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

After saying that, she unceremoniously pulled open the shoji door.

……

Shen Xi remained kneeling in her original position, watching Cheng Fei walk into the bathroom. The whirring noise of a hairdryer could be heard from behind the shoji door.

The aloof girl's slender body trembled slightly as she stared intently at the shoji door. Her small hands loosened and clenched again. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, no longer paying attention to him. Instead, she focused her attention back on the low table, studying the orbit of the dual-body world. The pencil scratched against the paper, making a rustling sound. She felt inexplicably irritated.

Just then, a faint yet familiar voice came from outside the door, "Xiao Shuang... I'm coming in..."

Shen Xi paused for a moment, then turned around and met Lin Xuanqi's gaze as she opened the shoji door.

The aloof young woman frowned slightly, her expression turning cold and puzzled. "Hey, Lin, what brings you here?"

Lin Xuanqi raised an eyebrow, also puzzled, and looked around, "Shen Xi? This isn't Xiao Shuang's room, where is she?"

The traditionally built Japanese-style room was square and completely exposed except for the shoji door leading to the bathroom and the okiri (closet). Lin Xuanqi didn't see anyone else.

“Who told you this is Ye Shuang’s room? This is my room,” Shen Xi said without hesitation.

"Is this your room?" Lin Xuanqi frowned, wanting to retort instinctively, but then calmed down and cast a questioning look at Zhou Han next to her.

Without anyone noticing, the faint humming noise in the bathroom suddenly stopped, and the air became quiet.

Under Ruan Jingyi's worried gaze, the petite girl tilted her head, blinked her round eyes, and asked with equal confusion, "I remember this is..."

"You're mistaken. This is my room. You're drunk." Shen Xi interrupted her coldly, her tone more like an order than a correction.

"Is that so, Ruan Jingyi?" Zhou Han tilted her head, thought for a moment, and looked to her best friend for help, her face clear-headed.

The quiet girl's gaze quickly met Shen Xi's and then looked away. She nodded softly, "Yes, you remembered wrong."

Lin Xuanqi stared at the three of them, observing them back and forth with a hint of suspicion on her face. Although Zhou Han did have a faint smell of alcohol on her, and she had heard her drinking hangover tea before, she still felt that something was... not right.

Lin Xuanqi thought for a moment, a nonchalant smile curving her lips, and walked into the room, looking around.

"I told you this is my room, are you deaf? Get out." Shen Xi stood up, her delicate and pretty face showing hostility.

"Don't be so fierce. I rushed over here late at night, won't you invite me to sit down?" Lin Xuanqi smiled, crossing her arms in front of her chest to accentuate her ample figure. Her gaze shifted from side to side, and her tone gradually took on a dangerous tinge. "Or... are you hiding something here that you don't want me to see?"

"You're crazy. Can't you understand what I'm saying? Did the winding mountain road make your brain scramble?" Shen Xi's face showed undisguised disgust.

"Heh, I'm relieved to hear you still have such a sharp tongue." Lin Xuanqi chuckled, pacing around the room. She casually approached the shoji door connecting to the next room, then yanked it open and peered inside. She was met with a bewildered look on Milian's face as she lay in a futon playing on her phone. She paused for a moment, then quickly closed the door as if she'd seen something ominous. Pretending nothing had happened, she continued to say to Shen Xi, "Besides Cheng Fei being blind back then, I doubt anyone will ever like you in this lifetime, hehe."

Seeing the gloating smile on Lin Xuanqi's lips, Shen Xi's eyelids twitched. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, her flat chest heaving as she released a chilling aura. With an expression of unbearable resentment, she let out a heavy, cold laugh. "What are you looking for? Who are you looking for? No need to look anymore. Since you're so eager to see, I hope you don't shed any tears later."

As soon as she finished speaking, the aloof girl clenched her teeth, her face tense, and narrowed her eyes, staring intently at a certain spot in the room. She revealed a determined expression and quickly walked over.

