Chapter 36: A Curious Itch and a Crushing Reply

Meanwhile, in a luxurious apartment somewhere in the city.

Xiao Moyuan leaned back alone on the sofa, positioned before the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows.

He wore headphones, through which the voice message played on a loop—the one he had saved, hastily retracted, yet still carrying a subtle tremor.

“Gege… you’ve seen enough…”

The little trickster’s forced composure, riddled with obvious flaws, created a peculiar contrast with his usual bold and provocative demeanor. He was like a kitten extending a paw only to swiftly retract it, leaving a curious itch in his heart.

“It’s far more amusing than when he tries to act experienced.”

He murmured to himself, his fingertips unconsciously tapping against the cold glass of his cup.

Watching him fumble to retract the message, only to send another voice note that was deliberately prim and proper, as if nothing had happened, Xiao Moyuan’s lips curved into the faintest of smiles, a subtle twist he himself hadn’t even noticed.

In truth, his earlier remark, ‘I still really want to,’ referred to the infinite possibilities that lay beyond his previous question, ‘What else does Gege want to do then?’

However, only teasing in moderation would prolong the game. Pushing too hard would scare away this wary and cunning little fox, and that would be no fun at all.

Since a meeting had been decided, arriving empty-handed seemed rather impolite.

Pondering, he picked up his phone and opened the chat window with Su Baixue.

***

Meanwhile, in her room, Su Baixue was drowning in an overwhelming sense of loss and betrayal, feeling as though she had sunk to the cold depths of the ocean floor.

Just then, her phone suddenly rang with a notification sound—one she had set a special ringtone for, yet it had almost never chimed proactively. It was from [Yuan].

‘He messaged me first?!’

She shot upright from the bed, her heart pounding wildly, threatening to burst from her chest.

With trembling fingers, she tapped open the message.

[Yuan: What does your brother like?]

Su Baixue: “…?”

She stared at the line of text, blinking, then vigorously rubbing her eyes. She wondered if the shock had been too great, causing her to hallucinate.

‘What kind of question is this?’

‘Did he send it to the wrong person?!’

[Snow King: Moyuan-qianbei… did you, did you send it to the wrong person?]

After sending the message, she held her breath, waiting intently.

A few seconds later, the reply arrived—concise, cold, shattering all her illusions.

[Yuan: Not sent to the wrong person. Your brother, Su Mian, what does he like?]

Su Baixue felt her brain’s CPU let out a “buzz,” its temperature instantly skyrocketing, threatening to burn out on the spot!

‘Since he doesn’t know, he’ll just ask directly.’

[Snow King: Moyuan-qianbei, why… how do you know Su Mian is my brother?]

[Yuan: Because of Shen Zhixia. He came to find me.]

That single sentence was like a sudden enlightenment, instantly providing a logical explanation for Su Baixue’s chaotic thoughts.

‘Of course!’

Given Su Mian’s past behavior, seeing Shen Zhixia and Moyuan-qianbei grow close would undoubtedly provoke him.

He would surely run off to deliberately cause trouble and seek attention, just as he had done with other boys who approached Shen Zhixia.

In that case, it made perfect sense for Moyuan-qianbei to know Su Mian and to have investigated their relationship!

A surge of intense shame and indignation welled up within her. She quickly tried to distance herself, hoping to salvage her image in the eyes of her idol.

[Snow King: Moyuan-qianbei, I’m so sorry! Su Mian is just like that—immature and impulsive. I’m utterly fed up with him too! I hope he didn’t cause you too much trouble?]

[Snow King: Please don’t worry, Moyuan-qianbei. I’ll go scold… no, I’ll go properly educate him! I’ll make sure he stays far away from you in the future!]

On the other side, Xiao Moyuan’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as he read Su Baixue’s reply.

The relationship between these siblings seemed even more distant and… unpleasant than he had anticipated.

He typed out a line of text, his tone undeniably cold and firm, forcibly pulling the conversation back on track.

[Yuan: Can you understand my words? What question did I ask you?]

Su Baixue, who had been about to rush out and give Su Mian a fierce dressing-down, froze instantly. Staring at the text on the screen, she could almost feel the cold, oppressive aura emanating from it.

‘He’s angry…’

‘Is it because I didn’t answer his question, or because Su Mian’s actions implicated me?’

‘I can’t upset Moyuan-qianbei any further! The immediate priority is to answer his question!’

Just as she was about to type a reply, her fingers hovered above the screen, and she froze once more.

‘Su Mian… what does he like?’

‘Oh no… it seems she truly doesn’t know.’

Her memories seemed to be covered in a layer of dust. She desperately tried to recall, only to find her mind utterly blank regarding Su Mian’s preferences.

Throughout the years they had grown up together, she realized she had never genuinely cared what this “brother” liked or disliked.

If she replied “I don’t know” now, this hard-won opportunity to chat would likely vanish.

And would Moyuan-qianbei think she was a terrible sister? Would he look down on her even more?

Su Baixue took a deep breath, steeled herself, and once again headed towards Su Mian’s room.

This time, her footsteps were much heavier.

“Thump! Thump! Thump!”

The door was knocked upon unceremoniously, startling Su Mian awake just as he had drifted into a light sleep.

‘Could he not get any proper sleep?’

He got out of bed to open the door, revealing Su Baixue standing outside.

Unlike her accusatory demeanor from earlier, she now stood with pursed lips and evasive eyes. Her face wore an exceedingly awkward expression, a blend of resentment and embarrassment.

Remembering his mother’s instruction to actively bridge the gap between them, Su Mian struggled to suppress his impatience. He forced what he believed to be a kindly smile. “Xiaoxue, what’s wrong? Do you need something else?”

