Sister, can I be a maid too?

After apologizing, he turned around and leaned back in his chair, looking rather helpless.

—Isn't this a disaster? Looking at Lin Jianxia's expression, all the goodwill she had built up before will probably be wiped out in a second.

Before, a casual remark about a maid made her so angry; this time, she really went all out...

Oh no, we're completely finished.

I was lying there in a daze when I suddenly felt someone tug at my right hand.

Jiang Yubai snapped out of his daze and turned to look at him in confusion.

Lin Jianxia took his right hand, hesitated for a moment, and seemed too embarrassed to place it directly on her lap. So she used her left hand to support the back of his hand and gently traced her fingertips across his palm.

ha?

Jiang Yubai was stunned for a moment before he reacted and quickly focused his attention on the sensation coming from his palm.

"you....."

"without....."

"cheat....."

—You're not lying to me, are you?

Jiang Yubai gave a wry smile and replied in a low voice:

"Sister, how could I dare to lie to you? You can just ask your Wanwan when you get back, right?"

Lin Jianxia's ears were still red. Hearing this, she glanced at him, pursed her lips, and continued writing.

"Does it still hurt?"

Jiang Yubai looked at her hesitantly, momentarily lost in the same bewilderment as Lin Jianxia had just been.

—Am I dreaming?

—No, is this Lin Jianxia? Is she really that gentle?

—Is it really not Lin Tingwan who took over the account?

Seemingly sensing the meaning in his gaze, Lin Jianxia glared at him fiercely before Jiang Yubai finally came to his senses.

"Uh...it hurts a little," he coughed lightly, "but it should be fine, it'll be alright in a bit."

He paused, then couldn't help but speak again:

"Speaking of which...aren't you really angry? Don't you even have any doubts...?"

Lin Jianxia seemed to roll her eyes at him, and then her fingertips began to move in his palm again.

"Pah, you wouldn't dare!"

Feeling the heavy exclamation mark, Jiang Yubai was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

What does it mean?

Is this a compliment or an insult?

But then, her slender fingers slid across her palm.

"Why are you angry? We've already explained it was a misunderstanding, why would I be angry with you?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back:

"No... are you really Lin Jianxia?"

Lin Jianxia: "?"

"Is she really that understanding? Or has some vixen in disguise taken over her account?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianxia was furious. She reached out and pinched the soft flesh on his side, her eyes glaring as if she wanted to bite him.

What?! Ah!

This young lady is unusually merciful; even after all this, I haven't held a grudge against you!

You didn't even say a few words of praise to me, and now you actually think I've been impersonated by a vixen?!

"I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Sensing the unmistakable threat, Jiang Yubai immediately slid to his knees.

—Fine, whatever the immortal is possessing Lin Jianxia...please, please don't come down!

Lin Jianxia gritted her teeth, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to twist it another turn. She just punched him a couple of times with her cat-like fists, then pulled his hand and started writing again, pouting.

"Jiang Xiaobai! In your eyes, am I just the kind of person who only knows how to make trouble unreasonably?!"

"That--"

Just as Jiang Yubai was about to speak, a slender, jade-like finger suddenly appeared in front of his lips.

He blinked, momentarily confused as to what Lin Jianxia was up to now.

But then Lin Jianxia retracted her index finger, flipped her hand over, and placed her small hand on his leg.

"...Uh, does this mean I need to write?"

Lin Jianxia didn't speak, but gave a barely audible hum and turned her head away.

Jiang Yubai turned his head and glanced at it.

The girl's small earlobes were hidden among her soft hair, and even in the dim light, they were still strikingly red.

He didn't say anything more, but raised his fingertip and gently wrote on her outstretched palm.

The moment her fingertips made the first stroke, Lin Jianxia trembled violently, as if she had been tickled. Her shoulders shrugged slightly, and her little hands twisted and turned.

Jiang Yubai was truly unable to write, and helplessly turned his head to the side and whispered:

"Can you stop being so awkward?"

Lin Jianxia turned her head and glared at him, then bit her lower lip and finally stopped twisting.

Jiang Yubai turned his head back, and his fingers suddenly paused.

—Wait, what was I supposed to write again?

—Oh right, I remember now.

To alleviate the itching, he slightly increased the pressure with his fingertips, writing each stroke carefully:

"No, Lin Jianxia has always been the embodiment of love and beauty in my heart. She is kind, generous, understanding, and never makes things difficult for others."

"Not only is she a diligent student, but she also has a wonderful personality, is intelligent and independent, and is very caring. How could she be unreasonable?"

When he started writing, the first line of the song had just begun on stage, and when he finished, the host was already announcing the next program.

Lin Jianxia seemed to have understood all of his long and rambling words. Her earlobes turned as red as cherries, and she glared at him with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance.

Jiang Yubai nodded seriously, trying his best to make his expression look sincere.

—So I can actually hold my nerve like this?

Sigh, I feel like I'll become... when I get old.

Perhaps it was because Jiang Yubai's expression was too serious that Lin Jianxia finally began to believe him with some skepticism.

She pursed her lips, took Jiang Yubai's hand, and wrote:

"Alright, you're smart to know what's good for you."

Although I tried my best to hold it in, that little bit of joy still crept out from the corners of my mouth that I couldn't suppress.

Jiang Yubai glanced at it sideways, somewhat uncertain.

—So this counts as...making them happy, right?

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Lin Jianxia was much cuter now than when they first met.

The once sensitive and wary little hedgehog would bristle its quills at the slightest touch.

Now, however, she seems to be gradually relaxing and becoming more and more like a real eighteen-year-old girl who can secretly be happy and also sulk.

Is it because Lin Tingwan is gradually getting better? Or is it because life is finally no longer pressing down on her so much?

Jiang Yubai didn't know.

But...it's really nice.

As if by some strange twist of fate, Jiang Yubai reached out and gently ruffled Lin Jianxia's hair.

Lin Jianxia was clearly taken aback, blinked twice, and then flew into a rage, slapping away the restless paw on her head.

...Just as expected, she's still a little hedgehog.

Jiang Yubai sighed and pointed to his leg.

Lin Jianxia pouted, but still obediently stretched out her little hand and placed it on his leg.

Jiang Yubai imitated her method in a very convincing way, opening his left palm and gently holding her palm in his own, then using his right hand to write stroke by stroke.

What he didn't notice was that Lin Jianxia suddenly stiffened, and the blush that had faded a little suddenly returned.

The girl felt a little dizzy as she was held in his palm, her head spinning slightly.

I hadn't felt anything when my arm was just resting on his lap, but now that he's holding me completely in his big hand...

My heart suddenly started racing.

The warm touch seeped through the skin layer by layer, and my fingers traced lines in my palm, bringing a tingling, numb sensation that went straight to my bones.

As for what Jiang Yubai is actually writing....

I haven't known for a long time.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yubai finished writing the last stroke and then looked up at Lin Jianxia beside him.

The guy's eyes were darting around, staring into the distance, his cheeks slightly flushed, his expression a mixture of embarrassment and confusion.

Like a small animal suddenly thrust into the spotlight, bewildered yet forgetting to hide.

Jiang Yubai: "?"

What happened this time?

I didn't do anything, did I?