Chapter 117: If He Were My Boyfriend

Zhao Xue had actually—truly—touched Li Xin’s most sensitive part.

What made her feel even more ashamed and furious was that Li Xin, lost in some sort of erotic dream, now looked terrifyingly fierce. Although Zhao Xue was no naïve girl, barging straight into the bed of a man she had only recently met was something she found utterly unacceptable.

“Ouch—”

Suddenly, a groan came from the bed. Li Xin woke up. He had been sleeping soundly, unaware of what had just struck him. This was serious—how could any man endure that?

Opening his eyes and about to scold loudly, Li Xin froze, dumbfounded as he stared at Zhao Xue’s flushed and humiliated face.

He swallowed hard, realizing he wasn’t covered by the blanket, and hastily pulled it over himself.

“Y-you… how did you get in here?”

“I… I…” Zhao Xue stammered, unable to find the words. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes glimmered with a rosy flush, enchanting and full of charm.

“You… I called you so many times outside the door, didn’t you hear? I thought something happened to you, so I rushed in to save you.”

“Called me?” Li Xin was utterly confused.

“I was asleep soundly and didn’t hear anything.”

“Um…” Zhao Xue was speechless. “With such a commotion, even a pig would have heard it.”

“I really didn’t hear anything. I stayed up all night studying strategy through videos yesterday,” Li Xin said, sitting up with a helpless smile.

“You… you really didn’t sleep for a whole day and night?” Zhao Xue covered her lips in surprise, finding it hard to believe.

She had always assumed his success was solely due to his extraordinary intellect and time management. Little did she know he put in such relentless effort behind the scenes. Truly, the saying is right: a minute on stage requires ten years of practice; to grind an iron pestle into a needle, one must persevere day in, day out for ten years.

Zhao Xue’s admiration and astonishment surged within her, beyond words.

Her sparkling eyes glanced at Li Xin under the dim light; indeed, he looked very weary.

Click!

The light switched on.

Looking again, he had two large dark circles under his eyes, showing no sign of relief even after six hours of sleep. For some reason, Zhao Xue’s heart stirred, her eyes moistening with unshed tears.

“Why do you do this to yourself…”

“Heh,” Li Xin rubbed his nose shyly, “Mr. Jiang sincerely invited me, and several wealthy young masters from HZ are all supporting it. If I’m not well prepared, the competition might be ruined. How could I face them with any dignity?”

Wrapped in a pristine white quilt, he looked like a grinning snowman.

Actually, this wasn’t much for him. Back when he was with Dongjia, he would often stay up for two or three days straight to thoroughly study his opponents before he could rest easy. Within Dongjia, he had the vivid nickname “Stubborn Donkey.”

Now, he was ill, which explained his fatigue. Otherwise, six hours of sleep would be enough for him.

Zhao Xue was deeply moved but couldn’t help laughing at his silly expression. The atmosphere in the room instantly softened. Meanwhile, the blush on the beauty’s face didn’t fade at all; instead, it deepened with emotion, a striking mix of red and dark hues that made her even more captivating.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Ah?” Zhao Xue was startled and hurriedly explained, “N-nothing.”

“Why don’t you wear clothes to bed?”

“It’s a habit. It’s more comfortable this way,” Li Xin said with a mischievous smile, feeling nervous and a bit flustered.

Recently, his personality had changed drastically. Having shared a bed several times with that shameless woman Wang Xiaoqian, he had developed some resistance to female charms. But Zhao Xue was different—she was a famous esports star. He had heard of her before but hadn’t met her. After a day’s acquaintance, she was still like a stranger to him.

Being touched by an unfamiliar beauty made him quite embarrassed.

Zhao Xue hesitated a few times, then said nothing, shyly turning away.

“Put on your clothes quickly.”

“Oh.” Li Xin dressed while asking, “Where are we going?”

“To eat,” Zhao Xue’s heart pounded wildly, her cheeks burning.

The image of their earlier encounter kept flashing through her mind. Though just a brief touch, Zhao Xue had sensed his impressive size—staggering and intensely heated. For a woman who had been sleeping alone for two years since their breakup, it was a fiery shock.

After all, being a woman, such a marvelous feeling was irresistible. Subconsciously, Zhao Xue’s thoughts began to wander.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh,” she spat a few times. “What am I thinking? What’s wrong with me?”

Yet the thought lingered, repeatedly striking her mind.

Li Xin finished dressing, slipped on his shoes under the bed, and smiled brightly. “Let’s go.”

Before he could finish, he noticed Zhao Xue’s odd behavior and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Uh… I’m fine,” Zhao Xue replied hurriedly, flustered and uneasy. Knowing her own excuse wouldn’t convince herself, how could she deceive him?

“Are you sick?”

“No.”

“Then why are your face and ears like that?” Li Xin, the big wooden block, was nearly driving her crazy.

Fed up with his questions, Zhao Xue shouted hoarsely, “Are you done? I said nothing’s wrong, so nothing’s wrong!”

Li Xin swallowed, wide-eyed, and nodded slowly.

Why is she so fierce? Better not to provoke her.

Their thoughts diverged as they left the room. Li Xin assumed they were headed to the cafeteria, but Zhao Xue told him the chefs had all gone to the city to relax; she would cook herself.

Li Xin was skeptical.

A glamorous esports star who could cook? None of the actresses he knew could. Their hectic schedules of training and competitions left them exhausted. Add in events, endorsements, fan meetings—free time was scarce. Celebrity life was more exhausting than a dog’s. Who had the heart to learn to cook?

But as it turned out, Li Xin was wrong.

Zhao Xue prepared a vibrant, fragrant meal of three dishes and one soup in just 44 minutes. The colors alone whetted the appetite.

After the first bite, Li Xin was amazed—the flavors were delicious, refreshing, and left a lingering taste.

As they devoured the sumptuous meal, their bond grew stronger, and they talked extensively. When Li Xin mentioned Parkinson’s disease, Zhao Xue’s suspicions were confirmed.

At the same time, his calm and carefree demeanor earned her deep admiration.

As fellow prominent esports stars, she had heard of his humiliating forced retirement at Dongjia. Most would have fallen into despair and given up. Yet he recovered quickly; though tormented by illness, he was lighter, sunnier, and more carefree than before.

The shameful past hadn’t crushed him—it seemed to have become the catalyst for his transformation.

No one would believe this if told; even Zhao Xue, seeing it with her own eyes, found it miraculous.

This man seemed full of endless charm, moving others with his easy laughter and natural grace.

Dinner ended, and Li Xin was ready to return to rest. Zhao Xue’s questions had all been answered. Leaning on the window, watching his broad figure disappear, her thoughts wandered.

“If only he were my boyfriend,” the beauty murmured, her eyes shimmering like autumn waves.