Chapter 097: Masters' Showdown
Because his lover, Marry Yang, was present, Lin Lang couldn't help but want to look at Ma Xiaofei a few more times, yet he was afraid of being discovered by Marry Yang.
Lin Lang, who wanted to look but didn't dare, could only sneak glances at Ma Xiaofei with his peripheral vision, then quickly retract his gaze, pretending as if nothing had happened.
"Xiao Fei, you're done showering. I'm going to take a shower too to cool off." Marry Yang walked towards the bathroom.
A slightly tipsy Ma Xiaofei, squinting her eyes, replied, "Go ahead! Do you need me to scrub your back?"
"No, thanks." Marry Yang closed the bathroom door.
Lin Lang tried hard to suppress his improper thoughts, but Ma Xiaofei noticed him sneaking glances at her. The moment their eyes met, Lin Lang quickly pretended to be serious and looked elsewhere.
The sound of the shower could be heard from inside the bathroom.
Lin Lang held the remote control, sitting on the living room sofa, pretending to be serious while watching TV.
AI generated beautiful image of Ma Xiaofei
Ma Xiaofei, emboldened by the alcohol, walked charmingly towards Lin Lang, sitting right next to him on the sofa, and struck up a conversation: "Xiao Pa Cai, what interesting TV show are you watching?"
The faint fragrance from the young woman Ma Xiaofei made Lin Lang feel a bit nervous, vaguely sensing that she was up to no good.
"Xiaofei Jie, I'm watching 'animal world'."
Ma Xiaofei casually looked at the TV screen showing some animals on the African savanna, and joked, "What's so good about these African baboons?"
"Xiaofei Jie, these aren't African baboons, they're Geladas. They are large monkeys unique to the East African plateau, sleeping on cliffs every night and eating 10 pounds of grass a day!"
Ma Xiaofei complained after hearing this, "These monkeys that look like ghosts are so ugly! It's my first time hearing about monkeys that only eat grass."
Lin Lang explained, "Geladas are also called Grass Geladas because the tip of their tail resembles a lion's tail, hence the name. They are the highest-altitude dwelling monkeys on Earth, and also the only monkeys that only eat grass."
"Geladas do look a bit abstract, both terrifying and handsome, but they are the spiritual monkeys of the mountains, reigning supreme in the plateau by eating grass. Even hyenas have to give them a wide berth in their territory!"
Ma Xiaofei rolled her eyes at Lin Lang after hearing this, and retorted, "Xiao Pa Cai, you don't look like such an insensitive man, do you?"
Lin Lang shifted his body to the edge of the sofa, deliberately keeping some distance from Ma Xiaofei, and chuckled awkwardly, "I don't understand what Xiaofei Jie means~"
Unexpectedly, Ma Xiaofei pretended to be seductive, propping her chin with her hand, and asked with amorous eyes, "Am I not more beautiful than an African baboon?"
Lin Lang deliberately changed the subject and said, "Xiaofei Jie, I must correct you again, these are not African baboons, they are East African Geladas."
"Look at these majestic Geladas, they are known as the Kings of the Cliffs."
"The steep cliffs deter many animals, but Geladas are incredibly impressive, becoming the masters of the plateau's cliffs."
Ma Xiaofei wiped away some cold sweat after hearing this, and weakly said, "You're not serious, are you?"
"Xiaofei Jie, what about me?"
Ma Xiaofei deliberately moved closer to Lin Lang, whispering next to him, "Are you stupid?"
"Xiaofei Jie, why do you think I'm stupid?"
"There's a beautiful woman sitting next to you, and you don't even look at her directly, instead you keep staring at the African baboons in 'animal world'. Don't you think you're stupid?"
Lin Lang feigned dullness and replied, "Xiaofei Jie, do you have a bad memory?"
"I've already corrected you twice; what I'm watching are not African baboons, they are East African Geladas, okay?"
