When Tang San returned—
Ye Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating.
Xiao Wu was quietly sitting on the edge of her own bed, holding the candy Ye Qiu had given her. Eyes half-closed, she slowly licked and savored it, clearly in a good mood, though her eyes were still slightly red.
Tang San immediately understood what had happened while he was gone, and a wry smile appeared on his face.
"Xiao Wu, don't tell me you got into another fight with Ye Qiu?"
Xiao Wu pouted, glaring at Ye Qiu with indignation as she spoke in a soft, girlish voice:
"Hmph! It's all his fault. He keeps bullying me!"
"Wasn't it usually you who starts it?"
Ye Qiu opened his eyes and gave her a sidelong glance, clearly annoyed.
"If you hadn't made me mad first, I wouldn't have hit you!"
Xiao Wu gritted her teeth angrily.
Tang San held his forehead. He couldn't quite figure out their constant bickering. But after spending so much time with them, he noticed something strange: every time Ye Qiu hit Xiao Wu, his own head seemed to feel a little heavier.
"Ye Qiu, maybe next time you can hit her somewhere else. Xiao Wu's still a girl, after all."
Xiao Wu nodded vigorously in agreement.
"It hurts less if you hit where there's more meat. Otherwise, this little bunny would cry herself to death."
Ye Qiu spread his hands in helplessness.
Tang San had told Ye Qiu similar things many times already.
Ye Qiu even suspected that more than a few of their training spars were actually Tang San trying to stand up for Xiao Wu under the guise of sparring.
Tang San was also a bit strange.
Whenever Ye Qiu sparred with Tang San—even without hidden weapons involved—Ye Qiu could tell that Tang San was much stronger than Xiao Wu. But whenever Tang San fought Xiao Wu, he lost more often than he won. What was worse, after sparring with Xiao Wu, he wouldn't even be out of breath before turning to spar with Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu was very familiar with the little bunny's full strength, so it was clear who was holding back.
Tang San sighed helplessly. He had already expected that kind of response from Ye Qiu. Still, he forced a smile and teased:
"Then make sure you go easy on her. If you break Xiao Wu, you'll have to carry her on the road tomorrow."
"Relax, I know what I'm doing."
Ye Qiu smiled. It's not like he used full force anyway. He even healed that silly rabbit every time afterward.
"Huh?"
Xiao Wu was stunned when she heard Tang San's words. Then her face turned red, her eyes lit up, and quickly dimmed again.
If only Ye Qiu didn't have healing abilities, then she could make him carry her for a long, long way. That way, she could stay close to Ye Qiu—wait, no! She meant it would be the perfect chance to punish Ye Qiu!
"Alright, Xiao Wu, let's go eat."
Ye Qiu stood up and called out to her.
But Xiao Wu didn't respond. She sat there, head lowered, still savoring the candy, completely unmoved. Ye Qiu had to call her again.
"Xiao Wu… Xiao Wu?!"
"You silly rabbit!"
"Huh? Mm? Ye Qiu, what did you say?"
Only when Ye Qiu raised his voice did Xiao Wu lift her head in a daze, not even noticing that he called her a silly rabbit.
Tang San also looked at her, puzzled.
"What were you thinking about, silly rabbit?"
Ye Qiu stared at her, suspicious.
"I-I wasn't thinking about anything!"
Xiao Wu's face flushed red instantly. She turned her head away defensively, her eyes darting around guiltily.
"It's getting late. Time to eat. Wait, why is your face so red all of a sudden?"
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow, walked up, and cupped her cheeks to take a closer look.
"Ah! Go away! I-I'm fine. It's just hot… I feel a little unwell."
Xiao Wu frantically shook her head like a rattle-drum. Her face turned even redder as she tried to push Ye Qiu away.
Then she simply yanked the blanket over her head to hide from him.
"You go eat by yourself. I'm not going."
"Not feeling well? That's weird…"
Ye Qiu frowned. He'd only hit her butt a few times, and he definitely healed her entire body afterward.
"Haha… She's probably just sore from you hitting her. Might be hard to walk."
Tang San suddenly laughed—but there was a subtle bitterness in his laugh, even he didn't notice.
"…Alright then."
Ye Qiu glanced at Tang San with a speechless look and shrugged. He didn't press Xiao Wu any further. He lightly patted the blanket and asked:
"Want me to bring you something back?"
"Yes! Sister Xiao Wu wants long, straight, fresh carrots!"
Xiao Wu poked her head out from under the blanket. Her face was flushed red, and she still couldn't meet Ye Qiu's gaze.
"Alright, then rest well."
Ye Qiu gently replied, sticking another lollipop into her mouth.
"Mmm~ thank you."
Xiao Wu held the lollipop in her mouth and softly thanked him with a gentle tone.
"Xiao San, wanna come eat with me?"
Ye Qiu asked as he reached the door, as if suddenly remembering Tang San.
"No need. You go ahead. I already ate with Teacher."
"Got it."
Ye Qiu waved and headed toward the dining hall at Nuoding Academy.
Xiao Wu savored the candy in her mouth, sweet and satisfying.
She touched her butt, face still burning, and squirmed around on the bed like a caterpillar.
Ye Qiu was actually pretty caring sometimes.
Even though most of that "care" was cleaning up messes he caused himself… still, it was always her who hit first.
Xiao Wu knew full well she couldn't beat Ye Qiu.
Every time she pounced on him baring her teeth and claws, she ended up getting thoroughly thrashed—but she just couldn't help it. Ye Qiu was just too irritating! And he never gave her a break, hmph!
---
The next morning.
Tang San, Ye Qiu, and Xiao Wu walked out the main gate of Nuoding Academy.
Xiao Wu skipped along next to Ye Qiu, tugging on the strap of his shoulder bag. She wore a big smile and occasionally bumped into Ye Qiu playfully.
Even when he shot her a sideways glare, she just giggled sweetly. But she quickly reined in her behavior a little—she didn't want to anger Ye Qiu. If he spanked her during the journey, it would be super embarrassing.
Tang San also walked beside Ye Qiu, occasionally glancing at the lively, laughing Xiao Wu. She was just too carefree and innocent.
After hopping around for an entire hour under the blazing sun, the little bunny finally couldn't keep it up anymore. Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.
Out of habit, she clung to Ye Qiu's arm and leaned weakly against him.
"Ye Qiu, how much farther…? Sister Xiao Wu is tired."
"You're the one who wouldn't stop hopping around. Just hold on a bit longer."
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes at her, clearly worn out from being pulled along by the silly rabbit.
Xiao Wu raised her hand to block the sunlight from her eyes and whimpered,
"Ahhh, the sun's so strong… Ye Qiu, can't your spirit transform? Can you turn into an umbrella or something? Let Sister Xiao Wu hide under it, please?"