Why are you always thinking about dating me?

She seemed a little anxious.

"This is what happens after touching chili peppers, so you need to wash your hands," Lin An earnestly reminded her.

But Xiao Chacha already felt her face burning. Although it didn't hurt much, it was just hot, and then her face really turned red. Lin An laughed so hard his shoulders trembled. Xiao Chacha reached out and punched him in the back.

Although it is not heavy.

"You're just making fun of me!" Her angry expression was actually quite cute.

"These are bell peppers, they'll be ready in a few seconds. Just wash your hands thoroughly and then wipe your face with a towel."

"You have such a perverse sense of humor, you stinky Lin An." Xiao Chacha's eyes were full of resentment. She went to wash her face and came back with her eyes still filled with resentment.

No, I'll remember this grudge and find a chance to bite him back later.

Lin An is currently chopping green peppers. He had the meat ground into shreds when he bought it, so it only needs a little more processing. Xiao Chacha is standing next to him, and Lin An is instructing her to beat a few eggs.

"Why do you know how to cook?" Xiao Chacha asked casually.

"Oh? I've known that for a long time."

"How early is 'very early'?"

"Three years ago? Because my adoptive parents passed away then, I slowly started learning at home. Actually, cooking is not difficult at all. Just follow the simple steps and you'll be able to cook many dishes."

"There aren't many guys who can cook these days," Xiao Chacha muttered sarcastically as she stirred the eggs.

"Actually, I'd rather find a girl who can cook too. We could take turns cooking, and then go out for a big meal together on weekends. Doesn't that sound wonderful?" Lin An muttered to her.

"That seems quite interesting. Is this your standard for choosing a partner?" Xiao Chacha asked casually.

She had actually closed the kitchen door long ago, saying she didn't want the cooking fumes to spread to the living room, but Xiao Chacha had already noticed that Su Yuejin was eavesdropping outside the door, something Lin An probably didn't know.

"Me? As for me... well, I'm alright. I might have some old-fashioned ideas. I always feel like I can't handle girls who are too pretty. I prefer the simple kind."

"The type of virtuous wife and loving mother?"

"That's not necessarily true. Maybe life would be too mundane. I'd rather find someone smarter than me, someone who understands me better, someone who can easily see through my thoughts."

"Then I think you'll be single for life, haha." Xiao Chacha was being sarcastic again. Her words sounded like a malicious curse, but they also sounded like a compliment.

"I'll take that as a compliment to my intelligence."

Lin An raised his hand, then lowered it again, giving up on giving Xiao Chacha another flick on the forehead. He couldn't keep hitting her; this girl was just asking for a beating. He started cutting tomatoes. Xiao Chacha had beaten her eggs. Lin An told her to hit him a hundred times, and she counted each hit like a silly little girl.

"So, if we don't consider other aspects, between me and Su Yuejin, who do you think is a more suitable candidate to be a wife?"

"Huh?" Lin An was taken aback, looking at the smile on Xiao Chacha's lips.

Her smile was innocent and radiant.

"Since you've asked, of course I'll answer Su Yuejin."

"You're just trying to disgust me!"

"No, I don't like you. As for Su Yuejin, you were still analyzing her like a dog barking today, so I'll admit it, there is a little bit, okay?"

Lin An spoke casually, and the tomatoes were already cut. Xiao Chacha walked to her side, seemingly unsurprised. Of course she wasn't surprised; Lin An was definitely going to make sarcastic remarks to her, and she had deliberately led Lin An to say that.

She had already walked up to Lin An and whispered, "That guy eavesdropping outside is probably ecstatic."

"It's nothing, I just told her," Lin An replied softly.

"You know that?" Xiao Chacha was taken aback.

"There's a range hood in the house, isn't it? Closing the door like that just makes it look like you're trying to hide something? It would be strange if Su Yuejin didn't eavesdrop. But Xiao Chacha, you seem to have no idea what a lesson is?"

"Who told you to trick me into touching the chili peppers before touching my face? I don't care, you're not allowed to blame me again."

"Oh." Lin An nodded again.

"Then why did you tell her? I don't understand."

Lin An put down the cleaver he was using to cut tomatoes, reached out and gently stroked Xiao Chacha's cheek. His movements were very gentle, as if touching her face was a very enjoyable gesture. Then he said softly, "Sometimes, what a person deliberately says may not be a lie, right?"

Xiao Chacha stood there, stunned, but Lin An continued, "Look, you're blushing again, Xiao Chacha."

Xiao Chacha could feel the heat on her cheeks.

Then Lin An moved closer, whispering into her delicate earlobe.

"...because I didn't wash my hands after cutting the chili peppers."

----------

P.S.: It's a new month, so please vote with your monthly tickets! I'm still thinking about how to make the bonus chapter rules more suitable, something that can motivate everyone while ensuring I can finish writing and add the bonus chapters in time.

Please vote with more monthly tickets; it's really important to me.

A reasonable rule for extra chapters is better than arbitrarily setting a rule and then telling readers that you owe too much and can't pay it back all at once, and then gradually forgetting about it and becoming lazy.

Chapter Ninety-Four: The Little Witch's Little Scheme

Lin An's reckless actions ended with Xiao Chacha stepping on his foot with her little leather shoe.

The girl's eyes were filled with genuine hatred. It was hard to tell whether she hated Lin An for touching her face with the hand that had been cutting chili peppers, or for his serious, ambiguous expression that seemed like he was about to confess his love to her.

This makes him seem to have a very perverse sense of humor.

