153: Chapter 153 A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

It wasn't until this moment that Lu Li realized Shen Qingxue's composure just now had all been put on, and her sole purpose was to mess with him.

Lu Li fell silent.

As expected, the Demon Pill was still that Demon Pill; oh heavens above, could someone please send a spirit pearl to keep her in check?!

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Lu Li put down his chopsticks and looked at her.

Shen Qingxue picked up a chopstickful of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, chewed them leisurely, and only then raised her head to look at him, her expression possessing just the right amount of innocence.

"What on purpose?"

"This fish."

Lu Li pointed at the plate of West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy, lowering his voice, but the resentment in his tone was impossible to suppress.

"Even you thought it tasted terrible after eating it, and then you deliberately put on a delicious-looking facade to trick me into eating it."

Shen Qingxue blinked, the corners of her lips curling up slightly before she quickly pressed them back down.

"I did not."

"You did."

"I did not."

"The corners of your mouth can't even stop smiling anymore, and you're still pretending?"

Shen Qingxue finally couldn't hold it in anymore, turning her head away as her shoulders trembled slightly.

Although she quickly resumed her cold and aloof appearance, the flush on the tips of her ears had already betrayed her.

Watching her trying so hard to hold back her laughter, Lu Li's annoyance gradually dissipated.

Whatever.

Let her mess with him if she wanted.

Just wait; the cycle of grievances is endless, and sooner or later he would find an opportunity to get back at her for this loss.

It's not that retribution won't come! It's just that the time hasn't arrived yet!

"Fine, as long as you're happy, Your Elder."

Lu Li said with a straight face, then pushed that piece of fish to the edge of the plate and concentrated on eating the Dongpo Pork.

Whatever, eat first and talk later.

At least this Dongpo Pork really tasted good.

Shen Qingxue turned her head back, glanced at him, and no matter what, she couldn't suppress the curve of her lips.

Afterward, she picked up her chopsticks, picked up a piece of Dongpo Pork, and put it into Lu Li's bowl.

"Here, compensation for you."

Lu Li lowered his head to look at the meat in his bowl, then looked up at her, unable to help humming twice.

"You think a piece of meat is going to brush me off?"

"Then what do you want?"

Lu Li thought about it, then flashed a meaningful smile.

"Owe it to me first, we'll talk about it later."

Shen Qingxue glanced at him, didn't reply, and lowered her head to continue eating.

...

After finishing their meal, the two walked out of the restaurant.

The night on this street had more of a charm than the daytime, with red lanterns hanging under the eaves and the stone-paved road.

Pedestrians in twos and threes walked leisurely, occasionally stopping in front of a stall to buy a skewer of candied hawthorns or a bowl of osmanthus cake.

This scene fully displayed the charm of Jiangnan.

Lu Li had his hands in his pockets, keeping his pace very slow.

Shen Qingxue walked beside him with the brim of her hat pulled down very low; although she had already taken off her face mask, she was still wearing a pair of sunglasses.

However, in the night, no one noticed her.

"This place actually has quite a vibe."

Lu Li turned his head to glance at Shen Qingxue beside him.

Shen Qingxue's gaze was currently resting on a dough figurine stall by the street, and upon hearing this, she gave an affirmative hum without saying much more.

"Do you want to walk around?"

Lu Li asked tentatively.

Shen Qingxue hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

The two of them walked slowly along the old street, without a specific direction, walking around aimlessly just like that.

Passing by a stall selling silk scarves, Shen Qingxue stopped in her tracks, picked up a light blue scarf, and looked at it.

"You like it?"

Lu Li leaned over and asked.

Shen Qingxue shook her head, put the scarf back, and continued walking forward.

Lu Li glanced at the price tag of that scarf, then glanced at Shen Qingxue's back, saying nothing more.

After walking for about ten minutes or so, the two stopped on a small stone bridge.

Beneath the bridge was a narrow river channel, reflecting the figures of the two of them.

