After finishing the butterfly palmiers, Lin Bei realized a serious problem.

She had gained weight.

This morning, when she tried to zip up her jeans, the button nearly wouldn’t close. Standing in front of the mirror, she pinched the extra layer of fat around her waist and fell into deep panic.

“Su Chen!” she burst out of the room. “I’ve gained weight!”

Su Chen was sipping coffee at the dining table and looked up at her. “Mm.”

“What does ‘mm’ mean? You’ve already noticed, haven’t you?”

“How many butterfly palmiers have you eaten lately—do you even know?”

“Well, you’ve eaten some too! Why aren’t you gaining weight?”

Su Chen set down his coffee cup, stood up, and walked over to her. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek.

Lin Bei froze.

Su Chen’s fingers were cool and his grip light, as if he were squeezing a freshly baked butterfly palmier. His expression remained as indifferent as ever, but there was a tiny curve at the corner of his mouth.

“You’ve gained weight,” he said.

Lin Bei’s face flushed bright red. “You! What are you doing?” Her voice even trembled a bit.

“To verify,” Su Chen withdrew his hand, sat back down at the table, picked up his coffee, and wore an expression as calm as if nothing had happened just now.

“Verify what?”

“Whether you’ve really gained weight.”

“Then why did you pinch my face? Couldn’t you just look?”

“Looking isn’t reliable.”

Lin Bei stood in the middle of the living room, covering her face, her heart pounding like a drum.

She walked over to Su Chen, braced both hands on the dining table, and looked down at him from above.

“Su Chen.”

“Mm.” He raised his head, his gaze steady.

“Are you taking advantage of me?”

“No.”

“Then why did you pinch my face?”

“For scientific verification.”

“You’re lying.”

Su Chen put down his coffee cup and stood up. He was half a head taller than Lin Bei, and as soon as he stood, her confidence instantly vanished.

He reached out again and pinched her other cheek.

Lin Bei’s eyes widened in shock.

“You—you’re doing it again?”

“The control group,” Su Chen said without flinching. “Pinching only one side isn’t scientific.”

Lin Bei took a deep breath and reached out to pinch back.

Su Chen didn’t dodge. Her fingers pressed against his cheek, and the texture was softer than she’d imagined. His skin was so smooth and fine that you couldn’t even see his pores.

“How can your skin be so good?” Lin Bei couldn’t help but ask.

“Genetics.”

“What facial cleanser do you use?”

“The one you use for washing socks.”

Lin Bei’s hand froze. She remembered once using Su Chen’s facial cleanser to wash her socks.

“That… I did compensate you later.”

“Mm. But you still haven’t compensated me for pinching my face.”

“You have to compensate for this too?”

“For emotional damages.”

Lin Bei released her hand and glared at him. “Su Chen, do you know how unscrupulous you are?”

“Likewise.”

The two locked eyes for three seconds, then Lin Bei cracked first and burst into laughter.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” she asked.

Su Chen looked at her and remained silent for two seconds. “What do you have planned for today?”

“Nothing. Just lying around.”

“Then come watch a movie with me.”

Lin Bei was taken aback. “A movie? At home?”

“Mm. I bought a projector ages ago but never used it.”

“How come everything you buy is never used? Rice cookers, ovens, projectors—”

“Because there’s nothing worth watching.”

Lin Bei’s heart skipped a beat. Nothing worth watching? Then why is today worth watching? Because she’s watching it with him?

Su Chen had already gone to his room to fetch the projector. Lin Bei stood in the living room, staring at his back, a grin spreading across her lips that she couldn’t suppress.

Once the projector was set up, Su Chen drew the curtains, plunging the living room into darkness except for the flickering light of the projector.

“What are we watching?” Su Chen asked.

“You choose.”

“I’m not watching a movie.”

“Then why did you buy a projector?”

“So you can choose.”

Lin Bei took a deep breath, feeling that sooner or later this man would sweeten her so much she’d develop diabetes.

She chose a romantic comedy about a pair of rivals who go from hating each other to falling in love. Su Chen leaned against one end of the sofa, Lin Bei sat at the other, with two people between them.

Ten minutes into the movie, Lin Bei realized Su Chen wasn’t paying any attention at all. His gaze kept drifting toward her and then quickly shifting away.

End of Chapter 29: The War on the Sofa