Conquer the other worlds with abandon, they've fallen in love with me!

downstairs.

Lin Yu left Vera's office and went straight down to the first floor without stopping.

Lilia's room was at the very back, and the door was closed.

Lin Yu knocked, but did not choose to use the spare key.

"Who is it?" came Lilia's voice from inside, slightly nasal, as if she had just woken up.

"I."

Footsteps came from inside, and the door was pulled open.

Lilia was wearing a white nightgown, her hair was messy, and most of her pink ponytail was loose, with a few strands hanging down beside her face.

She squinted at Lin Yu for a second, then threw herself into his arms.

"Mr. Lin Yu—" Her voice was muffled in his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Lin Yu put his arm around her and led her into the room, then closed the door behind him.

Lilia clung to him, refusing to get down, her legs wrapped around his waist, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

"Why are you so late... I've been waiting for ages..."

"You just woke up," Lin Yu said.

"Waiting in my dreams counts as waiting too." Lilia looked up at him, her eyes still moist from sleep, but bright.

"I heard you took on a mission?" Her voice suddenly lowered. "To Lanchi Village, the plague..."

"Um."

Lilia's lips moved slightly, and she buried her face back into the crook of his neck.

"I heard Vera say...that place is dangerous...can you not go?"

"cannot."

Lilia's arms tightened slightly, then relaxed after several seconds, leaving a muffled sound:

"Then promise me you'll come back."

"it is good."

Lilia slid off him, pulled him to the bedside, made him sit down, and straddled his lap.

She reached out and cupped Lin Yu's face in her hands, staring at him for several seconds.

"Lin Yu."

"Um."

"I love you."

When she said those three words, she looked straight at him without shyness or flinching, as if she were saying something perfectly natural.

Lin Yu put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"I know."

Lilia pressed her face against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and after a long while spoke, her voice very soft:

"You have to come back... or I'll come looking for you... if you die, I'll—"

"Don't talk nonsense," Lin Yu interrupted her.

Lilia stopped talking and drew circles on his chest with her finger.

……

Lilia nestled in his arms, her face buried in his chest, her breath coming in short gasps, the heat from her shirt burning his skin.

About two and a half minutes later, Lilia moved.

She looked up, her eyes still misty with tears.

She looked at Lin Yu, her lips slightly parted, revealing a row of white teeth.

……

……

She tilted her head to look at him, a smile playing on her lips.

That smile was sweet and charming, like a satisfied cat begging its owner for more petting.

"Is it good?" she asked.

......

Lilia glanced down, her eyes narrowed, and the smile on her lips changed, from coquettish to playful.

Lin Yu remained unfazed: "You're mistaken. Aren't all these socks the same?"

Lilia stared at him for two seconds, then her lips curved into an even wider smile.

"Oh—really?"

"Yes."

……

She leaned forward, bringing her face close to his, their noses almost touching.

Do you like Vera?

Her tone was light and casual, as if she were joking.

You've misjudged.

But she didn't flinch; she just stayed in that position, staring at him, her eyelashes fluttering twice.

……

……