"I'm going to tell Chuchu!" The newcomer forcibly separated the entwined pair, glaring icily at the male protagonist.
"You can't be serious, can you?" Xiang Ri licked his lips, first glancing at Miss An, who had seemingly materialized out of nowhere, then at Annis beside him, who looked visibly displeased at being forcibly pulled apart. With a languid air, he remarked, "You're making quite the scene."
"What do you think?" An Xin's face was etched with a cold smile, though the simmering urge to thrash someone was plain in her eyes.
Initially, she had only intended to follow him out of concern, worried he might encounter trouble. Yet, what greeted her instead was the infuriating sight of this despicable man locking lips with a foreign woman, completely oblivious to her presence.
Her fury exploded, overriding all reason. Without a second thought, she charged forward and pried apart the shameless couple. Even she couldn't fathom why she was acting so impulsively—technically, this was none of her business. But the image of him being intimate with another woman was simply unbearable.
"Alright, I surrender! What do you want from me?" Xiang Ri sighed, conceding to the situation in hopes that Miss An wouldn't demand anything too unreasonable. Deep down, he felt aggrieved—after all, he was the true "victim" here, caught up in something he hadn't even instigated.
"I don't want anything!" An Xin shot back. Seeing how nonchalantly he was handling the situation, as if it were a trivial matter, only stoked her fury further. There was no room for compromise in her blazing anger. "I just want to tell Chuchu everything I saw!" She spun on her heel, ready to storm off.
"Hey, wait a second!" Xiang Ri hurriedly grabbed her arm, desperate to avoid a repeat of what had happened at the hospital. His only option was to appease her. "It's not what you think! At least hear me out!"
"Don't you dare try to tell me she kissed you first!" An Xin shook off his hand, glaring at him with biting sarcasm.
"Actually… that's exactly what happened…"
Before Xiang Ri could finish, Annis interjected indignantly, her gaze locked on the woman in men's clothing who had suddenly appeared. "Excuse me, madam! Though you may be his girlfriend, I must say, your behavior is quite excessive. I only met this gentleman for the first time today, and he was simply helping me. That's all."
"So, you repaid his help by kissing him, right?" An Xin cut in sharply, though strangely, her anger had somewhat subsided. Perhaps even dissipated a little—but just a little.
She cast a sidelong glance at Xiang Ri, her expression darkening. "Let me be perfectly clear: I'm not his girlfriend, nor is he my boyfriend! A man like him, with no looks, no build, just brute strength—and an incorrigible habit of ogling women—wouldn't stand a chance, even in my next life!" She practically spat out the words, as if swearing an oath, her fists clenched and teeth gritted.
To Xiang Ri, however, her tirade felt like a merciless dagger to the heart. "Hey, An Xin, you could've just said you're not my girlfriend. Was the character assassination really necessary?"
Miss An seemed oblivious to the man's displeasure, her gaze fixed on the foreign woman. "Hey, don't you have somewhere else to be?"
Annis froze, clearly understanding the underlying dismissal in An Xin's words. While Miss An hadn't admitted to being the gentleman's girlfriend, Annis chalked it up to a passing argument. Despite her admiration for the man, Annis had no choice but to offer a polite apology and leave.
"Femme fatale!" Once the foreign woman had walked far enough away, An Xin muttered under her breath.
Xiang Ri's heart skipped a beat. Given their proximity, her biting words reached his ears clearly, leaving him utterly perplexed.
What was she talking about? Isn't she into women? Why would she lash out at such a strikingly beautiful foreign woman?
Could it be she dislikes foreign women?
Curiosity piqued, Xiang Ri glanced toward the retreating Annis, wondering if this woman, who claimed to like women, felt threatened by Annis's fairer complexion.
"Careful, or your eyes might pop out!" As Xiang Ri pondered this profound theory, Miss An couldn't help but mock him. When he turned to face her, she added a harsh warning, "Xiang Kui, let me make this clear—if I ever catch you fooling around with another woman, I won't hesitate to kill you!"
Xiang Ri raised a brow, his expression one of bemusement. "An Xin, I don't think our relationship is quite at that level yet."
An Xin's face flushed, but she quickly retorted in exasperation, "I'm doing this for Chuchu's sake, you jerk! If you dare betray her again, killing you would be letting you off lightly!"
Xiang Ri smirked. "A young lady shouldn't talk about killing—it's so harsh, don't you think?" Then, shifting his tone to an exaggeratedly saccharine one, he added, "An An, about earlier—"
"Don't call me that! It's revolting!" An Xin felt a shiver run down her spine, her whole body reacting as if her pores had opened all at once. Yet, inexplicably, a ripple of emotion stirred within her. She masked it with a pensive expression before continuing, "I can pretend I didn't see what happened earlier, but—"
Her tone suddenly shifted, her face turning menacing. "If I ever witness such disgraceful behavior again, don't blame me for not warning you—I'll make sure Chuchu knows everything!"
"Yes, yes," Xiang Ri nodded hastily, relieved but tinged with bitterness. It seemed just moments ago he was being pursued, yet now An Xin had turned the tables, taking control. The speed of this reversal was dizzying.
"An Jie." At that moment, Ren Yun, who had remained silent since An Xin's arrival, suddenly spoke up in a soft, intimate tone.
"Ren Mei." An Xin, as if only now noticing Miss Ren, leaped forward and hugged her tightly. The two became inseparable in an instant.
Xiang Ri shuddered. She calls me disgusting, yet aren't they even worse?
Watching their affectionate display, Xiang Ri was utterly baffled. These two women had only met once before—how had their relationship progressed to such a degree?
Clearly, An Xin's skill in wooing women was unparalleled. To win over a tall, willowy beauty after just one meeting? Remarkable.
Simultaneously, Xiang Ri confirmed his suspicion: An Xin truly preferred women with darker skin.
This conclusion was evident from the contrast in their exposed skin tones. Due to frequent outdoor activities, Ren Yun's complexion was slightly darker than An Xin's, who, thanks to her indulgence in milk baths and a preference for long sleeves, maintained baby-soft, fair skin.
Xiang Ri, however, couldn't help but lament that, no matter how slight their differences were, his own gap from them could only be described as astronomical.
With a resigned sigh, he decided not to interrupt their intimate moment. "You two carry on—I've got class to attend," he said, excusing himself.
"Wait!" An Xin, unwilling to let him go so easily, released her now-blushing "Ren Mei" and commanded, "Take me to Chuchu's classroom!"
"Don't you have your own classes to attend at your school?" Xiang Ri looked wary, suspecting her of going back on her word.
Reading his concerns, An Xin feigned indifference, though her smugness was unmistakable. "Relax. I said I wouldn't tell Chuchu, and I won't. What are you so worried about? I just felt like attending class in her classroom today."
"Then have her take you," Xiang Ri said, gesturing toward Miss Ren. Before An Xin could respond, he turned and slipped away.
"Damn you! I won't let you off the hook!" An Xin cursed at his retreating figure, her frustration palpable.