Chapter 185: Silver Wolf: Am I a substitute?
Seeing Qingque about to snatch the happy tea from Lin Shuang's mouth, her face filled with frustration, Lin Shuang grinned and dodged her little hand with ease.
"Oh, I was just joking."
Although there were clear differences between the online and offline markets, considering the longevity of the people in the Xianzhou and the conservatism that came naturally with their kind, Qingque's somewhat twisted idea might actually have some market potential.
"Hmph!"
Qingque huffed in frustration, realizing she couldn't reach Lin Shuang's happy tea because of her height.
"I specially prepared this for you. Didn't you say before that you had no one to play cards with outside?"
"Ah..."
Lin Shuang's heart skipped a beat when she heard Qingque's words.
Oops, she had said the wrong thing.
"Hey, Qingque'er, Mr. Que, have some tea—"
A bright smile appeared on Lin Shuang's face as she handed the half-drunk cup of happy tea to Qingque's lips.
"Ugh—disgusting!"
Qingque wasn't actually mad but still rejected Lin Shuang's shameless attempt.
Lin Shuang didn't mind, taking back the happy tea and sipping it again.
"I didn't expect you to remember something we casually talked about. Thanks for the gift, I really like it."
"Hey, I don't like saying such sentimental things. It's weird."
Qingque blushed slightly, waving her hand dismissively. She just wanted to give Lin Shuang a gift so they could play cards together in the future, but hearing those words made her feel embarrassed.
But to Lin Shuang, this reaction was rather adorable. It was rare to see Qingque blush like this.
Lin Shuang was about to tease her further, but Qingque didn't give her the chance. Before she could speak, Qingque grabbed her hand and started pulling her away.
"Come on, let's go play cards! You must be dying to play after going so many days without!"
"Wait, the table—I haven't even brought it back yet!"
Lin Shuang protested, but Qingque waved her off.
"It's not ready yet. Master Gongshu said it'll take another two days. Forget about it for now and come play cards with me first!"
…
So today became another day dedicated to playing cards.
By the time Lin Shuang returned to her residence, the evening sky had already darkened.
Acheron hadn't mentioned coming back today. She was probably caught up in something urgent.
Just when Lin Shuang thought she had nothing else to do, she suddenly remembered her last encounter with Silver Wolf. The two of them had planned to play games, but Silver Wolf had run off before they could start.
Thinking of this, Lin Shuang tapped on Silver Wolf's avatar and sent a message.
[Lin Shuang: You there? Come over and play games.]
[Silver Wolf: ?]
[Silver Wolf: Where did you pop out from?]
[Lin Shuang: I'm home. We never got to play offline last time because you ran off too fast.]
[Silver Wolf: ...]
[Silver Wolf: Not free today. I'm ranking up. Let's do it tomorrow.]
Seeing Silver Wolf's reply, Lin Shuang sighed in disappointment.
Fine, she was probably grinding ranks in some difficult game. Lin Shuang wasn't particularly into those. But Silver Wolf liked all kinds of games, so moments like these weren't unusual between them.
Just then, another message popped up from Silver Wolf's avatar.
[Silver Wolf: I'm Firefly. Can I come play with you? I'm not that great at games, though.]
[Lin Shuang: Of course! Looking forward to it. Games are just for fun. Are you with Silver Wolf?]
[Firefly: Yeah, we're both lounging on the living room sofa. Kafka went out.]
[Lin Shuang: Got it. Then come over?]
[Firefly: Mm.]
[Firefly: [Pom-Pom waves]]
…
The residence of the Stellaron Hunters.
A news program from the Interastral Peace Corporation played on the large screen in the room.
Silver Wolf lay sprawled on the sofa, hands moving swiftly over the controller, her blue earrings gleaming under the light. They accentuated her delicate features, giving her a mischievous charm.
Even as she focused on her game, Silver Wolf's gaze flickered toward Firefly, who was busy chatting with Lin Shuang on her phone.
For Stellaron Hunters, mobile devices weren't particularly private, as they rarely contained personal information. So, Silver Wolf didn't mind Firefly using hers for a chat.
"What? You wanna go over and play?"
"Yeah, didn't you recommend some games to me last time? I thought I'd go find Lin Shuang and try them out."
"…Oh."
Silver Wolf's tone was unreadable, her hands momentarily stilling on the controller. Then, she reached up, almost unconsciously, touching the earrings on her ears.
"Did Lin Shuang say yes?"
Even she was startled by how accusatory her question sounded. Why did it feel like she was scolding someone?
Fortunately, Firefly was too focused on the game console to notice the shift in Silver Wolf's tone.
"Yeah, she said she's looking forward to it. Anyway, I'm gonna go change."
Firefly picked up her bag and dashed toward her room.
Yesterday, Kafka had given her a new outfit, which was perfect for today.
She and Kafka had often discussed fashion and styling, but Firefly never had the chance to dress up much before.
Now, with this newfound freedom, Kafka would bring her new clothes every time she went out, steadily filling Firefly's once-empty wardrobe. Lately, she hadn't worn the same outfit twice.
Since she was visiting Lin Shuang today, she decided against anything too formal and opted for a casual long dress instead.
Silver Wolf pouted slightly as she watched Firefly disappear around the corner, her gaze lingering on her hair.
Why did it feel like she was being replaced? Since when did Firefly care so much about games?
Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes, picked up her phone, and scrolled through the chat history, scoffing softly.
If she weren't busy ranking up today, she'd definitely remind Lin Shuang who the real gaming master was.
Still, despite her thoughts, Silver Wolf opened a portal and sent it to Firefly before turning back to her game, her mind wandering.
…
Meanwhile, after chatting for about ten minutes, a familiar transmission appeared in Lin Shuang's room.
Firefly stepped out, smiling.
Perhaps because she had more freedom now, she had started paying more attention to her appearance.
Today, she wore an off-shoulder dress that accentuated her slender waist and graceful figure.
Only her signature headband remained unchanged.
"Hi, good evening."
Firefly approached in her flat shoes, waving at Lin Shuang with a cheerful expression before placing the game console on the coffee table.
Lin Shuang stood up, pouring a glass of juice for her and motioning for her to sit.
"Good evening, Firefly. How have you been feeling lately?"
"Thanks to your cake, I've been doing great."
At the mention of the cake, Firefly's smile brightened, her eyes softening as she looked at Lin Shuang with undisguised warmth.
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T/N: I thought this was (chinese)Kiana x Mei but this Kiana variant is rizzing everyone up like what I didn't expect this. Last update for a while. I'll update in the next 1-3 days tho, with around the same chapters like I uploaded like 30 chaps today.