Flirting Under Favor (GL) - Chapter 17

Mu Fan looked up at the messy hair in front of her eyes and looked at Wang Lin with a deliberately wronged expression.

Just then, the cutscene ended, and the Boss moved. Due to the level suppression, the Boss died after Mu Fan cast a few skills. Wang Lin happily looted all the junk into her bags, planning to sell it for money.

“Go this way,” Mu Fan said just as Wang Lin was wondering where to go next. Wang Lin quickly followed. Mu Fan pulled her onto her horse and galloped along, stopping in front of a pile of minor mobs. She dismounted, used the Upward Soaring skill to jump over the mobs, and landed safely.

Mu Fan told her: “Jump over by yourself.”

So Wang Lin copied Mu Fan, jumped, and landed precisely in the middle of the mob pile. The mobs’ attacks didn’t hurt much, and Wang Lin didn’t worry about it. After the mobs hit her for a long time, she healed herself back to full health with a single Needle Lift skill. She swaggered forward, allowing the mobs’ attacks to land on her.

Suddenly, she couldn’t move. She hadn’t expected some mobs’ attacks to have a stun effect. Several of them chained the stun on her.

“Ahhh, I’m going to die,” Wang Lin cried out in alarm.

Mu Fan remained unmoved, watching her health bar decrease bit by bit from the side.

“Master, save me, save me,” Wang Lin pleaded.

“Will you still rub my head?”

“No, I won’t.”

Taking advantage of the last sliver of Wang Lin’s health, Mu Fan rushed over, cast a skill, and all the mobs died.

“Thank you, Master~” Wang Lin said her thanks, but her hand suddenly reached out and rubbed the top of Mu Fan’s head again.

Mu Fan: “…”

Clearly, she’s making a game of it.

Mu Fan took Wang Lin through Candle Dragon Temple (a dungeon), and as expected, nothing dropped. They then went to Dye Flower Sacred Palace (another dungeon), and finally a horse-related item dropped, as well as a large fan, but unfortunately Wang Lin couldn’t use it. Everything was sold to the general merchant.

Time flew by. Mu Fan checked the time; it was time to prepare dinner. Mu Fan told Wang Lin to keep playing by herself while she went to cook. After Wang Lin agreed, she went to the kitchen.

Wang Lin continued to play alone for a while. Without Mu Fan, she found the game boring. She quit the game and went to the kitchen door. She wondered if she could help Mu Fan with anything, but her childhood trauma from the kitchen still lingered. Inside the kitchen, steam was rising, the extractor fan was whirring, the hot oil was sizzling, Mu Fan was stir-frying dishes, spoons and pots were clanging, and the soup pot was gurgling. Wang Lin stood outside the kitchen, not daring to cross the line.

Through the transparent glass door, she watched Mu Fan in the kitchen. Her long hair was casually tied up in a bun, revealing her perfectly sculpted, delicate face. Without hair obscuring it, her slender swan neck was even more striking. She wore an apron, staring at the pot, focused and graceful.

Mu Fan noticed her, smiled faintly, put down her ladle, and walked over.

“Why aren’t you playing anymore?”

Wang Lin picked at her fingers and answered honestly: “It’s boring without you.”

She’s really clingy.

Mu Fan said, “Then why don’t you cook with me?” She knew about Wang Lin’s childhood kitchen trauma, but she also thought that a trauma shouldn’t follow a person for life or affect them forever. It was best to overcome it. She looked at her gently and extended an invitation.

“I’ll be here,” she said.

Wang Lin glanced at the kitchen behind Mu Fan. The sounds were still happening. Her gaze returned to Mu Fan, whose lips held a smile, waiting for her answer.

“I’ll be here.”

Mu Fan’s words seemed to still echo in her ears. Wang Lin moved her feet, reached out to grab Mu Fan, then suddenly jumped behind Mu Fan, hiding, and peered out over Mu Fan’s body.

“Just hide behind me and watch. It’s not that scary.” Mu Fan walked back to the stove and continued to stir-fry the vegetables inside. Wang Lin hid behind her, tightly gripping her clothes, and watched cautiously. The oil in the pot sizzled, the vegetables inside slowly changed color, and an aroma drifted out. Suddenly, the oil sputtered. Wang Lin was startled, cried out, flashed back behind Mu Fan, and squeezed her eyes shut.

“It’s okay,” Mu Fan reassured her. “See? I’m fine, aren’t I?”

“The oil might burn you,” Wang Lin said.

“The oil can’t splatter onto someone from this distance,” Mu Fan picked up a small spoon, turned around, couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke her head seeing her scared expression, and handed her the spoon. “Come, add a little salt. This dish will be finished then.”

Wang Lin took the spoon, looked at the salt container on the table. She held onto Mu Fan with one hand, and with the other, she reached out as far as she could, scooped up a full spoonful of salt, and scattered it from a distance.

“Wait.”

Mu Fan quickly spoke to stop her, but it was too late; the salt accurately landed in the pot.

Wang Lin was immersed in the joy of successfully adding salt. Hearing Mu Fan’s voice, she looked up and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Mhm, great job,” Mu Fan nodded, praising her insincerely.

Receiving the praise, Wang Lin seemed to get excited. For every subsequent dish that needed seasoning, she volunteered. Learning from the previous experience, Mu Fan told her the exact measurements in advance to prevent her from adding too much again.

With Mu Fan by her side, Wang Lin became a little braver and was able to help Mu Fan with some small tasks. However, every time the oil heated up and vegetables were added—sizzling loudly—Wang Lin would still duck behind Mu Fan like a scared little animal, only to peek out afterward. When a dish was about to be finished, she would coax Mu Fan for a piece to taste first. Mu Fan naturally wouldn’t refuse, picking up a piece with chopsticks and reminding her to be careful of the heat. After eating it, Wang Lin would shower Mu Fan with compliments about her cooking. Mu Fan would reply, “It’s not that exaggerated,” smiling as she continued stir-frying the contents of the pot.

