In the bathroom, water sprayed from the showerhead onto Liu Yiren's glistening shoulders.
She had endured a great deal of hardship these past few days, and only now did she feel truly relaxed.
The Liu family had indeed suffered a catastrophe.
If it weren't for Yan Shouyi, neither the living nor the dead would have made it through this ordeal.
Although she had only met Yan Shouyi twice, Liu Yiren's mind was now filled with him.
This mysterious man had suddenly barged into her life.
Yet, it didn't feel abrupt at all.
Even her pet cats accepted his presence readily.
It was as if they were meant to know each other in a past life.
"I wonder if he has a girl he likes, and if he likes me," Liu Yiren mused, looking down as the showerhead sprayed water.
She then noticed her own figure.
It should… still be quite good, shouldn't it?
Since arriving in Rongcheng, she had been living in the mountains, spending her days cycling or keeping the cats company.
Let alone men, she hadn't seen many women either.
Therefore, for a moment, she was unsure about her own physique.
After her bath, Liu Yiren put on a very casual robe.
The pale pink robe clung to her body, and the small tie at her waist cinched her slender figure, revealing her fair thighs beneath.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Liu Yiren's face flushed red again.
Because her small courtyard had always been off-limits to outsiders, her sleepwear was rather… revealing.
But she couldn't find any other suitable clothes at the moment, so she had to wear this.
With a flushed face, she went downstairs and found Yan Shouyi already asleep.
Damn it.
He had already fallen asleep, causing her to worry and feel shy upstairs for so long!
She was afraid that her attire might be teased by Yan Shouyi.
Or perhaps it might trigger some undesirable thoughts in Yan Shouyi.
As it turned out, Yan Shouyi had fallen asleep directly, missing out on the visual treat, and also on the subsequent developments that Liu Yiren had imagined.
Seeing Yan Shouyi in his deep slumber, Liu Yiren felt hesitant to wake him.
So, she found a blanket and carefully, quietly, covered him with it.
At this moment, she suddenly noticed that Yan Shouyi seemed to be clutching something in his hand.
Upon closer inspection, it was the re-woven beaded bracelet.
Liu Yiren had dropped the wooden beads of the bracelet along the way to guide Yan Shouyi to her rescue.
She hadn't expected Yan Shouyi to pick up every single bead and re-weave them before falling asleep.
"Yan Shouyi…"
Liu Yiren was touched, and felt even more fond of Yan Shouyi.
She took the bracelet, put it back on her hand, cherished it, her eyes full of happiness.
The sky was nearing dawn.
Everyone had survived the long night.
Liu Yiren also felt a pang of drowsiness, so she pulled at the corner of Yan Shouyi's blanket and sat on the sofa, closing her eyes to rest.
Initially, she just wanted to spend more time with Yan Shouyi.
But due to her overwhelming tiredness, she drifted off to sleep unknowingly.
And as her body slumped, she ended up lying next to Yan Shouyi.
They slept soundly, completely unaware of each other's presence beside them.
...
At dusk.
Yan Shouyi opened his dry eyes and slowly woke up.
He felt that his sleep had been particularly uncomfortable.
His chest felt as if it were being pressed down by a heavy rock, making it difficult to breathe.
When he looked down, he saw a fair thigh resting on his chest.
Through the simple robe, Yan Shouyi could also see some sights that stirred his heart.
"Little niece??"
Yan Shouyi realized that Liu Yiren seemed to be sleeping beside him.
The faint scent of the young girl also clung to Yan Shouyi. Liu Yiren, sleeping with her head on his shoulder, lazily hugged his arm and shifted into a more comfortable position.
Seeing her smack her lips, Yan Shouyi felt reluctant to wake her.
But he had to wake her!
Yan Shouyi's heart belonged only to Lin Zitong; he couldn't possibly sleep with other girls.
Moreover, it was in someone else's home.
If Liu Zong were to see this, wouldn't he disown him as a friend?
"I considered you a brother, and you slept with my daughter??"
Just as Yan Shouyi was about to wake Liu Yiren, his phone suddenly vibrated.
He picked it up and saw that it was a video call request from Lin Zitong!
"Oh no, oh no, how can I answer this!!"
Given Lin Zitong's formidable nature, Yan Shouyi couldn't guarantee he would emerge unscathed.