Su Baixue looked as if she found it incredibly difficult to speak, her toes unconsciously scuffing the floor.

After struggling for a long moment, she seemed to finally make up her mind. Head bowed, her voice barely a whisper, she quickly asked, “Su Mian, you… what do you like?”

Su Mian was momentarily stunned by her abrupt question. He blurted out instinctively, “I like Shen Zhixia!”

‘Wasn’t that common knowledge?’

“That’s not what I asked! Idiot!” Su Baixue suddenly lifted her head, her cheeks flushed crimson with both shame and anger. “I meant… things you like! Food! Items! Anything!”

Su Mian grew even more perplexed. His birthday was still far off, and Su Baixue never prepared gifts for him. Had the sun risen in the west?

Though he didn’t understand, he answered honestly: “As for food… eggs, soy products, yogurt, things like that. And for items…”

He scratched his head, offering a slightly embarrassed smile. “There’s nothing I particularly want, it seems. If I had to say… money is the most practical. With money, I can just buy whatever I like myself.”

Indeed, Su Mian was precisely that vulgar and honest. He liked money; it was simple, direct, and could solve most of life’s troubles.

“Useless!” Su Baixue, as if finally finding an outlet for her frustration, habitually tossed out a critical remark. She had been about to turn and leave but suddenly remembered another crucial question, stopping dead in her tracks.

She lifted her head, her gaze sharply fixed on Su Mian, a look of scrutiny mixed with a hint of undetectable nervousness. “You know Xiao Moyuan, right?”

Su Mian paused, surprised, and countered, “Xiaoxue, you know Xiao Moyuan?!”

Su Baixue offered no reply, but her silence and gaze spoke volumes.

This instantly seemed to open Su Mian’s floodgates. The frustration, jealousy, and resentment that had built up for days finally found an outlet. His mouth, like a lit string of firecrackers, began to spout an endless stream of words:

“Let me tell you, Xiaoxue, Zhixia has been completely misled by this guy! Don’t let his outwardly respectable appearance fool you; he might look decent and have good grades, but underneath, he’s a scoundrel! A beast!

He’s incredibly good at faking it, and his intentions are deeply sinister! Stay far away from him, don’t let him trick you…”

“Enough!!! I forbid you from speaking about him like that!!!”

Su Baixue suddenly shrieked, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, abruptly cutting off Su Mian’s accusations.

Her chest heaved violently, her eyes wide and filled with offended fury and fierce protectiveness.

“Sister Zhixia doesn’t like you, so you should look for reasons within yourself! What right do you have to slander others!”

She glared fiercely at Su Mian, then spun around and slammed her bedroom door shut with a loud bang, leaving Su Mian standing alone, utterly dumbfounded.

Su Mian opened his mouth, but no words came out, a profound speechlessness filling him.

‘What in the world was that?!’

‘He was clearly just trying to give her a kind warning…’

‘Sure enough, the minds of rebellious teenagers were far too erratic, simply impossible to comprehend!’

Mentally and physically exhausted, Su Mian gave up trying to think. He had only one thought now: sleep.

Any problem, no matter how monumental, could wait until he woke up.

***

Meanwhile, Su Baixue returned to her room, leaning against the door to calm her racing heart. Then, she quickly “polished” the information she had “interrogated” from Su Mian and sent it to Xiao Moyuan.

[Snow King: Moyuan-qianbei, I’m sorry, I was just… in the shower, so I couldn’t reply in time.]

[Snow King: My brother likes eggs, soy products, and yogurt. Besides that… he doesn’t have any particular favorites. He’s a very superficial person, with no grand ambitions, he just loves money!]

[Yuan: Understood.]

The reply was still brief, but he didn’t seem angry.

Su Baixue had a flash of inspiration, sensing this was a good opportunity to learn more about Xiao Moyuan. She quickly pursued the topic:

[Snow King: Then… Moyuan-qianbei, what do you like?]

She waited with bated breath.

[Yuan: I also like money.]

Su Baixue: “…”

One sentence killed the conversation.

She stared at the line of text, her mouth twitching with immense awkwardness.

‘How was she supposed to respond to that? Should she start discussing which currency held its value better?’

[Snow King: Besides that… Moyuan-qianbei, is there nothing else you like?]

She cautiously tried to steer the conversation into a more personal realm.

This time, Xiao Moyuan’s reply was slower:

[Yuan: No.]

[Yuan: Also, do you like me?]

Su Baixue stared at that last line of text, feeling as if she’d been struck by a bolt of electricity. She instantly sat bolt upright on the bed, her heart pounding furiously.

‘He… he knows?!’

‘He actually asked so directly!’

A rush of extreme shame mixed with immense surprise overwhelmed her.

‘Since he asked directly, did it mean… he actually noticed her feelings?’

‘Did she still have a chance?’

‘Before Shen Zhixia and he officially confirmed their relationship, could she still… try to win him over?’

Filled with immense courage, her fingers trembled, yet she typed out her reply with unwavering determination:

[Snow King: Yes! I like Moyuan-qianbei! I’ve liked you ever since I first saw you at the Demon Extermination Academy!]

After sending the message, Su Baixue blushed from head to toe, burying her burning cheeks deep into her soft pillow. Yet, she couldn’t resist peeking out slightly, nervously staring at the screen, anticipating his response.

A few seconds later, the message arrived.

[Yuan: Since you like me, and we’ve interacted quite a few times at the Demon Extermination Academy.]

[Yuan: You don’t even know what I like?]

[Yuan: Have you ever considered your own reasons why I’m not interested in you?]

Su Baixue: “…”

She watched the three consecutive messages, the flush on her face rapidly draining, leaving her utterly pale.

The other party’s meaning was clear: he didn’t like her.

But those words… why did they sound so familiar? So… jarring?