Nobody could have possibly imagined it.
In the duel between Guang Yu and Little Qiu, the ultimate winner wasn’t either of the two combatants.
The victor was none other than Little Zhibai, who hadn’t even participated in the fight itself!
Guang Yu had won the duel through sheer skill, no doubt about that, but she lost in fox savvy by failing to grasp the most defining human trait—emotional intelligence.
Even so, why was Little Zhibai the biggest winner of all?
It all came down to the sheer bliss of her current mental state!
Outside the Arcade Hall, in the rest area’s connecting walkway lined with benches.
Su Yuqiu and Ye Zhibai sat side by side. Su Loli leaned against Ye Zhibai’s right shoulder, occasionally bobbing her little head on that elegantly shaped perch. It was a motion that resembled coquetry but was distinctly cuter and more spirited.
Ye Zhibai had no choice. Since Little Qiu felt down, her other arm naturally alternated between subtly wrapping around the girl’s shoulder for a gentle pat of comfort and lightly tapping the back of her cherry-blossom hair to show care.
Hmm… this was surprisingly pleasant.
Ye Zhibai had originally thought that someone as petite as Little Qiu would feel bony all over, just like the vast plain on Guang Yu’s chest—utterly oblivious to the world’s hardships, a solid slab of iron.
Ahem, of course, Little Qiu was a solid slab too; that much was clear from how she nuzzled closer with those occasional accidental brushes.
But!
Ye Zhibai had to admit it—this little loli was like a soft, fluffy cupcake.
More precisely, a snow-capped mousse petit four!
Just look: her snow-white mid-calf socks hugging her legs like whipped cream topping, and her black-and-white outfit mimicking chocolate syrup drizzle!
Small, soft, sweet-scented—this surpassed even the irresistible charm of the kittens back at the cat exhibit pavilion.
Disclaimer: Ye Zhibai was absolutely not a creep. This was purely an objective assessment, a statement of facts, with zero personal bias.
Tell me, folks—could cradling a loli not qualify as the pinnacle of victory? If not, what victory even existed in this world?
“I’m still not strong enough… Wah, Yezi, once we get back, I’ll train even harder. Next time, we’ll battle again! I absolutely, positively refuse to lose this embarrassingly again!”
Coach, I don’t want to lose anymore.jpg.
“No worries. It’s just a game… Actually, no—keep pushing forward! Every field has value in diligent effort.”
“Yezi… You’re… way kinder than I remembered! As expected from our group’s stabilizing anchor, a breath of fresh air in the admin world—your insights cut right to the heart!”
Since when did I have that much prestige in the group?!
And stop it—I was just speaking with a dash of emotional intelligence, all thanks to Guang Yu’s cautionary example.
Thanks, Guang Yu. Standing on the “shoulders of giants” like the Deity has polished my words; now even I sound eloquent.
Meanwhile, the true game winner, Little Fox Guang Yu, had just happily skipped another loop around the Arcade Hall.
Upon her return, she caught sight of the scene on the rest area’s bench.
Heh…! Ye Zhibai truly lived up to her reputation as an expert girl-magnet!
It hadn’t even been that long, and here she was, cozying up with another girl!
What incredible stickiness.
Guang Yu couldn’t help feeling that her return to the Heavenly Realm was just around the corner!
Her big tail twitched with these hopeful thoughts, starting to lift at a jaunty angle.
But for some reason, it soon drooped back down on its own.
And with it, Guang Yu’s mood sank inexplicably too.
Even she didn’t notice her cheeks puffing out ever so slightly.
By the time she realized it, her feet were already carrying her in tiny, involuntary steps to sit on Ye Zhibai’s other side.
—Though a small gap remained between the girl and the fox.
Guang Yu leaned forward to peer at the farthest-right Su Yuqiu, sticking out her tongue with a playful grin.
“Hey, Little One, still moping? I’ve already looped the whole place once!”
“Little Guang Yu…? If possible, could we change that nickname? At least call me ‘Big One’ or something… Sigh, sorry you had to see that.”
Little Qiu bravely lifted her head from Ye Zhibai’s shoulder.
