Chương 135: Xiao Li's "Defection"

The morning sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, softly bathing the dining table in a warm golden glow, while the air was filled with the rich aroma of milk, the tantalizing scent of toasted bread, and the enticing aroma of fried eggs.

Lin Che's family, along with Luo Bingli who was temporarily staying there, were sitting around the dining table, enjoying this rare moment of peace and tranquility.

Luo Bingli's movements were a little reserved. This was her first time having breakfast with Lin Che's family, and she couldn't help feeling a little nervous in front of Lin Che's parents.

Lin Chen looked at the girl beside him, who was quietly sipping her milk, a gentle smile on his face. He asked in a tone as kind as if he were talking to his own daughter, "Little Luo, did you sleep well last night? Did you have any trouble sleeping in your new bed?"

When Luo Bingli's name was called, her cheeks couldn't help but blush slightly.

In my mind, on that slightly crowded bed last night, I and Yuqing were on either side of each other, with that girl named "Xiaoying" on one side...

The scene features a petite and adorable "pillow" sandwiched in the middle, as well as Yuqing's affectionate gestures towards "Xiaoying".

And then there's the bold embrace she gave her friend after she fell asleep, and the whispered words that still make her heart race and her face flush when she thinks about them. They flash through her mind uncontrollably.

She quickly lowered her head and replied softly, "No, I slept very well last night. Thank you for your concern, Uncle Lin."

She paused, seemingly gathering a bit of courage, and added, "Um—Uncle and Aunt, from now on—just call me Xiao Li, you don't need to call me like you did before."

Upon hearing this, Su Wanyi's smile grew even more loving: "Oh, good, Xiao Li is such a lovable child, the more I look at her, the more I like her."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was harmonious and pleasant, except for Su Yuqing, who was sitting opposite Lin Che. At that moment, she blinked her bright eyes and a mischievous smile curled at the corner of her lips:

"Of course Xiaoli slept very well! I slept very well too! But—" She spoke casually, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone at the table to hear clearly.

"I feel like my brother didn't sleep well last night. I wonder if he had some terrible nightmare. He kept talking nonsense, right, brother?"

Lin Che almost choked on the milk he had just drunk. He coughed a few times and glared at Su Yuqing with a mixture of anger and helplessness. This brat girl, she really hasn't given up on her evil intentions!

As expected, Su Wanyi immediately put down her chopsticks, her face showing a worried expression: "What's wrong with Xiao Che?"

"Did you really not sleep well last night? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" she said, reaching out to touch Lin Che's forehead.

Lin Chen asked with concern, "Are you sick again? Should you take the day off and rest at home?"

Su Yuqing immediately added fuel to the fire, her face showing an extremely "sincere" expression of worry.

"You were making a lot of noise in your room last night! One minute you were laughing strangely, the next you were yelling like you were arguing with someone, so loudly—I could hear you clearly from next door!"

Looking at Su Yuqing's mischievous smile and the increasingly concerned and worried looks from his parents, Lin Che felt as if a mouthful of blood was stuck in his chest, and he almost spat it out on the spot.

He was now in a predicament he couldn't explain. He couldn't very well admit in front of his parents that he had been forced to become a beautiful girl in hot pants and boots last night, and then been "publicly executed" by some unruly girl on the bed, could he?

"Cough cough—I'm fine." He quickly waved his hand, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"I just—well, I probably drank too much water last night and got up a few times, so I didn't sleep very well. It's really nothing serious."

Su Yuqing was trying hard to suppress her laughter, her shoulders shaking slightly. She was clearly very satisfied with Lin Che's helpless and frustrated look.

Just then, Luo Bingli, who had been quietly sipping her porridge, suddenly looked up at Su Yuqing with a puzzled tone and asked softly, "Yuqing, did you really hear any noise from Lin Che's room last night?"

"I remember—you fell asleep the moment your head hit the pillow last night, and you slept so soundly that you didn't even notice when I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and accidentally bumped into the little ornament on the bedside table. How would you know if Lin Che slept well?"

"Besides, I didn't hear any noise from the next room last night, but I did hear you talking a lot in your sleep."

"Huh?!" Su Yuqing's smug smile froze instantly, and her gaze towards Luo Bingli was filled with disbelief.

Xiao Li! How could you—how could you sell me out in front of my parents?! Aren't we best friends?!

Upon hearing Luo Bingli's words, Su Wanyi's face revealed a knowing expression, and she glanced at her daughter with amusement:

"I knew it! Once Yuqing falls asleep, she's so soundly that you can't wake her up, she's like a little pig. How could she possibly hear anything from the next room?"

"I think, most likely, she had some strange dream and was half asleep, so she thought Xiao Che was talking in her sleep."

"Mom!" Su Qing was embarrassed by Luo Bingli's last-minute retort and Su Wanyi's sabotage, her cheeks flushed red, yet she couldn't refute it.

