Chapter 15: The Girl is Jealous

"You actually have the nerve to come back!" Chu Chu pouted, glaring resentfully at the man who had just entered the house.

"Hehe, how could I not? With a stunning beauty waiting for me at home, I couldn't wait to return. But my classmate was so enthusiastic, I just couldn't get away!" Xiang Ri replied without even a hint of guilt, his face calm as ever. Had it not been for needing to clean up, he wouldn't have taken so long to come back.

"Oh, really? So enthusiastic they even helped you change clothes?" Chu Chu's gaze was icy as she stared him down.

"Well, let's talk about that later. I need to change into slippers first." Xiang Ri quickly made an excuse and slipped into his room.

"Bastard! Come here, I'm not done talking!" 

Locking the door, Xiang Ri walked to the bedside and lifted his loose shirt, revealing two silver pistols strapped to his waist, along with a stack of papers pressed against his abdomen.

He carefully hid the papers beneath a stack of books in the bottom of a chest. These were the research notes on A8, the key to drawing out the big fish lurking beneath the surface. As for the two Desert Eagles—honestly, there was nowhere safe to stash them. Hiding them under the pillow was out of the question; what if one day Chu Chu barged in and mistook them for toy guns? That would be a disaster!

*Bang, bang, bang!* A series of urgent knocks sounded at the door.

"What do you want?" Xiang Ri, still troubled, couldn't help but sound a bit annoyed.

"Bastard! How dare you yell at me? Open the door!" Chu Chu's angry voice echoed from the other side.

"Wait a second, I'm changing my underwear," Xiang Ri casually replied.

"What! You... changing your... underwear? What have you been up to?! I will never forgive you!" Chu Chu's voice grew even more furious.

"Stop yelling!" Xiang Ri hurriedly finished changing into his slippers, threw the guns under the bed, and rushed to open the door.

"Damn you!" Chu Chu shoved him aside and barged into the room, her eyes scanning every corner.

"Hey, girl, this is my room," Xiang Ri grumbled, watching her with displeasure.

"So what? This is still my house! My territory, my rules! I can do whatever I want!" Chu Chu shouted, her voice defiant.

"Alright, as you say. But it's already past 11, and I need to sleep." Xiang Ri threw himself onto the bed.

"No way! You stayed in here for so long. I have to inspect everything thoroughly. Who knows what dangerous things you might have brought back?" Chu Chu was relentless, even going so far as to poke through suspicious spots, checking for any hidden contraband.

"Search all you want. I'm going to sleep. Just close the door when you leave." Xiang Ri shut his eyes with a satisfied grin. The girl's intuition was sharp; she had even sensed he might have brought back something dangerous.

"Get up!" Frustrated at finding nothing, Chu Chu's attention finally shifted to the bed.

"Not getting up," Xiang Ri lazily muttered.

"Hmph! I knew it! You hid something in the bed, didn't you? And you dared to lie about changing! You bastard!" Chu Chu yanked the blanket off the bed but still found nothing.

"Girl, what exactly are you trying to do? If you keep this up, I'll start shouting for help!" Xiang Ri propped himself up against the pillow, glaring at her.

"Go to hell! Move your hands! I need to check under that pillow," Chu Chu's eyes gleamed as she noticed Xiang Ri pressing down tightly on the pillow.

"There's nothing under the pillow. Really, nothing. I swear! If I'm lying, I'm not even human!" Xiang Ri feigned nervousness.

"Do you think I'll believe that?" Chu Chu narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm sure the beautiful and clever Miss Chu Chu will definitely believe me," Xiang Ri grinned shamelessly.

"I'll count to ten. If you don't let go by then, I... I'll never speak to you again!" Chu Chu threatened with a vengeful glare.

"Alright, alright. Instead of you checking, why don't I just tell you?" Xiang Ri sighed theatrically.

"This better be the truth!" Chu Chu shot him a fierce look.

"Actually, it's nothing much, just two condoms and a few birth control pills," Xiang Ri said calmly.

"You, you... How could you have such things? You scoundrel! Shameless!" Chu Chu furiously cursed at him.

"Speaking of shameless, I'm far behind my brother-in-law. Didn't he always remind us? He said we must always stay vigilant and maintain safety precautions at the highest level..."

"Nonsense!" Chu Chu snapped, her face flushed with embarrassment as she dashed out of the room.

"Hey, why are you running? You promised to let me touch your butt, are you going back on your word?" Xiang Ri suddenly remembered that this delightful promise was still pending, and immediately chased after her.

