Hard to Resist This Girl

Inside the bustling arcade, Lina watched in astonishment as the game machine spat out coins like crazy.

Kairo had rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, revealing a fair stretch of arm. His left hand rapidly tapped the controls while his right hand firmly gripped the joystick.

His face was cold, his dark eyes shimmering with a faint light.

Unlike the other players around him who showed their highs and lows, it seemed the game didn't bring him any particular joy. He was just doing it, doing it well and seriously, and that was it.

Lina observed Kairo's icy demeanor. He didn't seem to be playing for fun; it was more like he was working.

The tattooed arcade owner watched his machine spew out money, his heart aching at the sight.

In just a few rounds, Kairo had won back all the money Lina owed.

Who on earth was this guy?

Lina raised an eyebrow at the owner, who chuckled nervously, clearly regretting his earlier actions.

Lina grabbed a handful of game coins, exchanged them for real money at the counter, and went out to buy more puffed rice snacks. When she returned, she broke off a piece and offered it to Kairo.

Kairo glanced at the snack, then at Lina, puzzled.

Lina smiled innocently, "It's a treat."

"No."

He declined abruptly, clearly unaccustomed to someone offering him food so directly.

"Come on, just try it." Lina pushed the snack into his mouth, "It's really good."

The puffed rice melted in his mouth, sweetly sticking to his taste buds.

Kairo eventually accepted the snack, eating it with restraint.

Lina munched away, her cheeks puffing out like a little hamster, occasionally flashing him a smile.

This was Kairo's first time eating such a snack. He wouldn't spend money on such frivolities. He had no time for snacks.

Lina, however, made herself at home, taking a pear from his pocket and biting into it.

Kairo glanced at her, and she quickly said, "I treated you to the snack, so I'm having one of your pears. You're not mad, right?"

Kairo wanted to point out that it wasn't his choice in the first place, but the lingering sweetness on his tongue made him pause. He simply said, "You should wash the pear first."

"Oh."

Lina shrugged and took another bite.

She suddenly felt that the younger Kairo wasn't that intimidating.

Lina offered another puffed rice snack to Kairo, and without much ado, he took it and ate.

He rarely had such enjoyable gaming moments, especially with his arch-enemy's sister. The whole situation felt surreal to Kairo.

Yet, he found it hard to resist this girl, especially... when she smiled at him.

Lina hadn't expected Kairo to be so skilled at gaming. That afternoon, they made a small fortune. Although the game coins didn't convert to much real money, they managed to recover all of Lina's losses.

Other boys around them watched enviously, begging Kairo to play a few rounds for them. Kairo didn't even glance at them, simply turning to leave, "Let's go."

"Okay."

Lina followed closely behind him as they exited the arcade. Coincidentally, as they stepped onto the main street, they ran straight into Talon and his buddies, who were also coming to the arcade.

Upon seeing Kairo, Talon's face darkened. And when he noticed Lina by Kairo's side, his anger flared.

Without a word, Talon threw a punch at Kairo.

Caught off guard, Kairo took the full force of the blow, stumbling to the side and barely steadying himself against a wall. The bag of pears he was holding flew out of his hand, scattering across the ground. Some rolled into the street and were crushed by passing cars.

Lina, stunned for a moment, quickly stepped in front of Kairo, arms outstretched to shield him from Talon, "Why are you attacking without even asking what happened?"

Talon grabbed her by the collar, his voice filled with rage, "Do you even know what kind of jerk he is? And you're hanging out with him?"

Lina shook off Talon's grip, retorting indignantly, "From what I saw, you're the one being a bully! You're such a..."

She stopped herself from finishing the sentence, fearing the repercussions of insulting her own father.

Talon pushed Lina behind him, stepping forward to confront Kairo. He grabbed Kairo by the collar, slamming him against the wall, "You can mess with any girl around me, but if you dare touch her, I'll make you pay."

Kairo's dark eyes flashed coldly. Unexpectedly, he smirked, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"Fine by me."

His response was so unexpected that even Talon was taken aback. But not wanting to engage further, Talon roughly let go of Kairo, grabbed Lina's hand, and stormed off.

Lina stumbled as she was dragged along, frequently looking back. She saw Kairo bending down to pick up the scattered pears, brushing off the dirt.

For a moment, his stoic gaze pierced her heart.