After saying goodbye to his two younger brothers, Zhou Sichen went to visit Beibei and Tang Ya. Since he was already there, it was a good opportunity to catch up and chat.
Beibei was honestly astonished by Zhou Sichen's circumstances. He didn't know all the details, but the treatment Zhou Sichen was receiving was something he had never even heard of.
Even Xuan Zu had told him to maintain a good relationship with Zhou Sichen—this guy was the future hope of Shrek Academy!
Tang Ya was even more envious. Zhou Sichen had entered the academy and immediately become an Inner Court senior. No matter how hard she worked, she couldn't hope to match that level of talent.
However, now that she had Zhou Sichen's guidance and long-term planning, she felt more confident about her own future.
When they met, both Beibei and Tang Ya called him "Brother Zhou" smoothly and naturally, not caring at all that he was actually younger than them.
After chatting for a while, it was already late, and Zhou Sichen said his goodbyes and returned to the Inner Court.
Only then did he remember that he had followed Qian Duoduo straight from the arena that afternoon and had left Sister Xianmeng there by herself. He felt a bit guilty about that.
But showing up at a girl's place in the middle of the night wasn't a good idea either, so he decided he'd make it up to her tomorrow.
With the resources from Qian Duoduo and some compensation from Elder Gong, Zhou Sichen had quite a few treasures stored in his soul tool now.
As he returned to Ye Guyi's villa, he saw two figures standing outside from a distance.
Squinting his eyes, he recognized one of them as Dugu Xianmeng.
The other was none other than the fiery-tempered battle maniac Ma Xiaotao, who had been suppressed by Xianmeng just the day before.
Zhou Sichen couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth. What was this? Two beauties waiting outside his house in the middle of the night?
It made sense that Xianmeng had come—after all, he was technically her current target in her "capture mission."
But why was Ma Xiaotao here? Shouldn't she be spending her evenings cultivating?
As Zhou Sichen approached, the two girls naturally noticed him. As he got closer, he realized something was off—the atmosphere between them was tense.
Both of them were glaring at each other with open hostility, clearly not giving an inch. When Zhou Sichen arrived, Dugu Xianmeng bounced over and wrapped herself around his arm, pressing herself tightly against him.
Smiling sweetly, Xianmeng raised a food container in her hand. "Sichen, why are you back so late? Have you eaten yet? I brought you a midnight snack!"
Ma Xiaotao caught sight of this and couldn't help but sneer.
Zhou Sichen smiled slightly. "Sister Xianmeng, I already ate. But thank you for the thought—I'll treat you next time."
Xianmeng immediately pouted. "Really? But I already prepared it... It would be such a waste if no one eats it."
She glanced at Ma Xiaotao. "Senior, how about you eat it then?"
That line almost made Ma Xiaotao explode on the spot.
She had originally come here hoping to have a serious talk with Zhou Sichen while everyone else was resting. Her teacher's words were still echoing in her mind, making her blush just thinking about them.
After giving it some real thought, she decided that maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. So, she wanted to interact with Zhou Sichen more and see how things developed.
But who would have thought—that little poison girl showed up too, bringing a midnight snack and actively provoking her the whole time!
Ma Xiaotao was confused. Zhou Sichen wasn't her boyfriend, so why was she acting like a possessive girlfriend?
Originally, Ma Xiaotao had planned to leave, but after a second thought, she decided to stay.
Not because she had feelings for Zhou Sichen or anything like that—she just had something to say.
At least, that's what she told herself.
But Xianmeng's deliberately passive-aggressive remark made her frown with anger.
Seeing that, Zhou Sichen quickly took the food container from Xianmeng's hand.
"Senior Ma, Sister Xianmeng, since you're both here, why not sit down and have something to eat?"
Xianmeng grinned. "Didn't you say you weren't hungry?"
Zhou Sichen ignored the little fox's teasing and opened the door to Ye Guyi's villa, leading the way inside.
As he walked, he said, "Since you brought it already, not eating it would be a waste, right?"
Ma Xiaotao hesitated for a moment, then followed them into the villa.
Zhou Sichen, familiar with the place, turned on the soul-powered lamps in the courtyard. With an apologetic tone, he said, "My sister's not home yet, so I won't invite you inside. Let's eat in the yard."
With that, he led Xianmeng to a stone table in the garden. Surrounded by the scent of blooming sunflowers, Zhou Sichen immediately felt at peace.
This smells like home...
Xianmeng placed the containers on the table and delicately opened them one by one, releasing a rich aroma of food into the air.
Zhou Sichen looked at Ma Xiaotao and invited her, "Senior, come have a seat."
She hesitated again but ultimately ignored the smug look from Xianmeng and sat down across from Zhou Sichen.
Xianmeng picked up a piece of roasted meat, perfectly grilled to a golden crisp, and handed it to Zhou Sichen. But instead of eating it, he passed it to Ma Xiaotao. "Senior, try it."
Xianmeng instantly puffed up her cheeks in frustration and glared at Ma Xiaotao.
Ma Xiaotao responded with a smile, deliberately smug, and accepted it with ease. "Well then, I won't be shy!"
Watching her proud expression, Xianmeng sneakily pinched Zhou Sichen under the table, then picked up another piece of meat and offered it to him again.
Zhou Sichen grabbed her delicate hand with one hand and accepted the food with the other. After a bite, he found it delicious and finished it in one go.
Ma Xiaotao also took a small bite, her lips curling into a satisfied smile.
Xianmeng, still glaring at her, picked out a piece of tenderloin and began eating as well.
Even though one of her hands was still being held by Zhou Sichen under the table, feeling the smooth texture of his skin gave her a strange sense of happiness.
She could tell that Zhou Sichen didn't dislike her. In fact, he seemed more comfortable with her than with others. That's why Xianmeng dared to be playful with him .
She had never been in a relationship before, but she wasn't clueless either. She hadn't eaten pork, but she'd definitely seen pigs run.
Zhou Sichen's willingness to play along with this somewhat flirtatious game showed her that she had a chance.
That's why she kept provoking Ma Xiaotao—to stir Zhou Sichen's protective instincts.
The only problem was... this move didn't just bring her into Zhou Sichen's line of sight—it brought Ma Xiaotao in as well.
She wasn't sure if that made her clever... or a fool.
Thinking she was being clever, Xianmeng munched on her meat while her thoughts wandered wildly.
Then, she shook her head and muttered to herself, "Ah, I'm so bad! This innocent little brother's totally falling into my trap..."
Beneath the table, Zhou Sichen continued to hold Xianmeng's hand while smiling at Ma Xiaotao. "Senior, it's so late. Did you come here for something important?"
Ma Xiaotao glanced at Xianmeng, paused for a moment, then replied with a polite smile, "Why? Can't I come see you if it's not important?"
Zhou Sichen blinked, then quickly responded, "Of course you can. You're always welcome to stop by."
Sitting close to him, Xianmeng immediately let out a sarcastic remark. "Oh? Coming to see little Sichen in the middle of the night for no reason? I wonder if someone's trying to rob the cradle."
With Zhou Sichen there, Xianmeng wasn't afraid of Ma Xiaotao at all. She trusted that her little brother would protect her.
Thinking back to how aggressive Ma Xiaotao had been on the Soul Dueling Platform the day before, Xianmeng couldn't help but want to stir up trouble for her.
Besides, she wasn't stupid. It was clear that Ma Xiaotao had some kind of motive for coming over so late.
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