CFSMS -Chapter 263 Love Isn’t Just Talking

“Nom nom. I actually thought about telling the truth, but when I saw everyone running around trying to find doctors for me, I got scared I’d get beaten up if I confessed.”

“Nom nom. In the end, I still got beaten up anyway. My butt hurts so much.”

“Nom nom… Why are all of you staring at me?”

Unable to sit because of his injuries, Pi Xia could only squat on the ground, holding a greaseproof paper packet and munching on the bugs inside.

As he smacked his lips and spoke his thoughts aloud, everyone listened.

The environment around the Pi family estate was harsh, with poisonous insects everywhere. Pi Xia had been around bugs since childhood and had even eaten them before, so he never doubted Lu Wu’s decision to sell insects as food.

What he hadn’t expected was for the little boss’s cooking to be this delicious.

The Pi family had plenty of chefs, and their signature dishes tasted good too. Yet compared to Boss Lu’s cooking, something always felt missing.

That tiny difference was enough to keep Pi Xia from leaving after tasting the insects.

He wasn’t good with spicy food. Just a little numbing chili flavor was enough to bring beads of sweat to the tip of his nose.

“Hiss…”

Despite that, his hands never stopped moving.

It was spicy, but it felt amazing.

The more he ate, the more addictive it became.

And after the heat faded, taking a slice of mint…

Pi Xia shuddered all over.

Forgetting all sense of dignity, he swept the remaining insects from the paper into his mouth.

The fragrant bugs soothed his wounded heart. Now that his secret had been exposed, there was no point pretending anymore.

“Come to think of it, Boss Lu, we’re actually pretty fated.”

Thinking about their dramatic first meeting, when Lu Wu had suddenly appeared in his arms, he had genuinely wondered whether some quack doctor had devised such an unconventional treatment for his supposed mysophobia.

He admitted it—he had panicked.

At that moment, he had almost confessed everything.

Who would have thought that after escaping disaster once, he still couldn’t avoid it today?

“Sigh. In the end, I still fell into your hands, Boss Lu. You have to take responsibility for me.”

Pi Xia sighed dramatically, acting as though Lu Wu owed him something.

The “victim” being shamelessly saddled with responsibility glanced at him licking grease off the paper and calmly replied:

“Pay first, then I’ll take responsibility.”

She checked the system interface.

After two days of effort, the mission progress looked promising.

[555 / 1111]

The progress bar was already over halfway complete.

Rubbing his stomach, still not quite full, Pi Xia stood up.

The area in front of the stall was empty at the moment, but this time he didn’t dare act recklessly.

“Excuse me, is anyone here?”

He called politely toward the empty space.

He still wanted more food.

Earlier he’d managed to cut in line through sheer shamelessness. Even though some customers hadn’t revealed themselves, the green-eyed stares he’d felt were enough to send chills down his spine.

This time, he’d better be polite.

“There is!”

“Then would anyone be willing to sell me their spot? I’ll pay three times the price.”

He raised three fingers, attempting a transaction.

“No!”

The answer came quickly and decisively.

Touching his face, Pi Xia felt as though he’d just been spat on by an invisible crowd.

“Alright then.”

With a regretful sigh, he swaggered to the back of the line.

He wasn’t going to hide anymore.

His dignity had already been completely destroyed earlier. At this point, nothing in the world could break him further.

“Young Master, the Patriarch asked me to inquire: now that your ‘illness’ has been cured, what are your thoughts regarding Ninth Miss of Zhang Family Tower?”

Aunt Lan appeared behind him.

After thoroughly beating Pi Xia up, she looked refreshed. Years of pent-up frustration had finally been vented.

“No thoughts.”

“I, a man so handsome, elegant, carefree, and charming, have no interest in romance. And I have no interest in Ninth Miss either.”

“Aunt Lan, tell my father that arranged marriages are impossible. Times have changed. Nobody does that anymore. I’m not doing it.”

Pi Xia loudly declared his position.

What he didn’t notice was a subordinate nearby recording everything on a One Realm Communicator.

“Very well. The Patriarch said that if Young Master still refuses, the marriage alliance with Zhang Family Tower will be canceled.”

“Oh, and by the way, we’ve already sent Ninth Miss everything you just said. Don’t worry—you’re completely free now.”

Aunt Lan nodded, looking utterly unconcerned.

Pi Xia froze.

“Y-you-you… You sent it to her?”

The way he shouted made it obvious he was panicking.

“How could you do this?! Everything I said was fake! I-I-I…”

After stammering for a while, he finally exploded.

“I’m willing! I’m willing to marry her!”

“Please don’t tell Xiao Jiu! What if she really ignores me from now on?”

The truth was obvious.

Pi Xia had only said those things because he cared too much about saving face.

“Too late!”

Aunt Lan spread her hands helplessly.

Pi Xia’s expression changed several times before he frantically pulled out his communicator.

“Xiao Jiu, everything I said was fake. I just got beaten up, and my head wasn’t clear. Don’t misunderstand. I don’t dislike you.”

The message was successfully sent.

No reply.

“Maybe she hasn’t seen it yet.”

That was the only comfort he could give himself.

“But Ninth Miss replied to me.”

Aunt Lan stabbed another knife into his heart.

She turned her communicator toward him.

Just moments ago, Ninth Miss had replied with three words.

‘I understand.’

“What do you understand?! Xiao Jiu, what do you understand?! Aunt Lan, you’ve doomed me!”

He and Xiao Jiu had grown up together.

Their engagement had been arranged since childhood.

Though he’d never directly responded whenever the marriage was brought up over the years, it wasn’t because he disliked her.

He was just shy!

It was over.

If Xiao Jiu really decided to cut ties with him, what was he supposed to do?

“Xiao Jiu, I was wrong. I only said that because I wanted to save face. Please forgive me.”

“You can hit me or scold me, but please don’t ignore me.”

“Xiao Jiu, I’m afraid…”

Message after message was sent.

Not a single response came back.

Seeing this, Lu Wu was reminded of certain people’s chat windows.

A sea of green messages.

Read. No reply.

Nothing stabbed the heart quite like that.

Seeing Pi Xia’s love life on the verge of complete destruction, Lu Wu kindly offered some advice.

“How about trying a different approach?”

If Xiao Jiu liked Pi Xia too, then after hearing his earlier speech, even the most patient girl would be angry.

“Love isn’t just talking.”

Only actions counted as love.

Lu Wu wasn’t sure where she’d heard that quote, but she felt it made perfect sense.

Pi Xia thought about it and agreed.

Then he immediately snapped several photos of Lu Wu’s stall.

“Does Miss Xiao Jiu like eating these too?” Lu Wu asked curiously while packing orders for other customers.

“No. She’s been terrified of bugs since she was little. But every time she’s angry at me, I catch some bugs and bring them to her, and then she talks to me again.”

Though every single time he ended up getting scolded thoroughly, at least they spoke.

“Impressive.”

Faced with Pi Xia’s spectacularly clueless straight-man behavior, Lu Wu could only wish him good luck.

“Oh! She replied!”

Pi Xia’s eyes lit up.

To maximize the impact of the photos, he’d carefully selected the best angles.

In the pictures were glossy black scorpions and plump grasshoppers. Even in death, they looked fierce and imposing, as if they had been full of vitality while alive.