Chapter 94

Chapter 94

When leaving the laboratory, Xu Qiao's space had an additional pile of materials, all related to her future goal of becoming a B-level or A-level Healer.

Upon returning to Ping'an Community, Xu Qiao spent the entire afternoon making the final revisions to her thesis. After finishing her work and taking a break, Qinchi called her over for dinner.

Although the lotus had passed its post-upgrade narcissistic phase, Xu Qiao still took it out.

The fire dragon, over a meter long, coiled around the dining room light. It was so high that Xu Qiao glanced at it and then paid it no further mind. It was either looking at her or the lotus, after all.

Qinchi laid out the dinner and sat opposite her.

Xu Qiao took the initiative and said, "Do you want to tell them about your situation tomorrow when Meng Li and the captain return?"

As long as Qinchi wanted to keep it a secret, a quick word to Meng Qiuyan would ensure she pretends not to see Qinchi’s fire dragon spirit entity.

Qinchi said, "The spirit entity can be revealed, but the beast transformation should remain hidden to avoid worrying them. What do you think?"

Xu Qiao: "…This is your secret, and I respect your decision."

Qinchi pointed to the fire dragon above his head. "You respect my decision, but it won't. Unless you want me to continue hiding my identity, I have no other reason to keep it from appearing. Forcing it to stay hidden will drain more of my mental energy."

Xu Qiao looked up.

The fire dragon flew down and expertly coiled around Qinchi's upper body, its head passing over Qinchi's shoulder to face Xu Qiao. "Before, he wouldn't allow me to appear because he was afraid I'd scare you, but you're not afraid of me anymore. Aren’t Meng Li and Sun Fushan considered insiders? Or do you prefer they don’t know our true identities?"

Xu Qiao: "…They are certainly not strangers, but I'm worried about whether they can treat Qinchi as naturally as before."

Fire dragon: "Have they really spent much time with Qinchi before? Aside from eating the meals he prepares, they hardly speak to him."

Qinchi added, "Given Meng Li’s personality, whether I’m B-level or S-level doesn’t matter to her. As for Sun Fushan, his grandfather and his aunt’s husband are both S-level. Adding one more S-level teammate shouldn’t be hard for him to accept."

Xu Qiao nodded.

The lotus said, "But you’ve kept this from them for so long. Shouldn’t you apologize?"

Qinchi: "There will be."

Fire dragon: "Why should we apologize? We truly don't care whether they're angry or not."

Lotus: "You're really lacking in manners."

Fire Dragon: "I apologize then, don't be angry."

Lotus raised a leaf to cover the Fire Dragon's head.

The Fire Dragon looked at Xu Qiao for help.

Xu Qiao kept her head down and continued eating.

The Fire Dragon then looked at Qinchi.

Qinchi's gaze had never left Xu Qiao's face.

At 9 PM, Xu Qiao was practicing her abilities when Qinchi sent a message: "I'm bringing the spiritual being over."

Xu Qiao paused her training, tidied her hair in front of the mirror, and went to open the door.

In the past, Qinchi would hand her the golden orb and then leave, but now, instead of using the golden orb, Xu Qiao had already taken the golden birdcage out of her space. She came to the entrance, opened the door with one hand while holding the cage behind her back, to avoid blinding passing neighbors with the gleaming birdcage.

When the door opened, Xu Qiao habitually glanced behind Qinchi to check if anyone was with him. Seeing no one, she revealed the birdcage and gestured for Qinchi to let the Fire Dragon in quickly.

Qinchi said in a low voice, "Can I come in? I want to make some adjustments to the cage."

Xu Qiao stepped aside to let him in.

She stepped back a few paces and didn’t watch as Qinchi changed into slippers.

Once he was done, she handed the birdcage to him curiously.

Qinchi used his fire abilities to melt a small door into the cage, allowing the Fire Dragon to enter in his 20-30 centimeter form without squeezing through the gaps.

Xu Qiao said, "You’re really considerate. I didn’t even think about adding another door."

Qinchi smiled and said, "I’ll also modify the perch."

Xu Qiao promptly fetched the perch.

Qinchi melted an extra box of gold bars and transformed the simple perch into an elegant, ancient-style golden tree, making it more luxurious and heavier.

Qinchi helped move the golden tree to the second bedroom.

The fire dragon had already come out and circled the trunk of the golden tree before finally crawling into the birdcage.

Xu Qiao smiled and said, "Look how well Qinchi treats you. He even improved your living conditions."

The fire dragon glanced at Qinchi. Although it had been united with Qinchi for the past few hours, Qinchi's thoughts were too erratic—sometimes thinking about a book, sometimes thinking of Xu Qiao, and then abruptly turning his attention to the bird perch.

The bird perch was indeed improved to better suit its preferences, but the fire dragon couldn't shake the feeling that Qinchi's sudden interest had nothing to do with truly caring for it.

The lotus was also placed in the large blue vase.

"Good night, get some sleep," Xu Qiao said, turning off the lights and leading Qinchi out of the room.

Once outside, she accompanied Qinchi toward the exit. In the living room, Qinchi suddenly stopped.

Xu Qiao turned back, puzzled.

Qinchi looked at her and asked in a voice too low to be heard by the two spiritual beings in the second bedroom, "Would that upset you?"

The moment Xu Qiao heard his initial words, she tensed up but tried to stay calm. She managed a smile, looking at his chest, and said, "Why would it? You're not a stranger. The captain's little turtle often comes to me too."

