Chapter 24: The Unreasonable Act and its Aftermath

‘Where should we even begin?’

Hmm…

Gao Meiyou pondered, her thoughts racing. Then, with a decisive slap to her own thigh—this time, it was definitely her own—

she exclaimed, “I’ve got it!”

“What?” Shi Meng stared, utterly bewildered, at Senior Sister’s stomach.

“Not *that* kind of ‘got it’!” Senior Sister retorted, a hint of exasperation in her voice. “I’ve figured out how to deal with Shi Yuan!”

“Oh? You have a plan?” Shi Meng leaned in curiously. The two of them shared a single telescope, each peering through one eyepiece, as they focused on Shi Yuan’s direction.

“Look!” Gao Meiyou pointed at Shi Yuan. At this moment, Shi Yuan was leaning against her seat, clearly bored. One moment, she was fiddling with her phone; the next, she was pinching Xiao Xi’s cheek, or sneaking a handful of his popcorn.

She seemed quite busy, quite fulfilled, living a rather comfortable life. Hmm…

This wasn’t the point!

The crucial part was this:

She wasn’t watching the movie at all!

What did this signify?

She found the movie incredibly dull!

And this movie was one Xiao Xi had chosen himself—at least, that’s how Shi Yuan perceived it. As for who *actually* picked the film… ‘cough, cough’, that was irrelevant.

In other words, it was clear that Shi Yuan wasn’t entirely pleased with Xiao Xi’s choice. So, what should they do now?

They needed to play dumb!

Not only should they pretend the movie wasn’t awful or boring, but they should also act as if it were fantastic. Then, they would question her, torment her!

So…

“Hello, hello, Xiao Xi, copy that, please respond, copy that, please respond!”

“Cough, cough…”

“What’s wrong?”

Shi Yuan, who had been dozing in her chair, was suddenly roused by Xiao Xi’s cough. Xiao Xi shook his head, a look of panic on his face. ‘It’s nothing, we’re not in a hurry, Sister, just wait… wait until Senior Sister gives the cue before you fully wake up.’

“Copy that, copy that, Private Xiao Xi! Your sister is already bored to tears by this movie and wants to sleep. It’s time to ask for her thoughts. Now, repeat exactly what I say next!” Gao Meiyou commanded into the walkie-talkie, a confident smile playing on her lips.

“First, flash a confident smile, then say, ‘Sister, I think this movie is so good, don’t you?’ After that, silently stare at her, lying there in the chair, and let a disappointed expression bloom on your face! And then, you get it, right? Improvise! Just be a little unreasonable!”

“Oh, oh!” Xiao Xi nodded inwardly. He then began to follow Senior Sister’s instructions, first turning his head, then repeating her words. What was it again…

Oh, right!

“First, flash a confident… ah, no, no!” The moment the words left his mouth, Xiao Xi frantically clapped a hand over his mouth. ‘Damn it, I was so nervous I blurted out the instructions!’

‘How could I be so stupid…’

Gao Meiyou and Shi Meng nearly fainted on the spot. ‘Mom, why am I watching a movie on my knees?’ Gao Meiyou even felt like smashing the walkie-talkie.

‘No, I must believe in Xiao Xi, believe in Xiao Xi…’

‘Give him another chance!’

“What did you… just say?” Shi Yuan was a little bewildered. The movie had just reached a climax, and the sound of rockets launching was quite noisy. Shi Yuan hadn’t heard clearly, only catching snippets about… confidence?

‘What did that mean?’

“Ah, no, that… I meant to ask, Sister, I feel like this movie is really good~ What do you think~”

Xiao Xi had forgotten some of the lines, but it didn’t matter; the general meaning was conveyed. Shi Yuan offered an awkward smile. Gao Meiyou, meanwhile, was slapping her thigh with delight. ‘She’s embarrassed! She’s panicking, she’s panicking!’

Indeed, an insensitive straight man was a true weapon in romance. Confidently giving your beloved something you adored, only to be met with incomprehension and bewilderment—this was one of the secrets to ruining a relationship!

