Free Web NovelChapter 179: Chapter 179: Beat Him to Tears
A single meal from He Hanshi successfully won over the three of them.
Shi Lan was stuffed after three bowls. She secretly pinched her belly. ’I think I ate this much for lunch, too.’
However, she wasn’t anxious about her figure. A little belly fat helped protect a woman’s uterus, and in this world, everyone had spiritual power. It caused them to burn through energy much faster, so eating a lot was a physical necessity.
In any case, in the six-plus months since she had transmigrated into the novel, Shi Lan had never seen an overweight person. Even Chen Xiong, at first glance, seemed more sturdy than flabby.
She glanced across the table. Mu Tangfeng had also eaten three bowls, while Jiang Xia... was on what looked like his sixth.
Luckily, Shi Lan knew from experience to have the robot make extra rice. Normally, there would be some left over, but today, the amount was just right.
Jiang Xia put down his bowl and couldn’t help but let out a satisfied burp. Instantly, the other three all turned to look at him.
He sheepishly pushed away his clean bowl, his face growing warm. "Ad-Admiral He’s cooking is delicious..." he stammered.
’It’s my second favorite, right after Lanlan’s,’
he added silently. Then, he remembered that He Hanshi was now his love rival and held back any more praise in front of Shi Lan.
He Hanshi’s eyes crinkled. "I’m glad you enjoyed it."
Mu Tangfeng wiped his mouth with elegant restraint. He said nothing, but his eyes showed his approval.
After dinner, it was time for He Hanshi to return to the military. As an Admiral, he was far busier than most. He was already deeply satisfied to have gotten an afternoon of rest and a chance to see the woman he liked.
Before leaving, he walked with Shi Lan under the night sky. Bathed in the warm, yellow glow of the porch light, he couldn’t resist kissing her forehead. His eyes betrayed a mix of restraint and longing as he spoke, his voice husky. "Lanlan, remember to miss me."
A hint of reluctance showed in Shi Lan’s eyes as well. Perhaps it was because their sweet time together had been too short, or because they had only just confessed their feelings for one another, but she found herself already missing his presence terribly.
She couldn’t resist hugging He Hanshi and reminding him, "I will. Be safe in the army. You have to protect yourself and always monitor your spiritual power’s collapse value, understand?"
"I should be returning to Capital Star in a few days. If you need anything, find me. I’ll be there for you, anytime."
As she spoke, He Hanshi’s large hands gradually tightened on her waist, as if wanting to fuse her into his body and take her with him. But his subconscious fear of hurting his lover made his grip instantly soften into a gentle caress. He murmured his agreement, "Okay. Lanlan, you have to protect yourself, too. And I’ll be thinking of you every single day."
For the first time, He Hanshi realized he was a clingy person. Perhaps it was only when you had someone to truly care for that you understood how difficult it was to leave.
He held Shi Lan for a long while before finally letting go. His gaze fell upon the two figures standing in the dimly lit yard. "Young Master Jiang, Young Master Mu," he said in a low voice, "I’m leaving Lanlan in your care for now. Look after her."
"Mm."
Two distinctly unenthusiastic responses drifted from the yard. After all, having just seen them kiss again, both men had a sour taste in their mouths. They didn’t dare say much, worried they might lose their composure and make a scene in front of Shi Lan.
There was, however, a small bit of good news. With Admiral He gone, they had one less rival for Lanlan’s affection. But that thought was immediately followed by another: Lanlan would soon be returning to Capital Star, where two *other* rivals were waiting...
Suddenly, the headache was back.
After seeing He Hanshi off, Shi Lan was clearly feeling a little down. Jiang Xia took the opportunity to run over and cling to her. He reasoned that since she hadn’t been upset when Admiral He kissed her, and since she never rejected his advances in the holographic game, he could finally be bold for once.
As Mu Tangfeng watched in disbelief, he pecked a kiss on Shi Lan’s rosy lips, producing a distinct "SMOOCH."
Shi Lan snapped back to reality and gave him a speechless look. "What do you think you’re doing?"
Jiang Xia buried his flushed face in Shi Lan’s hair, his nose filling with the scent of roses. "I just wanted one little kiss," he mumbled, his voice muffled by her hair.
Before Shi Lan could react further, Mu Tangfeng, who had been bottling up his anger all day, finally snapped. He ripped Jiang Xia away and punched him in the face. "You short-legged beast! Who said you could kiss Lanlan?"
’It was one thing for Admiral He to kiss her—he’s my idol, and he was only here for a moment. But Jiang Xia is with Lanlan every day, and he dares to be so brazen?
Is he treating me like I’m not even here?’
Jiang Xia was caught completely off guard by the punch. He quickly recovered and struck back in anger. "I’ll kiss her if I want to! I like kissing her, so what? It’s not like Lanlan said anything!"
Mu Tangfeng dodged the blow, and the two of them immediately began to brawl right there in the doorway.
The residents of Chang’an Village generally didn’t go out at night, and the houses were all spaced far apart, so thankfully, there were no passersby.
But watching the two of them trade blows with such ferocity, Shi Lan knew they were both genuinely furious this time. Her melancholy mood from the farewell instantly evaporated; her only thought was to break up the fight.
Both of them had short tempers, but Jiang Xia was especially enraged that Mu Tangfeng had dared to hit his precious face. He started shouting without thinking. "I like Lanlan, so isn’t it normal to want to kiss her? I’ve kissed her lots of times! If you’ve got the balls, go ahead and kiss her..."
Hearing this, Mu Tangfeng’s pupils shrank. His composure faltered, and his gaze flickered past Jiang Xia to Shi Lan. In that moment of carelessness, he took a punch.
A dark bruise was already forming on his face. He staggered back several steps and collapsed onto the ground, soiling his brand-new clothes.
Under the dim yellow light, Shi Lan clearly saw the fair skin around his dark eyes turn red in an instant. He stared at her, stunned, his eyes filled with a mix of disappointment, dejection, frustration, and hurt...
His eyes instantly grew wet. Though no tears fell, they looked as if they had just been drenched in a downpour.
Seeing this, Jiang Xia didn’t dare to strike again.
He looked at his hands, feeling a pang of guilt. ’I might be strong, but Mu Tangfeng is a 2S Beastman. There’s no way I hit him hard enough to make him cry, right? We argue all the time, and we fought way harder in the game pods today. I didn’t see him cry then, did I?’
Jiang Xia was thoroughly confused. Mu Tangfeng, after looking at her for a moment, quickly ran back to his room and shut himself in the gaming pod’s private lounge.
’So, it’s me. Am I the one Lanlan dislikes the most? I thought Jiang Xia and I were the same... I was so happy that I was slowly getting her attention. I never thought... that when I wasn’t looking, they’d already kissed so many times... But me... I’ve never even kissed Lanlan. I was so worried about upsetting her that I didn’t even dare to steal a kiss in my dreams...’
Mu Tangfeng couldn’t bear for Shi Lan to see him in such a pathetic state. Fearing she would find his personality even more unlikable, he hid in his room and wept in silence.
Downstairs, Shi Lan and Jiang Xia stared at each other in dismay.
Jiang Xia quickly waved his hands. "Lanlan, I didn’t hit him that hard..."
’I swear, it wasn’t any harder than how he hit me,’ he thought.
Shi Lan knew Mu Tangfeng’s hurt wasn’t about the punch. Looking at Jiang Xia’s own red, swollen face, she sighed. "I know."
"Let me get some ointment for you first, and then I’ll go check on him."
And in the meantime, she needed to think about how to comfort the poor, heartbroken little bird...
