Peninsula: Aiming for a Grand Slam

When Chen Jixian got home, before he could even close the door properly, Shen Xiaoting's bedroom door opened.

She leaned halfway out, holding a phone in her hand, the screen still lit.

"Chen Jixian, did you see the message I sent you?"

Xiao Chen didn't even stop changing his slippers: "No, what's wrong?"

Shen Xiaoting leaned against the doorframe, staring at Xiao Chen's face as if trying to see through something:

"Ningning is here to see you, Ningning from aespa."

"She asked me for your Kakao, but I noticed her expression was off and I was worried she might misunderstand, so I gave it to her... Be careful."

Xiao Chen paused for a moment, then changed into the other slipper.

"What's the misunderstanding?"

Shen Xiaoting glared at Xiao Chen:

"What could she possibly misunderstand if a man and a woman lived together?"

The way she looked at me was like she was looking at a criminal suspect. I didn't want to be seen as a mistress, so I sold you out.

"Explain the problem to her yourself."

Chen Jixian chuckled: "Sister Xiaoting, you're still my cousin, how could you sell your brother so easily?"

Shen Xiaoting snorted: "In a critical moment, even a younger brother can be sold, let alone a cousin."

She went back to her room after she finished speaking.

Chen Jixian stood in the entryway and went through the whole thing: Ningning came to him, asked for his contact information, and her expression was strange.

Ningning is Liu Zhimin's teammate. Did Liu Zhimin get her phone back? Or did something happen?

I returned to my room after taking a shower.

Her hair was still dripping wet.

Xiao Chen took out his phone and subconsciously clicked into Bae Joo-hyun's chat window. The cursor was flashing in the input bar.

He wanted to say something, but the words stopped at his fingertips.

The chat history is still from that day at the barbecue restaurant, when she asked Xiao Chen: "Are you home yet?"

Chen Jixian did not reply.

Just then, a red dot appeared in the contacts list, indicating a new friend request.

The profile picture is a cat, the name is "NING", and the verification information only contains four characters.

"I am Ningning."

……

……

Ningning sat on the living room sofa for ten minutes, repeatedly turning her phone screen off and on again.

The friend request has been sent, but there's been no response yet.

Giselle sat next to her, her gaze fixed on the television screen, but Ningning always felt that Giselle was glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.

Ningning stared at the blank profile picture, rehearsing her opening lines in her mind.

The more I think about it, the harder it is to say the first sentence.

Should I directly question my cousin about it?

That's too much.

Should we exchange pleasantries first?

That's so fake.

Also, the verification information only says "I am Ningning", isn't that too simple?

A notification suddenly pops up on the screen: The other party has accepted your friend request.

Before she could even type, the other end sent a message: "This is Lu Han."

I am Ningning

I am Lu Han

Ningning: ? ? ?

She paused for a second, then frowned. What's wrong with this person? Ningning took a deep breath and started typing.

"Why do you have such a sharp tongue?"

"Alright, I am Qin Shi Huang, send the money."

Ningning suddenly stood up.

Gisele glanced over, but before she could ask anything, Ningning had already slipped on her slippers and rushed into her room, closing the door quickly and quietly.

She leaned against the door, typing rapidly with both hands: "Who exactly is that girl in your house?"

After Ningning finished typing this line, she placed her phone on her lap and waited a few seconds.

The screen lights up.

"You mean Shen Xiaoting? She's my aunt's husband's relative, like my cousin."

Ningning stared at the words "cousin," her brows furrowed.

She remembered Shen Xiaoting's mismatched slippers when she opened the door, and her relaxed posture leaning against the doorframe...

"Can my cousin stay at your house?" she typed out and sent.

"Hilarious! Is this my house? Thank you for thinking so highly of me. This house belongs to my aunt. She can let anyone in without having to worry about me."

Ningning lay down on the bed, turned over, and put the pillow under his arm... His family really couldn't afford it.

Liu Zhimin revealed that Chen Jixian even misappropriated his tutoring fees in order to play tennis.

Unlike children from wealthy families.

The tension in her heart eased a little.

But not enough.

"She was dressed quite lightly at your house."

After Ningning finished typing this line, she paused for a moment.

Was that a bit too sarcastic? Did I accidentally reveal something to my unnie?

But the finger had already been pressed down.

"As soon as they saw it was Senior Ningning, they rushed over to open the door for her. How could they have had time to change clothes? Also, why are you so concerned about my family's affairs?"

Ningning's finger paused on the screen for a moment, and Liu Zhimin's profile flashed through her mind.

Fingers move faster than brains.

She'd already typed half a sentence: "If unnie knew there was another woman living in your house..."

It stopped halfway through.

She stared at that line of text and deleted it word by word.

You mustn't say that!

She couldn't speak up for her unnie, couldn't expose her unnie's feelings, and even less could she let her unnie be at a disadvantage in romantic relationships.

"How come I've never heard of you having a cousin!"

Chen Jixian remained silent for a while.

He probably already guessed it—Ningning didn't need to care about his family affairs.

Therefore,

Who is she worrying about?

Xiao Chen and Liu Zhimin haven't been in contact for almost half a month.

Ningning came to ring the doorbell tonight, came to question her cousin, came to question her cohabitation, but it wasn't for her own sake at all.

Xiao Chen suddenly asked, "Did she get her phone back?"

Ningning stared at this line of text, her heart skipping a beat!

She never mentioned Liu Zhimin once from beginning to end, only asking a few questions about her cousin.

Chen Jixian blurted out: "Did Liu Zhimin get her phone back?"

Did this guy install surveillance cameras in the girls' dormitory?

She only asked one extra question about a private matter, and he was able to accurately pinpoint Liu Zhimin's state?

Ningning flipped her phone over and placed it face down on her lap, a thought flashing through her mind: "No wonder he has Unnie completely under his control."

This kind of guy has probably flirted with countless women outside.

Ningning recalled:

He was so candid when he explained "cousin"; he was so confident when he explained "cohabitation".

Now, I can guess what's going on with just one sentence.

This kind of composure is the most terrifying, because a true master of romance never feels guilty.

Ningning opened her phone.

Xiao Chen sent another message.

"Wait, ma'am, why aren't you saying anything? Is your internet lagging?"

Ningning: ...

Is she overthinking it?

Maybe,

This person wasn't a master at all; he just happened to be accurate once in a while. But why did he keep hitting Liu Zhimin every time?

"...Ask her yourself. She's in a bad mood today, don't let her overthink things."

……

……

Chen Jixian sat on the edge of the bed, a towel still draped around his neck, his hair not yet dry, water droplets on his shoulders.

He looked at Ningning's last two sentences: "She's in a bad mood today, don't let her overthink things."

Liu Zhimin got her phone back.

Liu Zhimin did not contact him.

Perhaps, this bad mood has its own reasons?