TPIL - 6

The princes and princesses who once surrounded Luo Andi, cheering for Qi Xiaochuan to retrieve the ball from the water, were not mere NPCs in a game. As the main characters grew up, so did they. However, unlike Luo Andi, these quintessential spendthrift heirs had all transferred to private schools. Not everyone had her leisurely interest in mingling with the common folk.

Not seeing each other at school didn’t stop these idle rich kids from visiting her home.

For an entire week, Qi Xiaochuan had been escorting Luo Andi home. She found it suffocating to wear a mask in the car, so they would walk together near her house.

She liked to chatter about this and that, while he responded sporadically.

Sometimes, Qi Xiaochuan wasn’t entirely clueless about Luo Andi’s extraordinary charm. Her ability to sense others’ emotions was unexpectedly strong. Attending to the feelings of those around her and providing timely care was simply what she did. What puzzled him, though, was why she hadn’t left earlier after clearly sensing his dislike.

He couldn’t understand.

Qi Xiaochuan said, “Even when I grow up, I won’t marry you.”

“Think about it again,” Luo Andi replied. “Let me know after you’ve considered.”

She smiled gently. That smile gave the impression that not even the end of the world could shake her.

He stopped responding but pulled her back from the middle of the road by gripping the shoulder of her jacket. In a few concise words, he said, “Watch out for cars.”

Meanwhile, some things were quietly changing.

After the incident where Luo Andi caught a high fever, the children who frequently visited her house finally reached their breaking point. Previously, they only issued verbal warnings, but this time they organized themselves and confronted Qi Xiaochuan during a cricket break.

Qi Xiaochuan was on his way to the library when he was ambushed by a group of pampered brats emerging from the bamboo grove. After scanning them expressionlessly and realizing the star princess wasn’t among them, and seeing their hostile intent, he dropped the pretense and faced them with disdain: “What do you want?”

Their leader spoke, “Can you stop clinging to Luo Andi?”

Qi Xiaochuan sneered. His limited patience didn’t allow him to reveal that it was actually a girl chasing him, so he simply replied, “What’s it to you?”

They weren’t interested in a verbal sparring match; after all, Qi Xiaochuan’s sharp tongue was no secret. The leader, who was close in age to him, got straight to the point: “You’re not worthy of Luo Andi.”

Others chimed in, “Exactly.”

“You’re the top student in school, don’t you understand the principle of earning money honestly? Stop trying to climb the social ladder.”

“Do you have any idea how big the gap is between you two? Pretty boy, gigolo.”

When Qi Xiaochuan turned to leave, they immediately formed a blockade to prevent him from passing.

He raised an eyebrow, “Do you think I haven’t tried to discourage her?”

“That’s just reverse psychology. By not clearly setting boundaries and instead creating a passive image, you’re ruining your reputation. Are you even a man? It’s despicable!”

“Whatever you say.”

“Why don’t you tell Luo Andi you hate her, that you want her out of your sight, never to see her again?”

That was their demand, and their reasoning was straightforward—”Only then can Luo Andi stay away from someone like you and live better. You’re simply unworthy of her.”

Hearing this, Qi Xiaochuan really wanted to roll his eyes. Of course, he knew he wasn’t worthy of her, but so what? He had never thought of matching her, and relationships with the opposite sex unrelated to personal gain were trivial.

Just then, Luo Andi’s voice drifted over, as soft and soothing as a string ensemble, carried gently by the breeze: “Xiaoxiao? Xiaoxiao! Did you get lost?”

Someone pushed Qi Xiaochuan from behind.

He wasn’t particularly strong, so he took a few steps forward and slowly turned around.

They stood with their arms crossed, fiercely ordering him to act immediately, without delay. So, Qi Xiaochuan had no choice but to move forward. Within minutes, he reached Luo Andi.

She was peering around in the bushes, and when she heard rustling behind her, she turned to see a tall, expressionless young man appear. Luo Andi smiled, her face lighting up like watermelon juice sweetened with sugar: “Xiaoxiao!” Qi Xiaochuan’s face was devoid of a smile, but neither was it menacing—he simply gazed at her.

Other children secretly hid nearby, watching from a distance. They couldn’t hear the conversation clearly, only knowing that Qi Xiaochuan said something to Luo Andi.

Luo Andi’s back was turned, so her expression was hidden, but after listening, she sidestepped and ran off.

Almost everyone present exhaled in relief, but the next moment, Qi Xiaochuan had already returned.

Unarmed, expressionless, and walking at a steady pace, he kept his gaze fixed on them. Without reason, his presence alone conveyed immense pressure. Some of them instinctively wanted to flee but were immediately restrained by their peers. Just a few steps away, unexpectedly, Qi Xiaochuan spoke, a mocking smile on his face.

He said, “You people claim to be thinking of Luo Andi, but in reality, you just want her to treat you the same way. For your own comfort, you completely disregard what she truly thinks—”

The emphasis increased towards the end of his sentence, and ultimately, they attacked him with cricket bats, hitting his head and back before pinning him to the ground.

It was the season when darkness fell early. Qi Xiaochuan went home first to bandage himself. The bruises on his face hadn’t faded, and new ones appeared, making him look terrifying, so he wore a mask. When he brought his textbooks to Luo Andi’s room, she had been waiting for a long time, finished dinner, listened to her younger brother practice the viola, and checked the clock several times before finally hearing the knock.

As she said, “Come in,” while heading to open the door, he was already in view, his hair messy and his eyes above the mask not looking pleased.

