Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

Bai Li picked up a piece of spare rib and stuffed it into Jiang Ruyue's mouth.

Even eating can't stop you.

Jiang Ruyue puffed out her cheeks and retorted indistinctly:

"It's fine if it's not congested, you can put it in another place."

Bai Li raised his hand to knock on her.

Jiang Ruyue ran to Chen Tingting's side with a bowl in her arms: "That big stallion is furious."

Chen Tingting pushed her back to her original position: "Get lost, don't delay my shrimp eating."

There was some commotion around the table.

An Yaoyao kept her head down and ate her rice, her long, dark gray hair covering half of her face.

She ate very slowly, poking around in the bowl with her chopsticks, taking a long time to put a single bite into her mouth.

[This girl has already submitted her college application; it's so hard to guess what she's thinking right now...]

It's 9:10 PM. Loading... "Did this bowl offend you?"

An Yaoyao turned off the tap:

"I'm afraid it's not clean enough."

Li Mengmeng reached out from the side and snatched the bowl away.

"It's clean now."

She felt around in the bowl: "It's so big you could use it as a mirror."

Xie Lingmo also pushed An Yaoyao out of the kitchen: "Stop dawdling."

"You were practically dangling your feet on Bai Li's legs at the dining table just now, and now you're pretending to be busy."

"I wasn't pretending to be busy..."

An Yaoyao grabbed the door frame, still wanting to stay.

Chen Tingting walked over and hoisted her onto her shoulder.

"Let's go." "Sister Tingting!"

An Yaoyao's long, dark gray hair hung down, and her two thin legs kicked wildly:

"Put me down!"

Chen Tingting escorted her all the way to the stairwell before putting her back on the ground.

"Go take a shower."

"We won't bother you tonight."

Jiang Ruyue, sitting on the sofa, added:

"Although the room is well soundproofed, given the prowess of this stallion, I still suggest you cover yourself with a pillow."

Xie Lingmo picked up a cushion and hit her on the head.

Bai Li glanced at the time.

9:20.

He didn't follow her upstairs, but instead sat back down on the sofa. An Yao stood on the steps and looked back at him three times.

Finding Bai Li still chatting with Chen Tingting and the others, she pursed her lips and went upstairs alone.

9:58.

Bai Li returned to the master bedroom.

After taking a shower, he changed into a loose nightgown and leaned against the headboard to flip through a script.

10 o'clock sharp.

There was a knock on the door twice.

"Enter."

The door was ajar.

An Yaoyao first poked half of her tender little face in.

She glanced into the room, then turned back to check the hallway before stepping inside.

She changed into a black and pink slip dress. The hem fell to mid-thigh, and she wore a thin black cardigan over it.

Her long, dark gray hair, freshly blown by the wind, cascaded loosely over her chest.

She wasn't wearing makeup, her skin was clean, and there was still a red mark on the tip of her nose from when she showered.

Bai Li put down the script.

An Yaoyao locked the door behind her and stood still.

Bai Li patted the edge of the bed: "You came to me to help you choose your major?"

Stop pretending.

An Yaoyao stepped over.

She reached the bedside, bent down and tugged at her skirt a couple of times, but finally sat down, leaving Bai Li only half a meter away.

Bai Li didn't get close either.

"nervous?"

"No." "Then why are you shaking?"

An Yaoyao looked down at her knees: "From the air conditioning."

Bai Li picked up the remote control and turned the air conditioner to 28 degrees Celsius.

"And now?"

"It's still cold."

Bai Li lifted the blanket: "Then come in."

An Yaoyao looked at him for a few seconds, took off her slippers, and crawled into bed using both hands and feet.

She huddled by the bed, only her head and half a shoulder showing.

Bai Li pulled the blanket up for her.

"Tonight, I can just sleep."

An Yaoyao turned her face away: "You don't want me?"

"Yes." "Then why do you only sleep?"

"I'm afraid you'll regret it tomorrow."

An Yaoyao reached out from under the covers and grabbed his pajamas.

"I didn't come here to repay you because Sister Lingmo helped me get into university."

"If I really want to repay her, I should sleep with her."

Bai Li couldn't help but laugh: "That's a pretty complete line of thought."

"Don't interrupt."

An Yaoyao moved closer to him, her voice very low.

"I liked you when I only had one dollar and fifty cents."

"You gave me a job, a place to live, and even took me home."

"They were laughing at me just now, so please help me get revenge."

She paused for a few seconds. "What happened at school just makes me want to stay by your side even more."

Bai Li held her hand.

An Yaoyao's hands were soft, but her fingers kept gripping him.

"Yaoyao, you don't need to return these to me."

"I didn't intend to pay it back."

She looked up at him: "I wanted to give it all to you."

Bai Li looked at her clean face and didn't tease her anymore.

"Have you thought it through?"

"Um."

"It can be stopped at any time."

"I'm an adult now."

An Yaoyao raised her other hand and wrapped it around his neck. "The big exams are over too."

She leaned in close, her lips brushing against Bai Li's chin.

Bai Li supported her back and pulled her into his arms.

The bedside lamp was still on.

An Yaoyao closed her eyes and kissed Bai Li for a while, then secretly opened them, meeting Bai Li's peach blossom eyes.

She immediately raised her hand to cover his face.

"Don't look."

"That was just now."

"And now?"

"Be brave now..."

After she finished speaking, she reached out and turned off the bedside lamp. The blanket stirred a few times.

The fabric lay beside the bed.

An Yao gripped Bai Li's shoulder tightly, her voice broken and intermittent.

"Be gentle..."

"Um……"