Sword Among Us

Panda Novel

Happy was shocked by the faint vibrations from his phone at one in the afternoon.

‘Yes, it’s about time that I should have my lunch!’

He logged out of the game, removed his helmet, and got off his soft bed.

When he looked around, aside from a clean and tidy study table and a large closet with sliding doors, he could see no signs of dirty socks or dirty laundry anywhere. The sun outside was bright, and the area around him was refreshing and large. It left Happy slightly surprised, moved, and dubious.

He changed into a new set of clothes and pushed open the door. A nice aroma of food that stirred up his appetite instantly came wafting into his nostrils!

“It smells so nice!”

Happy’s smile grew brighter. He felt that his decision of moving out was indeed a wise one. Not only did he avoid the nightmare of being observed like he was some sort of endangered species, there was also someone who would send him food right on time every day. The quality of his food had also become better, so his life was truly luxurious right then.

While Happy smoothed out his clothes, he moved to the living room and spoke at will. “I can tell from the smell that it’s the aroma of sweet and sour ribs. Whoa, you seriously so kind to me, I love you to bits…”

He took a turn, and six pairs of beautiful eyes fixed on his face while sitting around the dining table. In an instant, Happy found himself unable to say one particular name that was already at the tip of his tongue—Whitey.

There were three beautiful and charming girls sitting by the dining table.

There was an exquisite and beautiful lunch box on top of it. Aside from sweet and sour ribs, there was also a few dishes that let out hot waves of steam as well as the nice aroma of food. Happy could tell at first glance that it was not made by the university, much less the Three Lonely Wolves.

When he saw it, no matter how thickheaded Happy was, he could already guess that his three brothers to whom he had given that extremely glorious task to bring him food had handed the wondrous chore to the other person who had the key to their base—Miss Xu Xin.

It was no wonder then that there was such a rich and alluring lunch on the dining table!

But Happy was a little puzzled by the appearance of the other two girls.

It was Phoenix Dances and Glutinous Rice.

For some unknown reason, they were staring at him with a strange look. They would occasionally turn their heads around to look at Xu Xin, who had a slightly red flush on her cheeks. Their expressions were really peculiar.

“Urk, why are you here?”

Happy did not expect that Phoenix Dances would come over on his first day of retreating to their secret base. ‘Three Lonely Wolves, your willpower is seriously weak! How could you betray me so quickly?!’

He smiled and sat across the three girls.

“Whitey was supposed to be the one sending you your food today, but he said that he had something come up at the last minute, so he asked me to bring you your food. Take a look. Does it suit your tastes?”

The blush on Xu Xin’s face slowly grew fainter, and she tried her best to make her voice calm. Even though her mind had run wild when Happy said those words just then, she soon came to realize that he might not have noticed the call on his phone when he woke up. It meant that his words weren’t sincere.

“It suits my tastes, of course it suits my tastes! Whenever they brought me food, it was never something so good. Thanks!” Happy quickly answered, but right when he finished speaking, he found that he still could not ignore Phoenix Dances and Glutinous Rice’s existences.

He then redirected his gaze to them. “Did you come here together?”

“When I came over, they were already standing at the entrance. I thought that they were thieves at first, so I was shocked.”

Xu Xin turned her head to the side while saying that, and Happy was instantly stunned. It was the first time he heard Xu Xin talk in such a manner. She seemed to be very unhappy.

When he went to observe Phoenix Dances and Glutinous Rice’s expressions, he found that Phoenix Dances had already turned her head to the side in great disdain.

“As Beautiful Robes Faction’s master, I believe that there are certain things that I must discuss with Happy immediately. Whitey’s the one who told me the address. I only waited at the door. You’re the one making a fuss out of this.”

Happy said nothing, but he blinked in astonishment. He understood what was going on then

‘Looks like things weren’t very pleasant between them when they met at the entrance!’

“What about you, Glutinous Rice? Why did you come here?”

When he saw that the two girls were confronting each other with a hostile air between them, Happy found himself unable to speak to any of them. He could only turn away to search for some sense of harmony from Glutinous Rice.

