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It was so hard to feel useful. No matter how many times Guang Guang or Cheng Xiaoshi talked to me, interacted with me, or tried making it seem like I was helpful, I knew better. They were the time travellers, the ones saving people and changing situations for the better. Me? I was the useless girl, delivering measly photos and handling front-house requests.
I felt stupid for feeling this way. My grudge never lay with those two, but with myself. Why couldn't I be better? Stronger? More helpful? Why couldn't I contribute to their missions?
Suddenly, the door slammed open, almost off its hinges yet again. I jumped as the two idiots walked in. Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi. Xiaoshi had a huge smile plastered across his face, his foot still poised upwards. No doubt that he had been the one to kick the door. Guang Guang, his face set, walked beside him.
"Idiot!" I huffed at Xiaoshi. "Break that door and you'll be paying for the new one!"
Xiaoshi rolled his eyes. "Well, landlady, I didn't know our door was so fragile that a single kick could break it. Why don't you pay for another one?"
Oh, he was so not getting ramen ever again.
Guang Guang coughed and turned to me. "Qiao Ling-jie, we have something to tell you."
I looked towards him. "Yeah?"
Guang Guang looked towards Cheng Xiaoshi, who nodded.
"We...decided to have this day off. Since, you know, we don't have many chances to hang out, Cheng Xiaoshi and I decided to hang out...all of us."
I blinked. They...had a day off?
Xiaoshi coughed pointedly, snapping me out of my trance. He and Lu Guang looked at me nervously, as if waiting for my reaction.
I tackled them at full force with a hug.
"OW!" Xiaoshi howled, trying in vain to pry me off. Guang Guang, however, froze up.
"You two won't be doing any boring work for the rest of today. Got that?" I said, grinning at both of them.
Guang Guang looked at me, and I swore a smile flashed across his face, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.
Xiaoshi coughed yet again. "So...can we make chocolate cake?
"I SAID FORTY MINUTES, NOT FOUR HOURS!"
Xiaoshi jumped over a chair as I chased after him, a frying pan in hand, which I wasn't even going to use. Guang Guang coughed and waved away the black smoke, revealing our charred cooking disaster.
"I'M SORRY LANDLADY!" Xiaoshi screamed as Lu Guang chuckled.
"Let's just order a cake online." Lu Guang said, pulling out his phone, his bangs falling across his face.
I didn't miss the way Xiaoshi briefly looked at him before muttering an excuse about needing to go to the bathroom.
An hour later, we were all stuffing our face with cake. Xiaoshi leaned back and sighed. "Man, can't we have days like this all the time?"
Lu Guang shot him a glance before turning to me. "Qiao Ling-jie, I've been messaged THREE times from guys who want your number."
Seriously? Again?
"Well, you can tell them I'm already taken." I laughed, tying my hair up. "Anyways, I need to go do some errands, so can I trust you two not to burn this place down?"
"Sure." Xiaoshi said, looking at his phone. "Come back soon though, we'll miss you."
It was a joke. Right? So why did it make me feel so...wanted? Like I had a place with them.
Maybe I'd give Xiaoshi some ramen.
"Hey landlady, is this your girlf-"
"CHENG XIAOSHI!!!"