Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh… What…?

My hands tremble uncontrollably, almost spilling all the water from the cup. I'm covered in cold sweat; I look utterly embarrassed.

Xi Qiao sticks out her little tongue and looks at me. Her mischievous and adorable looks give me a tempting impulse, but fortunately, I'm a decent person, or else I'd be ruined.

"Are-are-are-are you kidding me?"

I drink some tea to calm myself down. Even a fool can tell that Xi Qiao is teasing me…I thought she could endure it longer, but she exposes herself so quickly.

The waitress brings the dishes, very authentic Italian pasta. The noodles and the tomato meat sauce are mixed evenly in the kitchen in advance, making it very appetizing.

Not right…

When I pick up my fork, I suddenly become alert.

I've had Italian pasta before, and structurally it's no different from mixed noodles. My older sister once took me to this restaurant when she was in a good mood, but the pasta at that time was not mixed well.

There's a conspiracy…

I look at Xi Qiao. She's propping up her chin with one hand while stirring the pasta with a fork in the other. When she's done playing with it, she rolls up a piece and is about to put it in her mouth.

"Well, how about I give you my portion?" I say with a slight smile, pushing the pasta towards her.

Oh, Xi Qiao. I thought you'd improve after all these years, but I've experienced this childish trick many times since I was a kid. Is it possible to be fooled again?

Xi Qiao hesitates for a moment, which I take as astonishment at her plan being exposed. But just when I think she's going to show embarrassment, she happily accepts the pasta.

"Thank you, darling~"

What's going on… Why did she start eating?

Xi Qiao eats gracefully. She coils a small bundle of pasta, cuts it with a knife, then carefully puts it in her mouth. She chews thoroughly and wipes her mouth with a napkin if anything sticks to the corner of her lips. Even though she's just eating pasta, her actions are inexplicably pleasing, making it hard to look away.

There's no problem…

Xi Qiao can't handle spicy food. As soon as there's something spicy in her food, she can't help but cry and sneeze. Such reactions are absolutely irresistible, which means the pasta is normal.

This shouldn't be…

I pull the plate over, take a simple bite of the pasta and find it tastes great. The noodles are chewy, and there's a strange sweetness to it.

Sweetness?

I sense something, and Xi Qiao smiles at me. Then she quietly mouths a few words to me.

【Indirect-kiss】

I almost spit the noodles out of my mouth, and the fork clatters onto the plate. I can't believe I didn't think of this.

This kind of thing was popular back in elementary school, wasn't it?

Even though I only drank from the same water bottle as a girl, I was teased by classmates as having an indirect kiss. I never experienced this myself, but I've heard of it.

You're ruthless…

I give Xi Qiao such a look and then push my plate aside. Xi Qiao gazes at me, smiling happily.

"Darling~"

"Don't call me that… I'm scared…"

"Do you want to try the real thing~"

"No… Can you not tease me? I'm a decent person."

I say something rather embarrassing, but it's my only choice. In front of Xi Qiao, even if I'm on high alert, I'll still fall for her tricks. She's so dangerous that I have to tread carefully with every step.

The main course is alright…

So, she didn't tamper with the food?

I drink the newly served juice and think about it. From the beginning, Xi Qiao was within my surveillance scope, without taking out her phone or making any gestures to the waitress. Her eyes were always on me, which makes her seem innocent.

Maybe I'm overthinking it? Even if Xi Qiao has great abilities, she can't possibly set any traps in a strange place like this. Perhaps she didn't focus on this meal but instead on something later?As I was drinking the juice, I suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the cup, which appeared as the cup was tilted, making me a little puzzled.

What...?

At first, I thought it was ice cubes, but this is juice upon closer inspection. There seemed to be something metallic in the glass, like a ring.

I tilted the glass slightly to make the water level appear shallower, and then used a napkin wrapped around my finger to grind out the object inside. It was a shiny white ring with a sparkling gemstone on it.

A...ring?

In front of me, Xi Qiao suddenly revealed a mysterious smile.

"..."

As I was puzzled, the surrounding diners suddenly all stood up. They looked at me with smiles on their faces, and then began clapping.

"Congratulations!"

"Young and promising!"

"Brother, you are so manly! Best wishes to you both!"

With a puzzled look on my face, I had no idea what was going on. Only the applause around me and the smile of Xi Qiao in front of me told me that this was not an illusion.

"Hey~darling."

Xi Qiao reached out her hand. Her slender fingers shimmered under the light, as if waiting for my move, a vow.

"Will you marry me?"

What on earth is...

...going on?

(✽︎´ཫ`✽︎)