"Have I gotten more handsome?"
Lin touched his face, feigning ignorance.
"Playing dumb, are we?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka glanced at him.
She didn't believe Lin hadn't looked in a mirror.
"What do you mean, playing dumb? I've always been handsome, maybe I just never noticed it."
"However..."
Lin's lips curved slightly, a mischievous glint in his eyes:
"There's a saying, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' Shizu, you think I've gotten more handsome, could it be that you..."
He trailed off, his words stopping abruptly.
He looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka with a meaningful, ambiguous expression.
He even intentionally leaned his face closer, staring intently at Shizuka Hiratsuka.
Their eyes met.
Shizuka Hiratsuka felt a little flustered.
A faint blush spread across her face.
Hearing Lin's words again, her heart pounded like a startled deer.
To hide the tremor in her heart, she unconsciously clenched her hands, then glared at Lin, feigning annoyance:
"Brat, what nonsense are you spouting? You have no respect for your elders."
"How dare you tease me? Do you want a punch?"
After speaking, she raised her clenched right hand and shook it threateningly.
She had a nickname, Iron Fist Teacher.
It spread quickly after students saw her disciplining two delinquents outside of school once.
Thus, she got this nickname.
As the nickname spread, many students came to revere her 'fist's might'.
However, for Lin, it held no deterrence at all.
Because he knew Shizuka Hiratsuka wasn't someone who would easily resort to violence.
Of course, if their relationship was good enough, or not good enough, she might still act if pushed too far.
"Wow, a fist as big as a sandbag! I'm so scared."
Lin covered his face with his hands, feigning fear.
As he spoke, he spread his fingers and peeked at Shizuka Hiratsuka.
The curve of his lips seemed like even an AK couldn't suppress it.
"[○?｀Д?○]"
This mischievous demeanor made Shizuka Hiratsuka's face darken.
Her fist clenched, ready.
Just as she was about to flare up.
"I'll go get my things."
However, the next moment, Lin chuckled, dropped a sentence, and strode towards the master bedroom on the second floor.
"You rotten brat..."
Seeing Lin make a quick escape, Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't help but laugh and curse softly.
She didn't enter the house, simply waiting at the genkan.
While waiting, she suddenly recalled what had just happened.
That familiar flutter reappeared in her heart, and her heartbeat began to accelerate.
Her interactions with Lin since they met seemed to flash before her eyes.
"Could it be that I..."
Sensing the tremor in her heart, Shizuka Hiratsuka was somewhat incredulous.
She clearly thought of Lin as a surrogate younger brother.
How could she possibly have those kinds of feelings?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
It must have been Lin's words just now that affected her, which is why she couldn't stop herself from overthinking.
She gently patted her slightly warm cheeks with both hands.
Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't help but murmur:
"It's all Lin's fault, that rotten kid, so disrespectful, a little brat who dares to tease his teacher."
"If he does it again next time, I'll definitely teach him a lesson."
"I must let him know my nickname isn't just for show."
After a moment of mumbling.
Shizuka Hiratsuka took several deep breaths, exhaled slowly, and suppressed all the distracting thoughts in her mind.
Meanwhile, inside the house.
Lin, back in his bedroom, picked up his phone, keys, and wallet.
After a second of hesitation, he also put his Bluetooth earphones into his pocket.
Coming to the genkan on the first floor, he put on his shoes, looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka who was softly glaring at him, and said with a smile:
"Shall we go?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka glanced at him.
She said nothing, simply walked straight outside.
"???"
Seeing this, Lin blinked.
A trace of doubt flickered in his eyes.
Why did Shizuka Hiratsuka suddenly seem as if she was on her period?
Was she angry because of what happened just now?
Based on what he knew of her, that seemed unlikely.
But Lin couldn't be bothered to think too much, he simply smiled and followed her.
A little later, Lin got into the passenger seat of the Aston Martin parked by the roadside and fastened his seatbelt.
Shizuka Hiratsuka started the car.
Leaving the residential area, they drove towards the place where they would eat lunch.
Lin took out his phone.
Many people had sent him messages.
For example, Akashiya Moka and Satania.
Lin replied to them one by one.
Shizuka Hiratsuka glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, saying nothing.
She just concentrated on driving.
Half an hour later, Shinjuku Ward.
Shizuka Hiratsuka drove the car into a parking lot next to a high-class restaurant, and the two headed towards it.
Led by a staff member, they arrived outside a private room on the second floor of the restaurant; it was already reserved.
Shizuka Hiratsuka directly opened the door.
"You're here."
The girl already seated at the dining table looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka and Lin, smiling as she greeted them.
Then she paused slightly, taken aback.
Her eyes widened, and she stared intently at Lin.
"Is it an illusion?!"
A thought flashed through her mind.
For some reason, she felt Lin looked much more handsome.
Closing the door behind him, Lin looked at the girl at the table and greeted her with a slight smile:
"Haruno-nee, long time no see. You seem to have gotten even prettier."
Haruno's full name was Yukinoshita Haruno.
She was the current eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
She had a younger sister named Yukinoshita Yukino.
Shizuka Hiratsuka, who was walking towards the dining table, heard Lin's words and couldn't help but frown, feeling a bit displeased.
This rotten brat.
Yukinoshita Haruno came back to her senses, her gaze on Lin sparkling, revealing a mixture of admiration and subtlety in her eyes.
She couldn't help but say with a light chuckle:
"Xiaobai, you haven't been to a beauty salon recently, have you?"
Their last meeting had been half a month ago.
"I knew it."
Shizuka Hiratsuka pulled out a chair and sat down, remarking playfully, "This rotten kid really has changed a lot."
"Not at all, I'm just naturally beautiful, okay?"
Lin said, then went and sat down to Yukinoshita Haruno's left.
Shizuka Hiratsuka was on her right.
Just as Lin sat down, Yukinoshita Haruno leaned in a bit, and her left hand directly reached for his face.
She gently pinched his cheek.
She couldn't help but look surprised: "Just as I thought, your skin is really too good."
"How do you take care of it?"
Delicate and smooth, fair and soft.
It was no exaggeration to say it was even better than her own carefully maintained skin.
Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't help but look at Lin.
She clearly wanted to know the answer too.
Although she was usually a bit carefree, as a woman, she would definitely care about her appearance.
Lin said with a smile: "But I don't maintain it at all."
"Really?"
Suspicion appeared in the eyes of both Yukinoshita Haruno and Shizuka Hiratsuka.
They clearly didn't quite believe him.
"Why would I lie to you?"
"Alright then..."
Yukinoshita Haruno and Shizuka Hiratsuka exchanged glances, and seeing Lin's sincere expression, they temporarily chose to believe him.
Yukinoshita Haruno then extended her right hand, both hands continuously kneading Lin's face, sighing:
"How enviable."
Lin narrowed his eyes slightly at her: "I say, Haruno-nee, you're deliberately taking advantage of me, aren't you?"
"Oh, you caught me."
Yukinoshita Haruno said, feigning surprise.
Then she flashed Lin a somewhat mischievous smile.
Her soft hands were still gently kneading his cheeks.
Witnessing this scene, Shizuka Hiratsuka's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze flickering.
She just watched, saying nothing.
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