I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

The girl turned her face away and averted her gaze.

Like trying to coax a sulking girlfriend, the boy chattered incessantly beside her, but she didn't respond at all.

Once she had avoided the crowded areas, Ye Shuang accelerated again, using the castle's varied terrain to leap onto the rooftops and move upwards. In the blink of an eye, her slender figure appeared on the wall. She turned around and looked down at the boy with an indescribable expression.

"Master Ye, are you giving me a perk? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Cheng Fei looked up at her, his expression serious.

From his angle, his legs, encased in white over-the-knee socks, were straight and long, with almost no obstruction revealing their dazzling white, undulating territory.

Ye Shuang frowned, turned around, jumped off the wall, and disappeared.

Cheng Fei quickly followed.

Beyond the walls lies the castle grounds, where lush green hills ripple in the cool breeze.

On the vast, cloudy plain, the two figures gazing at each other from afar seemed to be the only ones there.

The girl with pigtails walked to the open, sloping grass, pressed down the hem of her skirt behind her and sat down. She tucked the unruly hair behind her ear that was being tossed about by the wind, and her eyes reflected the deep blue lake in the center of the depression in the distance.

Cheng Fei walked over to her, put his hands in his pockets, stared at her for a moment, and then sat down next to her.

Ye Shuang moved her position without saying a word, keeping her distance from the boy.

"Master Ye, what are you thinking?" the boy asked, observing her.

"Cheng Fei, I'll give you one more chance." The girl gazed into the distance.

"What opportunity?"

"Tell me honestly how my injury healed and what you did to me back then," the girl said softly, with a stubborn air about her.

The boy was silent, then scratched his head. "You're still worrying about this? It's been said that it was a hallucination from your near-death experience."

"Cheng Fei, do you think I'm easy to fool?" The girl clenched her small fists, which trembled.

"Not at all. Generally speaking, you're quite smart. Don't underestimate yourself," the boy said with a relaxed expression.

"Then what do you mean by treating me like this? I remember it clearly!" the girl suddenly shouted, grabbing his collar and pressing him to the grass. Her other small hand was clenched into a fist and held in mid-air, glaring at him through gritted teeth.

"Master Ye, don't get agitated. You shouldn't hit someone in the face." The boy quickly raised his hands in surrender.

Ye Shuang stared at his face, her beautiful, jewel-like eyes trembling. After a second, her fist dropped, still gripping his collar. Her clear voice carried a sense of weakness, "Cheng Fei, if you really think we're friends, tell me everything that happened back then. I... won't blame you."

The young man carefully considered his words, "Master Ye, you're too stubborn. No matter what happened in between, as long as you know I saved you, that's enough. Don't worry too much about the details. Everyone has secrets they can't tell. How about we just keep it to ourselves?"

"So what do you want from us in the future?" The girl stared at him coldly, as if scrutinizing him.

"What do you mean by 'what do you want us to do'?" The boy's question seemed genuine.

"What will happen to our relationship in the future?!" The girl raised her voice, inexplicably anxious.

"Of course we'll stay friends, Master Ye. You're not really thinking of marrying me because of this, are you?" the young man asked cautiously. "Don't overthink it. It won't work. Even if I agree, Xuanqi won't. Saying you're a maid was just a joke. You can't really come as part of my dowry."

"You!" Ye Shuang clenched her small fists, gritted her teeth, and stared at the boy, her eyes gleaming with a hint of malice.

"I?"

"Cheng Fei! You're shameless!" the girl shouted, unable to bear it any longer, and then raised her small hand.

A crisp snapping sound rang out across the open, grassy hills.

Ye Shuang stared intently at the boy with tears in her eyes and an uncontrollable rage in her eyes.

The boy covered his face, which had just been slapped, and stared in disbelief. "Master Ye, why are you so agitated?"

"I..." The girl opened her mouth, as if something was stuck in her throat, unable to utter a word. Then, she gritted her teeth, her expression fierce. "I can't stand you like this! Can't I teach you a lesson for my sake? You keep spouting nonsense to me all day long. Do you think you're so great just because you saved my life?! That gives you the right to harass me more and more?! What about offering yourself in return?! What about a dowry! Cheng Fei, don't think you're so charming. I hate frivolous guys like you the most!"

