MLiS – Chapter 12.1

I Suppose, I Am Truly in Love With You

Last night Luo Lan slept soundly. 

Still muddled by her sleep, Luo Lan yawned and stretched herself with satisfaction.

Her outstretched hand touched something, a soft and warm something. Her mind blanked and in an instant, she opened her eyes—

Her gaze met Qian Xu’s. He was looking at her with a smile. Her hand was against his lips. When he breathed, it was like a spring breeze in March blowing on her hand. 

Luo Lan hurriedly retracted her hand and sat up. A red flush spread from her face to her neck. “I, I… forgot we are not outside.”

Even for someone like her, it was rare to sleep so soundly when in circumstances like this.

Qian Xu tidied the sleeping mat. Then, he hung a thick blanket in the middle of the cave as a shading curtain, creating a small private space from the unobstructed view of the cave.

“There is still some time left before the storm ends, it is enough time for you to wash.” Qian Xu closed the curtain and went to the other side.

Luo Lan was awed. None should blame her if she was not serious about doing her task. This was supposed to be a risky task for her, but she had a boyfriend who was so generous that he made it into an excursion. 

A few minutes later, Luo Lan opened the curtain and found that not only Qian Xu cleaned himself up, but also arranged a breakfast for them——

The adventurer backpack was placed flat on the ground. It was covered with a piece of white cloth, turning it into a small table. There was a vase with a strange shape, likely to be a gun. Inserted in the slender black barrel was a bunch of blue Myth Flower, a clashing beauty with the vase. 

Luo Lan blinked.

“Please sit down.” Qian Xu gestured her to sit.

Luo Lan sat down foolishly. Qian Xu was like a magician, he conjured a palm-sized box in his hand. Inside it was a nutritious meal with the shape of small hearts. He put it in front of Luo Lan and gave her a small and delicate white arrow fork. 

Luo Lan was still lost in her daze. She stared at the meal like a fool, “How- how come there is such a nutritious meal shaped like this?”

“Ordered online from StarNet. You can request the shape.”

Luo Lan picked up one of them. She noticed it was as if she was holding a heart, “Why… Choose this shape?”

“When I was little, my teacher told me a bedtime story. A long, long time ago, there was a heterogenous called Cupid. He had two wings and the ability to fly around. His weapon was a bow and arrow. What he shot out was not death, but love.” Qian Xu was solemn, “I think I might have been shot by him.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Her face was now redder than the small heart she was holding. Luo Lan’s mouth worked faster than her brain, “How many times have you been shot?”

Qian Xu hummed and recalled attentively. Counting carefully, he uttered, “So far…”

Luo Lan was dejected. It couldn’t be counted with one hand?

“Only once!” Qian Xu laughed lightly at Luo Lan’s nervousness and jealousy, “I must have been a stronger heterogeneous than the Cupid. It is not easy for him to shoot me even once.”

Luo Lan’s heart went up and down, happy and annoyed, “Lie! I’ve heard Cupid’s story, but it’s completely different from what you told me!”

Qian Xu smiled faintly, “At that time, I experienced some setbacks. I have a hard time because I am a heterogeneous human, I pretty much wanted to give up. My teacher then comforted me using this story. He said as long as I be a good heterogeneous like Cupid, other humans would like me too.”

Luo Lan’s breath hitched. She gazed at Qian Xu, at a loss.

Qian Xu inserted the white arrow fork into one of the small hearts. He smiled and gave her a wink, “I think my teacher probably didn’t deceive me. If I am not a good heterogeneous just like Cupid, why am I able to shoot your heart?”

“Qian Xu, you are getting worse and worse!” Luo Lan’s sympathy turned into shame. She turned her head and viciously poked the small hearts in the box with the white arrow.

————·————·————

After breakfast, they checked their equipment. They carried the backpacks and put on their goggles. The storm was coming to an end.

