“Which three guys?” Bai Youyou’s tone had already turned cold.
Xu Xiaoyou looked up and chuckled.
“Want to hear it?”
Bai Youyou fell silent for a moment, then lifted the girl’s face in her hands.
When Xu Xiaoyou caught sight of the chill in Bai Youyou’s eyes, a flash of confusion crossed her face.
“Do you really want to hear it?” Xu Xiaoyou murmured. “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes?”
Bai Youyou: “……”
“Then I’ll tell you.”
“Yuzu, you’re sleepy, aren’t you?” Bai Youyou said. “Why don’t you go to bed first? Some things can wait until tomorrow morning.”
As she spoke, the black-haired girl gently hooked an arm under the other girl’s legs and lifted her up. The shadow she cast fell over Xu Xiaoyou’s face, making her expression hard to see.
“Are you cold too? Why are you shaking so badly…?”
Bai Youyou didn’t answer.
Just then, Xu Xiaoyou’s slender arms looped around her shoulders, her face drawing close.
“Are you scared?”
Bai Youyou lowered her head and realized that the girl in her arms seemed to have woken up at some unknown moment. Beneath a faint blush, a shallow smile hung on her lips as she looked at Bai Youyou with a serious expression.
Before Bai Youyou could speak, Xu Xiaoyou rested her head against her neck and whispered into her ear:
“Those three guys are… Da Huang, Da Bai, and Da Hei.”
Bai Youyou froze. “Who’s Da Huang?”
“When I was little, a local mutt the village kept.”
“And Da Bai?”
Xu Xiaoyou put on a thoughtful expression, then nodded solemnly.
“Big Hero 6.”
“Big Hero 6??”
Bai Youyou began to doubt her own sanity. What was all this supposed to mean?
“And Da Hei is…”
“Man!”
At this point, Bai Youyou was basically certain that this girl was not fully conscious. From the very beginning, she had been talking nonsense.
“You don’t know this, but I’m actually the CEO of Universal Heavy Industries. I was framed by villains and ended up stranded in a garbage dump. Send me fifty credits and I’ll tell you my revenge plan.”
“Alright, alright.” Bai Youyou nodded.
“Come arrest me, Miss Investigator!”
“And also, I’m a major shareholder of the Fresh Meat Restaurant. I’ve done countless evil deeds.”
“Mm-hmm, I’m listening.”
Bai Youyou humored her like a child, her expression helpless, gently nudging open the bedroom door with her foot.
After settling Xu Xiaoyou onto the bed and tucking her in, Bai Youyou went to the kitchen to prepare a bowl of warm water.
Supporting the girl’s body, she fed her a mouthful at a time. Still uneasy, Bai Youyou placed a hand against Xu Xiaoyou’s forehead.
“It’s a bit hot, but it should be fine.”
Just as she was about to leave, Xu Xiaoyou suddenly reached out and tugged at the hem of her clothes.
“What is it, Yuzu?”
“If—just if,” Xu Xiaoyou said calmly, “if one day I really did something terribly wrong to you…”
“Would you forgive me?”
“For example, if I also did something bad, would you treat me like those criminals—arrest me and send me to prison?”
Bai Youyou chuckled softly and pinched the girl’s cheek. “What forgiveness or not? Yuzu, we’re good friends.”
As she spoke, she gently pressed Xu Xiaoyou’s hand against the headboard, their fingers interlacing. Her gaze turned indifferent.
“Don’t worry. I won’t send you to prison. If you really did something wrong—like lying to me—just sending you to prison would be far too lenient.”
A soft voice brushed her ear.
“We’re good friends. That’s exactly why I could never forgive you…”
“If you make a mistake, you should obediently accept punishment.”
Xu Xiaoyou shivered.
“Good night, Yuzu,” Bai Youyou said softly.
…
The next morning, Xu Xiaoyou was woken by the early sunlight stabbing into her eyes.
Her head felt like it was splitting apart. She clutched it, dazed for a long while before she finally came back to her senses.
Seeing the damp towel lying on the blanket, Xu Xiaoyou felt confused.
The chaos in her head had eased considerably.
The fever was gone, though her body still felt weak and limp.
After a long while, she sat up, got out of bed as usual, slipped on her slippers, and changed out of her pajamas.
Then, with drooping sleepy eyes, she went to the bathroom to wash up. Staring at her somewhat haggard reflection in the mirror, Xu Xiaoyou drifted into thought.
Something seemed to have happened last night, but she couldn’t quite remember.
The images in her mind were blurry; she could only vaguely recall the face of a black-haired girl.
What had that person done?
Xu Xiaoyou tried hard to remember.
That person seemed to have taken care of her all night—using a damp towel to lower her temperature, wiping her body, and even softly humming a lullaby in her ear before she fell asleep.
Since when had Lin Ran become so considerate?
She shook her head, trying to fling the jumble of thoughts out of her mind.
Just then, a strange feeling arose in her heart.
At this hour, Lin Ran should already have breakfast ready and be calling them to eat.
Had she gone out?
Xu Xiaoyou picked up her phone. Several messages from Lin Ran immediately popped up.
Lin Ran: I won’t be home for the next few days. I had to head out for something. Take care of Anya for me. There’s food left in the fridge—just heat it up.
Xu Xiaoyou frowned.
Strange. Lin Ran hadn’t been home last night either. Then who had taken care of her?
Her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes snapped wide as she rapidly scrolled through her chat history.
Xu Xiaoyou: Prepare some plain hot water, and help me get a clean set of clothes too?
Xu Xiaoyou: Is Anya asleep? Did she eat dinner? Sleeping without training—how can that be allowed!
Xu Xiaoyou: I’m at the door.
Bai Youyou: Okay, got it.
In an instant, Xu Xiaoyou felt utterly doomed. A chill shot straight up her spine to the crown of her head.
She had sent the messages to Bai Youyou by mistake?
The one who had taken care of her last night was Bai Youyou?!
The one who patiently wiped her body, hummed lullabies into her ear, and stayed until she fell asleep—was her?
Xu Xiaoyou swallowed.
Her mind went into overdrive, replaying every detail from the previous night.
She hadn’t said anything wrong, had she?
Just then, the doorbell rang. A girl’s voice came from outside.
“Yuzu, are you awake?”
“Are you feeling any better?”
The gentle voice outside now echoed in Xu Xiaoyou’s mind like a death knell, exploding in her head.
That bone-chillingly cold gaze of Bai Youyou resurfaced in her thoughts.
With a heart full of unease, Xu Xiaoyou steadied herself, adjusted her expression, and opened the door.
“I went out this morning to buy you some medicine. I’m bringing it over now.”
The girl’s face was still adorned with the same sweet smile as always. After greeting her warmly, she stepped inside.
But Xu Xiaoyou clearly noticed it—the fleeting anomaly that flashed through those bright, gentle eyes.
As if deep within her heart, the seed of some emotion had already broken through its shell.
Rate on N.U.