"What do you mean?" Lin Xuanqi's expression changed, her brows furrowed, and an indescribable unease welled up in her heart, as if she had been standing comfortably with her back to the cliff, and was finally about to turn around.

"What do you mean?" Shen Xi looked at her hesitant expression, raised his chin, and curled his lips into a victorious smile. "It means... this!"

As the aloof girl spoke, she abruptly pulled open the shoji door leading to the bathroom, the sliding door frame making a soft but clearly audible rustling sound.

The bathroom, located inside the room, follows the Japanese three-part design. The first thing you see is the wash area, followed by the toilet and shower room separated by a glass wall. Because the area is small, you can see it all at a glance, with no hiding space.

Lin Xuanqi looked serious with her brows furrowed. She slowly looked inside, paused for a moment, and then cast her inscrutable gaze at Shen Xi.

Zhou Han and Ruan Jingyi had been standing at the door watching the two's tense conversation, worried that it would be terrible if someone else was in the room. When Shen Xi opened the shoji door aggressively, they couldn't help but take a few steps forward and peek inside.

Shen Xi opened the bathroom door and stood with her back to the doorway, arms crossed in front of her chest. A hint of smugness appeared in her pure, dark eyes, as if she were showing off her long-planned masterpiece and expecting Lin Xuanqi, the only audience member, to show a look of utter despair.

“Shen Xi…” Lin Xuanqi opened her mouth, looked at her, and a trace of pity appeared in her eyes.

"If you want to cry, you can just cry. Don't force yourself." The aloof girl tossed her hair and scoffed.

"Are you... mentally unstable?" Lin Xuanqi looked at her, opened her mouth, and revealed a subtle expression that made her unsure whether to laugh or feel sorry for her. "What's so interesting about a shabby bathroom? I thought it was hiding some kind of treasure."

"A run-down bathroom...?" Shen Xi was stunned for a moment, then realized something, her eyes widened slightly, and she turned to look.

The bathroom was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight, except for a hairdryer sitting on the sink.

The aloof girl's pupils contracted, her mouth agape but unable to speak, as if she were suffocating. A surge of anger at being betrayed rose in her heart, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, her eyes flashing rapidly as she surveyed her surroundings.

That scoundrel got away right under her nose?

This is impossible...

Absolutely impossible...

She watched the boy go in. He was drying his hair inside before Lin Xuanqi arrived. The shoji door would definitely make noise when it opened and closed. After Lin Xuanqi came in, the shoji door remained tightly closed. There was no other exit from the bathroom. Unless he could crawl out through the ceiling and follow the ventilation duct, there might be no hope of leaving during this time.

Thinking of this, Shen Xi quickly glanced at the bathroom ceiling. Every panel was fixed in place and there was no sign of it being disassembled.

The boy's only chance to escape was to rush out in front of everyone the moment she opened the shoji door, but how could that be possible?

Although he can sometimes move very fast, it makes a lot of noise if he moves too fast, and even at full speed, you can still see afterimages. Even if she didn't look carefully, are Lin Xuanqi, Zhou Han and Ruan Jingyi all blind?

Thinking of this, Shen Xi turned her questioning gaze to Zhou Han and Ruan Jingyi standing at the door, and said coldly, "You didn't see anything either?"

The two quickly shook their heads.

They stood guard at the door the whole time. The shoji door was not opened wide enough to be almost completely blocked by the two of them. They were the last to step forward. In other words, even if they closed their eyes, it would be difficult for the boy to rush out unnoticed.

Is a window possible?

Shen Xi then looked in the direction from the room to the courtyard.

Theoretically, the shoji gate over there could be opened to directly access the outside yard, but that gate was tightly closed from beginning to end. Moreover, probably because it was more susceptible to humidity and temperature differences when connected to the outdoors, the sound of the gate opening and closing was more obvious, making it absolutely impossible for it to be opened and closed silently.

In short, it's impossible for the boy to escape unless he can vanish into thin air or possess some new ability that Shen Xi is unaware of.

The aloof girl stood there deep in thought, her brows furrowing more and more, her expression turning grim.

