Fu Qin nodded, his cheeks still flushed, looking like he had been badly bullied.
Only he knew that it was all a facade.
He needed to maintain this "shy little brother" image, so as not to lower Xiao Wu's favorability nor to let Tang San notice the slightest flaw.
Xiao Wu released him with satisfaction, straightened her slightly disheveled skirt, her cheeks flushed and her breathing a little rapid.
She glanced at Fu Qin, her eyes full of laughter, then turned and said, "I'm going to the restroom. You wait here for me and don't wander off."
Fu Qin nodded in response. Only after watching Xiao Wu's figure disappear into the alley did he slowly suppress the shyness on his face, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
With 405 points of favorability, the relationship has reached an extremely dangerous edge.
In the past two years, Xiao Wu's behavior has become increasingly bold. If this continues, Tang San will find out sooner or later.
As he pondered how to strike the right balance, Tang San's voice came from behind him: "Fu Qin, where's Xiao Wu?"
Fu Qin immediately turned around, reverting to his shy demeanor, and pointed to the alley entrance, saying, "Sister Xiao Wu went to the restroom; she should be back soon."
Tang San nodded, walked over and stood beside him. His gaze swept over Fu Qin's flushed cheeks and slightly disheveled collar, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly: "What's wrong with you? Why is your face so red?"
"N-nothing," Fu Qin quickly lowered his head, pretending to straighten his collar. "I was probably just walking too fast and got a little hot."
Tang San didn't think much of it. After all, in his eyes, Fu Qin had always been a shy and introverted younger brother. Moreover, he was preoccupied with his plans after retrieving the Dragon Beard Needle and the upcoming Soul Master Competition, so he didn't delve into it.
The two stood silently in the alley, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
Fu Qin could sense the soul power fluctuations emanating from Tang San. Although level 28 soul power wasn't top-tier, Tang San's combat skills and practical experience far surpassed those of his peers, demonstrating considerable strength.
But in Fu Qin's eyes, this was nothing more than a facade.
With his level 33 soul power, combined with the combined soul skills "Hundred Refinements - Transformation" and "Divine Mechanism - Object Control", and the ultimate insight brought by "Heavenly Eye - Construction", defeating Tang San would be a piece of cake.
The reason he kept pretending was simply to maximize the effect of the "lower intelligence" aura, so that Tang San would gradually believe that he was a "very law-abiding citizen".
Not long after, Xiao Wu returned.
Seeing Tang San standing next to Fu Qin, the fervor in her eyes instantly vanished, and she returned to her usual lively and cheerful self, skipping and hopping over: "Third Brother, you're back! Did you get the things?"
"Got it." Tang San nodded, his gaze towards Xiao Wu filled with tenderness. "Let's go to the Rose Hotel to settle in first, or we might not get a table if we don't go soon."
Xiao Wu immediately replied, "Okay, okay, I'm exhausted, I need to go and rest."
She walked to Fu Qin's side and seemingly naturally took his arm, but her fingertips gently pinched his wrist, carrying a hint of mischief.
Fu Qin's body stiffened slightly, but he did not break free. His cheeks flushed again, and he looked shy.
Tang San walked ahead, completely unaware of the subtle movements of the two behind him, and was still enthusiastically planning the next leg of the journey: "Let's rest for the night and report to Shrek Academy tomorrow. I heard that the entrance exam there is very strict, so we need to prepare in advance."
"Okay, Third Brother," Xiao Wu replied casually, but her attention was entirely on Fu Qin beside her. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I'll come to see you tonight."
Fu Qin's heart tightened, and he was about to refuse when Xiao Wu let go of his arm and skipped over to Tang San, chattering about Shrek Academy.
Soon, the three arrived at the Rose Hotel.
The hotel was luxuriously decorated, and the lobby was bustling with people, mostly Soul Masters heading to Shrek Academy to register.
Tang San walked to the front desk and said to the waiter, "Two rooms."
His original idea was that he and Xiao Wu would share a room, and Fu Qin would share a room.
After all, in his opinion, he and Xiao Wu were husband and wife in their previous life, so there was nothing wrong with living together. Moreover, with the emotional foundation from their previous life, he felt that Xiao Wu would not refuse.
But before she could finish speaking, Xiao Wu immediately said, "No! We need three rooms!"
Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone around to hear.
Tang San was taken aback and looked at her with some confusion: "Xiao Wu, why do you need three rooms? We can just stay in one."
Xiao Wu walked to Tang San's side, tiptoed and whispered in his ear, "Third Brother, we're not married yet, so I can't share a room with you. Besides, it's not convenient for Fu Qin to live alone. It's just right to have three rooms, so we can each live in our own."
Her tone was firm, with a hint of unwavering stubbornness.
Tang San's expression instantly turned somewhat awkward, and a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
He didn't expect Xiao Wu to refuse so decisively. Although the two of them were not officially married in their previous life, they had already been in love, so living together was a natural thing.
But in this life, Xiao Wu's attitude was completely different, catching him somewhat off guard.
Looking at Xiao Wu's determined eyes, he could only smile awkwardly, a hint of humility on his face: "Okay, I'll do as you say, three rooms."
Once the two had agreed, the waiter quickly and efficiently processed their check-in and handed them three room keys.
"Here are your room cards, all on the third floor. Rooms 301 Blue Ocean, 302 Peach Sweetness, and 303 Red Rose are all adjacent rooms."
Tang San took the room cards and handed one of them to Fu Qin: "Fu Qin, you stay in 301, I stay in 302, and Xiao Wu stays in 303."
"Thank you, Brother Tang San," Fu Qin said shyly as he took the room key.
Xiao Wu suddenly stepped forward, snatched the room key from Fu Qin's hand, and shoved her own room key into his hand: "Fu Qin, let's switch rooms. I'll stay in 301, and you can stay in 303."
Although Tang San found it a bit strange, he didn't think much of it and assumed that Xiao Wu was just throwing a tantrum. He smiled and said, "Okay, let's change it then. It's all the same."
Fu Qin looked at the room card in his hand, then glanced at the sly smile in Xiao Wu's eyes, and felt helpless.
Xiao Wu clearly wanted him to live closer to her so she could easily come to see him at night.
Although 301 and 303 are adjacent, they are separated by a 302.
The three of them took their room keys and went up to the third floor, where they each returned to their rooms.
As soon as Fu Qin pushed open the door to room 303, he heard a slight noise coming from room 301 next door. It was clear that Xiao Wu was already impatient.
He walked into the room, closed the door behind him, leaned against the door, and looked at the favorability rating on the panel, which was still at 405 points.
He thought to himself, "Damn it, tonight is probably not going to be peaceful."
Meanwhile, in room 302, Tang San sat on the edge of the bed, his fingertips stroking the crystal in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.