Chapter 516: Chapter 535: You... You Kissed Me? (Yeah, I Kissed You! So What? Can’t I?)

Meanwhile, Qian Xingxing had invited many shareholders here.

He had previously secured a large number of spots from Wanxing precisely for this moment.

Qian Duoduo thought he was hosting guests here to promote Qiuqiu, but only he knew that he was doing all this to show his hand.

Outsiders only thought this was a small event for fans.

But anyone with a discerning eye who witnessed this would know—

No. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

This was the last major news story of the year 5355.

It was about to effortlessly capture everyone’s attention at the start of 5356.

Qian Xingxing hadn’t intended to pry into users’ privacy, but this time, the distribution of slots for the New Year’s Eve dinner required a screenshot of their social media feed.

After the system automatically drew the winners, they screened them and, while sending out notification messages, discovered a stunning fact.

They recognized the names of many of these lucky winners.

Never mind the famous personalities, professors, and up-and-coming business tycoons—those had appeared before.

A considerable number were also Federation non-commissioned officers, as well as high-level Mercenaries.

Many of them were familiar faces.

For this New Year’s Eve dinner, someone was bound to check in, take photos, and post them on the Star Network.

Who attended, who didn’t, and the random seating of ordinary people with influential figures—what interesting material this was.

He invited these shareholders and their families to come precisely so they could witness his power.

He also had his heart set on becoming the next Mr. Qian.

At 8:00 PM sharp, all tables in the virtual restaurant were seated.

Hundreds of millions of people lingered here through the latest technology, embarking on a marvelous journey for their taste buds.

Some came alone, while others brought their families, and a joyful atmosphere quickly swept through the entire virtual space.

Meanwhile, the creator of this grand feast was...

The live stream was off. Jiang Qiuqiu let out a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but raise a hand to rub her shoulder. Before she could rub it more than once or twice, a tall figure suddenly walked over, casting a shadow over her, and quickly stopped behind her.

He reached out his hands.

A man’s hands were stronger, and he massaged her shoulders with a skillful touch that felt very comfortable.

"Are you tired?"

"Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve streamed for so long."

Mo Si couldn’t think of anything comforting to say to that. He couldn’t just say ’then don’t stream next time’; this was Qiuqiu’s career. So, after freezing up for a moment, he had a stroke of genius and said, "Then work out harder next time. That way, you won’t get tired even if you stream a little longer."

This strange, straightforward remark made Jiang Qiuqiu laugh out loud.

After he massaged her shoulders for a while, Jiang Qiuqiu said she wanted to bring the dishes from the kitchen to the living room.

"It’s New Year’s Eve, and we still haven’t had our own New Year’s dinner."

True. So the two of them worked together, carrying all eighteen overflowing dishes to the square table in the living room, leaving the poor robot in the kitchen to clean up the mess.

The two of them sat facing each other at the table.

They had both taken seats on the same long side of the rectangular table, leaving only a meter of space between them.

For a spiritual power combatant, a distance like this... was very, very small.

It started snowing again outside the window. The New Year’s snow just wouldn’t stop.

Jiang Qiuqiu watched the snowy scene outside the window and suddenly said, "This is my first New Year’s Eve here." She remembered last New Year’s Eve. It was snowing just like this, and her grandparents were still around. Her grandmother was always fussing over her, asking what she liked to eat.

Her tone suddenly grew a little sad. Mo Si paused for a moment and said, "If you’d like to spend New Year’s Eve on your old planet, we can go there next year." He thought she was talking about the Low-level Star.

’If only it were the Low-level Star, but it’s not.’

Jiang Qiuqiu shook her head, her gaze piercing through the sky. It was as if she were looking across the boundless universe, past the vast Milky Way, to see that aquamarine planet. "I can’t go back."

Maybe it was because she had just seen so many fans in the bullet comments talking about their families.

Maybe it was because tonight was a New Year’s meant for reunions.

Or maybe it was because she was moved by the person in front of her.

Tonight, Jiang Qiuqiu was unusually expressive with her emotions. "I can never go back."

Mo Si thought Jiang Qiuqiu was reminiscing about her relatives. He knew all of her family had gone to the Land of Rebirth; the most insurmountable distance between people is that of life and death.

His mood grew a little heavy as well. "It’s okay if you can’t go back, Qiuqiu. People have to move forward. If you can’t hold on to the past, then look to the present and the future."

"You will have a new life."

’That’s right. So much time has passed that even Earth has vanished from the Milky Way Galaxy.’

"You’re right." Jiang Qiuqiu scooped some noodles into her bowl and took a few big bites. "The past will gradually fade, and I will have a new life."

"It’s good that you can think that way."

"Actually, I thought I’d be spending this New Year alone," Jiang Qiuqiu said, looking at Mo Si. "But you came."

"On a snowy morning, you suddenly showed up all by yourself, using the flimsy excuse that it was too hard for me to cook alone and you wanted to help."

"Black Hole, you know, I’m not really someone who likes to beat around the bush."

"I like to be direct. And you know, no ordinary friend would do all this."

"So I’m going to ask you directly: Black Hole, do you like me?"

It all happened so fast. Before Mo Si could even catch up, Jiang Qiuqiu had already moved on to the final stage.

The young woman’s gaze was incredibly gentle. Mo Si had thought that if he were ever faced with such a question, he would definitely stammer and be unable to answer, struck speechless by shyness.

But in fact, at this very moment, Mo Si discovered that wasn’t the case at all.

Because an equally fervent emotion within his heart was waiting to respond—

His beating heart was repeating a single answer.

He said, "Yes."

Mo Si’s expression softened, his dark eyes filled with a tenderness like the spring sun. "Yes, Qiuqiu. I like you."

He came because he liked her.

He cared because he liked her.

He paid attention because he liked her.

Jiang Qiuqiu got her affirmative answer, and her eyes lit up. She stood up too. Even though at 167cm she wasn’t short, standing in front of the 195cm Mo Si, she still looked rather short and cute.

Now, with the table between them, Jiang Qiuqiu beckoned to him. "Come over here. I have something to tell you."

Mo Si, not suspecting a thing, bent down and leaned closer to Jiang Qiuqiu.

Jiang Qiuqiu leaned in as well.

In that moment, they were truly too close.

"What a coincidence."

Her soft voice fell upon his ear. "Black Hole, I like you too." Before Mo Si could react, she cupped his chin and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

This was quite a bold move for Jiang Qiuqiu. ’Kissing someone right after making things official... it seems a little too fast! But I had the impulse, so I went for it. Who cares about the rest!’

But what she hadn’t expected was that after she kissed him, Mo Si nearly shot up into the air.

He quickly pulled back and stood up straight, his hand frozen over the spot on his cheek. The expression on his face was practically a pie chart.

Thirty percent shock, thirty percent shyness, thirty percent excitement, and ten percent the grievance of a newlywed bride. "You... you kissed me?"

A big 195cm tall man, a handsome "little milk wolf," suddenly making a face like that brought Jiang Qiuqiu a great deal of joy. She felt like a female tyrant right now. "Yeah, I kissed you. What’s wrong? Am I not allowed?"

Mo Si paused for a moment, then suddenly leaned his head back toward her.

"You are."

"Pfft..."

’Little Panda, you’re really going to chase all my unhappiness away.’