Chapter 116

“Rascal…” Xia Xinya hadn’t finished her sentence when she suddenly stopped, staring in shock at Tang Huaijin squeezing in. After a brief moment of reaction, she was about to scream.

Sensing danger, Tang Huaijin hurriedly clamped his hand over her mouth, pressing her against the wall of the fitting room, and urgently gestured for silence.

“Mm… mm…”

Xia Xinya didn’t care about any of this-her clothes weren’t even properly on! She struggled desperately in Tang Huaijin’s arms, her small face flushed bright red.

Her struggle was anything but quiet-the people next door would definitely hear. Tang Huaijin, still covering her mouth, leaned in close to her ear and whispered hastily, “You little brat, don’t make a sound!”

His warm breath brushed against her ear, tinting even her earlobes a glistening pink. Xia Xinya stared dazedly at Tang Huaijin’s close face, her resistance gradually weakening.

It’s over. The rascal’s finally going to make a move on her this time. Yet for some reason, aside from shame and annoyance, Xia Xinya also felt an inexplicable secret delight she herself didn’t even notice. It made her… not quite want to resist?

No, this was all wrong. She really disliked this rascal. How could she let him get his way in a place like this?

No, no, no-the rascal was Rou’s boyfriend! How could he do this? At the very least, he should break up with Rou first, right?

Ah, what on earth am I thinking? Xia Xinya’s mind was a complete mess. All these inexplicable thoughts made her so shy she could hardly stand it. She quickly shook her head, trying to rid herself of these notions and snap out of her strange mood. She glared fiercely at Tang Huaijin and bit down hard on the hand covering her mouth.

“Hiss…” Tang Huaijin sucked in a breath from the pain, glaring at Xia Xinya and lowering his voice. “Let go.”

“Mm-mm.” Xia Xinya mumbled indistinctly, constantly turning her head, her eyes signaling him to hurry up and get lost.

This girl didn’t know her own strength-her bite was ruthless. But Tang Huaijin knew there was no way he could leave now. If there had been the slightest chance before, now it was certain death.

Who would believe you and a girl came out of a fitting room and nothing happened?

He gritted his teeth and, despite the pain, glared at Xia Xinya. Seeing she had no intention of letting go, he pinched her small bottom hard.

“Mm!”

Xia Xinya’s eyes flew wide open. She immediately let go, staring at Tang Huaijin in disbelief. Her body went limp, leaning weakly against the wall.

The soft sensation in his hand made Tang Huaijin realize something was off. It didn’t feel like clothing fabric…

Could it be… this girl wasn’t wearing pants?

Tang Huaijin’s heart skipped, and against his better judgment, his hand brushed over her again.

Yes… she really wasn’t wearing pants.

Startled, he quickly let go, not daring to look down. Forcing himself to appear calm, he shot her a stern glare and mouthed: “Stop messing around!”

Xia Xinya bit her lip, her eyes misty and dreamy, a strange blush coloring her face. At his words, she simply nodded obediently, not daring to protest further.

Just then, because Tang Huaijin had rushed in so quickly, the curtain of the fitting room hadn’t been properly hooked. Suddenly, a hand gripped the curtain, about to pull it open.

Tang Huaijin, quick as lightning, grabbed the curtain and held it tight, refusing to let it be opened from outside.

Luckily, the person outside immediately sensed resistance and withdrew their hand. A few seconds later, an older sister’s voice drifted in: “Is… someone inside? Sorry.”

Hearing his sister’s voice, Tang Huaijin’s heart nearly leapt out of his throat. He hurriedly hooked the curtain properly, then turned to Xia Xinya, signaling her to respond.

Shaken by Tang Huaijin’s nudging, Xia Xinya finally came back to herself, dazedly replying, “Ah, what?”

For some reason, her voice was a bit hoarse. Tang Yaoyao didn’t recognize it and, apologetically, chuckled, “Sorry, I thought no one was inside. It’s fine, I won’t bother you.”

After speaking, there were footsteps outside, and then the curtain of the fitting room next door was pulled open.

“Aiya, Han Yaoyao, what are you doing in here? This room’s so small.”

