9: Chapter 9 Proof of Rebellion

The air felt as if it had been sucked dry, leaving only the parched smell of residual heat from the hairdryer.

Huang Mao stood frozen, his brain taking several seconds just to process Leng Qingxuan's words. He looked at the girl before him; her face was so red it looked like it might bleed, yet she still stared at him stubbornly. His brow slowly furrowed.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

Huang Mao's voice deepened, losing the playful tone from before. "Leng Qingxuan, this isn't some late-night manga or novel plot."

"Standing in front of you is a physically and mentally healthy adult male with a normal orientation who has been single for twenty years."

He moved half a step closer, his shadow looming over her. "If you really show me, aren't you afraid I won't be able to suppress the fire and take care of you right then and there?"

Intimidated by his aura, Leng Qingxuan shrank back slightly, her eyes darting around as her fingers nervously toyed with the hem of her shirt. "I... I feel like you wouldn't do that."

"Huh?"

Huang Mao pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh, looking completely defeated by her single-mindedness. "Fine, actually, I'm gay. I have no interest in women. Are you relieved now?"

Leng Qingxuan suddenly looked up, her eyes wide. "Really?"

"Fake! How could that be possible!" Huang Mao rolled his eyes irritably. "So that's the problem! My lady, all things considered, we haven't even spoken a hundred words to each other yet, have we?"

"Is your sense of self-protection a bit too weak? Or do you think I'm some kind of saint like Liu Xiahui who can resist any temptation?"

Leng Qingxuan bit her lip and fell silent for a moment.

Lowering her eyelids, she fixed her gaze on the intricate patterns of the carpet. Her voice was soft, yet it carried a desperate resolve, like someone who had nothing left to lose:

"Actually... just like you said before, since I've already come to your doorstep with my suitcase, I should have some level of preparedness for what might happen..."

A man and a woman alone together late at night.

No matter how much she lacked common sense, she knew what this implied.

Hearing this, Huang Mao swallowed the lecture that was on the tip of his tongue. Looking at the girl's slightly trembling shoulders, that inexplicable feeling of irritation welled up in his heart again.

It was anger toward her terrible family, as well as frustration at her self-destructive behavior.

"Even so..." Huang Mao sighed, his tone softening. "Whether you mention it or not makes a huge difference. Some boundaries, once crossed, can't be restored."

Leng Qingxuan also fell silent.

The living room was so quiet that only the ticking of the wall clock could be heard.

After a long time, she looked up again. A strange light flickered in her beautiful eyes, resembling both a provocation and a sacrificial impulse.

"So... do you want to see?"

Huang Mao looked at her and, without a moment's hesitation, spat out a single word decisively:

"Yes."

Leng Qingxuan: "..."

Her tense expression collapsed instantly, replaced by utter disbelief. "You just said all those high-minded things! I thought you'd sternly refuse and then give me a lecture!"

"How could that be possible?"

Huang Mao spread his hands righteously. "You brought it up yourself. If I refused such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it wouldn't just be disrespectful to the campus belle's beauty, it would be an insult to my own dignity as a man."

"Don't you know the saying? 'Only a fool refuses a free advantage.'"

"You..." Leng Qingxuan was so shocked by his bluntness that she was speechless, the blush on her cheeks rapidly spreading to her ears.

"Then... I'll show you."

She took a deep breath, as if making a final decision. "Anyway... anyway, I'm wearing underwear, so it's not much different from going swimming."

As she spoke, she reached out both hands and grabbed the hem of her black T-shirt.

Huang Mao instinctively held his breath, his gaze locked onto her movements as if drawn by a magnet.

The black fabric slowly moved upward.

First, those well-proportioned, straight thighs, then her flat, taut belly, and further up...

In one go, Leng Qingxuan pulled the T-shirt over her head, the large hem covering her blushing face.

This "ostrich-style" concealment gave her a false sense of security, but it also made her curious to see his reaction.

So, she pulled the shirt down just a little bit, revealing half of her face.

Then she discovered that Huang Mao was staring straight at her without even blinking.

It was a truly direct and pure look of appreciation.

Because she was wearing the "missing pants" style, she wasn't wearing anything on her lower body besides that T-shirt. Now that the shirt was lifted, she was left only in her matching underwear set.

To Huang Mao's surprise, this Campus Belle, who was usually as cold as an iceberg, was actually wearing a set of pink lace underwear.

Pale pink lace edges hugged her snow-white skin. The curve of her chest was full and upright, looking to be about a C-cup. Due to the push-up effect of the bra, the cleavage appeared exceptionally deep and alluring.

Pink, lace, and a girlish heart.

These three elements combined created an incredibly strong gap moe with the name "Leng Qingxuan," their lethality increasing exponentially.

*Gulp.*

Leng Qingxuan clearly heard the sound of her own gulp. She asked with a trembling voice, "How... how is it?"

Huang Mao snapped back to his senses, looking at her with a complex gaze. He commented honestly, "It looks good. And... I couldn't tell when you were in your school uniform, but you're more well-endowed than I imagined. However..."

