hotmtlnovel Page 123
Page 123
"Hmm... if this happens again next time... just let me handle it..."
“Well, you’re right…” Mahiru nodded with a barely audible movement, her voice barely audible.
……
After dinner, at Su Qing's house.
At this moment, Su Qing was sitting in the living room. After dinner, he idly scrolled through a few videos that weren't very informative, and then put them down.
I turned my head to look at Mahiru, who was sitting alone on the balcony.
Yes, Mahiru hasn't gone back yet.
After noticing that the rain had stopped, she went to the balcony alone, tilted her head back, and looked at something, I don't know.
"Achoo!!"
Although I was wearing autumn pajamas, the air was very humid tonight because it had just rained, and the occasional autumn breeze made the daytime even cooler.
Mahiru rubbed her hands together several times to warm herself.
But the next moment, I felt a warmth on my shoulder. And a familiar, gentle voice reached my ear.
"Put these on, don't catch a cold," Su Qing said with concern.
"Thank you," Mahiru said softly, a happy smile returning to her face.
She gently tugged at the coat Su Qing had draped over her, making it wrap her up more tightly to better protect her from the chilly autumn night wind.
This simple adjustment immediately brought about remarkable results; a warm current quickly flowed through her body, making her feel unprecedented comfort and warmth.
"What are you looking at?" Su Qing asked, mimicking Mahiru's posture as she looked up at the deep night sky.
However, due to the rapid development of modern industry, the once dazzling stars are now hard to find, and even the crescent moon is mostly obscured by thick clouds, revealing only a faint light.
At this moment, the night sky seems to be nothing but the color of "night," a deep and mysterious black.
The word "starry sky" seems to have been gradually forgotten by people, because those stars that once twinkled in the night sky have now become so distant and unfamiliar.
and so.
The night sky can only be called the "night sky," not the "starry sky."
Because "night" is black.
And "stars" are dazzling.
……
PS:
Happy 75th birthday to our motherland!
I also wish you all a happy National Day holiday!
Chapter 168 When it comes to cunning, Mahiru is indeed the better one~
"Take a guess~"
Upon hearing Su Qing's question, Mahiru revealed a playful smile and teased her, while moving closer to Su Qing as if she could gain more warmth that way.
"Hmm... Is there a reward for guessing correctly?" Although Su Qing noticed Mahiru's little action, she didn't care, just chuckled twice, and asked in return.
"If you want it... of course you can." Mahiru didn't show any displeasure at Su Qing's attempt to get some benefits; instead, her smile became even gentler.
What Mahiru said was actually quite interesting.
If there is, there is, if there is not, there is not.
Since it was Mahiru who suggested that Su Qing try to guess, it's only natural that Mahiru should decide whether or not there's a reward.
But Mahiru said, "If you want it."
This is quite intriguing.
"You can play like this?" Su Qing asked in surprise. He had only said it casually; he didn't really care about the so-called reward.
He's not some kind of reward guy...
"Hmph...of course, so do you want it or not?" Mahiru smiled smugly, then urged Su Qing to make a choice.
"In that case, if I guess right, will you come with me to a cat cafe or something next time?" Su Qing tapped his right ring finger on the balcony railing for a while before revealing his reward.
"Huh, a cat cafe?" Mahiru blinked her beautiful eyes, seemingly a little confused.
She had never been to such a place, but she had always wanted to try it.
"Is that not possible? We can do it when you have time."
"It's not that it's impossible... it's just that I want to know why I suddenly want to go there..."
Mahiru actually wanted to know why the place Su Qing suggested was the place she wanted to go.
Of course, this could be explained as a coincidence, but if Su Qing had brought it up, Mahiru subconsciously wouldn't have considered it a coincidence...
If you ask why, it's because Su Qing is just too cunning!
"It's not exactly sudden, is it? Do you remember the little white cat at school that I told you about before?" Su Qing continued to look up at the night sky and said.
"Little White? Of course I remember. But didn't you tell me later that it was actually a cat with an owner? And that it has been successfully reunited with its owner now?"
Mahiru's doubts deepened; she couldn't quite understand the connection between the little white cat and Su Qing's trip to the cat cafe.
"Didn't I promise to take you to pet it? But now it's back at its owner's house, so... that probably won't be possible."
Su Qing sighed softly and continued:
"That's why I wanted to take you to a cat cafe or something similar to get up close and personal with some cats."
Of course, I'll cover the expenses; consider it a small compensation for breaking my promise.
In Su Qing's mind, things that can be solved with money are not really problems, at least not for him right now.
After all, the little boy who was on the verge of death on the winter street has grown up...
