Oh no! My yandere school beauty is so clingy!

"Mm." Shen Yu nodded, replied softly, and then turned and walked towards home.

Lin Anran immediately followed, her steps light and quick.

The two walked side by side down the street at night, their shadows stretched long by the streetlights.

"I think I did pretty well today?" Lin Anran turned her head to look at Shen Yu's profile, her voice carrying a hint of pride and excitement.

Shen Yu hummed in agreement, looking ahead, "It's fine."

"Then... about making a request..." Lin Anran's eyes lit up even more.

"You can bring it up now."

Lin Anran paused for a moment, a bright smile instantly blooming on her face, but she quickly suppressed it, replacing it with a serious expression.

"Hmm... I'll have to think about it carefully!"

Shen Yu glanced at her, said nothing, and continued walking forward.

Lin Anran followed beside him, and as they walked, she began to seriously think about it.

The two walked in silence for a while.

Lin Anran seemed to have not yet made up her mind, her brows furrowed slightly.

Shen Yu suddenly spoke up: "No rush, let's talk about it when we get home."

"Um!"

The two returned home, changed their shoes, and put down their schoolbags.

Shen Yu sat down at one end of the sofa, and Lin Anran also walked over and sat down next to him, still keeping a distance of one person between them.

No one spoke, and the ticking of the clock was exceptionally clear in the silence.

Shen Yu poured them both a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table.

Lin Anran lowered her head, as if she was making a difficult decision.

She would occasionally glance at Shen Yu quickly, then immediately lower her head, a thin blush spreading across her cheeks and the roots of her ears.

Shen Yu leaned back on the sofa, looking at her hesitant and even somewhat awkward expression, and already had some guesses in his mind.

It seems that today's demands are not quite the same as yesterday's simple possessiveness.

Her hesitation, her embarrassment, suggested that the request might touch upon a more private area, or... a more challenging aspect of his "bottom line."

Perhaps he wanted to test his tolerance...

Shen Yu waited calmly, lightly tapping his knee with his finger.

"I've made up my mind..." Lin Anran finally spoke, her voice soft, hesitant, and tinged with an indescribable shyness.

Shen Yu turned his head to look at her, his gaze calm but questioning.

He was quite curious about what kind of request Lin Anran would make. Would it be like he thought, a case of building suspense before making demands, where she made a simple request yesterday but would make an outrageous one today?

This also gives a very intuitive feel for what kind of person Lin Anran is.

Lin Anran took a deep breath, as if she had mustered up a lot of courage, but she lowered her head even further, almost burying her face in her chest.

Her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed, and her voice trembled:

"I want...like yesterday..."

She paused, as if using all her strength, before squeezing out the second half of the sentence:

"This time, I'll let you... take the initiative to hug me."

"Ten minutes will be enough..." she added quickly, her voice even softer, almost inaudible:

"Just...ten minutes...that's all I ask for..."

After saying that, she froze, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white, and she didn't dare to look up at Shen Yu's reaction.

Her neck and cheeks were bright red, like a boiled shrimp.

"Um?"

His expression went blank for a second the moment he heard her request.

He had considered many possibilities.

More excessive demands, more pointed tests.

I never imagined... it would be this.

Holding her... for ten minutes...

Is it really that simple?

Can this be considered a request that can be made at will?

He remained silent for a few seconds.

Those few seconds felt like an eternity to Lin Anran.

She was already starting to regret it, feeling that her request was too stupid and embarrassing. Shen Yu would definitely think she was being unreasonable, or... worse.

Just as she was about to blurt out, "I was just kidding, let's choose something else," Shen Yu moved...

He reached out, not to hug her, but to gently pat her shoulder, which was trembling slightly from nervousness.

"That's it?"

Lin Anran trembled, finally raised her head, glanced at him quickly, then immediately lowered it again, nodding slightly.

"...Um..."

Shen Yu didn't say anything more.

He moved closer to her, closing the distance between them, then reached out and gently put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her towards him.

The movements were natural and gentle...

Lin Anran's body stiffened instantly, but then softened little by little in that warm embrace.

She obediently leaned closer, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder, and hesitantly wrapped her arms gently around his waist...

Shen Yu could feel the tension in her body and the slight trembling.

He didn't say anything, but with his other hand, he patted her back very lightly and slowly twice.

Then he maintained that position and made no other movements.

The living room was quiet, with only the ticking of the wall clock and their breathing, which gradually calmed down.

Lin Anran closed her eyes, her cheek pressed against his chest, and could clearly hear his steady and powerful heartbeat. At the same time, she also greedily inhaled his scent without reservation.

Her arms around his waist tightened slightly...

Shen Yu opened his eyes, staring straight ahead, feeling the warmth of Lin Anran's body in his arms.

He gradually came to understand Lin Anran's feelings. Perhaps, in her world, this hug... was a luxury.

Now, it's worth the effort for her to get that hug.

Ten minutes passed in a silent embrace, seemingly both quickly and slowly.

Lin Anran closed her eyes, focusing all her senses on Shen Yu.

His steady heartbeat, the clean scent of his clothes, the gentle, soothing pats of his hand on her back, and the warmth transmitted through the thin fabric... every single thing was something she craved...

She silently counted in her mind, and when she reached about six hundred heartbeats, she loosened her arms around Shen Yu's waist, leaning back slightly to create some distance...

Shen Yu sensed her movement and released his arm accordingly.

Lin Anran raised her head and looked at him.

Her cheeks still had a lingering blush, not the shy flush from before, but a nourished, healthy glow.

Her eyes were bright and sparkling, devoid of their usual gloom, wariness, or deliberately feigned brilliance, leaving only a pure, soft luster.

Even her complexion seemed brighter and more vibrant.

She looked at Shen Yu, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved upwards, revealing a small smile.

That smile only showed the joy of satisfaction.

"Is it...time's up?" she asked softly, her voice still a little hoarse, but light and cheerful.

Shen Yu looked at her face and those eyes, and for a moment he was in a daze.

He had seen her flawless smile, her cold and fierce eyes, her red and aggrieved eyes, and her strangely infatuated expression...

But this Lin Anran before him, who seemed to have been revitalized and whose brows and eyes had relaxed after a simple, ten-minute hug... it seemed like he was seeing her for the first time...

"Yes, we've arrived." Shen Yu nodded, his voice gentler than usual.

Lin Anran smiled again, then seemed to realize what she had just done, lowered her head a little embarrassed, and raised her hand to tidy her somewhat messy hair.

But the smile on his lips was impossible to suppress.

"Well... the requirement is fulfilled!" she said, her tone carrying a sense of relief mixed with a hint of lingering joy.

"Hmm, satisfied now?"

"Mmm!" Lin Anran nodded vigorously, her eyes curving into crescents. "Extremely satisfied!"

Shen Yu didn't say anything more, but picked up the water on the coffee table, which had cooled down a bit, and took a sip.

Then, he handed Lin Anran a cup as well.

Lin Anran took the drink, sipping it slowly, her eyes constantly glancing towards Shen Yu, the blush and smile lingering on her face...

"I'm going to take a shower now, so we won't talk about anything today."

Shen Yu needed some time to calm down, so he stood up and headed for the bathroom.

After taking a few steps, Lin Anran's voice came from behind:

"Thank you..."

Shen Yu stopped, paused for a second, and replied:

"You're welcome."