Demonstrating the resilience of an adult.
“I’m fine now, really? I was just messing around with your big sis earlier. Us adults make little jokes too, you know.”
“Mm-hmm! Glad you’re not sad. Hehe, actually, this fox was reflecting too—I totally get where I went wrong now!”
“Wrong? You didn’t do anything wrong,” Little Qiu said, puzzled.
It was over. Ye Zhibai’s bad premonition spiked rapidly.
She didn’t have any duct tape on hand, so she couldn’t seal Guang Yu’s mouth in time.
The moment Guang Yu spoke…
She knew all was lost.
“Yep, this fox gets it now. Wins and losses are like a scale. I won this time, so it tipped off balance—and you felt unbalanced too! Next time, I’ll let you win, and the scale evens out! Hahaha, one win each—perfectly fair!”
“L-Little Guang Yu? You mean… you’re planning to throw the next one?!”
“Throw…? Uh, maybe? This fox was gonna use the Water Dragon Bullet horn again next time…”
“Wah… Yezi!!!”
“Don’t panic, Little Qiu. I can ship my cousin off to language school for a refresher course. It won’t happen again next time.”
Huh?
Guang Yu had just finished sharing her profound wisdom when she saw Little One dive back into Ye Zhibai’s arms.
Another “adult joke”?
This one wasn’t funny at all! Guang Yu didn’t know how to express it, but something felt deeply off inside her!
“Cousin! Hug for this fox too!”
“What are you butting in for… Hey! Don’t actually come over here.”
The treatment surpassing a single loli hug…
Was the left-right embrace from two lolis at once.
Double the cupcakes, double the happiness—
Happiness my foot!
You two are squishing me to death!
Fine, hugging Little Qiu when she’s upset makes sense, but what’s the ringleader Guang Yu going nuts for?!
The high-pressure double flat-chest squeeze from both sides forced Ye Zhibai to hold her breath through this ordeal.
Did you think the pressure was only physical?
No.
From some indefinable direction, Ye Zhibai’s sixth sense picked up an intense aura of oppression.
And right now, it was at its fiercest.
The last time she’d felt this…
Was that outing to hang with Lin Zihan, right?
But Ye Zhibai had already decided to play dead.
Pfft, what do I have to fear this time?
No matter how you slice it, these two look like kids. Could my little sister Yun’er seriously be jealous of children?!
Nah, I don’t buy it. Sis Yun’er’s magnanimity is top-tier worldwide! (Probably.)
After some tugging and pulling, Little Qiu was the first to end the farce.
Hmph, adults need to act like adults—can’t stoop to kid level.
As Ye Zhibai silently thanked her for letting go, she turned her head slightly that way.
And caught the following scene.
Little Qiu seemed to suddenly remember something.
She checked the time on her phone, then pulled a label-less, plain white pill bottle from her cat-patterned mini purse.
She stepped a short distance away, turning her back to Ye Zhibai’s group, shook out a pill onto her hand, and washed it down with her drink, tilting her head back.
After a couple light coughs, she casually stowed the bottle, turned around, and returned to her seat. She unlocked her phone again to study the next stop on her itinerary.
Seeing this, Ye Zhibai was naturally full of questions.
And Guang Yu…! Stop scooting closer! Haven’t you seen the mature one has stopped fooling around?!
“Little Qiu, what was that pill you just took? Medicine?”
“Hm? Oh… you mean this?”
Little Qiu hadn’t planned to say.
But since Yezi asked, she had no choice but to pull out the bottle again.
She waved it in front of Ye Zhibai; the pills inside clinked against each other noisily.
Su Loli spread her free hand with a helpless smile.
“Taking meds on schedule is such a hassle. Truth be told, there’s a family history of asthma, so… the doc recommends regular doses for relief and management. I almost forgot earlier. Hey, don’t sweat the small stuff! Skipping once won’t hurt much. Yezi, the next stop is the highlight of our whole Comic-Con trip—are you ready?!”
“……”
Asthma?
This… is a small thing?!
No more words.
I’m setting an alarm right now.
At minimum, throughout Comic-Con, I’ll remind you to take your meds properly!