"You still remember that incident?" Su Qing had actually explained it to Mahiru later, and while she was slightly disappointed, she didn't pay much attention to it, to the point that she had forgotten about it now.
Unexpectedly, Su Qing actually remembered it, and even took this opportunity to bring it up...
"Yes, of course I remember," Su Qing replied matter-of-factly.
"However, I want to know... I was supposed to be rewarding you, so why are you paying for it now?" While feeling touched, Mahiru involuntarily puffed out her cheeks and glared at Su Qing with some dissatisfaction.
What's wrong with this man?!
Since the other party proposed the reward, it is natural that you should reward them in return.
But now, not only are the rewards exactly what I want, but the other party has to bear the costs as well?
How did they suddenly turn the tables and take the lead?
Who's really rewarding whom?
Ahhhhh!
So, Su Qing is just too cunning in these kinds of situations!
"I think the important thing isn't something as trivial as who pays, is it?" Noticing that Mahiru seemed to be throwing a little tantrum, Su Qing gently comforted her.
"What's important is who you go with, isn't it?"
"W-you mean it sounds like you want to come with me?" Mahiru's face visibly panicked. She instinctively pulled her coat up higher, as if to cover herself.
"You can interpret it however you want." Seeing that Mahiru wanted to cover her face again, Su Qing was both amused and exasperated. She clapped her hands and then, after a long time, patted Mahiru's head.
Because Mahiru had taken a shower before dinner, Su Qing felt that Mahiru's head felt even smoother than before.
In short, it's very comfortable to touch.
If Mahiru herself were a cat, she probably wouldn't need to think about petting other kittens, right?
Su Qing stared at Mahiru's head, momentarily lost in thought, when this absurd yet reasonable idea came to mind.
"Uh-uh-"
Mahiru also felt that Su Qing's caresses seemed smoother than usual today, to the point that she involuntarily lowered her hand that had been pulling up her coat.
She squinted her eyes slightly, occasionally letting out a few sounds of comfort, and her face showed an expression of greater comfort than usual.
No... I'd rather not be a cat...
That's fine, that's good enough...
Noticing Mahiru's unguarded yet adorable demeanor, Su Qing quickly suppressed her earlier thought.
If you were to ask why...
That's probably because Su Qing didn't ask Mahiru if she wanted to be a cat.
“After all… it was the reward I asked you for…” Su Qing continued to gently stroke him, while finishing what she hadn’t said earlier.
"Well... I really can't do anything with you." Mahiru first smiled helplessly, then added:
"However... if you guess wrong, I'll have to give you a corresponding punishment~"
"There's another punishment?" Su Qing suddenly became depressed.
"Isn't it fair to have both rewards and punishments?" Mahiru said with a smile.
"...What is the punishment?" Su Qing asked.
"Hmm... I can't say yet~" Mahiru kept it a secret for a moment.
"Is there a limit to the number of times you can guess?" Since Mahiru wouldn't impose any excessive punishment, Su Qing had no choice but to accept it calmly and then continued to ask about the rules.
"Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine times?" Mahiru thought for a moment and said.
"Then isn't this punishment the same as nothing?" Su Qing felt something was off.
Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine times?
If we can't figure it out, won't we be guessing until the next night?
"Who knows~"
Mahiru wouldn't tell Su Qing that this so-called punishment was just a pretext.
If Su Qing really can't guess the answer and doesn't get the reward, then the original reward will become a punishment.
However… since it’s punishment, Mahiru felt that some changes should still be made.
Otherwise, wouldn't that be treating Su Qing like a fool?
That's right, the so-called change refers to:
While keeping the main quest of the two going to places like cat cafes unchanged, the original arrangement of Su Qing paying for the trip has been changed so that Mahiru pays for it herself!
Hmph, this must be a huge punishment for Su Qing, right?
As expected, I'm still the more cunning one.
While feeling smug inside, a subtle smile also crept onto Mahiru's lips.
Just as Su Qing had predicted.
Mahiru really couldn't come up with any excessive punishment.
No, this really is...
Punishment?
Chapter 169 You...are my shooting star
"If we can't guess it, won't it take two and a half days?" Su Qing expressed her concern.
"Then three times will do. If you can't guess, you'll have to obediently accept your punishment~" Mahiru put away her smile, put on a straight face, and said in a serious tone.
Because it was too deliberate, Su Qing not only didn't feel any intimidation from Mahiru, but instead found the girl in front of her even more adorable.
"Guess quickly."
Mahiru seemed eager to make Su Qing accept punishment, and urged him on.
"Hmm... let me think." Su Qing first fell into thought, then tentatively asked a few common possibilities.
Are you enjoying the evening breeze?
Because it had just rained last night, the increased humidity made the already cool autumn night even more refreshing.