Luo Lan sprayed the sealed gap with a dissolver for the multifunctional bio-material. Dense bubbles appeared and Qian Xu kicked them. The small gravels fell one after another, revealing the original gap. 

Qian Xu went out first, Luo Lan followed behind him.

They had slept for a long time, but it was still dark outside. 

Stars hung on the night sky, illuminating their way in the dark rock forest. The air still smelled of sand and dust.

Luo Lan and Qian Xu walked silently side by side. The two of them were so close to each other. But Qian Xu didn’t hold her hand.

Luo Lan was unable to restrain her desire to hold his hand. She only hesitated because she didn’t want Qian Xu to think she was already tired.

Reach out. Retract. Reach out. Retract.

She kept hesitating until Qian Xu grabbed her hand and held it tightly within his palm.

Luo Lan was pleasantly startled.

Qian Xu complained with a straight face, “It was also like this yesterday. Reaching out just to retract it again. Ultimately it’s me who needs to take the initiative!”

“You… You know?” Luo Lan’s thievery was caught.

Qian Xu gave Luo Lan a fond and helpless look, “Within such a close distance, if I don’t notice it, can I still proudly claim I have level A physical ability?”

Luo Lan was ashamed to death, “You! You…! You really are the worst! Quietly watching me make a fool of myself!”

“I can’t help it. I just like the way you like me too much.” Qian Xu slowed down to explain, for fear of Luo Lan’s misunderstanding.

Luo Lan gritted her teeth, “Are you very pleased and satisfied when you watched it?”

Qian Xu cheekily replied, “Mn! Very pleased and satisfied!”

Luo Lan let out a sigh and helplessly smiled, “That’s good, then. At least my efforts were not in vain!”

Qian Xu hugged her. His earnest voice greeted her ears, “For someone like me, to be liked by you, I must have to be an especially lucky person! Thank you!”

“Mn.” Sweet and happy, sour and astringent, Luo Lan’s heart was chaotic. One more word and she would burst into tears. She also thought she was a lucky person. For someone like her, to have known someone felt very lucky because she liked him, she really must have to be an especially lucky person.

Qian Xu let her go. With a smile, he said, “From now on, you must be good and show consideration for me.”

“Show consideration for you?”

“Yesterday, I only slept for five hours.”

Luo Lan was prickled with guilt, “Ah… Okay, I’ll be more vigilant.”

“Let’s go!”

Luo Lan no longer dared to entertain ideas such as holding hands or not. With determination, she focused all her attention on the surroundings, concentrating to move forward.

Beside her, Qian Xu’s countenance became softer, his eyes full of tenderness.

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Footnotes

No footnotes, enjoy the fluff while you can.

Amoeba’s Corner

A part of me hid in the corner when I read the story about Cupid. So sweet, right? So sweet that I could cry.

The answer to Chapter 9 and 10 questions. What happened to him in the past? Did he give up?

“At that time, I experienced some setbacks. I have a hard time because I am a heterogeneous human, I pretty much wanted to give up. My teacher then comforted me using this story. He said as long as I be a good heterogeneous like Cupid, other humans would like me too.”

Sprinkle sugar. Sprinkle sugar. Sprinkle sugar. Whoops. Too much. Where are my tissue boxes?

Every time I read 千旭笑 (Qian Xu smiled), I melt. Can Tong Hua continue to let him smile, please?

————·————·————

The answer for the sneak-a-peek is definitely because Qian Xu is *beep beep beep spoiler beep beep beep spoiler spoiler beep beep spoiler beep beep spoiler beep spoiler beep beep beep beep spoiler*!!!

Sneak-a-Peek

Qian Xu gently rubbed Luo Lan’s hair with his chin, “Luo Xun. What do you even like about Qian Xu? He’s just an insignificant little man. He has no power, no money, and not even good health.”

Obligatory Closing
If you like what I do, please consider checking my ko-fi~!
No advanced chapters yet because I think I am rushing Volume 1 lol.

This chapter words count (excluding title, footnotes, and TL’s corner): 1234