"Oh, okay." Zhao Yu didn't mind Gao Rang's suggestion. Then, he passed the laptop back to Gao Rang and said seriously, "We must clear the dungeon this time, okay?"
Gao Rang chuckled and raised a hand to ruffle Zhao Yu's hair, saying, "Okay."
…
"Why don't you sleep closer?"
A female voice softly sounded in the dead of night, the speaker seemingly worried she would disturb the person she was speaking to.
When Tang Yu heard this voice, she turned her head around and met Yin Zhao-an's eyes, those eyes sparkling and looking full of hope in the darkness of the room.
When Yin Zhao-an saw Tang Yu staying quiet and looking hesitant, she added, "I won't do anything to you. I promise."
More like you don't dare to do anything, Tang Yu thought, rolling her eyes. Even so, she still shifted her body closer to Yin Zhao-an.
Meanwhile, seeing Tang Yu coming closer, Yin Zhao-an promptly tucked the quilt they shared. Now, there were no gaps between them, and not the slightest bit of cold air could get under the quilt.
Tang Yu couldn't sleep. Lying on her side and looking out the window with half-drawn curtains, she called out to Yin Zhao-an in the dark, "An-An."
"Hm?"
"Since when did you start to learn about these things?" Tang Yu asked, the "things" here referring to homosexual relationships and Yin Zhao-an's feelings for her. This question had also been troubling her the entire day.
Until Tang Yu died in her previous life, Yin Zhao-an had never shown any interest in love, much less homosexual love. Yin Zhao-an also never noticed Tang Yu's feelings for her. Yet, Yin Zhao-an had even taken the initiative to confess in this life. Someone or something must have given Yin Zhao-an a push in this direction.
"Mhm, well… I first learned that girls could fall in love with other girls from Wen Tao," Yin Zhao-an said, recalling when Wen Tao had nosily asked her about her relationship with Tang Yu. She had yet to realize her true feelings at the time, but since Wen Tao had asked her such a question, she had probably been subconsciously showing her feelings through her behavior.
"...Wen Tao?" Tang Yu immediately came to a realization. It would seem that the butterfly effect was at play again. After all, Wen Tao was never part of their past lives.
Speaking of Wen Tao, Yin Zhao-an suddenly remembered the forum post Zhao Yu had previously shared with her. Immediately, feelings of jealousy filled her as she asked, "Do you like Wen Tao?"
"Huh?" Tang Yu couldn't help but doubt her ears for a moment. Then, turning her whole body around and looking at Yin Zhao-an, she frowned and asked, "Are you insane? Why would I like him?"
Yin Zhao-an awkwardly looked down when she saw such a strong reaction from Tang Yu. Then, somewhat aggrievedly, she said, "Because I see you two together often."
An angry smile appeared on Tang Yu's face. After pinching a certain jealous bug's chin, Tang Yu looked the other party in the eye and said, "If my memories serve me right, you were the one who told Wen Tao to keep an eye on me."
"I was wrong…" Yin Zhao-an promptly acknowledged her mistake. Then, with a sincere look, she said, "But I was truly worried you wouldn't take care of your body. It's unhealthy to skip meals."
This again… Tang Yu frowned in confusion when she heard Yin Zhao-an bringing up her diet again. Not wanting to stay in the dark any longer, she frankly asked, "Why do you keep worrying about my diet?"
Yin Zhao-an wasn't sure if Tang Yu knew about her own body's condition, so she vaguely said, "Your stomach isn't healthy, so you should take better care of it."
My stomach…
Tang Yu placed a hand on her stomach and recalled the stomach aches she had experienced in her previous life. She would often experience intense stomach aches after meals. As a result, she would always lose her appetite whenever she saw food. Originally, she thought it was because of her eating disorder, but maybe the stomach aches were actually caused by a weak stomach?
"Okay, okay, I won't have Wen Tao follow you around anymore, but you must eat your meals on time," Yin Zhao-an said as she wrapped her arms around Tang Yu's waist. Then, she gently pinched Tang Yu's waist through the thin pajamas, her actions causing Tang Yu to shudder.
Tang Yu's face flushed red from anger and embarrassment, and she immediately tried to push Yin Zhao-an away. However, the more she tried to push Yin Zhao-an away, the stronger the other party's embrace became, and she could not break free from the other party.
"Let's go to sleep. I'm tired," Yin Zhao-an said as she closed her eyes. Her lips, however, were curled into a satisfied smile.
After failing to free herself, Tang Yu closed her eyes in a huff and eventually fell asleep.
Upon sensing the breathing of the person next to her stabilizing, Yin Zhao-an slowly opened her eyes, a few glistening teardrops appearing in her hazy eyes. However, the teardrops disappeared as quickly as they appeared, and Yin Zhao-an closed her eyes again and slept a dreamless slumber.
…
Meanwhile, in a living room somewhere...
Zhao Yu scratched his hair in frustration. Originally, he did not intend to spend the night in Gao Rang's house. After all, he was still more or less traumatized by the incident last time. Unfortunately, he had been so immersed in his game that he had completely forgotten the time. Meanwhile, although he could still take a midnight cab home, Gao Rang refused to let him go, stating it was unsafe.
"I'll sleep in the guest room," Zhao Yu insisted.
"No. The guest room is in a mess, and it will take a lot of time to tidy it up. It's fine if you sleep in my room for a night," Gao Rang said earnestly.
However, Zhao Yu refused to go along with Gao Rang's suggestion, wanting to stay as far away from the other party as possible. "It's fine. I'll just clean up a little and make do with it."
Gao Rang's expression darkened. Eventually, he took a deep breath and began walking toward Zhao Yu. Seeing this, Zhao Yu stepped back one time after another until he was backed against the sofa and forced to sit down.
"You… What are you trying to do?" Zhao Yu panicked, his palms becoming sweaty.
Looking down at Zhao Yu, Gao Rang said, "Fine, then. I'll sleep on the sofa while you sleep in my bedroom."
Upon hearing Gao Rang's second suggestion, Zhao Yu immediately disagreed and moved his legs onto the sofa. Then, he curled his entire body on the sofa and said, "I have a small body, so I'll sleep on the sofa. End of discussion. Go to sleep."
When Zhao Yu finished speaking, a long silence ensued. After a while, Zhao Yu heard footsteps leaving the sofa, followed by a door opening. However, he did not hear the sound of a door closing.
A moment later, the footsteps returned. Immediately afterward, a thick blanket was thrown onto the sofa. Then, before Zhao Yu could react to the situation, he was pulled into an embrace at the waist.