After Being Bitten By Top-Tier O, Flop A Went Viral - Chapter 21

21: I Like It Very Much

The entire venue fell silent.

Even Yan Qing widened her eyes in disbelief as she stared at Qin Que. The brightly colored bow slipped from the woman’s hand and fell onto the grass.

The only calm one was Qin Que herself. After confirming that the arrow had indeed stuck to the target, she waved at Yan Qing with a smile. “It hit.”

A few seconds later, a dumbfounded Yan Yuzhen managed to squeeze out three words, “This is too…”

She didn’t finish, but everyone understood what she meant.

This is too much like a loyal dog. You can even aim to catch an arrow someone else shot—what’s the difference between you and a dog waiting to catch a frisbee?

Yan Qing was stunned for a moment before picking up the bow from the ground. For the first time in her life, she felt what it meant to be overwhelmed by favor.

It wasn’t that no one had ever doted on her before—plenty of people had, and she had always believed she deserved it. A sincere heart for a sincere heart; there was nothing to feel guilty about.

But now, as she looked at the alpha smiling brilliantly in the distance, she couldn’t help but wonder:

Do I deserve such wholehearted devotion?

She knew this wasn’t part of their agreed-upon act. If Qin Que could perform romantic scenes even half as naturally as she did now, the audience would have been swooning long ago. Would they still have mocked her on social media?

Even the lightweight toy bow now felt heavy in her hands.

She composed herself and said to Qin Que, “I’ve already calculated the margin of error. Next time, don’t move.”

“Okay.” The alpha nodded obediently, relaxing her stance and standing still.

So compliant?

Yan Qing felt both exasperated and amused as she drew her bow again.

The remaining four arrows hit their mark without any suspense.

Amid Yan Yuzhen’s envious exclamations, Qin Que removed the target from her body and ran back to the shooting point.

“We won.”

“Mm.”

Yan Qing merely smiled.

This starkly different reaction compared to the previous two competitions put Qin Que on alert.

Although the other’s pheromones showed no change, she couldn’t help but speculate.

Did catching that arrow make her think I didn’t trust her?

Yan Qing’s expression had turned serious at that moment.

Is Yan Qing unhappy?

Otherwise, why didn’t she high-five me or… hug me this time?

After a moment of hesitation, she spoke up, “I caught the arrow earlier because it happened to be close by. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. If it upset you, I won’t do it again.”

Yan Qing, who had been gazing into the distance lost in thought, turned to her in confusion. “Why would I be unhappy?”

Qin Que: “Uh, but…”

You didn’t seem particularly happy either.

The woman studied her intently for a moment, watching her grow increasingly flustered before finally breaking into a smile.

She pinched Qin Que’s ear and whispered,

“I’m overjoyed.”

…

The third archer was Nie Sijun. Even with the lightweight modified bow, it was too sturdy for her frail frame. She strained with all her might but could only draw the bow halfway. Her first arrow flew weakly and fell to the ground before reaching Dai Yuchen.

From afar, Dai Yuchen shouted impatiently, “Put some strength into it!”

The sudden roar startled Nie Sijun, but the first arrow had already drained most of her energy. The second one didn’t even make it halfway.

“Hey, you!”

Dai Yuchen was practically hopping with frustration, while Nie Sijun bit her lip and forced her trembling hands to draw the third arrow.

“Maybe just stop. There’s no way you’ll hit it. Honestly, I’ll just let you have second place, okay?” Even Yan Yuzhen couldn’t bear to watch.

Dai Yuchen continued yelling nonstop until Yan Qing stepped forward, plucked an arrow from Nie Sijun’s quiver, and let it fly.

Thunk!

The sound silenced Dai Yuchen mid-rant.

“Should I shoot for Sister Nie instead? I can hit the target.” Yan Qing smiled coolly as she took the arrow from Nie Sijun’s hand. The bow creaked ominously as she drew it to its limit.

Before Mi Sike could intervene, Dai Yuchen yelled from afar, “No need! We forfeit!”

Only after Yan Qing lowered the bow did Dai Yuchen dare to relax his stiffened legs.

He was drenched in cold sweat, on the verge of collapsing to the ground.

He was certain that if he hadn’t surrendered in time, Yan Qing’s arrow wouldn’t have been aimed at the target.

…

The morning competition concluded, and the group headed to the restaurant for lunch.

The lunch spread was as lavish and expensive as the previous night’s dinner, with one addition:

Iced watermelon juice.

For everyone who had been running around all morning, parched and exhausted, it was a blatant consumer trap.

“Twenty dollars for a cup of watermelon juice? Might as well rob me!” Yan Yuzhen grumbled but bought two cups anyway, shoving one at Jin Shuo. “Consider this payback for breakfast!”

“No need.” Jin Shuo tried to return it.

“If you don’t want it, throw it away. Hmph!” Yan Yuzhen stormed off with her tray.