“What’s the big deal? There are only two fitting rooms in this shop. I can’t just wait for her to finish, can I?” Since it was a women’s clothing store, Han Yaoyao didn’t think much of it and said cheerfully, “Maybe there are two people next door too.”

“Oh, hush. Don’t talk nonsense. It’s not soundproof in here.” Tang Yaoyao scolded playfully.

Han Yaoyao was clearly just joking, but Tang Huaijin, already on edge, felt all the hairs on his body stand up at those words. Instinctively, he swallowed hard, unconsciously tightening his arm around Xia Xinya.

Xia Xinya, still in a daze, saw his reaction and immediately thought he was about to do something again. Instinctively, she was about to cry out.

Tang Huaijin panicked, immediately clamping his hand over her mouth again, his gaze fierce and severe, startling her so much that she shook her head, signaling she wouldn’t make a sound.

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Tang Huaijin’s heart softened. Leaning close, he was about to say something-

When Xia Xinya whispered aggrievedly in his ear, “Can we… not do it here…”

Her words were confusing. Tang Huaijin frowned. “What?”

Seeing him frown, Xia Xinya pouted, hesitated a moment, then closed her eyes, her face set in a look of noble sacrifice. “Then… just be gentle.”

Tang Huaijin froze for a second, then exploded with frustration. This girl actually thought he was going to do that to her?

What on earth was going on in her head? Even if he were going to do that, he wouldn’t do it here!

Pah! Why would he even want to do that to her?

His expression also turned a bit awkward. He lowered his voice, “Don’t let your imagination run wild. Am I that kind of person? Just keep quiet and put your clothes on.”

Xia Xinya nodded instinctively, then realized-oh, so Tang Huaijin didn’t have that kind of intention after all…

Didn’t have that kind of intention…

Didn’t… Her face turned bright red in an instant, half from anger, half from embarrassment. Embarrassed because she had been ready to throw herself at him, hoping to force him to break up with Rou, and in the end, it was all just in her head.

Angry because of Tang Huaijin-how could he, with a beauty like herself before him, so elegant and graceful, not even spare her a glance?

She glared furiously at Tang Huaijin, shook off his hand, and still not satisfied, kicked his calf. Only then did she huff, “Rascal, turn around!”

The voices next door had faded; footsteps disappeared out the door. Tang Huaijin finally relaxed a little, no longer needing to whisper so quietly. At her words, he instinctively glanced down, then quickly looked away and turned around at once.

At a glance, it might not have been so easily noticed under normal circumstances, but Xia Xinya was highly focused now. She instantly caught his gaze dropping slightly and instinctively shielded her front, exclaiming in embarrassment and annoyance, “What did you see?”

“Ahem, nothing at all,” Tang Huaijin replied, looking a bit awkward.

Geez, this girl, who would have thought she was so innocent inside, still wearing something with little strawberries…

Xia Xinya huffed angrily, quickly putting on her clothes while muttering, “You’re done for. I’m definitely going to tell Rou that you took advantage of me, harassed me. Rou will definitely break up with you.”

As she spoke, a smug smile appeared on her face. “Usually pretending to be all proper, yet you couldn’t resist showing your true nature and made a move on me?”

Hearing her words becoming more and more outrageous, Tang Huaijin rolled his eyes in exasperation and said, “Who would make a move on you, you silly girl? It’s called expediency in a crisis, don’t you understand? I left home without telling my sister today. If she finds out, what do you think she’ll think of the two of us? How would you explain it?”

Xia Xinya was momentarily speechless. In that case, Yaoyao-Jie would definitely think she was the rascal’s girlfriend, which indeed would be hard to explain…

The rascal’s girlfriend…

Her cheeks slowly turned red, and her tone softened, speaking coyly, “Then why did you touch my butt…?”

Not sure if his sister had left, Tang Huaijin didn’t dare to go out. Hearing this, his expression became a bit unnatural, and he said, “Who touched your butt? I was afraid you’d keep talking and they might hear us.”

I clearly stopped talking long ago, and yet you touched it a few more times. Xia Xinya pursed her lips, still feeling the lingering warmth of Tang Huaijin’s palm on her behind. Thinking about it made her feel a strange tingling sensation.

Seeing him deny it, Xia Xinya felt a surge of resentment. Why was it so hard to admit that he liked her butt?