Laughter filled the kitchen, and soon the dining table was full. Looking at the table of dishes that were perfect in color, aroma, and taste, Wang Lin couldn’t help but ask Mu Fan: “How are you so good at cooking?” Although Wang Lin was a complete novice at cooking, she could tell that Mu Fan’s cooking looked very professional.

“My mother taught me,” Mu Fan answered, serving a bowl of rice and placing it in front of Wang Lin.

Wang Lin knew Mu Fan’s mother was no longer alive and secretly regretted bringing the topic back to her mother. So, after Mu Fan answered, she only said a soft “Oh” and said no more.

She picked up a piece of broccoli and put it in her mouth, then frowned: “It’s a little salty.”

“Who put in the salt?” Mu Fan smiled and asked her with interest.

Wang Lin picked up her bowl and took a mouthful of rice, the bowl hiding her guilty eyes: “I think it was me.”

After the meal, Wang Lin let out a satisfied burp. This was a meal Mu Fan had cooked specially for her, and one she had participated in making, so she ate a lot, her heart greatly satisfied.

After clearing the table, it was game time again. It was already past eight o’clock. Mu Fan took Wang Lin to try to loot the World Boss in Longquán Prefecture. The martial arts elites and the demonic supreme beings were fighting fiercely on Mirror Lake, with a huge crowd of people and various skill effects. The scene was too chaotic. After lurking long enough, Mu Fan took Wang Lin elsewhere to have a snowball fight. Wang Lin had never played before. Her controls were terrible, and she was naturally beaten soundly by Mu Fan. Angry, Wang Lin directly ordered Mu Fan not to move. Mu Fan, helpless, stood affectionately in front of her, letting Wang Lin throw snowballs at her. Soon, Mu Fan was frozen into a block of ice.

After playing for a while, Mu Fan took Wang Lin to try and loot the pet in Longquán Prefecture again, but came up empty-handed. Guessing that the World Boss on Mirror Lake must have died, the two hurried back to try and claim the reward. A large group of ‘red names’ (hostile players) were guarding the edge. After much effort to claim the reward, the two quickly slipped away. However, Wang Lin was slow and was chased and attacked by a few ‘red names’. She was so scared that she frantically used her skills—Spring Mud, Folded Leaf, Water Moon—shouting for Mu Fan to save her as she ran. Just as Wang Lin was about to die, Mu Fan, who had left combat, used a Great Light Skill (an aerial mobility skill) to scoop her up. After landing, Wang Lin was shaken and cursed the ‘red names’ she had encountered.

They came to a deserted place. The sunset over Mirror Lake was beautiful, shining on the icy surface and reflecting a warm, brilliant light. The two took screenshots for a while. While taking screenshots, Wang Lin ran into a bug. When leading the horse, she was supposed to walk slowly, but she was running while holding the reins, which was very strange and made Mu Fan laugh uncontrollably. Afterward, Mu Fan took Wang Lin on a sightseeing sleigh ride. The husky dogs were silly, taking the two for a loop around Mirror Lake.

She also took her to the Hegemon’s Villa to ride the small train, to Chang’an to secretly steal fruit, to Jiuzhaigou, to the Three Lives Tree, Clear Day Sea, and Reflected Snow Lake, visiting all the beautiful, interesting, and fun places in this game world, leaving behind a collection of screenshots. She also told her the stories of the NPCs: there was a man in Luodao named Murong Zhuifeng who carried a large coffin containing his wife; Kang Xuezhu was a pervert; the Tangmen clan leader loved to stir up trouble… Wang Lin was completely satisfied, feeling momentarily as if she had really traveled thousands of mountains and rivers with Mu Fan and witnessed all the grudges and passions.

After showering and lying in bed, Wang Lin burrowed into Mu Fan’s arms again. She held her tightly, like she was holding her pillow. The pillow is mine. Mu Fan is mine too. She was startled by the sudden possessiveness she felt towards Mu Fan. There was an ineffable emotion in her heart, both muffled and warm. She felt distressed and just wanted to hold her tight, terrified that she might run away.

She remembered the question she had asked Mu Fan in the kitchen that afternoon—Do you like me? Mu Fan hadn’t answered then. Now, she urgently wanted an answer. So, she shifted in her arms, looked up, and asked her again: “Do you like me?” Her voice was cautious and full of anticipation.

Mu Fan was still preoccupied with the fact that she had to leave tomorrow. A thought crossed her mind: I don’t want to go to K City. I want to just fall into this, and be with Wang Lin every day. But she quickly suppressed the thought. Wang Lin was just immature and dependent, but she was different, and she absolutely couldn’t do this. She couldn’t take advantage of Wang Lin’s dependence, consume her feelings, and satisfy her own wicked emotional needs. She had to leave. Hearing Wang Lin ask the question again, she sighed internally, looked at the ceiling, and surrendered: “Yes, I like you.”

Wang Lin felt incredibly happy getting her answer. Looking at Mu Fan’s face so close to hers, she felt an irresistible urge to kiss her. When she was little and with partners she liked, they would happily exchange little kisses, but that was when she was a child. Wang Lin thought that now that she was older, kissing might not be appropriate. She restrained herself, swallowed, but the more she looked, the more seductive the face of the person beside her seemed, as if it held a powerful magic.

She shifted again under the covers, changed her position, buried her head, and stopped looking.

Mu Fan then murmured: “There are many kinds of liking.”