I Really Didn’t Want to Increase My Favorability!

After finishing breakfast, they stepped outside. The snow had completely stopped, and the morning sunlight bathed the streets. By noon, the thin layer of snow would likely have melted entirely.

The sunlight fell gently on the faces of the two beauties. Xu Lin glanced sideways and noticed how their skin and hair seemed to glimmer. His gaze lingered on the spot where Li Muxue’s ear met her neck, spotting a small black mole. Then, he noticed another one on her neck, parallel to the first.

Xu Lin couldn’t help but recall the scene from that morning. Following that line, there was another mole near her left chest.

Wait, no! What are you thinking? She’s your cousin! Xu Lin pinched himself and shook his head. Since when did I start losing control of my thoughts like this?

“What are you doing? You look like you’ve got something wrong with your brain,” Li Muxue asked, giving him a puzzled look.

“Nothing, just a bit of neck pain. Let’s head back.”

“Back to sleep,” Chu Fengyi yawned, her energy from earlier completely gone, reverting to her usual languid self.

Just then, Xu Lin’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen—it was his dad calling.

“Hello, Dad? What’s up?”

“Yeah, I’m with Cousin.”

“Remember that thing you promised me last time? Did you forget?”

“What thing…”

“You know, my class reunion. Well, actually, my classmate’s second wedding engagement. I was hoping to show up in a decent car.”

Xu Lin thought for a moment. Oh, right—he had promised something like that, but it had been so long ago that it completely slipped his mind.

“When do you need it?”

If he had to arrange something now, he’d have to rely on Chu Fengyi. No one else he knew had a car, though Qin Yunhe’s car wasn’t bad. While not super expensive, it was a new one worth around two or three hundred thousand—good enough to make an impression.

“Tonight. Do you have a way to sort it out?”

“I’ll take care of it. I did promise you last time. But what kind of car are you looking for?”

“Something understated but not cheap.”

“Got it. Just no sports cars, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, you figure it out. Black would be best.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Xu Lin turned to Chu Fengyi. “Dear Miss Chu, dearest Shi-chan, I need your help~.”

“Ugh… Just say it straight, don’t gross me out.”

“Can I borrow a car from you?”

“A car… you mean a regular one?”

“Yeah, what other kind would I need?” Xu Lin looked at her, and Chu Fengyi nodded solemnly.

“I’ve got a bus, a go-kart, a cargo truck, and even a train.”

“A train? What the heck?”

“My family has joint investments with the railway, and we’ve also got a bunch of planes through an airline company.”

“Impressive, but I just need a regular car.”

“To make a statement, how about ten sports cars? If you need more, I can get a hundred in a few days.”

“No, my dad’s driving it to a class reunion. Just something low-key but respectable, preferably black.”

“Alright, that’s easy. Let me ask the butler.”

“Okay.”

Chu Fengyi pulled out her phone and made a call. Meanwhile, Li Muxue leaned in closer to Xu Lin.

“Hey, hey, is your Shi-chan some kind of rich heiress?”

“Yeah, so rich it’s beyond your imagination. Though, technically, she’s the second heiress…”

“The second heiress?”

“She has an older sister. When you hear her surname, Cousin, you’ll figure it out, won’t you?”

“Chu… Is it Chu Qingchan?”

“Knew you’d guess it.”

“Many senior brothers and sisters, as well as juniors, on the mountain admire her. They say she has a natural aura of vitality.”

“That’s just a fancy way of saying she’s good-looking, isn’t it?” Xu Lin raised an eyebrow.

“Hehe, partly, maybe,” Li Muxue admitted. “But mostly, it’s that unique liveliness she carries—something you can tell just from looking at her.”

“Is that so?”

Purely in terms of appearance, Xu Lin felt that Chu Qingchan was stunning—so beautiful that she surpassed everyone. But after getting to know her personality, she turned out to be surprisingly down-to-earth, unlike Chu Fengyi, who had her own charm. 𝖗

“Have you met this Chu Qingchan before? I was thinking of getting an autograph for one of my junior sisters,” Li Muxue said with a grin.

“I have,” Xu Lin replied. “But if you want an autograph, you’ll have to ask her yourself.”

“I’ll do it myself, then. I also want to see if she’s as gorgeous in person as she is in videos.”

“You’ll be amazed,” Xu Lin said with a teasing smile.

“So, she is that beautiful, huh? Now I’m really looking forward to it. From what you’re saying, she’s coming to Linshui?”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Yeah.”

“Awesome!”

“Wait, Cousin, this junior sister you mentioned isn’t…”

“No, no, it’s not me!” Li Muxue quickly clarified. “I’ve only watched her dramas—I don’t idolize celebrities.”

