Chapter 16 Cipher

After midnight, it would be a new week. Tomorrow, Li Yifei wanted to see if he could reach the popularity charts, and the criteria for that included everyone's favorites, clicks, votes, and tips. He had been writing for over seven years and never actively asked for tips before, as they were given by readers at their discretion. He felt embarrassed to ask, but this time, he had to be a bit thick-skinned since tips also counted towards popularity. So, he nervously said, "After midnight, give me some tips."

If he made it to the popularity charts, he promised at least four updates a day, and if his rank improved, then five updates, valid every week!

Seeing Xu Zhenguo smiling brightly, it was clear that he and his wife had planned their earlier argument; one played the role of the bad guy, and the other the good guy.

Xu Shanshan had seen through this a long time ago, and now she giggled, while Xu Yingying felt a bit helpless. She also knew her parents' tactics, but if she didn't agree, this topic would drag on endlessly. So, she decided to agree first. After the New Year, she could say that she broke up with Li Yifei, and since there wouldn't be a fiancé, she would be able to muddle through another year.

During the New Year, everyone gathered together and needed some fun. Xu Shanshan proposed playing Mahjong, as it was the best opportunity for the youngest sister in the family to win money from everyone.

Around the Mahjong table sat Xu Zhenguo, his wife, Xu Shanshan, and Li Yifei, while Xu Yingying didn't play. Every year, she would grit her teeth and play a bit, but this year, with Li Yifei around, she felt completely free. After watching a few rounds, she went to another room to open her laptop and do some work; she was truly a workaholic, already thinking about plans for the coming year.

Everyone was having such a good time that nobody bothered Xu Yingying.

After playing a few rounds, Li Yifei suddenly felt a sharp pain in his thigh. He turned to look at Xu Shanshan, who was sitting next to him, and saw her winking at him.

Before Li Yifei could figure out what was going on, he felt warmth on his thigh. It turned out Xu Shanshan's left hand was on his leg.

This startled Li Yifei. What was the sister-in-law thinking, secretly touching his leg like that? It was too risqué, and not to mention, he was only her fake brother-in-law. Even a real brother-in-law wouldn't be able to resist such a temptation.

But things got even more intense when Xu Shanshan's fingers began to draw circles on his thigh, making the temptation even stronger.

If it were just the two of them, that would be one thing, but they were in front of Xu Shanshan's parents. It seemed she was being a bit too bold.

"Six Bamboo!" Xu Shanshan shouted loudly as she played a tile with her right hand, while her fingers pinched Li Yifei's thigh again.

"Why so loud? Do you have a good hand?" Xu Shanshan's mother mockingly scolded her daughter.

"Ha ha, no big hand, but you have to play with style to get good tiles." Then she started drawing circles on Li Yifei's leg again.

Li Yifei finally understood Xu Shanshan's intention; she wanted to cheat by signaling him to play certain tiles, not seducing him. This left Li Yifei feeling both amused and helpless, but he couldn't deny her request. Feeling her signal for Two Characters, he threw it out.

"Steal!" Xu Shanshan shouted immediately, and under the table, her hand patted Li Yifei's leg twice in appreciation.

With Li Yifei's cooperation, it was impossible for Xu Shanshan not to win. She scored several big wins in a row, raking in over a thousand yuan.

However, for Li Yifei, having a beautiful woman's hand on his thigh, drawing circles now and then, how could a normal, physically robust man endure it?

"Hey, Little Li, how come whenever Shanshan needs a tile, you happen to play it?" Xu Zhenguo asked suspiciously as he shuffled the tiles.

"Right, whatever Shanshan needs, Yifei just plays it. You must be cheating." Xu Shanshan's mother suddenly caught on.

"No way, I just met my brother-in-law this morning. How could I scheme with him? Don't blame your loss on not accepting it." Xu Shanshan, of course, would never admit it no matter what.

"That won't do, we need to change places. There's definitely something going on between you two."

"Fine, let's switch. I'll still win." Xu Shanshan had no choice but to stand up since her parents were already suspicious. If they didn't switch, it would indeed be exposed.

Once seated again, Xu Shanshan's mother teased, "Yifei, don't mind this child, nothing excites her like bullying someone she can. Now you don't have to be embarrassed."

Li Yifei chuckled and said, "Shanshan didn't bully me."

"Alright, play again. Shanshan, now you don't have your brother-in-law helping you. Let's see how you win."

"Humph, I'll still win." Xu Shanshan wasn't fazed when caught; she showed no embarrassment or nervousness while cheeky with her parents.

After a few rounds, Xu Shanshan couldn't win anymore without Li Yifei's help. Angered, she pouted her lips, feeling dissatisfied and unwilling.

Li Yifei found it quite amusing; Xu Shanshan sometimes had a bit of a childish temperament, unlike her more mature sister.

Regardless of winning or losing, Li Yifei never had such a homely feeling before. He felt very grateful to Xu Yingying for hiring him to pretend to be her boyfriend. It ensured he wouldn't spend the New Year alone and bored.

While they were engrossed in their game, someone stepped on Li Yifei's foot, but he didn't mind at first, thinking his legs were stretched too long. He quickly drew them back.

But then he saw Xu Shanshan across the table winking at him again, and he realized that the footstep was intentional. This girl, unable to use her hands, now resorted to tricks with her feet.

This reminded Li Yifei of the wonderful feeling when he held Xu Shanshan's little foot in the mall, so he couldn't help but stretch his foot forward.

Almost immediately, Xu Shanshan's foot was on his. He could even feel she wasn't wearing socks, her soft sole pressing down on his foot with a bit of warmth, and it was more stimulating. He wondered when Xu Shanshan had taken off her socks.

"No more tricks, now," Xu Zhenguo reminded warmly when he noticed Xu Shanshan behaving restlessly.

Xu Shanshan snorted, straightened up, and said, "What tricks can I play? My brother-in-law and I are sitting face to face."

"Then why are you fidgeting?"

"My back itches, so I'm just scratching it."

"You child, you're so old and still not behaving properly."

"But we're at home, right? Should we still stick to formalities at home?"

Li Yifei, observing Xu Shanshan's posture, deduced that if he didn't stretch his leg forward, Xu Shanshan wouldn't be able to reach his foot by sitting upright. Since the sister-in-law had made her request, he couldn't refuse her, could he? Hence, he stretched his leg a bit forward.

Xu Yingying's foot landed atop Li Yifei's right away. She didn't show much expression, but she was evidently quite satisfied with Li Yifei's cooperation.

The Mahjong table was a regular square table with a cloth underneath the tiles. The cloth was long enough to drape over the laps, so even if the two of them had some leg movements, as long as they weren't too big, the people beside them wouldn't see.

Most importantly, Xu Shanshan's parents couldn't have imagined that the brother-in-law and sister-in-law were actually using their feet to communicate under the table.