If it were Rou, wouldn’t the rascal be overjoyed?

It was always like this. He always thought about Rou and only ever praised Rou for being pretty, never showing a good face to her.

Her heart was filled with jealousy, and she snorted coldly, “I don’t care. You touched my butt and saw everything. I’m going to tell Rou and see if she’ll break up with you!”

Tang Huaijin looked at her with a headache and said, “Go ahead. If Rou and I break up, I definitely won’t have the face to stay around Rou anymore. You hang out with Rou all the time, so we definitely won’t be able to be friends either.”

“You…” Xia Xinya’s expression froze, a hint of panic in her eyes, and she stammered, not knowing what to say.

Seeing her like this, Tang Huaijin’s eyes brightened. Compared to making Tang Huaijin and Bai Yuerou break up, Xia Xinya was more afraid of him leaving her?

After this incident, he felt an even greater urgency to correct Xia Xinya. The truth couldn’t be hidden forever; his sister would eventually find out. Thinking of that scene, Tang Huaijin felt a chill run down his spine.

He tentatively said, “You see, you actually aren’t that opposed to me being with Rou anymore, right? Neither I nor Yuerou will leave you.”

“Who says so?” Xia Xinya pouted, huffing, “I wish you’d break up with Rou right now.”

Tang Huaijin said with some frustration, “Why?”

“Because, because…” Xia Xinya looked into his eyes, her cheeks inexplicably reddening, and said, “Because I like Rou.”

Tang Huaijin met her gaze and said seriously, “You don’t like Rou. Your sexual orientation is normal; you just haven’t realized it yet.”

“…What does it matter to you?” Xia Xinya’s heart inexplicably began to race at his words, making her voice tremble as she asked, “Why are you so concerned about my sexual orientation?”

This question left Tang Huaijin momentarily stunned. He hadn’t really thought about how to answer it, and for a moment, he couldn’t come up with a suitable response. After thinking for a while, he smiled and said, “Because you’re my friend, and I like Rou. If you also like Rou, wouldn’t that be strange? I don’t want my friend to become my rival in love.”

Xia Xinya only heard the part where he said he liked Rou, and the light in her eyes quickly dimmed. After a moment of silence, she sneered, “You can forget about it. I do like Rou, and I won’t give her to you no matter what.”

Why did it backfire again? Tang Huaijin couldn’t tell she was lying, feeling a bit troubled. “You actually feel the same way about both of us. You don’t want Rou to leave you, and you also don’t want me to leave you.”

“So this isn’t love. Your sexual orientation is normal. You don’t want to be with Rou. Even if I break up with Rou, you still wouldn’t want me to leave you, right?”

“Could it be that you like both Rou and me?”

Xia Xinya’s heart was filled with bitterness, and hearing him say he wanted to leave her made her so sad that her eyes turned red. She shouted angrily, “I don’t like you. I hate you the most. If you want to leave, then leave. I don’t care!”

“I’m telling you, you’re not even worth one of Rou’s fingers. You’re not important to me at all. I can’t wait for you to leave me! I don’t need a rascal like you as a friend!”

Tang Huaijin stood there, stunned. Although he knew she was speaking out of anger, he couldn’t deny that he was hurt. In his heart, he genuinely cared for Xia Xinya. Even though he often scolded her, she was more like a daughter to him, making him want to treat her well.

Even his sister, he had managed to keep in the dark. What had just happened made his heart race to his throat, scaring him into a cold sweat, all for the sake of correcting Xia Xinya. It wasn’t about the million or the reward; he wasn’t doing it for those things. If it weren’t for the fear of the tragedy of Xia Xinya, why would he take on this troublesome task?

After a long silence, Tang Huaijin nodded indifferently, said nothing more, and prepared to pull back the curtain and leave.

Just as he emerged from the fitting room, Tang Huaijin froze in place. Xia Xinya, who was following him out, was somewhat absent-minded and almost bumped into his back. Annoyed, she pushed him aside and squeezed past, complaining, “Why did you stop all of a sudden?”

But the next second, she froze too, stammering, “Rou, Rou…”

Bai Yuerou, holding drinks, was walking towards them, smiling slightly as she looked at the two of them.