When he sat down, Qi Xiaochuan quickly said, “I’m wearing a mask, so you don’t have to,” before opening his textbook.

“Why did you ask me to go upstairs earlier in the garden?” Luo Andi asked.

“Something came up.” He didn’t explain further, brushing it off and directly telling her, “Take out your weekly test paper; I’ll go over the mistakes with you.”

“Do you have a cold? Did I infect you?” She opened the test paper and anxiously inquired.

He pretended not to hear, “Did you mess up this question? What were you doing in class? Making egg pancakes?”

She hurriedly grabbed the paper and corrected herself, embarrassed, “It was carelessness… Could it be that you’re deliberately wearing the mask to give me a breather?”

He laughed, having already found the corresponding key points for that question. Handing her the textbook, he said, “Nice try.”

After losing his job at the car wash, Qi Xiaochuan didn’t give up easily. Of course, he wouldn’t devote all his time to studying, so he quickly found a new job: delivering pizza.

During the interview, the pizza shop manager asked him to ride the delivery scooter around for a bit. Qi Xiaochuan hopped on without hesitation, though he didn’t actually know how to ride. Unable to stop, he ended up riding off the sidewalk and onto the main road. Initially, the manager nodded approvingly, but when he realized something was wrong, it was too late, and he chased after Qi Xiaochuan, shouting, “Thief!”

Qi Xiaochuan wasn’t concerned about saving face; he was simply overly confident and relied too much on his abilities, always believing he could figure things out without help. Undeterred, he continued to ride and fumble. Fortunately, the scooter’s controls were simple, and he soon stopped. A rare satisfied smile appeared on his usually negative face. However, tragedy struck unexpectedly. As he looked up, he locked eyes with Luo Andi, who happened to be going to the stationery store.

Despite several minor incidents along the way, Qi Xiaochuan eventually secured the job—and simultaneously lost his freedom.

On weekends, while other senior three students were diligently studying day and night, he strapped on a chest bag, put on a cap, and delivered pizza to various corners of the city.

As soon as he sat on the delivery scooter, the door on the other side opened, and Luo Andi climbed in, refusing to get out no matter what he said.

Qi Xiaochuan wanted to put on his usual villainous demeanor, but Luo Andi looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes, an expression that was hard to resist.

He said, “If you get hurt, it’ll be troublesome for me.”

“You might get hurt too. I can help you navigate from the car,” she said.

“Just today,” he repeated, “just today.”

Most of the delivery time was spent moving, and Luo Andi chatted with Qi Xiaochuan during breaks.

She asked, “Do you need money badly?”

“Not particularly,” he replied without taking his eyes off the road.

“What do you usually spend it on?”

“Savings.”

“Do you have any plans?”

He paused before saying, “Not sure yet, but I’ll definitely need it later.”

He asked her, “What did you buy at the stationery store that day?”

She squinted and smiled, looking at him, “Rope. I wanted to weave you a keychain to hang a talisman.”

“What kind of talisman?”

“You’re in senior three. Don’t you go to the temple to pray for blessings?” The Luo family had this tradition. Before important business deals or crucial exams, they would visit the temple to draw lots and seek guidance. Qi Xiaochuan had heard from his father that Luo Andi’s father ranked highly on the merit board and was practically a VIP.

He said, “You have the high school entrance exam too. Make one for yourself.”

He wasn’t entirely sure if he had successfully dissuaded her, but they had arrived at the destination, so he got out first. The customer had chosen to pay in cash and was rummaging through their pockets for change, casually tossing it to him without waiting for him to catch it, allowing the bills to fall to the ground.

Qi Xiaochuan showed no emotion, bending down to pick them up and saying, “Please wait a moment; I’ll give you your change.”

The customer, however, impatiently turned around and scolded, “How annoying. Consider it charity,” slamming the door shut.

He turned around, calmly sorted out the change, placed it in the compartment of his chest bag, got back into the car, started the engine, and returned. Witnessing the entire scene, Luo Andi couldn’t help but angrily ask, “Wasn’t that person too much? Aren’t you mad?”

“It’s work,” Qi Xiaochuan responded indifferently. “Do you want ice cream?”

If you thought he’d use the tips he received to treat Luo Andi to ice cream, you’d be naïve. When handing over the shift, Qi Xiaochuan exchanged a few words with the young female colleague behind the counter, who happily prepared a milk soft-serve cone for him. He accepted it, smiled slightly, walked out, and handed it to Luo Andi outside the glass door: “Let’s go.”

She took it, ate a small bite, and smiled, saying, “Being handsome has its perks, doesn’t it?”

He frowned, “What does looks have to do with it?”

“Only full-timers can eat ice cream whenever they want, right? Earlier, while riding the delivery scooter, I saw it written in the employee handbook.” She pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket, wiped her mouth, and said.

Qi Xiaochuan had always been indifferent to who harbored feelings for him unless it affected his life.

Holding the cone, she suddenly stopped eating. Whether it was something cold or oily, Luo Andi wouldn’t eat much. Unsure whether to throw it away, she hesitated. Just then, he turned around and noticed the scene.

“You’re not eating it?” Qi Xiaochuan asked.

Luo Andi nodded.

Without hesitation, he took it and promptly ate it, finishing it in a few bites, leaving her stunned.

She said, “But I already ate from it.”

“Hmm?” He didn’t grasp the deeper meaning. “Throwing it away would be wasteful.”