Live streaming games would be a thing after 2014, so Xu Qingfan put the thought aside for now.
He transferred the fried lamb into a clay pot, added the secret sauce, and switched to a slow simmer over low heat.
"Ha~ Okay, I'm going back up to sleep. Yu, keep an eye on the time and flip the lamb, and be careful not to let it burn." Xu Qingfan yawned as he tasted the food with his chopsticks.
"Mm, I'll call you for lunch." Wu Lingyu obediently nodded.
Without a word, Xu Qingfan patted both of their shoulders as he left, and soon Wu Lingyu and Xia Xiaoxiao were the only ones left in the kitchen.
The two had almost finished preparing the side dishes when Xia Xiaoxiao suddenly broke the awkward silence.
"Hmm?" Wu Lingyu looked up.
"Let's go outside to talk." Xia Xiaoxiao said after washing her hands, pushing on Yu's shoulders to leave the kitchen.
Though confused, Wu Lingyu obediently followed her.
Xia Xiaoxiao led her to the living room balcony, turned on one of the treadmills, and started walking slowly on it.
Seeing this, Wu Lingyu also turned on another treadmill and asked after stepping onto it, "Xiao Xiao, do you have something to tell me?"
"Yeah." Xia Xiaoxiao organized her thoughts before continuing, "Well, cough, that is, Yu, do you have someone you like?"
[Xiao Xiao can't really think I'm easy to fool, can she?]
Wu Lingyu silently complained to herself.
"Ah... I, well, no, I don't, I guess. Why do you ask, Xiao Xiao?" She pretended to be shy, stammering in reply.
Seeing her reaction, Xia Xiaoxiao could easily tell that Yu was being sarcastic!
"Nothing much, we were all in the same class before, and that damn dog split us apart!"
"I'm just concerned... wanted to check if Yu found any guys in the new class appealing, or if you've met any bad people." Xia Xiaoxiao found a seemingly solid excuse to explain her inquiry.
"I, I certainly don't like the boys in my class..."
First she was agitated, then she acted shy; Wu Lingyu played her emotions well.
Hearing this, Xia Xiaoxiao instantly felt a panic in her heart, [Oh no, it seems Yu likes that smelly dog too!]
"Yeah, right, boys our age are indeed quite immature." She responded unenthusiastically.
"Well, maybe, though Brother Fan can be quite childish at times too." Wu Lingyu held back a laugh, speaking with a serious tone.
"Hmm, okay, if you don't have anyone you like, I'm relieved. Puppy love can really affect one's studies." She increased the treadmill's speed, not wanting to inquire further.
But Yu felt like they were just getting started, Xiao Xiao might have lost the desire to ask, but she still had questions to raise!
"How about you, Xiao Xiao?" She stole a shy glance at Xia Xiaoxiao before quickly turning her head away.
"Me? What about me?" Xia Xiaoxiao was momentarily confused.
"I mean someone you like. Do you have someone you like, Xiao Xiao?" Wu Lingyu clarified, with the word "also" adding a touch of essence.
"Just like you, Yu, I don't have anyone I like!" Xia Xiaoxiao blurted out, but soon realized something was slightly amiss.
"Yu, did you just say 'also' just now?"
Xia Xiaoxiao paused the treadmill, locking her gaze firmly on Wu Lingyu.
"Did I say also? I didn't, did I?"
Wu Lingyu's tone indicated she was not even sure herself.
"You did, Yu, you just said you also had someone you liked." Xia Xiaoxiao emphasized.
"Oh, maybe I misspoke then." Wu Lingyu brushed it off nonchalantly and continued, "Do you dislike boys because you think they're immature, Xiao Xiao?"
[No, how did the topic change so suddenly?]
[And isn't it supposed to be me questioning Yu?]
Xia Xiaoxiao, completely flabbergasted, answered in a daze, "Uh, roughly, yes."
"Oh~ So Brother Fan is so childish, no wonder you don't like him, Xiao Xiao." Wu Lingyu remarked as if she had just realized it.
[Wait, when did I say I didn't like that stinky dog!?]
"Yes, he's so childish, and vain, and he annoys me the most." Xia Xiaoxiao affirmed with a tone filled with distaste.
"If Xu Qingfan is that bad, you certainly can't like him, Yu." After speaking, her eyes were fixed intently on Wu Lingyu.
"I, I..." Yu hesitated and stuttered as if torn.
[Dislike him, say you dislike him, come on, say it, say you dislike him!] Xia Xiaoxiao silently urged in desperation.
If Yu admitted in front of her that she liked Xu Qingfan, and she herself had just claimed the opposite, wouldn't she turn into a woman who steals her best friend's man if she got together with the stinky dog later?
"Mm." Wu Lingyu nodded, her demeanor timid and embarrassed.
"Right, I knew you couldn't like him."
"I, I like Brother Fan!"
"It's just he always teases people, has a bunch of bad habits, who would like him anyway."
Seeing that Yu had finally admitted not liking Xu Qingfan, Xia Xiaoxiao let out a long sigh of relief while speaking ill of him.
[Did I just have an illusion?]
"Yu, you're right not to like him, don't be deceived by his appearance, Xu Qingfan is just a big lecher!" She continued insisting relentlessly.
"I, Xiao Xiao, I said I like Brother Fan." Wu Lingyu repeated.
"Ha... Haha, you're joking with me, aren't you, Yu? You're really good at joking." Xia Xiaoxiao's face changed color as she forced a laugh.
"It's not like that!"
"Ever since I first met Brother Fan in 2002, I've liked him. It's been almost ten years!"
Wu Lingyu suddenly looked Xia Xiaoxiao in the eyes, very serious, very earnestly.