"Ye Qiu, how could you hit Sister Xiao Wu again just now—and in front of so many people?!"
Behind him, Xiao Wu pouted, her voice slightly choked with tears. She stared at Ye Qiu's back, her eyes filled with grievance.
"You still have the nerve to say that?"
"I told you to act cute and play coy so the shopkeeper might give us a discount. But no—you saw that grilled rabbit leg stall he was running on the side, and you exploded! You flipped his whole stand! I had to pay out of my own pocket to clean up your mess and buy all the rabbit legs!"
Just thinking about it got Ye Qiu fired up again. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at the pitiful little bunny with a mix of frustration and disappointment.
"You're talking nonsense! It's that guy's fault! He actually had the nerve to shove a rabbit leg into my mouth! I'm already being nice for not breaking his leg! And besides, rabbits are so cute—why would anyone eat them?! Hmph!"
Xiao Wu grew angrier the more she thought about that vendor. She wished she could go back and make an even bigger scene. Imagine trying to feed her rabbit meat!
"He only did that because he thought you were adorable and wanted to give you something to eat! Not only did you not thank him, but you also flipped his whole stall!"
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes dramatically.
That poor vendor had meant well but ended up doing something terribly wrong. How could he have possibly known she was literally a rabbit?
"E-even so! Did you really have to elbow me so many times? And even throw me over your shoulder?! It really hurt, you know…"
The more Xiao Wu thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Her lips pouted more, and tears welled up again. She could barely straighten her back now.
"Don't twist things! When did I ever elbow you? After I gave you that black eye, it was that fat lady by the roadside who took the opportunity—she's the one who kept elbowing you in the chaos!"
Hearing Xiao Wu's accusations, Ye Qiu immediately clarified. He wasn't about to take the blame for something he didn't do.
"What?! Someone actually sneak-attacked Sister Xiao Wu…?! I'm gonna beat her up!"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened. At the time, she'd been too busy clutching her eye and didn't notice how many people had hit her. Now that she remembered, she felt even worse.
With a choked-up voice, she complained:
"S-still, even if that's true, you still punched Sister Xiao Wu and threw her over your shoulder! I saw it—it was you!"
"Could you please get your facts straight?"
Ye Qiu pouted helplessly and explained:
"I was trying to save you when I grabbed you! I didn't mean to use that much strength. You saw the ground—it was full of burning coals you knocked over. If I didn't pull you hard enough and you fell into those coals, what then? You'd have become a roast rabbit for real."
"Sister Xiao Wu is not a rabbit!"
Xiao Wu pouted and tried to deny it, but her tone only made it more suspicious. Then she started cursing with renewed grievance.
"Ugh! That nasty woman better not let Sister Xiao Wu see her again, or I'll show her how my elbows work!"
"Relax, you'll get your chance. We're gonna be at this school for six years."
Ye Qiu chuckled.
Thinking about that fat girl, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Of all the ways to join in the chaos, she had to use elbow strikes? Ridiculous.
Then he turned to Xiao Wu and said:
"Anyway, we could've bought two quilts, but thanks to you, we could only afford one! So now, no quilt for you."
"What?! Why don't I get a quilt?!"
Xiao Wu's pretty little face turned shocked, her voice a mix of surprise and grievance. She raised the quilt in her arms and spoke nonchalantly.
"One quilt's fine. It's big—we can share it! What, are you afraid Sister Xiao Wu will do something to you?"
Then she huffed angrily and added:
"Sister Xiao Wu got sneak-attacked so many times just trying to buy a quilt with you! You owe me!"
Hearing that, Ye Qiu rolled his eyes again and grumbled:
"You're such a pervy rabbit."
"You! Don't call me that! I'm not some pervy rabbit—you're the perv! You kicked me in the butt back at the dorm!"
Xiao Wu fumed, glaring at Ye Qiu furiously.
He'd already hit her twice! Now both her eyes were black and even her butt was uneven!
The thought made her grit her silver teeth, like she was ready to bite him.
"Haha…"
Seeing her angry-but-helpless expression, Ye Qiu couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?"
Xiao Wu looked confused.
Ye Qiu stopped smiling and glanced around.
They happened to be in a small alleyway. He found a clean-ish spot and laid down the bedding.
Then he clapped his hands, stretched, and walked toward Xiao Wu.
"What are you doing? You're not gonna hit Sister Xiao Wu again, are you?!"
Seeing Ye Qiu approach, Xiao Wu's eyes filled with fear and she backed away.
At this moment, she definitely couldn't beat him.
"Don't come any closer!"
"What are you thinking, silly rabbit? Why would I hit you for no reason? Did you forget what you promised me?"
Ye Qiu shrugged, spreading his hands helplessly.
"What I promised you?"
Xiao Wu blinked her big, crimson eyes, confused.
"Yeah, what you promised! Put that stuff down—let me try what it feels like to wrap around you."
Ye Qiu pointed to the spot where he laid the bedding, asking her to set down the quilt.
"I told you—stop calling me a rabbit!"
Finally understanding, Xiao Wu pouted.
She walked cautiously over to the bedding, set the quilt down, wiped away her tears, then turned back around.
Hands on her hips, feet together, she huffed, "You can't call me 'dumb rabbit' either! And definitely not 'pervy rabbit'!"
Then she protectively covered her perky butt with one hand and waved a little fist at Ye Qiu with the other.
"Watch out or Sister Xiao Wu will beat you up!"
"Pfft, hahaha—"
Ye Qiu laughed again, clearly amused.
What was this mix of cowardly and aggressive behavior? It was actually kind of adorable.
"What are you laughing at? Sister Xiao Wu's serious!"
Xiao Wu frowned, her crimson eyes filled with determination.
"Mhm, I know you're serious."
Ye Qiu stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully. Then he suddenly felt like teasing the not-so-bright pink bunny again.
He dropped his smile, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly paced toward Xiao Wu. As he neared, he leaned his face in close.
"W-what are you doing?"
Xiao Wu bent back nervously, blushing and trying to keep some distance.
"The more I look at you, the more you look like a little rabbit."
Ye Qiu smirked mischievously, his tone calm.
"W-what nonsense are you saying? What part of me looks like a rabbit?!"
Xiao Wu quickly took two steps back, forcing herself to act calm as she glared at Ye Qiu.
"What part doesn't?"
Ye Qiu kept his hands behind his back and slowly circled around her, his eyes evaluating her top to bottom.
"Not only is your spirit animal a rabbit, but even some of your habits are rabbit-like. Just seeing someone eat rabbit made you sad and angry!"
As Ye Qiu spoke, Xiao Wu's eyes kept darting, and her hands twisted together nervously, clenching her clothes tightly.
"I—I just really like rabbits, that's all…"
Suddenly, Ye Qiu leaned in close from behind, making Xiao Wu freeze on the spot.
Warm breath tickled her neck as Ye Qiu leaned in and sniffed softly.
It actually smelled kind of nice, though he didn't say so out loud.
He bent closer to her ear and whispered:
"Even your scent smells kind of like a rabbit… could it be… you really are a rabbit in disguise, little white bunny?"
The warm breath on her ear sent chills through her. Xiao Wu's face instantly drained of color, turning pale with panic.
"Th-that's impossible!"
She let out a frightened shout, stumbling forward and spinning around to stare at Ye Qiu, eyes filled with panic and evasiveness.
"I'm not! Don't call me little white bunny! How could a human possibly be—?!"