Chapter 150 – Rain Falls Again at Qingming

1

The moon shone brightly amid sparse stars.

Lin Xi reached the roadside and took out her phone.

“I guess I’ll just take a cab home…”

Before she could open the ride-hailing app, a voice called out from above.

“Master!”

“I’ve come to pick you up!”

A dark green Giant Dragon circled over Lin Xi’s head.

Thor had activated Invisibility, making herself impossible for anyone but her master to see or hear.

Lin Xi wasn’t about to turn her down. Saving the cab fare sounded good to her.

After Thor landed, Lin Xi climbed up her broad wings and onto her back.

“Ehehe… It feels amazing to have Master ride me!”

Lin Xi fell silent.

“Never mind. I’ll take a cab after all.”

“Nooo!” Thor immediately took off.

Lin Xi had no choice but to cling tightly to her.

The chilly night wind whipped her silky hair into disarray.

“Thanks for coming to pick me up, Thor. If you weren’t such a pervert, you’d be the ultimate Dragon Maid.”

“I’m not a pervert,” Thor protested. “If I were, I would have switched places and ridden you long ago. To ride or be ridden-that truly is a question worth pondering.”

“What kind of filthy talk is that? And you still claim you’re not a pervert?”

“Master, how about I take you out like this over the weekend?”

“Well, it does sound pretty nice… but I already have plans with Miss Shanshan.”

“You’re not going out with her both days, are you? On Sunday, I’ll fly you all over Z City.”

“Wouldn’t that… tire you out?”

“Not at all! I love having you ride me more than anything! Having you ride me all day would be the greatest reward I could ever ask for!”

Lin Xi fell silent again.

“Stop phrasing it in such a perverted way!”

…

A day later, Saturday arrived. It was finally time for Lin Xi to go out and have fun with Yang Shanshan-or rather, take her out for some training.

To help Yang Shanshan overcome her timid, soft-spoken nature, Lin Xi had carefully drawn up a plan. She intended to take Yang Shanshan through all sorts of activities that would build her courage and improve her social skills.

Unfortunately, the unending spring rain ruined everything.

“Rain really does fall thick and fast around Qingming…” Lin Xi and Yang Shanshan were currently sheltering from the rain in a café near the plaza.

They had arranged to meet at the plaza, but it started raining as soon as they saw each other, forcing them to take shelter in the café.

Yang Shanshan looked bright and adorable today, a complete departure from her usual dowdy appearance.

Her younger sister had done her makeup and picked out her outfit.

After learning that her older sister had a date, Yang Tongtong had personally dolled her up.

“If you revealed your true form and turned back into a super gorgeous, ultra-sexy, huge-breasted big sis, why would you even need to dress up?”

Her sister’s voice sounded directly in Yang Shanshan’s mind.

The two of them could communicate telepathically within a limited range.

“Well, at least Lin Xi had some sense. She complimented your outfit as soon as she saw you.”

Lin Xi had called her cute, and Yang Shanshan was still glowing inside from the compliment.

Yang Tongtong had come along to serve as her sister’s Love Strategist.

She simply couldn’t bear to watch her hopeless Otaku loser of a sister continue fumbling her way through romance. She had to step in and offer advice.

“Does Miss Lin Xi hate the rain?” Yang Shanshan asked.

If Lin Xi disliked rainy days, she planned to have her sister summon her pet.

The Super Disaster Kun could suck away all the rain in the area and create a patch of clear weather.

“I wouldn’t say I hate it,” Lin Xi replied. “Isn’t it always like this around Qingming?”

“It’s just that I’ll have to change my original plans.”

“Let me think about what I should take you to do instead…”

Love Strategist Yang Tongtong immediately said to her sister:

“I’ve got a plan!”

“Let’s hear it.” Yang Shanshan was out of ideas herself, so she might as well hear what her little sister had to say.

Yang Tongtong said, “Use the rain as an excuse not to go sightseeing, then head straight to a hotel with Lin Xi! Get a room and do it like there’s no tomorrow!”

“Tongtong! Some Love Strategist you are!” Yang Shanshan screamed inwardly. “You’re inciting a crime!”

Yang Shanshan was starting to regret letting her sister tag along. All she ever did was give her terrible advice.

Just then, Lin Xi had an idea.

“Miss Shanshan, why don’t we go boating and fishing?”

Lin Xi held up her phone for Yang Shanshan to see.

“There’s a newly opened farm resort nearby that offers boating and fishing!”

Lin Xi had been browsing for interesting things to do nearby and had just stumbled across it.

Fishing was Lin Xi’s absolute favorite sport.

“In a lone boat, an old man in a straw cape and bamboo hat fishes the spring river alone.”

“Rainy days and fishing really do go hand in hand.”

“What do you think, Miss Shanshan? Want to go?” Lin Xi asked expectantly.

“Fishing? What’s wrong with her head?” Yang Tongtong raged. “Who takes a girl fishing in the rain?!”

“Sis! Refuse her right now, and throw your coffee in her face!”

“Sure, Miss Lin Xi! Let’s go fishing!” Yang Shanshan agreed without hesitation.

“Sis, ignore your strategist’s advice and you’ll regret it!”

“Tongtong, you’re fired.”

Yang Tongtong was speechless.

“Nooo-!”

Yang Shanshan completely ignored her Love Strategist and happily decided to go boating and fishing with Lin Xi.

“Miss Lin Xi, I’ve watched quite a few fishing anime. I have plenty of theoretical knowledge.”

Just like how she’d learned to play bass, every one of Yang Shanshan’s hobbies had come from one anime or another.

Such was the power of a small-fry Otaku!

Lin Xi merely smiled. “So what if you have plenty of theoretical knowledge? Miss Shanshan, your pre-fishing ‘tactical analysis’ could be brilliant, but you might still end up getting skunked and come away empty-handed.”

“Sis, I’ve got another plan!” Yang Tongtong urgently offered.

Yang Shanshan hadn’t wanted to hear any more of her sister’s terrible ideas, but this one actually sounded pretty good.

Yang Tongtong suggested, “That bastard Lin Xi dared mock you for only having theoretical knowledge about fishing. This is your chance to challenge her!”

“Settle it with a fishing showdown!”

“The loser has to grant the winner one unconditional request!”

Her sister’s idea… was surprisingly reasonable. Yang Shanshan was tempted, and she immediately acted on it.

She challenged Lin Xi to a competition.

“H-how about it, Miss Lin Xi? Want to compete?”

“Hahaha!” Lin Xi laughed. “That’s more like it, Miss Shanshan. You need to be a little more assertive.”

“Bring it on. Who’s afraid of who?”

“The loser has to grant the winner one unconditional request. No problem, as long as it’s within our abilities.”

“I’m not being conceited, Miss Shanshan, but you’re going to lose,” Lin Xi declared proudly. “I’ve roamed the fishing world for years and never once been skunked. Victory in this battle is assured.”

“I-I’ll do my best too!” Yang Shanshan refused to back down.

She wanted to win.

She had already decided what she would make Lin Xi do for her.

“Don’t worry, Sis,” the Love Strategist vowed confidently. “With me as your cheat code, you couldn’t lose if you tried.”

“Huh? Wouldn’t cheating be unfair?”

“Since when was love fair?” the Love Strategist reasoned with utter conviction. “Winning is what matters most.”

Footnote:

• Qingming(清明): The Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, falls in early spring and is traditionally associated with persistent seasonal rain.