"Shen Xi, what's wrong with you?" Lin Xuanqi looked her up and down, even more puzzled.

Based on Lin Xuanqi's understanding of Shen Xi, she wouldn't have made a baseless accusation. Judging from the tone of her words just now, Lin Xuanqi almost thought Cheng Fei was inside. In that case, the young man really needs to give a proper explanation.

Lin Xuanqi looked into the bathroom again, confirming that she had seen the entire space through the shoji door and there was nothing unusual inside.

"Shut up, don't bother me." Shen Xi pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath, ignoring her. After thinking for a while, she was still unwilling to give up and decided to go in and take a closer look at how that scoundrel escaped.

Meanwhile, behind the wide-open shoji doors, on the ceiling above the bathroom sink, in a narrow corner formed by three walls—the only blind spot in the entire bathroom when viewed from the outside—Cheng Fei was struggling to stay afloat.

Hearing Shen Xi and Lin Xuanqi's conversation outside, he suddenly realized that he was in dire straits.

The shoji doors make a sound when they open and close, and even if you move nothing, there will be afterimages and the sound of wind. If he tries to escape while Lin Xuanqi is watching, he will definitely be caught on the spot. He can only pray that Lin Xuanqi will not open the bathroom door.

Before Lin Xuanqi could even make a move, Shen Xi took the initiative to open the shoji door.

In his most desperate moment, he had a flash of inspiration and jumped onto the corner of the ceiling. Relying on his powerful limbs and core strength, he managed to hold himself firmly in place on the unsupported wall.

Like a giant spider, it lurked in the corner above the door; anyone who came in would only need to look up slightly to notice its presence.

But that kind of thing is unlikely to happen, because the bathroom is very small and the glass walls separating the bathrooms offer a clear view. If you can see everything at a glance, no one would come in to check... right?

The boy could only pray, asking the goddess of wisdom, the goddess of fortune, and all sorts of powerful beings for their blessings.

Under the watchful eyes of Lin Xuanqi, Zhou Han, and Ruan Jingyi, Shen Xi stepped into the seemingly empty bathroom and began to check around.

When Cheng Fei saw the aloof girl with long, dark hair walk in, his heart skipped a beat.

The boy was acutely aware that Shen Xi was no longer a trustworthy ally, but an enemy.

Enraged and losing all patience, consumed by hatred, jealousy, and possessiveness, the enemy loses his mind under Lin Xuanqi's provocation and ridicule.

In order to get him, she was willing to let his long-term forbearance be thwarted halfway, even if it meant that Real Technology's funding chain would break at the last moment of developing the prototype, and she would destroy everything to perish together with Lin Xuanqi.

Shen Xi is now terrifying to this extent.

She absolutely cannot find out, otherwise, she will definitely call Lin Xuanqi in and expose everything with a cold and ruthless sneer, just to see Lin Xuanqi's expression of collapse.

Staring intently at the aloof girl below, whose gaze seemed to be scanning everywhere as if trying to pull him out from the sink, showerhead, or even the toilet, Cheng Fei held his breath, trying his best not to make a sound.

Despite the fact that the boy was performing an extremely difficult climbing maneuver, even an Olympic champion would find it extremely difficult to maintain his current state for a long time, let alone make any noise and keep his breathing as quiet as possible.

The boy's back was soaked with cold sweat, making his bathrobe stick to his body. He could feel his limbs and core muscles getting hot, like a roaring engine, gradually turning red-hot.

Shen Xi was deep in thought in the bathroom, her hand stroking her chin with a serious expression, like Sherlock Holmes or Conan standing at a crime scene, trying to find the murderer's escape route.

Time ticked by, and the aloof girl, having gained nothing, still showed no sign of leaving.

Cheng Fei had never felt time pass so slowly. Even when everything was at zero speed and slowed down fifty times, it felt faster than now. A second felt like an eternity.

The boy's palms, which were supporting him against the wall, were sweating, which reduced the friction and forced him to use more force to brace himself against the walls on both sides to prevent himself from slipping down.