After being stepped on, Lin An was too lazy to pay any more attention to Xiao Chacha. He had a good tolerance level and could be indifferent to some small things. However, if Xiao Chacha crossed the line at certain times, he could easily abandon her.

In any case, she was dispensable to him anyway.

Xiao Chacha clearly understood this as well, but today she acted like a spoiled brat, constantly shifting her stance, just like a naughty child trying to get her parents' attention. What she wanted was attention, fervor, and the desire to be noticed.

Feeling empty and listless, Lin An thought to himself, then lit the stove and started cooking. From then on, Xiao Chacha couldn't help him anymore. She obediently rinsed the rice, and Lin An added water. After the rice was cooked, she watched Lin An cook, looking at his profile, quietly not saying a word, and not causing any trouble.

Lin An worked quickly, finishing all the dishes in half an hour, and then carrying them out one by one. Su Yuejin went to wash her hands, and Lin An picked up the chopsticks. Su Yuejin changed into a white sweatshirt with black hot pants on the bottom, revealing her slender and delicate legs, which were so white they seemed to have the luster of jade.

Su Yuejin really liked cola chicken wings, so she ate six. Xiao Chacha ate four, and Lin An also ate six. After lunch, Lin An prepared to go home to play games with Su Yuejin.

Xiao Chacha drove Su Yuejin's car, so she could also give Lin An a ride along the way.

Lin An followed her into the car. Su Yuejin stood on the balcony, gazing at the sun, her hand supporting her chin. The afternoon sun shone on her face, revealing her delicate collarbone through the neckline of her sweatshirt.

Lin An looked up and waved to her.

Su Yuejin nodded, smiling happily. Then Lin An got into the car, and Xiao Chacha started the car. She asked, "Are you free tomorrow?"

"none."

"You can't be without it, I want you to have it."

"I didn't." Lin An refused decisively and without the slightest hesitation. Xiao Chacha puffed out her cheeks and muttered something indignantly. "Drive," she said, and after a few seconds, "to the amusement park."

"I don't want to go, I don't like it."

"If Su Yuejin asks you to go, will you go with her?"

"Will do."

"You just hate me?"

"No, it's just that going with you isn't that interesting."

"What's so interesting about Su Yuejin, who's so stupid?"

“You’re stupid too, but you’re not adorably stupid, so you’re not really stupid.” Lin An thought for a moment and added, “You’re just dumb.”

"Do you believe I'll bite you?"

"Go ahead, bite me and I'll slap you, you can try."

Xiao Chacha was speechless. The image of him slapping her that day seemed to be still vivid in her mind. At the time, Xiao Chacha wondered when she had ever suffered such an injustice, but in the end, she felt relieved. However, she now really wanted to know if Lin An would actually slap her.

She really wanted to know.

So she drove slowly, and when she arrived at Lin An's building, she reached out and grabbed Lin An's arm, and like a puppy, she leaned down and bit him.

It was neither too light nor too heavy.

How stupid, Lin An thought.

After Xiao Chacha relented, Lin An noticed that there were still some water stains on her hands. She looked up, as if she wasn't afraid at all that Lin An was going to slap her.

But she was wrong. Lin An was just saying it casually. Anyway, she didn't bite very hard. Lin An simply unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the driver's side door, stood outside the door, waved to her, and said to be careful on the road.

"Aren't you angry?" she asked.

"Whatever you want, flaunt it however you want, be a bitch however you want, swagger around however you want, it's all up to you. I'm in a bad mood lately and I'm too lazy to care about your feelings. Just have fun."

"Why are you in a bad mood? Is it because of Qin Xueming?"

"Perhaps." Lin An took a deep breath. In the late autumn weather, there were osmanthus trees planted in the community, and he could smell the very pleasant fragrance of osmanthus.

Lin An turned to leave, but Xiao Chacha suddenly called his name.

"Don't you want to ask me why I've become so stupid today?" she said.

"Do not want to."

"But I just wanted to tell you."

"Go ahead and say it." Lin An stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at Xiao Chacha sitting in the driver's seat.

“You have someone you like, so no matter what I do, what Su Yuejin does, or even what Luo Shuishui does, you can't love me, love her, or love Hei. I can probably guess who the person you like is.”

"Is that so?" Lin An chuckled. "So?"

"So, I thought I had to let you see the real me, who is petty, arrogant, and unreasonable."

"Why?" Lin An asked with great interest, urging her to continue.

"Because this is better than Su Yuejin being so stupid, in every way. But Lin An, have you thought about something?"

"Ok?"

"Does the person you like like you back? If she does, why isn't she with you and doesn't interfere with your entanglement with Su Yuejin? Does she truly love you, or is she just stringing you along with a bunch of empty excuses?"

The expectation on Lin An's face gradually faded, but after a few seconds he smiled.

"How shameless is that, Xiao Chacha?"

He asked that question, then repeated it, "Isn't that shameless?"

“Am I not good enough to you? You have to accompany me and give me things, you have to support me and give me things. I used to be very selfish and couldn’t be bothered to interfere in other people’s lives, but that day you cried so hard with me that I softened and thought of being nicer to you, instead of feeling even a little bit of guilt.”

"Why do you habitually take advantage of other people's kindness towards you? At first, I thought you were just stupid, but still quite cute. But later I realized that you are unreasonable and just shameless. You get itchy if others don't scold you. You feel like you have no presence if you are slapped a few times. You only obey for a short time if you are hung up and beaten hard."