72: Chapter 72 The "Advantages" of Childhood Sweethearts

During this dinner, Huang Mao got the illusion that he was a "retired senior cadre" being surrounded by stars.

The food on the table was actually quite home-style, but in Su Muxue's words, it had become a masterpiece that even three-star Michelin restaurants couldn't reach.

"Master's cooking truly has a magic that makes one feel at 'home'; every bite tastes like happiness."

Su Muxue put down her chopsticks, folded her hands in front of her, and those eyes, gentle enough to drip water, stared straight at Huang Mao.

Her praise wasn't exaggerated; the sincerity in her tone was practically overflowing. Even Huang Mao, who was used to big scenes, felt a little floaty right now.

This wave of flattery truly maxed out the "emotional value."

Huang Mao even felt that if he went to run for village chief right now, Su Muxue could talk him up to be a world leader.

"Alright, alright, if you keep praising me, my tail is going to stick up into the sky and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun."

Huang Mao complained, but he actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

After all, who doesn't like receiving such all-around positive feedback after working hard for a while?

After dinner, Su Muxue, like a diligent, all-around housekeeper, cleared away all the bowls and chopsticks with extreme naturalness.

"Leave rough work like washing dishes to Muxue. Master and Sister Qingxuan should go to the living room to rest."

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her forearm that was as white as a lotus root, her movements so deft that no one could find a single fault.

An Ran yawned, waved her hand, said "I'm going to take a shower first, this sweat is killing me," and then hurried upstairs.

In the living room, only Huang Mao and Leng Qingxuan were left for the moment.

The TV was playing some mindless soap opera. The background noise was chaotic, but it only served to highlight the subtle quietness between the two.

Huang Mao sprawled on the sofa, looking at the Iceberg Campus Belle beside him, who was still putting on airs but had clearly relaxed quite a bit.

"Are you feeling better? Looking at you just now while eating, your chopsticks were almost poking through the bottom of the bowl."

He asked casually, his tone as flat as if he were asking, "Is the weather forecast accurate today?"

Leng Qingxuan had been staring blankly at the TV, but upon hearing this, her body stiffened slightly. Then, she slowly turned her head and looked at Huang Mao earnestly.

In those cold, clear eyes, there was no longer the panic and hesitation from earlier in the day; instead, they were replaced by a calm tenderness.

"Mm, much better. Just now... thank you to Su Muxue for chatting with me so much, and thank you for not blaming me."

She pursed her lips, her voice very low, as if afraid to disturb the hard-won harmonious atmosphere.

"I was too pretentious during the day. You were the one who helped me solve the trouble, yet I gave you a cold shoulder. I'm sorry."

Leng Qingxuan spoke with extreme sincerity, even lowering her head slightly. In that little posture of admitting her mistake, where was there any trace of being "unattainable"?

Huang Mao couldn't help but laugh. He picked up an orange from the coffee table and started peeling it, his mouth not staying idle either.

"It's no big deal. If you really feel guilty, just feed fewer kills next time we play games, and I'll thank the heavens."

He tossed a peeled orange segment into his mouth and continued indistinctly: "As long as you don't stifle yourself and get some internal injury, that's fine. I don't have anything I can't get over."

Looking at Huang Mao's indifferent, even slightly devil-may-care appearance, Leng Qingxuan felt as if a hot water bottle had been tucked into her heart.

That sense of security from being accepted, understood, and even unconditionally protected was simply more intense than any sweet talk.

This man seemed to have never really thought of her as a burden, even though she had indeed caused him quite a few messes.

As expected, the most fundamental thing should be trust.

Especially for someone like her, who initially just came on a whim, but now, under his protection, was increasingly treating this place as her own home...

An unprecedented impulse grew wildly in the depths of Leng Qingxuan's heart, like a seed breaking through the soil, instantly growing into a towering tree.

She looked at Huang Mao's sharply defined profile, and in her mind, every detail from last night in that narrow room appeared involuntarily.

The lingering warmth in her palms seemed to still be there, and her heartbeat began to gradually spiral out of control.

She had never been so eager to take another step forward.

Even if it was just a little bit closer, even if it was just a little bit more of that blush-inducing, heart-pounding sense of being "accomplices."

Just as Leng Qingxuan gathered her courage, leaning her body slightly forward, preparing to say something to break the status quo, a noise came from the stairs.

"Oh my god, I'm exhausted. The coach from the Sports Department is simply not human; they're using us like livestock!"

An Ran's voice came from far to near, carrying a thick sense of resentment, instantly pricking the pink bubbles that hadn't yet risen in the living room into pieces.

She was wearing an oversized white T-shirt, and on her lower body, a pair of grey athletic shorts that couldn't be any shorter, her two legs shining brightly enough to make one's eyes dizzy.

Her wet long hair was wrapped haphazardly in a towel, a few strands sticking to her neck, exuding the unique wild beauty of a sporty girl.

"Did you just get wet for a second and come out when you showered? Or do you have an automatic dehydration function?"

Huang Mao looked at An Ran's carefree appearance and couldn't help but switch to roast mode.

"Mind your own business! This is efficiency, do you understand efficiency?" An Ran rolled her eyes and walked straight to the carpet in front of the sofa.

She sat down, right next to Huang Mao's legs, and then extremely naturally stretched her two long legs forward.