Shen Qingxue leaned against the bridge railing, looking down at the reflection on the water's surface.

Lu Li stood beside her, resting his hands on the bridge railing, looking up at the night sky.

"Tomorrow is the elimination match for the Top 16 to Top 8."

Shen Qingxue suddenly spoke, her voice very soft.

"Are you nervous?"

Lu Li turned his head to glance at her.

Shen Qingxue thought about it, then nodded slightly.

"Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn't feel it, but now with the public opinion storm being so huge, every move is in the eyes of those with intentions, so I am a little bit nervous."

"That's rare, but don't be nervous."

Lu Li smiled.

The corners of Shen Qingxue's mouth twitched, she didn't answer, and redirected her gaze back to the scenery reflected on the water's surface.

After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again.

The two stood on the bridge for a while longer, then turned around and walked back.

When they reached the entrance of the hotel, Shen Qingxue suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Lu Li."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Lu Li was slightly stunned.

"What are you thanking me for?"

Shen Qingxue didn't answer and had already turned around and walked into the hotel lobby.

Lu Li stood in place, watching her retreating figure as he scratched his head.

A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

...

The next day.

At seven-thirty in the morning, before the alarm went off, Lu Li woke up.

He rolled over, felt for his phone to check the time, and then sent a message to Shen Qingxue.

"Are you awake?"

The message was sent out and replied to almost in seconds.

"Mm."

"Oh, what time did you get up?"

"Six o'clock."

Lu Li was stunned for a moment. Six o'clock? Getting up this early? Or could it be... this sister didn't stay up all night, right?

"Didn't sleep well last night?"

The other party fell silent for a few seconds, then replied with a single character.

"Mm."

Lu Li stared at it for two seconds, then crawled out of bed, washed up, changed his clothes, and walked out of the room.

Then he knocked on the door next door.

The door opened quickly.

Shen Qingxue stood at the doorway with her hair already tied up, wearing light makeup on her face and a white shirt.

But beneath her eyes, faint dark circles could vaguely be seen.

"You really didn't sleep well?"

Lu Li leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.

Shen Qingxue glanced at him and turned back into the room.

"Come in."

Lu Li followed her inside and sat down on the sofa.

Shen Qingxue's room had the same layout as the next room, but with a few more suitcases, and lyric books and notebooks spread out on the coffee table.

"What time are we heading to the venue?"

Lu Li asked casually, his gaze sweeping around the room.

Shen Qingxue sat on the edge of the bed, picked up her phone to check the time, and then put it down again.

"We need to go for makeup at two in the afternoon, and then the competition officially starts at seven in the evening."

"Then there's nothing much to do in the morning, right?"

"Mm."

Lu Li leaned against the sofa with his hands resting behind his head.

"Then do you want to go out for a stroll? Since we came to Hangzhou, we have to go see West Lake, right? It would be such a pity not to go."

Shen Qingxue hesitated for a moment.

"But..."

"Oh, what 'buts'? Relax a bit, don't keep your nerves strung too tight."

Lu Li stood up from the sofa, hands in his pockets, and jerked his chin toward her.

"Hurry up, are we going or not?"

Shen Qingxue stared at him for two seconds, then smiled helplessly.

"Let's go."

West Lake wasn't far from the hotel; taking a taxi would get them there in about ten-odd minutes.

Since it was the weekend, there were quite a few people by the lake, but fortunately, it hadn't reached the point of people crowding against people.

It's just that Lu Li was now forced to wear sunglasses and a hat as well; after all, there were too many people here, and it was inevitable that he would run into a few people who recognized him.

As for Shen Qingxue, she obediently followed right beside Lu Li.

Terrified of getting separated if she was the slightest bit careless.

The lake breeze blew over, blowing her hair a bit messy, and she raised her hand to tidy it.

"Look, there's a pavilion over there, why don't we go take a look?"

Lu Li pointed at the Mid-Lake Pavilion not far away.

Shen Qingxue looked over following his finger and nodded.