He paused, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Pink lace? I didn't expect the aloof campus belle to have this kind of style in private."

Leng Qingxuan's face instantly turned bright red, like a cooked shrimp.

"Is... is that so..."

Her eyes wandered, and her voice was so low it sounded like she was talking to herself. "This is also... one of the slightly more 'thrilling' things I usually do."

"Hmm?"

"My mom is very strict with me, as you know." Leng Qingxuan bit her lip, seemingly recalling those oppressive days. "My hairstyle, clothes, shoes—even the color of my socks has to meet her aesthetic standards."

"But... at least with underwear, she doesn't micromanage. I'm allowed to buy that myself."

"So, when I feel mentally exhausted and numb, like a puppet on a string, I think about how underneath my proper and decent school uniform, I'm wearing something... something a bit 'indecent' like this."

"It makes me feel... a little bit more alive."

This was a secret, unknown rebellion.

It was the only freedom she could control within that suffocating cage.

As Huang Mao listened, most of his lecherous thoughts dissipated, replaced by an indescribable sense of shock.

"The way you live..." Huang Mao shook his head and sighed. "If it were me, I'd probably have hung myself from a rafter with a rope long ago."

"Heh..." Leng Qingxuan gave a self-deprecating laugh. "If I hadn't pulled this stunt and run away from home, I might not have been far from hanging myself anyway."

The atmosphere grew a bit heavy, but Huang Mao soon broke it.

"But speaking of which," Huang Mao rubbed his chin, looking at her thoughtfully, "I'm a bit curious. What do you girls actually think about showing off your bodies?"

Leng Qingxuan thought for a moment. Perhaps their recent heart-to-heart had closed the distance between them, as she spoke much more boldly:

"Speaking for myself... if I feel like my body is decent, I think there's a subconscious desire to show it to others and get positive feedback, right?"

She blinked and added, "Like those 'Welfare Girl' or cosplayers online. Although I don't fully understand it, that feeling of being watched... probably provides a certain sense of accomplishment?"

Huang Mao raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. "Welfare Girl? You even know about that?"

Hearing that word come out of Leng Qingxuan's mouth felt incredibly out of place.

"I surf the web too, okay!" Leng Qingxuan grumbled dissatisfiedly. "I have a phone and social media accounts. Don't treat me like some Little Dragon Maiden living in an ancient tomb!"

"Even though there are many things about daily life I don't know, I understand plenty of strange things from the internet!"

As she spoke, she noticed that the tips of Huang Mao's ears were actually slightly red.

This discovery caused the little devil named "Prankster" in her heart to poke its head out again.

So he wasn't as composed as he appeared on the surface.

Leng Qingxuan's heart stirred, and she had the urge to try and tease him a bit. For instance, lifting the shirt a bit higher, or striking a more seductive pose...

But as soon as the thought appeared, she snuffed it out.

No.

What if she really tempted him into losing his mind and he just pounced on her? Although she had feelings for him, that kind of thing... was still a bit too early.

Thinking of this, Leng Qingxuan took a deep breath and let go.

*Swish.*

The black T-shirt fell back down, covering that dizzying display of pink and snow-white, all the way down to the tops of her thighs.

"Alright, the fan service ends here."

Leng Qingxuan clapped her hands and spoke with feigned nonchalance, trying to hide her momentary panic.

Huang Mao withdrew his gaze, still wanting more, and smacked his lips. "Should I say 'thanks for the treat'?"

"Suit yourself." Leng Qingxuan shrugged, then as if remembering something, she asked tentatively, "Um... can what just happened count as paying the rent?"

Hearing this, Huang Mao immediately adopted the face of a capitalist and righteously refused. "No way. Business is business. Fan service is fan service, and rent is rent. Want to stay for free? Not a chance."

"Tch..." Leng Qingxuan pouted. "According to normal novel plots, shouldn't you be saying 'absolutely' with a perverted look, and then tell me to treat this place like my home from now on?"

"Watch less of that brainless stuff."

Huang Mao stood up and stretched, his joints popping. "Where do you get all these 'plots' from? The reality is that utilities are expensive, and I need to eat too."

He glanced at the wall clock and waved his hand. "Alright, it's late. Time to get some rest. Go back to the second-floor bedroom. I'm going to take a shower too."

After saying that, he turned and headed toward the bathroom, his back looking a bit hurried.

Leng Qingxuan watched his back, her lips curling upward slightly.

Even though he said no... when he turned around just now, was he walking a bit stiffly?

"Hmph, such a hypocritical man."

Her mood inexplicably brightened. Barefoot, she ran lightheartedly upstairs.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Huang Mao turned on the cold water tap.

The icy stream washed over his face, attempting to douse the restless flames within his body.

"Pink lace... C-cup..."

He wiped the droplets from his face, looking at his slightly flushed reflection in the mirror with a helpless, bitter smile.

"There's still a long way to go... This is going to be the death of me."