Chapter 79
“Qin Ai, have you been waiting long?” Zuo Bian stopped beside Qin Ai.
Qin Ai smiled. “No, I just arrived. And who is this?”
“Oh.” Zuo Bian crouched down and picked up 555, introducing it to Qin Ai. “Qin Ai, this is 555. You should know it.”
Qin Ai nodded. “Oh, 555.”
555 felt Qin Ai’s piercing gaze. It flailed its short limbs. “I want to get down, I can walk by myself.”
“Okay.” Zuo Bian put 555 down.
As soon as its feet touched the ground, 555 instinctively hid behind Zuo Bian. It had been too careless. Of all days to go out, it had to choose today. Now it was a third wheel.
“Where do you want to go today?” Qin Ai took Zuo Bian’s hand, their fingers interlacing naturally.
Even after holding Qin Ai’s hand, Zuo Bian didn’t forget about 555. She took 555’s hand and said, “Stay close, don’t get lost.”
“Mm-hmm.” 555 nodded vigorously, glancing at Qin Ai. Their eyes met.
555 wanted to go home immediately and shake off Zuo Bian’s hand, yelling: Woman, let go of my hand! You can’t touch me!
Unfortunately, it could only imagine doing so. If it actually said those words, it would be asking for trouble.
Zuo Bian held Qin Ai’s hand with her left hand and 555’s hand with her right hand, like a family of three out for a walk. It was a heartwarming sight.
“I want to go to the mirror maze today. I’ve only seen it online, I’ve never been to one before. I think it might be fun.”
“Okay, I went to a mirror maze once a long time ago. I wouldn’t mind going again.”
Zuo Bian asked curiously, “Is it fun? Qin Ai, who did you go with back then?”
Qin Ai looked up at the sky, her expression nostalgic, her voice soft.
“It was a long time ago. I went with my parents.”
Zuo Bian’s expression turned apologetic. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
Qin Ai shook her head with a smile. “There’s nothing to apologize for. It wasn’t a bad memory. We should learn to accept the past. My father might be gone, but my mother and brother are still here, aren’t they?”
“Mm-hmm.” Zuo Bian smiled again. “Your mother is very nice, and Xiao Tian is very thoughtful. I was just chatting with him, and he said he wants to study hard so he can help you with work in the future.”
Qin Ai chuckled. “Xiao Tian helping me with work? I’ll be happy if he doesn’t cause trouble.”
Zuo Bian grabbed Qin Ai’s hand, her expression serious. “Qin Ai, don’t underestimate Xiao Tian. He might be very capable in the future, maybe he’ll even be good at managing the company.”
Zuo Bian had ulterior motives for saying this. She didn’t want Qin Ai to work so hard.
How could Qin Ai, with her sharp mind, not see through Zuo Bian’s thoughts? She patted Zuo Bian’s head and smiled. “Okay, I won’t underestimate him. I’ll train him well to be my successor, then I’ll have more time to spend with you.”
Qin Ai’s hand slid to Zuo Bian’s ear, gently pinching her earlobe.
Zuo Bian’s earlobes were like a switch. As soon as they were touched, her face flushed red.
She opened her mouth to speak, but then she remembered that 555 was with them, so she closed her mouth again.
There was a child present, they couldn’t flirt.
Although 555 was actually very old, at least a few hundred years old, it was still considered a child in the system world. And judging by its usual behavior, it was indeed just a child.
“I want to eat ice cream. Qin Ai, do you want some?” Zuo Bian changed the subject.
Qin Ai hummed in response. “I’ll go buy some. What flavor do you want?”
“Strawberry. I’m really into strawberry flavor lately.”
“Okay, you and 555 wait here for me.”
“Mm-hmm.” Zuo Bian smiled at Qin Ai. They looked even more like a family of three now. The younger mom was watching the child, and the older mom was buying ice cream for them.
Qin Ai went to buy ice cream, and Zuo Bian waited by the roadside with 555.
A beautiful woman holding the hand of a cute and clumsy little plushie was a sight to behold.
Qin Ai returned with three ice cream cones.
555’s eyes lit up. It was ice cream! It could already smell the sweet fragrance. It wondered what it tasted like. Little Frog had said that ice cream was soft, sweet, and cold, very delicious.
Qin Ai handed the strawberry-flavored ice cream to Zuo Bian, then glanced at 555, whose eyes were practically glued to the ice cream. She was about to hand it a cone when she stopped.
“Its body probably can’t eat ice cream.”
Zuo Bian, who had just taken a lick of her strawberry ice cream, nodded. “Mm-hmm, 555’s body is a plushie, it doesn’t have any organs, it can’t eat.”
Qin Ai pretended to be surprised. “I see. Then what should we do with this extra ice cream?”
Zuo Bian smiled brightly. “I can eat it.”
Qin Ai chuckled. “Mm, I’ll hold onto it for now. I’ll give it to you after you finish the one you’re holding.”
555 almost fainted on the spot, but it held on strong.