Seeing the girl already lounging on the sofa watching TV, Xiang Ri sat beside her and reminded, "Chu Chu, a person is nothing without their word. You have to keep your promises, or people will look down on you."

"I don't care what others think!" Chu Chu said, eyes fixed on the TV.

"So, you're reneging on your promise?" Xiang Ri looked at her with a mischievous smile.

"Hmph!" Chu Chu continued to ignore him.

"I seem to recall a certain day, in a certain month, when I was supposed to visit a certain someone's home and meet a certain someone's father. Who knows what unpleasant things might be said, and what might happen as a result?" Xiang Ri spoke as if discussing something trivial.

"You're threatening me?" Chu Chu's reaction was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Am I? I'm merely asking for what's rightfully mine," Xiang Ri replied, his tone still composed.

"Bastard! Just this once, and never again!" Chu Chu bit her lip, clearly upset.

"Hurry up then, lift your butt. I can't wait any longer!" Xiang Ri teased with a sly grin. They always said there wouldn't be a next time, but here he was again.

"No! You... just come here," Chu Chu's voice dropped to barely above a whisper, like the buzz of a mosquito.

"You're so troublesome! Can't you cooperate just a little?" Xiang Ri complained, sliding a hand under her and gently squeezing.

Chu Chu trembled, glaring at him with a mixture of shame and anger, her eyes practically shooting daggers, as if she wished she could obliterate the rogue with a single glance.

"Girl, I can't feel anything through your skirt, can you...?" Xiang Ri started pushing his luck, but was swiftly met with a well-aimed kick from Chu Chu.

"Go to hell!"

"Hey, that was too much! I'm going to report you for attempted murder!" Xiang Ri groaned, climbing off the floor.

"I've kept my promise! Now we're even!" Chu Chu declared coldly.

"What! Are you kidding? That's it?" Xiang Ri dramatically pointed at her.

"Get lost! I don't know you!" Chu Chu glared at him as if he were her mortal enemy.

"As long as I know you, that's enough!" Xiang Ri chuckled, sitting back down beside her, content to watch the melodramatic TV show with her.

"Let me ask you, what's with your clothes?" Chu Chu suddenly turned to him, her earlier anger replaced with curiosity.

"Well..."

"Answer me now! And no lying!" Chu Chu demanded sharply.

"I saw a kid fall into the river on my way home, so I jumped in and saved him. My clothes got torn in the process, so I had to buy a new set from the mall. End of report!" Xiang Ri rattled off his explanation in one breath.

"You said that so smoothly, like you've been rehearsing it to fool me," Chu Chu eyed him suspiciously.

"I wouldn't dare! I might lie to heaven, earth, ghosts, or gods, but I'd never dare deceive the beautiful and intelligent Miss Chu Chu!" Xiang Ri said with exaggerated seriousness.

"Hmph, you'd better not!" Chu Chu, feeling pleased by the flattery, stretched her legs across his lap and asked in a sweet voice, "So, where's that classmate of yours?"

"What classmate?" Xiang Ri, distracted by the sight of her delicate, fair feet, swallowed hard.

"You know who I mean! Stop playing dumb!" Chu Chu cast him a playful yet accusatory glance.

"Oh, him? We hadn't seen each other in years, so we got caught up in conversation and lost track of time. Then I suddenly remembered the stunning beauty waiting for me at home, so I rushed back."

"Is that so? Didn't you say your classmate was very enthusiastic? Why didn't he insist you stay the night?" Chu Chu asked nonchalantly, though her question was loaded.

"He did, but I was too busy thinking about you." Xiang Ri's gaze wandered back to her soft, smooth feet, his hands inching closer again.

"At least you've got some sense... Hey! Don't move! I'm warning you, don't go above the knees. Not even the knees! By the way, who's better—me or your classmate?" Chu Chu asked, suddenly throwing out a puzzling question.

"Better? In what way?"

"I mean, am I prettier than them?"

"What? Are you jealous?" Xiang Ri paused, studying her, surprised. "My classmate is a guy, of course he can't compare to you."

"A guy?" Chu Chu lifted her leg in excitement, "Are you sure you're not lying?"

"Positive, positive..." Xiang Ri answered absently, his gaze drawn to the sight of her legs as she shifted.

"What are you staring at!" Chu Chu, realizing what had caught his attention, quickly withdrew her legs and threw a pillow at him. "I'm going to bed. I've got class tomorrow," she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice as she ran into the bedroom.