Qinchi replied, "The little turtle doesn’t stare at you or the lotus like mine does."

A flash of realization shot through Xu Qiao’s mind.

She instinctively stepped back and turned her back to him, trying to find an explanation for the fire dragon's unusual behavior. "Though we’re teammates, we live close by. It's understandable that your spiritual being likes the lotus more."

Qinchi said, "But its behavior has gone beyond the normal boundaries of how teammates' spiritual beings interact. I don’t want the lotus to think it’s a frivolous spirit. And I don’t want you to have the same misunderstanding about me."

Xu Qiao replied, "Don’t worry, I’m not misunderstanding. Spiritual beings are like kids; I don’t overthink it."

Qinchi said, "But spiritual beings are not kids. They are a reflection of an awakened person’s mental state. I have feelings for you, which is why they are interested in you. I like you, which is why they show preference toward you."

An awakened person’s feelings might be more complicated, filled with hesitation, but spiritual beings are pure in their emotions, unable to hide or fake them.

Xu Qiao was completely stunned. She hadn’t expected him to just say it outright.

It was something she had guessed, analyzed, and denied multiple times, but recently she had become more certain. And now, Qinchi had given her the answer directly.

Xu Qiao wasn't unfamiliar with being confessed to, but this was the first time it had come from a familiar neighbor who was also her teammate.

Her mind was in chaos, and she didn’t know how to respond. Qinchi’s tone was unlike that of her previous suitors—too calm to feel real.

Qinchi looked at her, noticing her face was almost completely red. “Are you surprised? I thought I made it pretty clear that night; didn't you feel it?”

Xu Qiao: “…What was obvious? Didn’t you always emphasize that we're just teammates?”

Qinchi: “I don’t cook for my teammates, especially the female ones, and I don’t ride an hour on a bike at night just to take her home. I don’t invite her over for meals. I wouldn’t offer to carry her upstairs when she’s tired. And I definitely wouldn’t let my spirit body have physical contact with her.

“There are many other things I’ve done for you that I wouldn’t do for a female teammate, though I won’t list them all.”

Xu Qiao, standing in front, kept her eyes lowered but could see Qinchi’s legs from behind.

Perhaps to avoid the spirits overhearing, he took two steps forward, almost touching her.

Whether it was his fire elemental abilities or something else, Xu Qiao felt increasingly warm.

She didn’t want Qinchi to see her flushed face, so she moved forward and, when her fingertips touched the switch, turned off the living room light.

Without the intense gaze locked onto her, Xu Qiao felt a wave of relief. But as she relaxed, she realized her breathing was heavy from nervousness.

Why did he bring this up so suddenly, without any warning?

Xu Qiao walked to the sofa and sat in the corner furthest from him.

Qinchi followed her, but this time he didn’t take out his portable sofa. Instead, he knelt in front of her on one knee, one hand on the armrest and the other on the opposite side of the sofa.

Even in this position, his line of sight was slightly higher than Xu Qiao’s, given his height of over six feet three inches.

Xu Qiao had always admired how calm and composed he was in dealing with various situations. She hadn’t expected him to be equally composed in pursuing someone.

She tilted her head toward the kitchen.

Qinchi, looking at her, continued, “I kept emphasizing that we were just teammates because I was afraid you wouldn’t like me that way.

“I’m telling you this now because I’ve already crossed the line, and you’ve noticed it.”

Xu Qiao didn’t want to admit that she had deliberately ignored it several times. “I didn’t notice anything.”

Qin Chi: "Alright, it's my misunderstanding, but now that I've said it, I want to know, are you willing to accept me as your partner?"

Xu Qiao's face became even hotter.

Other people would ask if they could be boyfriend and girlfriend, but he actually used "partner." A lover might only be together for a few months, but a partner signifies a longer, more intimate, and stable relationship.

She already had an answer in her mind, but she still had reservations.

Turning around to look at his vaguely visible face in the dimness, Xu Qiao slightly lowered her head and said softly, "Your family background..."

Qin Chi: "I can decide for myself, and from what I know about them, they would be pleased with it, especially my grandfather."

Xu Qiao: "But you'll eventually have to return..."

Qin Chi: "Dragons fly extremely fast. After finishing a mission, I can rush over within half an hour."

The speed of those with special abilities depends on their mental state. He could fly even faster, but Qin Chi didn’t want to set a fixed commuting time, in case it disappointed her.

Xu Qiao fell silent.

Qin Chi: "Are you worried about my beast transformation? I can't be certain it won't happen again, but I feel like it's been much more stable since I met you, which is why I'm telling you this now."

Xu Qiao shook her head. "I'm not afraid."

Qin Chi: "Then what else are you afraid of?"

Xu Qiao fell silent.

Qin Chi paused, then asked, "Are you worried about our abilities, water and fire..."

Xu Qiao covered his mouth with her hand, shocked by his unusually high temperature, and shrank back into the sofa.

Qin Chi: "Sorry, I can control my spirit form, but I can't control my body temperature."

Xu Qiao pulled a pillow from her dimensional space and covered her face with it. "Don't say anymore."

Qin Chi: "I want to reassure you that physical contact isn't as difficult as people claim on the forums, but I have no experience, so I can't be sure..."

"Don't say anything more." Xu Qiao pressed the pillow against his face.

Qin Chi took her hand and held it tightly, asked, "Can you accept this?"