Like Lin Che, she couldn't explain exactly what happened last night, so she could only puff out her cheeks in frustration, turning her grief and anger into her appetite, and start wrestling with the breakfast in front of her.

Looking at Su Yuqing's adorable, defeated expression, Lin Che's frustration vanished, replaced by an indescribable sense of pleasure.

He secretly cast a grateful glance at Luo Bingli, who returned a faint, slightly sly smile.

The little incident at breakfast thus came to an end with Su Yuqing's one-sided defeat and the other two's "secret affair".

On their way to school, the sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze blew, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus. Lin Che, Su Yuqing, and Luo Bingli walked side by side on the tree-lined path.

Because of the betrayal she suffered at breakfast, Su Yuqing's desire to tease Lin Che not only did not diminish, but instead became even stronger.

She moved closer to Lin Che and said in a teasing tone, "Oh dear, someone was so well-behaved and obedient last night, letting me hold them in my arms and do all that, so why did they suddenly turn on me this morning after changing back to their old ways?"

Lin Che's temple throbbed with anger. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and gritted his teeth as he replied in a low voice, "Su Yuqing, please watch your words. Don't spout nonsense here and damage my reputation."

"Oh? Reputation?" Upon hearing this, Su Yuqing's smile grew even more sly.

"When someone was wearing hot pants and boots, being pinned down on the bed and subjected to all sorts of things, why didn't they think about their 'reputation'?"

"You—!" Lin Che was speechless after being silenced by her words. Just as he was about to teach this unruly girl a lesson with a chop to the neck, Su Yuqing suddenly changed the subject and showed a "kind" smile on her face.

"You just accepted so many Void Beast Energy Cores from them last night, and now you want to turn your back on them? As the saying goes, 'He who takes a man's money is bound to do his bidding.' Since you've already accepted my favors, isn't it only natural that you be a little more obedient now?"

Lin Che's imposing manner faltered instantly, and his voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels: "Didn't we agree it would only be one night yesterday? I already slept with you in that form all night, what more do you want?"

Su Yuqing blinked, her smile unusually smug and mischievous: "Hmm—one night—it still seems a little short, doesn't it?"

"—Speak, what do you want?" Lin Che sighed heavily. Those energy cores were indeed extremely precious to him now, and he also felt that he owed something to the two girls in front of him.

Seeing Lin Che's obvious sign of compromise, Su Yuqing's smile grew even brighter. She reached out and gently took Lin Che's arm.

"Ah Che, you don't need to worry too much. I'm always a very sensible person, and I would never make any requests that would put you in a difficult position."

"As long as—if you're willing to be a little more conscious every night and proactively come to my room in that super-cute little shadow form to say hello or something—."

"Impossible." Lin Che rejected the suggestion without hesitation.

"Hey? Why? Just tonight—can we do it again tonight?" Su Yuqing suddenly became anxious. She walked up to Lin Che, put her hands together, and pleaded with a pitiful expression.

Lin Che pretended to be tough and turned his head to one side, neither agreeing nor refusing, but his posture still revealed his inner turmoil and dilemma.

Seeing Lin Che's reaction, Su Yuqing felt she had a chance and was about to press her advantage to get Lin Che to agree to her "small" request when Luo Bingli beside her gently said, "Yuqing, isn't it a little unfair of you to say that?"

"Last night, Xiaoying also accepted a lot of energy cores from me, and the quantity and quality of those energy cores were no less than what you gave her."

Su Yuqing's expression froze instantly. She hadn't expected her friend to "switcheroo" again at such a crucial moment and speak up for Lin Che.

"Xiao Li!" She looked at Luo Bingli, her expression somewhat displeased.

"I'm almost there! What are you doing?"

Luo Bingli calmly gazed at her friend: "The reason we sent out those energy cores is essentially because we all hope that Lin Che—well, I mean Xiao Ying—can recover her strength as soon as possible and become even stronger, isn't that right?"

"Therefore, Lin Che has absolutely no reason to feel indebted or burdened because of the energy core. Your attempt to use this to blackmail him is baseless, isn't it?"

Su Yuqing puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction and muttered softly, "Of course I know about that kind of thing! I just wanted to try it out, what if—he really agreed?"

Turning her head to meet Lin Che's slightly amused and teasing gaze, Su Yuqing's frustration intensified. She abruptly turned her head away, crossed her arms, and let out a heavy "humph," saying with a hint of embarrassment and anger:

"Okay, okay! I was just joking. I will never use this to blackmail you again! Those energy cores were given to you voluntarily by Li and me. You don't need to take it to heart or feel guilty."

"Is it okay?" Lin Che looked at the two girls in front of him and asked hesitantly.

Luo Bingli nodded slightly, a hint of cunning in her faint smile:

"Of course, but—if you really feel you owe us something and want to do something to 'make up' for it—"

"Actually, I really want to continue sleeping with that adorable 'shadow'."