Jin Shuo stood frozen for a moment before finally carrying the juice over to sit across from her.

Yan Qing watched the scene with amusement and nudged Qin Que. “Look, elementary school-level cold war.”

Qin Que stifled a laugh and nodded. Yan Qing’s description was spot-on. Though she had never experienced it herself, she remembered classmates in elementary school acting like this—pushing and pulling, their “cold wars” never quite cold enough.

Even middle schoolers weren’t this childish.

Meanwhile, Dai Yuchen wanted watermelon juice but realized his balance was only enough for a meal. Displeased, he complained to Nie Sijun, “You never exercise at home. You can’t even draw a bow properly.”

Nie Sijun said nothing and bought a cup of watermelon juice for him.

Only then did Dai Yuchen’s annoyance turn to delight. He drank the juice and walked off without a second thought, not even asking whether Nie Sijun—whose balance was similarly low—had enough left for a meal.

Nie Sijun stood frozen at the counter for a moment before ordering a plain bowl of rice.

“Sister Nie, let me treat you. What would you like?”

Qin Que hesitated, unsure whether to offer—Nie Sijun seemed afraid of being seen interacting with alphas by Dai Yuchen—but Yan Qing had already stepped forward with a smile, phone in hand.

“No, thank you.” Nie Sijun’s voice was soft but firm, her smile tinged with quiet resignation. “Really, thank you.”

The two could only watch as the frail woman walked away.

The wine-like scent of Yan Qing’s pheromones grew slightly more astringent, carrying not just the anger from Dai Yuchen’s earlier outburst but also a hint of guilt and sorrow.

Qin Que turned to Yan Qing and saw the woman frowning slightly, her eyes swirling with emotions too complex for Qin Que to fully decipher.

Those emotions quickly faded and were concealed. Without the pheromones, Qin Que might not have even noticed.

“Yan Qing…”

She wanted to comfort her but didn’t know what to say. She was growing accustomed to interacting with Yan Qing, but that familiarity only extended to Yan Qing’s usual self. The Yan Qing before her now remained largely unknown.

The Yan Qing she understood was like the tip of an iceberg—visible to everyone.

But now, with the help of pheromones, she caught a glimpse of the massive structure beneath the surface.

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking,” Yan Qing’s voice pulled her back, the woman smiling reassuringly but speaking cryptically, “that maybe I’m a cruel person.”

Neither spoke further as they picked up their meals. Yan Qing ate a normal portion for lunch, which pleased Qin Que. She suddenly felt like a kindergarten teacher fretting over a child’s appetite.

She even noticed that Yan Qing would pick out the chicken and peanuts from the kung pao chicken first, leaving the cucumbers and carrots for last before eating them all in one go.

Not picky, but clear preferences.

She remembered doing something similar as a child, though she’d always eat the vegetables she disliked first.

That was back in kindergarten.

And she calls others elementary schoolers.

Qin Que suppressed a laugh.

Yan Qing looked up sharply, meeting Qin Que’s smiling eyes. The alpha had strikingly beautiful peach-blossom eyes that shimmered with an irresistible allure when curved in laughter.

Her smile was faint, her expression gentle and serene.

Yet it gave the person being watched an unmistakable sense of happiness.

This kid is really good-looking.

Yan Qing’s thoughts drifted momentarily before she flicked Qin Que’s forehead without hesitation. “What are you looking at? Eat properly.”

She would never admit her face felt slightly warm. She was always the one teasing others—since when had she ever been teased?

…

As they left, Qin Que asked Yan Qing to wait and ran back to the counter to buy a cup of watermelon juice.

Yan Qing was still debating whether to indulge when the cold drink was pressed into her hands.

She blinked at Qin Que. “Aren’t you having any?”

The alpha shook her head. “I don’t like cold drinks.” Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she explained, “Drinking cold beverages on an empty stomach isn’t good for you. Have some food first to cushion your stomach.” When Yan Qing didn’t move, she added, “Don’t worry, it’s not leftover. I watched them cut a fresh watermelon to make it.”

Yan Qing still didn’t react.

“You don’t like it?” Qin Que began to second-guess herself. Maybe Yan Qing didn’t like cold drinks either.

But earlier, while ordering, she’d noticed Yan Qing’s gaze lingering on the watermelon juice for at least… ten seconds.

Yan Qing remained silent.

“It’s fine, I’ll drink it myself…” Qin Que smiled awkwardly and reached for the cup.

Yan Qing dodged her hand.

“Who said I don’t like it?” The woman shot her a glance, stabbed the straw into the cup, and took a sip.

The cool, sweet juice eased the midday heat.

Yan Qing watched Qin Que. The alpha was smiling again—that gentle, indulgent, utterly approachable smile.

She huffed inwardly.

But she was a polite person.

So she naturally pinched Qin Que’s cheek, watching as the other woman went from confused to blushing, and smiled in satisfaction.

“I like it very much.”