Ma Xiaofei was a bit speechless after hearing this and said, "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
Lin Lang avoided Ma Xiaofei's gaze and continued watching the TV, saying, "Xiaofei Jie, look quickly, Geladas have evolved the longest teeth among primates, but they spend most of their time using them to eat grass."
"Geladas are like the African pandas, only found in Ethiopia, living in beautiful valleys."
"Geladas have a unique, 'killer-style' appearance, with a heart-shaped chest patch and a lion's tail. They can tame wolves into dogs, and are also expert rock-climbing herbivores. How strong! Truly amazing!"
Ma Xiaofei, like a pufferfish, puffed out her cheeks and said, "What do you mean, kid?"
Lin Lang feigned innocence and replied, "Xiaofei Jie, I'm patiently teaching you about animals, why are you still a bit unhappy?"
Ma Xiaofei rolled her eyes at Lin Lang and retorted, "Before Marry went to shower, you kept sneaking glances at my figure. Now that Marry is showering in the bathroom, you're pretending to be proper and won't even look at me. What do you mean?"
"Xiaofei Jie, keep your voice down. If Marry Yang hears us, she might think there's something going on between us!" Lin Lang instinctively looked towards the bathroom door.
AI generated beautiful image of Marry Yang
Ma Xiaofei, with a tipsy gaze, whispered, "Don't pretend to be innocent with me here, can you honestly say you don't have any improper thoughts about me?"
Lin Lang avoided answering and said, "Xiaofei Jie, look, Geladas don't sleep in trees; they live in high mountains. They have a special fondness for grass. How cute are these interesting monkeys!"
Ma Xiaofei was almost driven crazy after hearing this, and said with a speechless expression, "No matter how cute these African baboons are, can they be cuter than me?"
Lin Lang deliberately replied insensitively, "Xiaofei Jie, this is the fourth time I've corrected you; they are not called African baboons, they are East African Geladas!"
Ma Xiaofei pouted her small mouth, pinched Lin Lang's ear, and said in a low, charmingly fierce voice, "I'll call them African baboons! If you dare to correct me again, do you believe I'll hit you?!"
"Xiaofei Jie, let go quickly, you're pinching my ear so hard, it hurts. Can't I just not correct you anymore?"
Ma Xiaofei, however, did not let go. Still pinching Lin Lang's ear, she said fiercely yet cutely, "Now tell me, are the animals in 'animal world' Geladas or African baboons?"
Lin Lang nervously glanced at the bathroom door, clearly hearing the sound of the shower, and replied with a grin, "They are African baboons."
"Then, are the monkeys in 'animal world' more beautiful, or am I, your older sister, more beautiful?"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
"Xiaofei Jie, let go quickly! Of course, you're more beautiful than the monkeys!"
"Hehe... that's more like it." Ma Xiaofei released her hand with a mischievous smile.
Lin Lang rubbed his ear and sighed, "I'm really impressed, you women are truly unreasonable!"
Ma Xiaofei smiled charmingly and mischievously, "Who told you to look at monkeys instead of me?!"
Being in close proximity to Ma Xiaofei made Lin Lang uncomfortable, so he chuckled awkwardly, "I don't make mistakes by looking at monkeys, but wouldn't I easily make mistakes by looking at Xiaofei Jie?"
"Xiao Pa Cai, what kind of mistakes could you make by looking at your older sister?"
"My master said that beautiful women are tigers, so I need to stay far away from Xiaofei Jie."
Ma Xiaofei laughed drunkenly after hearing this, "You're not a young monk who just came down the mountain. Don't pretend to be pure with me. I think you're already drooling over the tigers down the mountain."
"Xiaofei Jie, don't come any closer to me!"
"If Marry Yang comes out of the bathroom and sees you flirting with me so ambiguously, and misunderstands, we won't be able to explain ourselves."