Next… ‘huff, huff’, it was up to Xiao Xi. Gao Meiyou would observe for a bit, then give more instructions if needed. However, she subscribed to the “laissez-faire” school of thought. Xiao Xi’s emotional intelligence wasn’t high to begin with, so there was no need for her to guide him every step of the way. Letting him improvise might even yield better results.

“I think… it’s alright.” Sister Yuan managed to force out a smile, trying to appease her wife. Xiao Xi accurately caught the perfunctory dismissiveness in her eyes. ‘Hmph, that’s right, Senior Sister’s prediction was correct after all!’

So, next was…

Being unreasonable!

Xiao Xi took a deep breath, then abruptly scowled, pouting his lips in displeasure. “Hmph, you’ve clearly been dozing off and playing on your phone this whole time; you haven’t watched it at all~” he mumbled.

“Ah, this…” Sister Yuan was speechless. Indeed… she couldn’t stand this kind of documentary. Had her actions been too obvious? Now Xiao Xi had caught her red-handed. What… what was she supposed to do now? How could she appease her wife?

“Hmph, you weren’t taking this date seriously at all, Sister. Do you think Xiao Xi’s movie-picking skills are bad? Are you starting to dislike me? Hmph, you don’t love me anymore~”

“No, wife, listen to me, I just…” Sister Yuan waved her hands frantically, but Xiao Xi gave her no chance to explain. ‘Nonsense, what could she explain? That the movie was too boring? As if I didn’t already know that!’

In any case, any explanation from Sister Yuan was a resounding ‘NO!’ to him!

“Explain what? Who were you chatting with on your phone? You looked so happy. Are you cheating on me? No wonder you’re so perfunctory about watching a movie with me. No wonder, you’re planning to leave me.”

Xiao Xi turned his head away, completing his dramatic finish. Sister Yuan was petrified, standing rooted to the spot, mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

‘Hmm…’ Gao Meiyou nodded unconsciously. ‘It feels like… this time, it actually went quite well!’

She scrutinized Shi Yuan’s face. The woman’s expression was clearly sour now. Was she angry? Humiliated? Did she think Xiao Xi was being a drama queen? Was he still cute? Still interesting? Did she still want to be in a relationship?

“Hmph,” Gao Meiyou confidently told Shi Meng, “It’s settled. I didn’t expect your brother to catch on so quickly; he has great potential to be a manipulative little ‘green tea’!”

“Ah, this…” Shi Meng turned her head away speechlessly. Her brother turning out like this was certainly not what she had wished for! ‘Thankfully, it’s just an act. Fortunately, it’s just an act…’

‘Wait a minute, he isn’t using this operation as an excuse to unleash his true nature, is he? No way, right?’

‘Ugh…’

Just as Shi Meng was caught in her worries, Xiao Xi, on the other side… found himself inexplicably awkward as he looked at Sister Yuan’s tear-streaked, wronged expression.

‘Ah, this…’

‘Sister Yuan feels wronged. This move… lowering her affection, it should have been successful, right?’

‘Does this count as… a partial victory?’

‘Hmm… worth celebrating, worth celebrating. I finally managed to complete a task assigned by Senior Sister. It’s just…’

‘It’s just…’

‘How do I end this now?’

‘Sister Yuan looks like she’s about to cry…’

‘Ah, this…’

“I get it… You idiot, Xiao Xi, I’ll watch, alright? I’ll watch!” Sister Yuan wiped away her tears and sat up straight, her eyes, now streaked with red, fixed intently on the projection screen. Xiao Xi felt a pang of fear. ‘Sister Yuan…’

‘He hadn’t meant to make her sad. He had only…’

“I… I wasn’t chatting with other girls. I was just giving instructions to my subordinates about work. I… I actually had something else planned for tonight.”

Sister Yuan, still staring at the screen, suddenly added in a small, wronged voice. Hearing her, Xiao Xi felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. ‘How…’

‘How could it have turned out like this!’