing the system announce mission completion, Shu Qian blushed.

By now, in Song Xun’s mind, she was probably not only the scheming bad woman with ulterior motives but also a female pervert.

Who would harass someone twice in one day?!

Shu Qian harshly thought: [Erbaiwuwuxue, I advise you to be kind! Can you trigger some normal missions instead?]

Erbaiwuwuxue: [As long as the host doesn’t overthink, system missions will be limited. In short, mind yourself.]

Shu Qian deflated. Yeah, she did overthink for a bit…

Song Xun didn’t react much, just stared at Shu Qian for a moment before continuing to cook. No one noticed the veins on his spatula-holding arm bulged even more.

The live stream comments paused for a few seconds, then exploded.

Millions of comments quickly scrolled, covering the entire live screen.

[Am I blind? What was Shu Qian doing just now??]

[This woman definitely has other intentions towards Emperor Song! Everyone, go scold her awake!!]

[Weird, why isn’t Song Emperor angry? Doesn’t he have OCD?]

[I believe it! The moves were so natural, maybe they’ve been dating for a while?]

[Stop spreading rumors!!]

[+1]

…

As the live stream continued, one trending hashtag after another topped the charts:

#SongXunShuQianIntimateMovesSuspectedRomanceExposed#

#SongXunShuQianHusbandWifeVibe#

#SongXunHusbandVibe#