“Oh, okay.” Xu Lin nodded earnestly, while Li Muxue gave an awkward smile.

“Xu Lin, it’s settled,” Chu Fengyi called out. “When do you need the car?”

“This evening.”

“I’ll have it arranged and parked downstairs by noon.”

“What kind of car did you pick?”

“Don’t worry, Uncle will be satisfied,” Chu Fengyi said, a playful look on her face. Clearly, she wanted to keep it a surprise for his dad, so Xu Lin didn’t press further.

“Alright then, let’s head back and rest.”

“Wasn’t Miss Chu planning to give Cousin a workout?” Li Muxue asked casually, interrupting Chu Fengyi, who was mid-yawn.

Chu Fengyi’s eyes immediately lit up. “Xu Lin, I almost forgot about you! Let’s go! Back to the training grounds. I need to see if you’ve been slacking off lately.”

“…” Xu Lin turned to Li Muxue with a helpless look. Cousin, you really know how to throw me under the bus.

A few minutes later, Xu Lin found himself dodging Chu Fengyi’s relentless attacks, surrounded by a small crowd watching the sparring match.

Feeling their eyes on him, Xu Lin was so self-conscious that he missed dodging two attacks he normally could’ve avoided, earning himself a sharp slap from Chu Fengyi’s sweeping strikes.

“Don’t lose focus!” she yelled.

Before he could react, her kick landed squarely on his chest, sending him flying backward and crashing onto the damp grass.

“You don’t even know how to dodge anymore?”

“Who says that?” Xu Lin snapped, bouncing back to his feet with a kip-up and charging at Chu Fengyi.

She blinked in surprise. Was this Xu Lin finally taking the initiative? He’d always been on the defensive.

She adjusted her approach, pulling back some of her strength to match his newfound determination. What had been a one-sided beatdown now turned into an evenly matched sparring session.

Xu Lin noticed that Chu Fengyi was holding back, using only about half her strength. He smiled inwardly. His Shi-chan was kind enough to save him some dignity in front of this many onlookers.

Still, even if it was a pure contest of technique, without relying on brute force, he estimated the odds were still 70-30 in her favor. And that was only because he had some memories from his previous life.

“Step back!” Chu Fengyi barked.

Xu Lin immediately leapt backward as her leg swept across the space in front of him, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.

She followed up with another kick, but this time Xu Lin blocked it with his forearm. Seizing the opportunity, he swung his arm down and struck her ankle with his palm!

Chu Fengyi’s other foot suddenly shot up, sweeping in from the left with a sharp crack as it struck Xu Lin’s shoulder. At that moment, she was completely airborne, both feet off the ground. Seizing the chance, Xu Lin gritted his teeth, ignored the pain, and lunged forward, rapidly closing the distance between them. But the force of his momentum was too much to control, and he ended up taking Chu Fengyi down to the ground with him!

In the instant they hit the ground, Xu Lin once again felt the brief sensation of Chu Fengyi’s lips brushing against his.

Then came the unmistakable pain of teeth colliding with lips. Both of their lips were instantly split open, blood oozing from where they’d been bitten.

“Ah…”

“It’s just a split lip! What are you whining about, big guy?” Chu Fengyi sat up, frowning at Xu Lin, who had scrunched his face in discomfort.

“It’s not that… I think something pricked me,” Xu Lin muttered, wincing.

“Huh?”

Sitting up, Xu Lin glanced down at his ankle, where the only exposed area of his skin had been. Sure enough, there was a cut—about four or five centimeters long.

“Must’ve been glass or something. Does it hurt much?”

“Yeah, a bit. But I should still be able to walk.”

“Don’t worry, as your Shi-chan, it’s my duty to help you,” Chu Fengyi declared, her expression full of determination.

Xu Lin noticed her gaze and then glanced at the crowd of onlookers surrounding them. His stomach churned with a sense of foreboding.

“Chu Fengyi, don’t you dare—”

Before he could finish, Chu Fengyi had already hoisted him up onto her back. Xu Lin was utterly stunned and immediately turned to look at Li Muxue, who was standing not far away.

But his dear cousin simply turned around and walked off, as if she hadn’t seen a thing. Xu Lin was completely dumbfounded.

The onlookers, meanwhile, began murmuring and chuckling among themselves.

“Daddy, that big brother is being carried by the pretty big sister!”

“That young lady is really strong!”

“She’s not just strong—she’s skilled too. What’s up with that guy?”

Even though he could tell they weren’t mocking him, Xu Lin couldn’t help but lower his head in embarrassment.

Damn it! This is bad. I think my social anxiety is about to flare up again!

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