That girl knew how to behave in such a sensitive situation. She looked at Phoenix Dances before she looked at Xu Xin. Then, she said obediently and honestly, “I came over with Big Sis Phoenix Dances to talk to you about certain matters.”

She could tell that the two girls beside her seemed to be fond of Happy. One of them came over intentionally to see him, while the other had the time between the two of them destroyed.

The atmosphere was a little tricky.

“Have you eaten?”

“I have.”

Glutinous Rice resolutely decided to pretend to be an idiot to maintain the harmony in the situation. She answered whenever Happy asked her a question, and she was very cautious.

“Happy, your food is about to get cold.”

When Xu Xin spoke the gentle reminder with a pair of watery eyes, her womanly charms were turned to the max, and Happy instantly felt as if half his bones had become limp.

“Got it!”

He stood up reflexively and told Phoenix Dances and Glutinous Rice to wait a moment before he rushed into the bathroom.

“Hmph!”

Right after Happy left, the atmosphere in the living room immediately changed. Phoenix Dances turned her head around and glared at Xu Xin with hostility. Xu Xin turned away resolutely, refusing to look at her to show the disdain in her heart.

Glutinous Rice was stuck between them, and she twiddled her thumbs with great unease on her face, but it was too late for her to regret anything.

‘I forgot to look at the Chinese almanac before I came out. Ah, I can’t stand it anymore! My fate today… is definitely the one that says nothing will go the way I want it! It’s definitely that fate, I’m willing to bet my money on it!’

*****

When Happy returned to the living room, aside from Glutinous Rice, who still looked terrified and uneasy, Phoenix Dances and Xu Xin had already returned to their brilliant smiles. Even so, Happy still felt slightly unsettled.

Xu Xin looked at Happy proudly and said, “Eat first. I want to see if my cooking skills have become worse.”

Happy was stunned before surprise entered his face. “Cooking skills? You made this yourself?”

“Of course. It’s one o’clock now. Try it. See if the taste is up to your liking.” Xu Xin’s smile remained in its place, and when it was coupled with the hot dishes on the table, Happy felt moved. He nodded, picked a sweet and sour rib, and put it into his mouth.

“Wow!”

He gave her a thumbs up.

“It’s sweet, but it’s not a taste that will make me sick of it anytime soon. Yes, it’s really tasty.”

As he spoke, he ate a few more sweet and sour ribs in one go.

“Then, since I have time, why don’t you pay me food expenses, and I’ll cook for you?” Xu Xin’s suggestion tempted Happy. Yet when he was about to nod, he felt a chill rise from his side.

“If you eat too much sweet stuff, it won’t be good for your oral health.”

When Phoenix Dances said that, Xu Xin immediately glared at her. She pursed her lips. It was the first time that gentle girl looked so aggressive.

But who was Phoenix Dances? If none of the boys in the University of South China had been able to control her, there was no way an obedient and demure girl who only had pretty good grades could scare her.

“Hey, Great Beauty Xu, if you do this, others will think that you’re living together. Your boyfriend will definitely be displeased if he saw this.”

Xu Xin snorted softly. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“You don’t have a boyfriend? If you don’t have a boyfriend, then why are you being so nice to a boy? Do you have ulterior motives? And you’re even offering to cook for him every day. You’re so shameless.” Phoenix Dances raised her chin in Xu Xin’s direction. Her words were quite sharp.

“What does it matter to you? Happy and I are both developers for South China Martial Arts Ranking Board. This is the office the five of us rented after we collected money for over five months. Why are you being so meddlesome when we’re just eating in our office?! You’re the one who’s strange. You ran to our office and started acting all presumptuous. What’s with you?”

Phoenix Dances was instantly stunned.

She had only come to know that Happy had begun to stay off campus when she saw the Three Lonely Wolves were moving some furniture. She thought that Happy had decided to rent an apartment by himself, which was why she was so jealous of Xu Xin, but she did not expect that it would be an office…

‘This is so embarrassing!’