Chapter 109: Younger Female Cousin, Elder Female Cousin?

“It’s a bit noisy on your end. Who’s that?”

Just as she launched the game, Qin Nanfeng’s rich, magnetic voice came through, his tone calm and unremarkable, as if casually asking.

Hearing that, Lin Xinyuan glanced at her second cousin furiously pounding the keyboard, her beautiful eyes darting back and forth.

Suddenly, she wanted to test this guy a little, to see if he really had feelings for her…

Just thinking about what they did that night made her feel incredibly embarrassed now!

On top of that, their recent flirtatious chats had made her more aware.

She belatedly felt alarm bells ringing in her heart and wanted to ask Qin Nanfeng directly.

But she feared it was all in her head; if so, wouldn’t that just make that annoying yellow-haired guy think she was full of herself?

How humiliating that would be!

Still, if she didn’t clarify, it was the fear of the “what if” that haunted her…

So, she could only test the waters quietly.

Acting on that thought, Lin Xinyuan paused briefly, then softened her voice considerably.

Her voice was already soft, but now, relaxed like this, it sounded as if floating in the clouds.

Her tone carried a hint of lingering affection: “A friend of mine, someone I’ve known since childhood.”

What Lin Xinyuan wanted to convey to Qin Nanfeng was that she and her cousin had been childhood playmates, innocent and close.

Logically, at this point, if the other person had feelings for her, they should be anxious, right?

Yet, to the girl’s surprise, Qin Nanfeng’s tone remained unchanged, simply brushing past the topic.

“Hmm, I see.”

Lin Xinyuan was speechless.

Hearing that answer, her rational mind felt relieved and grateful.

Because that proved their friendship with that annoying yellow-haired guy hadn’t changed — it was all her imagination…

Still, Lin Xinyuan felt a tightness in her chest, a sharp sting.

Why did she feel upset and disappointed?

This shouldn’t be her true feeling!

She and that yellow-haired guy were friends — very good friends! Absolutely nothing strange!

That would be wrong! Unacceptable…

Too weird…

Her mind swirled with countless thoughts, though it only lasted moments before the game started loading.

At that moment, Tang Chengmin, taking advantage of the countdown to return to the city, sneaked a glance at his little cousin, who was staring blankly at the screen.

“Playing Crossfire?”

Tang Chengmin took off his headset and noticed Lin Xinyuan’s game screen, surprised as he asked.

“…”

“Say it earlier, cousin! I’ll carry you!”

Tang Chengmin’s confident words embarrassed Lin Xinyuan a bit; she wasn’t sure how to explain to Qin Nanfeng over voice chat.

But the young man seemed unconcerned and just started talking about other things.

Lin Xinyuan still wore her headset, so Tang Chengmin couldn’t hear Qin Nanfeng.

Seeing her muttering to herself, he guessed she was playing with someone else and became curious.

But he didn’t ask — after all, it was his little cousin’s business, no need to pry.

“Forget it, you and your friend go ahead and play!”

Saying that, Tang Chengmin still couldn’t help but wonder.

Could it be she was playing with a boy?

Just as he thought that, the death countdown ended, so he stopped thinking about it.

Noticing Tang Chengmin’s gaze shifting away, Lin Xinyuan’s tense shoulders relaxed a bit.

The match was about to start, but Qin Nanfeng didn’t pay attention.

Compared to the game, he clearly found the girl’s reaction more entertaining…

As if deliberately teasing Lin Xinyuan, he spoke at the right moment.

“Cousin?” Qin Nanfeng’s tone instantly changed, teasing, unlike his previous calmness. “Isn’t it a friend?”

Lin Xinyuan felt awkward but breathed a sigh of relief.

That tone!

This was the stinky yellow-haired guy she knew!

“I… I’ve been playing with my cousin since we were little, doesn’t that make us good friends?”

Qin Nanfeng knew very well that when the girl felt guilty, she would stammer slightly, but he didn’t point it out, pretending not to notice…

Then, thinking of how she had been testing him, a sly smile crossed his face.

Since she couldn’t see it, he let himself go without restraint.

She had some brains, but not much…

“Yeah, you’re right.”

At some unknown moment, his affirmation had gained another layer of meaning, dripping with sarcasm.

But Lin Xinyuan could tell Qin Nanfeng didn’t mean it that way.

Still, she also felt a bit exposed and uncomfortable.

Just a trick of her mind…

In early January, the major high schools in Zhannan City began to break for the holidays, and Zhan Nan No.1 High School was no exception.

Tang Yayun was happy.

As a top city school, Zhan Nan No.1 High School always carried heavy academic pressure, which was still a bit hard for the freshman to adapt to.

After all, many around her were high-achieving elites.

Her scores were top in the town’s middle school, but here, they were only average, which was quite stressful.

Still, overall, she felt good.

The environment had some influence on a person, and here, she could calm down quickly to study.

The only thing bothering Tang Yayun was the ban on cellphones.

It had originally been allowed, but with her cohort, the school suddenly issued a new order banning them at just the wrong time.

This frustrated Tang Yayun at first, not because she was addicted, but simply because she wanted to listen to audiobooks and music daily.

That was her habit since middle school, and this sudden change naturally caused complaints.

Caring subject teachers assigned loving holiday homework, which felt insufficient to some, who wanted even more — prompting delighted howls from the students.

The Class Teacher gave a safety lecture like a chant before handing out the phones, and Tang Yayun finally got her eagerly awaited cellphone.

Shortly after distributing the phones, the Class Teacher leisurely announced the official start of the vacation.

Packing her luggage and pulling her suitcase, Tang Yayun set off outside the school with a roommate she was close with.

“Xiaoyun, my dad’s here to pick me up, bye! See you next semester~”

Her female classmate waved to Tang Yayun and ran toward a car in the line of vehicles.

“Bye!”

Tang Yayun responded in kind, then after seeing her friend get in the car, she turned her gaze and walked toward the School Road Bus Stop by the school road.

Her parents weren’t available to pick her up today, but she didn’t mind.

Many times during previous breaks, she had taken the bus home alone.

She called a Didi and stood out among the crowd.

Her appearance was quite good; at the start of school, she had already received many love letters.

But she was not interested in romance for now, especially during this crucial stage of high school.

Compared to love, she wanted a little sister to play with.

Too bad…

Her parents hadn’t worked hard enough to fulfill her wish!

An elder sister would do too…

Soft and sweet — definitely better than her older brother who liked to tease her!

Thinking this, Tang Yayun sighed quietly.

At that moment, the green bubble popped up with a message.

「Hehehe, I heard my cute little sister is coming back? Want Oniichan to pick you up? Pervert.JPG」

Seeing this message, Tang Yayun immediately thought of her annoying brother’s face.

He was quite handsome, but his personality was a bit…

Having not seen him for a while, Tang Yayun had grown more patient with him.

Holding back her silent exasperation, she typed back.

「Okay, pick me up.」

Although her family was well-off, their upbringing hadn’t allowed many bad habits, so saving money was good for her.

「Ok, call me when you’re close. Relieved.JPG」

「Oh, by the way, I’ve got some good news for you, my dear little sister~」

“What kind of good news could that be?”

Tang Yayun doubted her brother’s words; she simply didn’t trust him.

「Legend has it~ you have a beautiful elder female cousin, did you know? Cheeky.JPG」

“Ah?”

Where did this elder female cousin come from?

Could her grandfather have had a secret child?

No way, right?