Chapter 75 Part 2

Then it was desperately tamped down, leading to those words of rejection.

The awkward, tsundere display was so adorable it made her want to tease just a little.

Her mischievous streak flared up. Playing along, she said, “All right. If Senior Sister doesn’t want to, I won’t push. Forget it then.”

Jiang Yusheng: ???

The self-sabotaging little rabbit immediately looked aggrieved, her entire eye sockets turning red.

Every insult she’d lobbed at Gu Wanching earlier came back double, now aimed squarely at herself.

She couldn’t bring herself to take the words back, though. Anger and anxiety warred within her. Her reddened eyes grew misty, tears on the verge of spilling over.

Seeing her so pitiful, Bai Qian immediately backed off. “Okay, okay, I was just teasing Senior Sister. Even if you don’t want to come, I’ll drag you home anyway. Please don’t cry, all right?”

Little Rabbit bristled instantly. “I’m not crying! I won’t cry for the rest of my life!”

“Good, good, good. My mistake. So, shall we go buy some ingredients now and head back to make dinner?”

Jiang Yusheng sniffed hard, drawing back the tears before they could fully form.

She huffed. “Fine. Since you want me there so badly, I’ll reluctantly agree.”

Bai Qian had pretty much figured out this rabbit’s temperament by now. She was quick to bristle, so Bai Qian held back any further teasing and chuckled in agreement.

~~~

Jiang Yusheng had plenty of friends, and invitations to visit their homes were a dime a dozen.

She’d never accepted a single one—not even from Lin Erxing or Xu Zhiyu.

Gu Wanching didn’t count. That was her godparents’ place.

For her very first house call, Jiang Yusheng had an instinctive grasp of one key rule.

She bought a fruit basket, along with a bunch of other suitable guest gifts. Bai Qian was in the beverage aisle grabbing drinks at the time. When she came over and saw the haul in Jiang Yusheng’s arms, she realized what was up and moved to stop her.

“Senior Sister, it’s just dinner. No need to be so formal.”

Jiang Yusheng wasn’t having it. “It’s my money. I’ll buy what I want. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“…” It was the most straightforward, unassailable comeback imaginable.

At the checkout counter, Little Rabbit insisted Bai Qian pay for her items first, standing guard with the cart nearby. Once that was done, she lifted her chin proudly and began proudly placing her gifts on the counter one by one.

First time visiting, and bringing presents!

I’m a natural at this!

Auntie is definitely going to love it!

Will she invite me over every day from now on?!

Next time, should I keep some spare clothes at their place? That way, if Auntie asks me to stay the night, I’ll have something clean to change into!

No, wait, no.

If I don’t bring my own clothes, she’ll have to lend me hers. Her clothes… they must smell just as sweet as she does!

Should I sneak one away when she’s not looking?

Hmm… but that sounds kind of perverted…

“Miss?”

The cashier’s voice snapped her out of her increasingly wild daydreams.

Jiang Yusheng pretended to stay calm and asked her to repeat the total. She reached for her phone to scan the code, but as her hand dipped into her pocket, her face froze.

Damn it.

How could she have forgotten? She never brought her phone when she went out to play ball.

Bai Qian watched her with leisurely amusement, clearly having anticipated this exact scenario.

Little Rabbit froze for two seconds before turning her gaze to her. “I forgot my money. Lend me some first, and I’ll pay you back as soon as we get to school.”

“I can lend you the money, but you can’t use it to buy these.” She explained patiently. “Senior Sister, really, there’s no need. It’s just dinner at home—”

“I want your mom to like me!”

Jiang Yusheng was so desperate that her brain short-circuited, and her mouth blurted it out before she could stop it.

After cutting her off, she realized what she’d just said. Her face first went pale, then exploded into a furious blush.

What the hell had she just said?!

Aaaah!

This stupid, cursed mouth of hers!

Bai Qian paused at her words, then took in the sight of Little Rabbit—face flushed with panic after accidentally spilling her true feelings.

Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes darting everywhere, unable to meet anyone’s gaze.

She looked unbearably cute like this.

And knowing she was a lop-eared rabbit only made Bai Qian’s mind conjure up an irresistible image.

A girl with floppy rabbit ears sprouting from her head, fully aware she’d done something wrong but too stubborn to admit it. You scoop her up into your arms, and she squirms playfully, unable to escape. All she can do is stare up at you with those huge, innocent eyes, trying to tug at your heartstrings so you’ll let her go.

Her fluffy ears perk up with her emotions, but they’re so fat and heavy that they flop right back down with a soft thud after barely lifting.

But how could you let a rabbit like that slip away? No, what you do is reach out with that hand you’ve been itching to use and stroke her soft, floppy ears.

Little Rabbit hates having her ears touched at first. She’ll fuss and frantically cover them with her small hands. But it’s no use—she can only watch helplessly as you place your hand right there.

Her ears are so soft, covered in fine downy fur. Stroking them feels like pure bliss, the texture so perfect you never want to let go.

Your palm is warm, your touch gentle. Little by little, her struggles weaken. Once you’ve rubbed her ears until she’s purring with pleasure, her attitude flips. She reaches out to hug you, nestling warmly into your embrace, and fixes her expectant gaze on your other hand, begging you to pet her with that one too.

How could anyone resist a Little Rabbit like that? What you do is—

