Chapter 29: We will continue when Qianqian falls asleep.

Li Xingming brought Jiang Qianqian home for lunch and a quick nap. On the way back, Jiang Qianqian wore a dazed expression, only snapping back to reality when the sound of stir-frying and a familiar, mouth-watering aroma wafted from the kitchen.

The mathematics exam was just too difficult. Who would have thought that a math course designed for liberal arts students would feature such a terrifying workload? Fortunately, Li Xingming had predicted almost every type of problem that appeared on the test. Having practiced the logic behind the calculations beforehand, Jiang Qianqian actually performed quite well.

"A-Ming!"

"Hmm?"

"Hehe, you’re so good to me..." Jiang Qianqian ran into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Li Xingming’s waist, swaying back and forth. Her eyes suddenly darted to the phone resting on the stove, and her expression changed instantly. "Why are you still on a video call with Shengsheng while cooking?"

"She had a few minor academic questions and wanted to discuss them with me. Since I had a moment, I figured why not?" Li Xingming replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Hello, Qianqian," Ye Sheng said from the screen, greeting her after spotting her wiggling behind Li Xingming.

"...Uh, hello to you too."

"This meeting is a bit urgent; the presentation is this afternoon."

"It’s fine. We’ll solve the problems during lunch. When it comes to things like runic configurations, you’ll find the errors if you look at them long enough." Li Xingming patted Jiang Qianqian, who was behind him. "You go close the door and get some rest. Shengsheng and I will discuss it over the audio call. I’m going to use the whiteboard in the living room to sketch some things out."

"Okay~"

*Okay my foot!*

Jiang Qianqian felt miserable. What did he mean by "go close the door and sleep"? How could she possibly sleep?

Clearly, because of the black silk stockings incident at the auditorium, Ye Sheng had grown dependent on Li Xingming for her studies. Coupled with the accidental discovery that Li Xingming was the online friend she had been gaming with for three years, their connection and little bond were growing by leaps and bounds.

Yet, Ye Sheng’s reasons for seeking out Li Xingming were perfectly valid—more than valid, in fact. As the sweet and considerate childhood friend, Jiang Qianqian had no room to complain.

To make matters worse, Ye Sheng added, "There's a fee for the conference presentation. I’ll share a portion with Li Xingming..."

"There's no need for that. It’s just a little help between friends. If you feel bad about it, just owe me a favor and pay it back when I need help later," Li Xingming said with a smile as cunning as an old pangolin. It had to be said, Ye Sheng, who had lacked social awareness since childhood, was truly easy to manipulate.

"Friends... right?"

"Yes."

Ye Sheng paused, lost in thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I’m going to go have lunch with Qianqian now. We’ll continue once she’s asleep."

"Alright."

The video call ended.

Just look at that, just look! Was that even human language? What did he mean by "we'll continue once she's asleep"? It sounded like Li Xingming was cheating on her.

Jiang Qianqian maintained her smile, suppressing her emotions until the food was on the table. Only then did she weave her feelings into a subtle trap: "A-Ming, I think... my head is throbbing a little. I wonder if it’s because I did too much math this morning..."

"Math D is just a headache."

"No, that's not it..."

"Fine, I'll give you a massage later. I'll rub your little head and coax you to sleep."

"Hehe."

Jiang Qianqian had already struck a pose of delicate, wilting fragility. Since Li Xingming took the bait so readily, she decided to put her acting skills away for now and stop making trouble. Occasionally, one had to use a few tactics; Ye Sheng was a fox who was not only good at studying but also at gaming—she was no longer an average little vixen. It was time to strike back hard!

The afternoon exam didn't start until three o'clock and lasted until five, leaving plenty of time for a nap. Students who lived far away usually rented hotel rooms near the school to rest. Whenever Jiang Qianqian had an exam, Li Xingming’s care for her would rise to a new level. For instance, while he usually left the cooking to her, he would take over the kitchen on exam days. He would also prioritize rubbing her head and coaxing her to sleep, even if he had already promised to help Ye Sheng with her brainstorming.

As a competent team leader, one had to learn to balance the scales and manage relationships between team members. Jiang Qianqian had clearly been unhappy just now, much like an older child in a family feeling jealous of the attention given to a younger sibling... though it wasn't quite as severe as jealousy, just a common human emotion.

After the meal, Jiang Qianqian rinsed her mouth and couldn't wait to lie down on her soft, large bed. The guest room in this apartment also had a double bed, two meters by two meters, while the master bedroom where Li Xingming stayed had a smaller one. When they first moved in, the setup hadn't been this way; Li Xingming had specifically swapped the beds so Jiang Qianqian could have the larger one. She liked to toss and turn in her sleep, so a big bed suited her perfectly.

The "Spirit Singer" path required maintaining a certain maidenly spirituality during cultivation, and tossing and turning in one's sleep was perhaps a part of that.

Transcendental cultivation was just that metaphysical.

Jiang Qianqian lay across the bed, resting her head on the slightly lower pillow at the edge of the mattress—it felt better that way for a massage. In truth, her head didn't hurt at all. Jiang Qianqian’s body had low physical strength but maximum adaptability. Symptoms some girls suffered from—like headaches from a cold breeze, stomachaches from drinking cold water, or freezing hands and feet in winter—simply didn't exist for her. She didn't even suffer from menstrual cramps!

But to keep A-Ming with her at noon, she *had* to have a headache!

Hmph.

If A-Ming didn't stay with her, the thought of her dear childhood friend laughing and chatting with that "stealing cat" outside would keep her awake. If she couldn't sleep, she wouldn't do well on the afternoon exam. If she didn't do well, she wouldn't be a qualified teammate for A-Ming. A-Ming had said they would be teammates for life, and that a support was irreplaceable—if she didn't awaken her transcendental powers, there would be no support in the team.

Therefore, for the sake of the team's future, she would just have to tether Li Xingming in the room for the afternoon. *Heehee, stay with me, just stay with me... stay by my side...*

As Jiang Qianqian’s mind wandered through a mess of thoughts, Li Xingming’s fingers moved rhythmically across her pressure points. Pressure points were the intersection of body and spirit—a modern interpretation of ancient medicine in the context of transcendental theory. In his past life, to improve team training efficiency, Li Xingming had massaged every single teammate to accelerate their recovery, allowing them to handle heavier training loads.

It had proven very effective, which in turn had refined his massage technique. Having been familiar with Jiang Qianqian’s body for so many years, Li Xingming knew exactly how to help her achieve complete relaxation in the shortest amount of time the moment his hands touched her head.

Soon, the soft, dainty humming from Jiang Qianqian’s lips grew fainter and fainter.

Ten minutes later, Jiang Qianqian drifted into a deep sleep.

Li Xingming quietly slipped out of the bedroom and closed the door without making a sound.

Perfect!

This wouldn't interfere with his discussion with Shengsheng at all.