"Huang Mao, hurry, help me massage my legs. My calves are about to cramp; I feel like they aren't even mine anymore."

As she spoke, she deliberately patted her thighs, the firm muscles trembling slightly under the light, setting off a wave of vitality.

The words that had been on the tip of Leng Qingxuan's tongue were forced back. Looking at An Ran's legs, which were long to an excessive degree, her heart skipped a beat.

An Ran's little scheme was so loud that you could hear it from three miles away.

And she was indeed thinking just that.

During the day today, including just now when she went to take a shower, she had been thinking, thinking about what "advantages" she had.

In terms of temperament, looks, and bad ideas, she was not as good as Leng Qingxuan.

In terms of figure and that gentle, considerate "wifey vibe," she was seconds away from being crushed to dust by that monster Su Muxue.

As for drive... she couldn't beat either of them.

But only these legs, these long legs that were kept in shape year-round, with firm and straight lines, exuding a sense of healthy beauty.

This was An Ran's exclusive weapon, her core competitiveness to establish a foothold in this home, and perhaps even turn defeat into victory.

Huang Mao looked at the "lethal weapons" in front of him and sighed helplessly. Although he complained verbally, he still put down the orange in his hand.

"Fine, fine, Miss, I'm just destined for hard labor. The last time I helped you massage your legs was the school sports meet in the second year of high school, right?"

He leaned down, kneeling on the carpet, his hands firmly covering An Ran's smooth, slightly cool calves.

Huang Mao's massage, to put it bluntly, was just relying on his strength, kneading messily without any technique.

Whether it was massaging An Ran's legs now or massaging Jiang Mengshu's shoulders during the day, it was the same.

But the moment those large, warm palms truly touched An Ran's skin, An Ran couldn't help but shiver.

That slightly rough touch, mixed with the faint scent of soap on Huang Mao, was like an electric current, rushing straight to her crown along her leg nerves.

"Hiss... lighter! I asked you to massage, not to scrape my skin here!"

An Ran complained loudly, but her body honestly leaned towards Huang Mao, a look of comfort appearing on her face.

Leng Qingxuan sat on the side, clutching a strawberry-shaped pillow tightly, a flash of disappointment passing through her eyes.

The atmosphere just now was so good; if she had been a little more proactive, maybe now...

But thinking about it again, she breathed a sigh of relief. Such intimate things were indeed better done when it was late at night and they were alone.

She had been a bit too excited just now; thinking about it now, it was a bit inexplicable.

If she had really said something, Su Muxue was right there in the kitchen and should have been keeping an eye on this side, and An Ran had just come down...

Then tonight's Shuraba would have to increase in intensity.

So, it's better to wait until later to talk about it.

Just then, Huang Mao's fingers happened to press precisely on a certain acupoint.

"Ah—!"

An Ran couldn't hold it back, a moan with a thick nasal tone spilled from her throat, and her whole body trembled.

The sound seemed exceptionally abrupt in the quiet living room, even carrying a hint of suggestiveness that made one's imagination run wild.

She gripped the edge of the carpet tightly, her toes curling up involuntarily, and the expression on her face was simply spectacular.

Watching this scene, Leng Qingxuan's lips suddenly curled into a teasing smile, as if she had found a chance to counterattack.

"An Ran, why are you making these noises again? It was the same last time when Huang Mao helped you scrub your back; the way you were moaning, the whole building probably thought a murder had happened."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, taking the opportunity to deliver another blow.

"Is your body's sensitivity a bit too excessive? Do you want to go to the hospital and see a specialist?"

An Ran's face turned red in a "whoosh," from the base of her neck all the way to her ear tips, her whole person looking like a boiled shrimp.

She turned her head abruptly, glaring at Leng Qingxuan's half-smiling face, so ashamed and angry that she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Leng Qingxuan! Don't you go around slandering people! This is... this is a normal physiological response!"

"I have a healthy body, fast metabolism, and well-developed nerve endings. What do you know!"

"Oh? Is that so? But I actually think that if you replaced Huang Mao with someone else, it probably wouldn't be like this."

"Could it be that you were deliberately moaning for Huang Mao to hear?"

"You! Leng Qingxuan, shut your mouth!"

"Hehe, you're already crying from anxiety."

"Anxious your head! I think you're the one who's anxious! If you're envious, just say it!"

On Huang Mao's side, he still acted like nothing was happening, continuing his work, even cooperatively changing his strength.

He had already accepted the bickering between these two women; as long as they didn't tear down the house, he basically adopted a "non-interference principle."

Just then, the kitchen door was gently pushed open, and Su Muxue untied her apron and walked out with a plate of cut fruit.

She looked at the lively scene by the sofa, her face still wearing that signature gentle smile, but her eyes swept over the three of them.

Especially when she saw Huang Mao concentrating on massaging An Ran's legs, Su Muxue's eyes deepened slightly, revealing a hint of contemplation.

"It seems everyone is getting along very happily. Muxue has cut some fruit; does Master want to take a break before continuing?"

She asked softly and gently, her tone full of concern, yet she skillfully cut into the core of the topic.

This home, seemingly calm on the surface, was actually filled with the smell of gunpowder called "competition" in every inch of the air.

And Huang Mao, this man who claimed to be an NPC, was right in the center of this storm, yet completely unaware.

Or rather, pretending to be unaware.