“Are you gonna lend me the money or not?!”

The rabbit who’d been melting in her arms just moments ago in her imagination was now bristling again, her face red with embarrassment from the long silence.

Bai Qian felt like someone had thwacked her on the head, jolting her back to reality. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She’d been staring right at her, but now her gaze drifted upward to where those floppy ears had once appeared.

Suddenly.

An itch bloomed in her palm, impossible to ignore.

“Alright, I’ll lend it to you, Senior Sister.”

…

Shen Chenyun had finished preparing the fish long ago, but with Bai Qian still not back, she knew her daughter always handled things sensibly. The delay must mean something came up that needed her attention, so she didn’t call to check in.

When the two finally returned—with Bai Qian bringing a friend no less—the woman was genuinely surprised.

Like Jiang Yusheng, Bai Qian had never once brought a friend home.

Half of Shen Chenyun’s reaction stemmed from that; the other half was because Little Rabbit was simply so pretty and likable. From the first glance, she’d already scored high marks in her mind.

Learning the girl had even bought gifts as a polite gesture pushed that near-perfect score straight to a ten out of ten.

She told the pair to relax on the sofa while she finished up the fish and got dinner ready.

Jiang Yusheng perched on the edge of the sofa like some sheltered young lady from ancient times who’d never left her boudoir. The moment her butt touched the cushion, her whole body went rigid, afraid to so much as twitch.

Bai Qian brought over a few sand sugar mandarins and sat down next to her. “Senior Sister, there’s nothing else to eat at home—only these are left. Senior Sister, aren’t you hungry? Eat some oranges to tide you over first.”

Jiang Yusheng instinctively glanced in her direction, but her gaze landed off-target, immediately noticing the room behind the girl instead.

—The mandarins were something Bai Qian had just fetched from the room, and she’d forgotten to close the door on her way out, leaving it wide open.

Little Rabbit had excellent eyesight, so she could see that exposed portion of the room crystal clear.

Her already tense and uneasy face instantly flushed red again with a whoosh.

Ahh, this is awkward!

It was only her first time here, so how could she peek into her room like this!

But her bed looked so soft, and it even had a little rabbit pattern on it. Did she really like rabbits that much?

Well, I’m a rabbit too—actually, an even more impressive Rabbit Spirit! Would she like me too?

At that thought, her already beet-red face turned an even brighter crimson, as if blood might drip from it any second.

Bai Qian had seen her blush so many times by now that she was quite composed about it and no longer got as flustered as she had the first time.

“Senior Sister, is it hot at home? Your face is red again.”

Jiang Yusheng instinctively covered her face. “I’m not blushing! I wouldn’t blush!”

This wasn’t the first time she’d witnessed the other girl’s stubborn denial, but even after seeing it so many times, it still struck her as endlessly amusing.

When the bristling Little Rabbit glared at someone with her eyes, those jet-black pupils sparkled like a pair of gems, making them exceptionally beautiful.

An idea struck Bai Qian, and while Jiang Yusheng wasn’t paying attention, she poked the uncovered spot on her cheek with her finger.

The spot where her fingertip touched felt as soft as sinking into a cloud of cotton candy.

With a whoosh, Jiang Yusheng bounced straight up from the sofa. This time, it wasn’t just her face—even her pale hands covering her cheeks were tinged with a layer of pink.

“Y-you—you, what are you doing?!”

If they kept this up, she might actually tease Little Rabbit into breaking down.

Bai Qian knew when to stop. “Senior Sister, are you hungry? Let me peel an orange for you first, okay?”

Even if Jiang Yusheng’s brain was overheating and malfunctioning, she knew exactly why the other girl had suddenly changed the subject.

Don’t think you can make me forgive you for touching my face just by offering oranges!

Pah, pah, pah!

I don’t want your stupid oranges!

You annoying jerk!

No one’s ever touched my face before!!!

But waaah, she looks so good peeling those oranges!

Her hands are so pretty too!

How can she be perfect from head to toe?!

She’s peeled the orange already!

What do I do, what do I do?!

I can’t forgive her for touching my face!

Waaah, but this is an orange she peeled for me by hand!

And she’s offering to feed it to me!

Sorry, face— I really want to eat the orange she’s feeding me, waaah!

As Bai Qian held the treat up to her mouth, she wondered if she should smooth Little Rabbit’s ruffled fur a bit more.

Before she could decide, Little Rabbit plopped back down on her own, then bashfully opened her mouth with an “ahh” and took the freshly peeled sand sugar mandarin right in.

“More!” After chewing and swallowing a few bites, she urged her on impatiently.

Bai Qian let out a helpless chuckle and obediently peeled another one for her.

Little Rabbit sat quietly by her side, her eyes glued unblinkingly to those hands of hers. She looked so well-behaved and soft like this that it inexplicably gave Bai Qian the urge to really keep a rabbit as a pet.

…

When Jiang Yusheng ate at home, she never worried about her image—she shoveled rice by the mouthful and grabbed veggies by the big chopstickful, chatting away with Ms. Zhao Lanzhao the whole time. That was perfectly normal.

But now, she couldn’t even bring herself to pick up veggies, let alone eat. She chewed her plain white rice as slowly as possible, as if she wanted to grind every single grain to bits.