His core muscles started to feel a little sore, which is a sign that aerobic respiration could not keep up with the consumption and the muscles began to perform anaerobic respiration. The accumulation of lactic acid means that the body's athletic ability is entering a countdown, like Ultraman flashing red light in battle. When a large amount of lactic acid accumulates, he will be completely paralyzed.

No, he has to hold on.

If they fall now, there are still too many crucial steps to complete. It will only make Lin Xuanqi sad for a while and then completely enraged...

All the hard work and perseverance of the past year, starting from that one "woof" he uttered to Lin Xuanqi, and all the humiliation he suffered, are etched deep in his memory. He is determined to carry out the plan to the end and make Lin Xuanqi cry and beg for mercy, paying back everything, including interest!

The boy, who was shouting in his heart, suddenly felt a surge of power flowing from the depths of his heart into his limbs and bones, relieving his physical discomfort.

Is it adrenaline or something else?

It doesn't matter anymore.

The important thing is that he is now confident that he can hold on longer, until Lin Xuanqi leaves the room.

The boy, thinking in this way, controlled his lungs to breathe slowly and deeply, inhaling large amounts of oxygen to allow his muscles to exert greater strength.

He possesses a Strength of 8, Endurance of 8, and Agility of 9, practically reaching the limits of human physical ability. What is there that he can't do?!

As the boy had this thought, the aloof girl below, who had searched in vain, glanced one last time at the empty trash can at her feet, seemed to give up, and turned to leave.

Then, Shen Xi noticed a dark shadow above her out of the corner of her eye and slightly raised her head.

Those pure, ink-black eyes reflected the figure of the boy clinging to the corner of the ceiling like a giant spider, meeting his pained yet persistent gaze, and the struggling, pleading smile that revealed a hint of obsequiousness.

The young girl frowned slightly, revealing an indescribable look of utter disgust, as if she had suddenly discovered a mouse or cockroach in her home.

At that moment, Cheng Fei's heart skipped a beat, and he felt his heartbeat slow down.

828. After Shen Xi went mad, the last person Cheng Fei could trust was...

Shen Xi stood below him, looking up at him with her head slightly raised, her delicate and beautiful face expressionless.

After a gaze that seemed to stretch for eternity, a deep sorrow appeared between the boy's brows. He slowly shook his head at her and spoke with silent mouth movements.

"Shen Xi, please, don't."

The aloof girl seemed not to see his words. She took a deep breath, lowered her eyes, and walked out.

Cheng Fei's heart pounded like a drum, pumping oxygen-rich blood to his limbs. Even more tense than his muscles was the boy's mood; he felt like a suspect in a final trial, awaiting the judge's final verdict.

Voices could be heard outside.

"Shen Xi, what are you doing?" Lin Xuanqi's tone was full of confusion, clearly unaware of anything unusual.

"It's nothing," Shen Xi said in a cold, indifferent voice.

The boy breathed a heavy sigh of relief; the weight that had been hanging over him was lifted.

Thank goodness, the goddess of wisdom finally let him go. Although she was once overwhelmed by irrational emotions, she regained her composure after his devout prayers.

The next second, Shen Xi said, "Sit down first, I'll make you some tea."

Cheng Fei was shocked.

What does "brew tea" mean?

What is your relationship with Lin Xuanqi?

Are you perhaps inseparable sisters?

Stop pretending! Aren't you childhood enemies and now rivals in love, always sarcastic and ruthless whenever you meet, ready to unleash your deepest malice on each other, and turning away after a few words if things don't go your way?

"Make me tea? Heh, what's wrong with you?" Lin Xuanqi chuckled in confusion, but didn't refuse.

Cheng Fei became even more uneasy.

You're not really planning to sit down and have some tea, are you?

Aren't you afraid she'll poison you?

She really might poison you!

Don't forget that you two are both potential heirs to the Lin family business. If you die, Mrs. Lin's entire estate will belong to her!

Be careful and get out of this trouble place right now, Lin Xuanqi!