It also wanted to eat those delicious foods. It watched longingly as Zuo Bian and Qin Ai finished their ice cream.
After finishing her ice cream, Zuo Bian sighed contentedly. “It’s so good. Strawberry never disappoints.”
Qin Ai said, “Since you like it so much, maybe AB Beverage Factory can expand its business and produce ice cream.”
“Okay,” Zuo Bian said with a smile.
555 reached into Zuo Bian’s bag and took out Little Frog.
Little Frog, who had just finished a bottle of Vitasoy, croaked in confusion, then its butt was pinched.
It was truly an innocent victim.
The “family of four” strolled towards the building where the mirror maze was located. Zuo Bian had already booked tickets, and they quickly entered.
As soon as they stepped inside, Zuo Bian felt dizzy. Countless mirrors reflected her and Qin Ai, they were everywhere, yet they were nowhere.
She even had the illusion that they weren’t in their original location. But after walking a short distance, the feeling subsided.
555, holding Zuo Bian’s hand, looked around curiously, even reaching out its plush hand to touch the mirrors.
Having a body was indeed different. After experiencing the world directly, 555 was starting to question its existence as a system.
“Qin Ai, look, we’re on the ceiling too.” Zuo Bian looked up and saw their reflection.
Qin Ai followed Zuo Bian’s gaze. Through the reflection in the mirror, she saw the bright smile on Zuo Bian’s face. She opened her mouth and mouthed a few words.
Zuo Bian, who had been looking at the ceiling, suddenly looked away.
“Qin Ai, I saw you talking. What did you say?” She looked at Qin Ai curiously.
Qin Ai walked ahead, a playful smile on her lips. “It’s a secret.”
“You knew I was looking at the mirror, why did you talk then? Didn’t you want me to know?” Zuo Bian asked, catching up to Qin Ai.
Qin Ai chuckled. “There’s a price to pay if you want to know my secret. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
“But it was just a few words.”
“But I think those words are important.”
Zuo Bian grabbed Qin Ai’s hand, her lips trembling slightly. “What do I have to do to know your secret?”
Qin Ai pretended to think for a moment, then whispered in Zuo Bian’s ear.
Zuo Bian hesitated, then nodded, her face flushed. “Okay. So what did you say?”
Qin Ai said, “I said, I love you, Zuo Bian.”
Qin Ai’s voice was beautiful, like the sound of a cool spring flowing in the night. Her “I love you” was filled with deep affection.
The blush that had been confined to Zuo Bian’s ears now spread across her cheeks and neck. There was nowhere to hide, every mirror reflecting her expression clearly.
“But that’s not a secret,” she whispered.
Qin Ai lifted Zuo Bian’s hand and kissed the back of it. “But it’s important, isn’t it?”
Zuo Bian frowned, troubled. “But I feel like I’m the one who lost out.”
It wasn’t just losing out, it was like signing an unfair treaty, selling herself out.
Qin Ai, the master manipulator, continued to deceive her. “How could you lose out? Would I ever bully you?”
“You’re bullying me right now.” Zuo Bian’s eyes welled up with tears.
Qin Ai was shameless. “Then do you hate me?”
Zuo Bian thought about it. She didn’t actually hate Qin Ai, so she honestly shook her head.
“Then it’s not bullying if you don’t hate me, right?” Qin Ai narrowed her eyes, pulling Zuo Bian closer.
The close contact made Zuo Bian’s mind go blank. She instinctively nodded. “Mm, right…”
“So it’s not a bad thing, is it?”
Zuo Bian couldn’t refute that and could only nod.
She looked at their intertwined hands. “Qin Ai, I feel like I’ve lost something.”
“Hmm? Have you? Isn’t your bag still with you? Do you want me to carry it for you?”
Zuo Bian shook her head. “No, it’s not heavy. Let’s keep going.”
After exiting this mirror maze, they entered another one. This wasn’t the end yet.
The second mirror maze was dimly lit, with moving lights casting flickering shadows on their faces.
Zuo Bian held Qin Ai’s hand and walked ahead. She was walking a bit faster and bumped into a glass wall.
“Eh, is there glass here? I didn’t notice it.” She rubbed her nose.
Qin Ai said, “Maybe it’s because it’s too dark.”
Zuo Bian looked closely and saw a third person reflected in the mirror. She turned around, but there was no one there except for Qin Ai.
Most people would have goosebumps, but Zuo Bian started analyzing the situation, trying to find a logical explanation for the “third person.”
“Qin Ai, did you see that just now?”
Qin Ai had also seen it. She nodded. “Mm, I saw it. Ugh, it’s a bit scary, I have goosebumps.” She raised her arm, her slender, fair arm still beautiful even with goosebumps.
Zuo Bian took off her jacket and put it on Qin Ai. “Don’t be afraid, it’s not real.”
“Mm, I’m not afraid.” Qin Ai deliberately leaned closer to Zuo Bian, her soft body pressing against Zuo Bian’s arm.
Zuo Bian’s ears were so red, they looked like they were bleeding. But she maintained a calm expression.
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