The girl finished shouting in one breath, her chest, with its perfectly curved shape like a pineapple bun, heaving violently.

The young man calmly sized her up. "Okay, I know you hate me to the core. Calm down, Master Ye. Getting angry is bad for your health, especially during your period."

"You still dare to talk nonsense?!" Ye Shuang slapped him again without thinking.

The girl was caught halfway through.

"Master Ye, calm down. Although it's not impossible for you to fight, it will be hard to explain if Xuanqi finds out when you get back." The young man held her delicate hand tightly, his face full of sincerity.

"Cheng Fei?! Let go of me!" Panic flashed in the girl's tearful eyes.

"Okay." The boy let go.

Ye Shuang quickly pulled her small hand back and hid it behind her back, her fingers, which had been touched by the boy, twisting nervously.

The young man looked at her in silence for a second before cautiously speaking, "Master Ye, I actually have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"

"What suggestion?" The girl's eyes reddened, she sniffed, raised her chin and stared at him, her voice trembling with tears and an indescribable sense of grievance.

"Regarding what happened during that time, whatever you remember, just treat it as an illusion and put it behind you. Can't we get along like before?" Cheng Fei looked into her captivating eyes.

As soon as he finished speaking, only the soft sound of the wind rustling through the grass remained on the hillside.

The beautiful girl with pigtails stared intently at the nonchalant boy, her pupils dilating violently. Her small hands clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

The two seemed frozen in a suffocating stare, the silence lasting for a very long time.

……

after a while.

Cheng Fei and Ye Shuang returned to the castle and walked side by side toward the tower.

Ye Shuang held the astrolabe in her arms, her face expressionless.

Cheng Fei put his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky, the slap mark on his face barely visible.

“By the way, Master Ye,” the boy suddenly said.

"What?" The girl's voice was devoid of emotion.

"I have something important for you. Wait here for a moment."

The girl paused for a second, then nodded slightly.

542. Ye Shuang didn't want Cheng Fei's food.

Ye Shuang held the astrolabe and waited for a short while before Cheng Fei returned and handed her a paper bag.

"Here."

"What's inside?" the girl asked suspiciously, her pretty face filled with wariness.

"Don't worry, it's not a token of love," the boy smiled.

"Cheng Fei!" The girl felt as if she had been pricked by a needle. She gritted her teeth, her eyes reddened, and she stomped her foot hard.

"Master Ye, I was wrong. It's just food. Please take it." The boy clasped his hands together in a second.

"What food?" Ye Shuang paused for a moment, took the bag, opened it, and froze.

The strong aroma of fried food wafted out: chicken wings, chicken legs, chicken nuggets, popcorn chicken, hamburgers... These fast foods, which she usually had no interest in, suddenly became incredibly tempting after eating bland and tasteless so-called survival food for two days.

The girl quickly closed the bag, looking it over as if it were contraband, making sure no one had noticed before looking up at the boy. Her slender neck twitched almost imperceptibly. "Where did this come from?"

"Just consider it a mission reward. Take it home and eat it. Just don't let Miriam find out. I'll bring it to you again tomorrow," Cheng Fei shrugged.

Ye Shuang lowered her head, her small hand holding the bag clenched tightly, lost in thought. Then she suddenly looked up and glared at him, "Don't think you can bribe me with some food!"

"Master Ye, what do you mean by bribery? Let's still be friends. Of course, we should share good things together."

"I don't need it, give it to Miss!" Ye Shuang pushed the bag back, frowned slightly and turned her face away, as if she was disgusted.

"Uh, of course Xuanqi has one too. Don't worry, this one is yours." The boy looked at her with his hands in his pockets.

The girl paused for a second, then slowly put the bag back in her arms, hugging it and the star chart to her chest. Her expression was conflicted, and she didn't even look at him. "Well... thank you."

"No need to thank me, Master Ye, you're too...polite." The young man changed his words halfway through.