Ma Xiaofei breathed into Lin Lang's ear, "Seeing your flustered expression, with your eyes clearly full of desire for me, yet desperately trying to control yourself, your 'push-and-pull' attitude is simply too adorable."
Lin Lang whispered, "I'm clearly rejecting you, where is there any 'push-and-pull'?"
"Xiao Pa Cai, don't give me that!"
"Every subtle expression of yours cannot escape my eyes. Will you obediently comply, or continue to play this cat-and-mouse game with me?"
"No matter what, I will accompany you and slowly play along!"
"Xiaofei Jie, your aggressive flirting with men has completely flustered me."
Lin Lang nervously glanced at the bathroom door and whispered, "Xiaofei Jie, stop flirting with me, isn't it enough that I surrender?"
Ma Xiaofei, emboldened by the alcohol, whined, "You're already so smitten with me, can you still control yourself?"
"Xiaofei Jie, stop messing around, I'm not smitten with you at all!"
"Then let me listen to your heartbeat, and I'll know if you're being stubborn and lying." Ma Xiaofei pressed her ear against Lin Lang's chest.
"This..." Lin Lang was completely bewildered.
"Xiao Pa Cai, it's no use being stubborn. I can already hear your rapid heartbeat. Are you still not admitting you're smitten with me?"
Ma Xiaofei's tipsy, blurry eyes were truly incredible!
"Marry Yang is about to come out of the bathroom. If she sees us being ambiguous, you two best friends won't be able to be friends anymore."
Ma Xiaofei said charmingly, "Xiao Pa Cai, you're such a coward! I'm not even afraid, what are you afraid of?"
"Xiaofei Jie, isn't it enough that I admit defeat?"
"You forgot that I'm a master's student in psychology. I know you're just controlling yourself; in fact, you can't wait to devour me right now."
"If we weren't at Marry's place, and it was just the two of us alone, would you still be pretending to be so proper?"
"Uh... Xiaofei Jie, you're drunk!"
"You..."
"You, you, you... if you don't stop flirting with me, I'm going to call for help!"
Ma Xiaofei covered her mouth and chuckled mischievously after hearing this, seeming very happy to tease Lin Lang, and replied provocatively, "Then go ahead and shout loudly!"
"I'd like to see if you dare to let Marry know that we're having an affair!"
"Xiaofei Jie, don't talk nonsense. You and I are completely innocent; there's nothing going on. If you keep using your drunkenness to get close to me, I'll really shout!"
"Xiao Pa Cai, don't forget, I still have nearly a thousand of your muscle-flexing photos in my hands. You wouldn't want them uploaded to the internet, would you?"
Lin Lang instantly caved in after hearing this and replied in a low voice, "You need to have professional ethics as a photographer; give me the camera's memory card."
"Those photos of you flexing your muscles at the piano are my exclusive collection, you know~"
"Xiaofei Jie, you're abusing your power for personal gain." Lin Lang was somewhat speechless.
Ma Xiaofei, emboldened by the alcohol, whispered, "Promise to go on three dates with me, and I'll give you the memory card with those photos."
Lin Lang said with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, "Are you threatening me?"
Ma Xiaofei replied in Lin Lang's ear, "Wrong! I like you! I want you to go on dates with me."
Lin Lang whispered with difficulty, "Xiaofei Jie, are you really not conspiring with Marry Yang to test my loyalty?"
Unexpectedly, Ma Xiaofei replied truthfully, "That's right, Xiao Pa Cai, you're very smart. You saw through today's 'Hongmen Banquet' and 'honey trap'. Marry sent me to tempt and test you."
Lin Lang broke out in a cold sweat, thinking, "Fortunately, I held onto my bottom line, otherwise I would have really fallen into the trap!"
Lin Lang said with lingering fear in a low voice, "Xiaofei Jie, since you've already admitted that Marry sent you to test my loyalty, it means I've passed the test."
"Then isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to continue sitting so close to me, ambiguously, on the sofa?"