"Cheng Fei!" Ye Shuang immediately gritted her teeth and glared at him.

"Master Ye, you're really fierce! You can't even say anything wrong?" The boy raised his hands in surrender.

"Don't think I can't see that you're deliberately flirting with me. You keep saying these ambiguous things to me all day long, and you don't keep your promise at all!" The girl's eyes trembled as she stared at him intently.

"Master Ye, why are you crying again?" The young man observed her cautiously.

"You!" Ye Shuang sniffed hard, tossed her head and walked quickly toward the tower.

The young man followed her nonchalantly, "Speaking of which, Master Ye, how about we make a deal?"

The girl remained silent, walking forward with her head held high and chest out.

"How about you give me this astrolabe? As a way of repaying me, since you don't need it anyway," the boy said seriously.

"Who told you I don't need it?" Ye Shuang said in a muffled voice.

"You also want a one-day use of my services?" the boy asked in surprise.

"Yes." The girl replied without hesitation.

What do you want me to do?

"I haven't decided yet." The girl's eyes flickered.

"Master Ye, you wouldn't make any ambiguous requests of me, would you? Like asking me to accompany you to do something or something."

"Cheng Fei, just you wait, I'm going to torture you." The girl stared ahead, her fierce eyes looking as if she wanted to tear him to pieces.

"Master Ye, if I remember correctly, I am your savior?" the boy exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't bring that up! Do you think you can bully me without limits just because you saved me once?" Ye Shuang said, her eyes red.

“Master Ye, I think you’re really not in a good state right now. Do you remember what I just said? Just treat what happened back then as a hallucination. Don’t torture yourself like this.” The young man spoke cautiously.

"Cheng Fei, I don't need someone like you to tell me what to do!" Ye Shuang stopped, took a deep breath, and said with a look of hatred. "Also, don't follow me. I don't even want to see you!"

"Okay." The boy stopped and paused. "Do you want me to bring you food again tomorrow?"

"I don't want your food either!" The girl shoved the bag back into the boy's arms, her trembling voice sounding as if she wanted to sever all ties with him. She turned and walked away quickly without looking back.

Cheng Fei stood there, watching the figure with swaying pigtails disappear into the distance.

The boy opened the bag, stuffed a chicken nugget into his mouth, chewed it, and muttered to himself, "He's not even enthusiastic about eating. Now we're doomed. Are you satisfied, you damn system?"

……

Ye Shuang, head bowed and clutching the astrolabe, walked toward the tower, tears streaming down her face and falling to the ground.

The girl wiped her reddened eyes with her sleeve, sniffed, bit her lip, and quickened her pace.

The boy's casual words from the hilltop still lingered in my ears.

"Whatever you remember, just treat it as an illusion and forget about it..."

So this is considered an official response?

After doing all those things, how can you expect her to act like nothing happened?

what is this?

Does saving her really require this?

Was she just deluding herself from beginning to end?

Even if the other party admits it, what can the two of them do...?

Perhaps the other party is right; pretending nothing happened and keeping things peaceful is the right choice.

"Cheng Fei, you scumbag..." The girl gritted her teeth, clenched her small fists, and had an urge to punch the image that lingered in her mind to death.

The phantom pain in her chest resurfaced, and the girl clutched her chest tightly. For the past few nights, she had the same dream, waking up in the middle of the night to confirm that her body was unharmed.

"Xiao Shuang? What is this?" A familiar voice suddenly rang out.

Ye Shuang looked up and saw Lin Xuanqi sitting on a chair outside the tower, looking languid, and curiously examined the star chart in her arms.

“Miss…this is a tool for solving the puzzle, would you like to take a look?” Ye Shuang tilted her head reflexively and gave a sweet smile.

"Forget it, I'm not interested." Lin Xuanqi didn't pay much attention to her, yawning as if she had just woken up. "Where did Cheng Fei go? Have you seen him?"

"It seems like they're solving a mystery too... with a few boys." Ye Shuang's eyes flickered for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

"Tsk, he seems to be having a lot of fun." Lin Xuanqi scoffed, stood up, looked at Ye Shuang, and suddenly fell silent.