So, Yan Shouyi decided to play dead.
He didn't use his phone often, and it wasn't the first time Lin Zitong couldn't find him.
After a minute, the video request ended, and Yan Shouyi quickly opened his phone's chat.
"I'm done with class, where are you? Let's go to the cafeteria together."
"Big dummy, where are you??"
"I went to your dorm to find you, but you weren't there. Where on earth have you been?"
"Are you messing around with Luo Ning?!!"
"I just saw Luo Ning, and she was acting suspicious. What kind of trouble are you two stirring up again?"
"You haven't responded to me all night, Yan Shouyi!"
"Very well, if you ignore me, I'll ignore you too!"
"Big dummy, you're finished!!"
Remaining messages: 99+.
Yan Shouyi felt extremely distressed.
This time, he was truly finished.
However, the immediate priority was to push away Liu Yiren, who was pressing down on him!
He shifted half his body to the side and carefully withdrew his arm from Liu Yiren's embrace.
After covering Liu Yiren with the blanket, Yan Shouyi tiptoed out of the small courtyard and hurried to Agong's guest room.
Agong had indeed woken up, but he was still wearing his mask and meditating on the bed.
Yan Shouyi burst in and, without a word, initiated a video call with Lin Zitong.
Lin Zitong answered almost instantly!
"BIG! DUMMY! Where are you? Where have you been!!"
Lin Zitong seemed to be in an office, wearing a business suit Yan Shouyi had never seen before, but her expression was quite displeased.
Yan Shouyi said awkwardly, "I came up to Guling to handle some matters."
"If you're handling matters, why didn't you tell me?" Lin Zitong said plaintively. "I couldn't find Xiao Long either, and I couldn't reach you, so I thought something had happened to you guys again."
"Ahem, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it won't happen next time."
"Where are you now? Who is with you?"
Yan Shouyi quickly pointed the camera at Agong. "Still in Guling. This is a new friend, the paper figure Agong."
Agong waved awkwardly at the camera, unsure of what to say due to his introverted and clumsy nature.
"Paper figure?"
Lin Zitong was slightly surprised. She had heard of the paper figures' reputation.
To change the subject, Yan Shouyi asked Lin Zitong, "Where are you?"
"At my family's company. The stock market has been volatile lately, so I've returned to take charge," Lin Zitong said. "When you come back to the city, remember to contact me. I have to go now; I need to get busy!"
Behind Lin Zitong, many employees were busy working, and her own desk was piled high with documents.
Yan Shouyi only then remembered that before he came to Rongcheng, Lin Zitong was a strong businesswoman.
She was decisive in her company, but when facing Yan Shouyi, she turned into a bratty girl.
Yan Shouyi smiled reassuringly and agreed, "When I get back, I'll find time to have dinner."
"It's rare for you to have this thought. Contact me then. Bye." Lin Zitong gave Yan Shouyi a sidelong glance and ended the video call.
Yan Shouyi let out a long sigh of relief.
He had passed the test.
Thank goodness, he hadn't stumbled.
"My great-grandmother was right. Whenever a man makes a mistake outside, he's exceptionally good to his wife when he gets home."
Suddenly, Liu Jiaren's voice rang out from behind Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi shivered and turned around. Liu Jiaren's paper effigy was sitting on the sofa in Agong's room.
"Why are you here??"
Agong said, "I wanted to remind you, but you were busy with the video call, so I didn't get a chance to speak."
Liu Jiaren stood up from the sofa and stared at Yan Shouyi, asking, "Were you up to no good with my sister last night?"
"Heaven and earth as my witness, your sister was the one who initiated it!" Yan Shouyi quickly explained.
Liu Jiaren covered her mouth. "You guys didn't really..."
"Huh?" Yan Shouyi blinked. "No, you've misunderstood. I fell asleep as soon as I touched the sofa last night. When I woke up, your sister was sleeping next to me. I don't know what happened, but I can guarantee that nothing happened between us. Look, I haven't even changed my clothes!"
Liu Jiaren reluctantly believed Yan Shouyi.
Suddenly, Yan Shouyi narrowed his eyes and stared at Agong and the paper effigy. "Wait, why are you two in the same room?"
"Ah, this..." Liu Jiaren suddenly stammered, unable to answer.
Agong was even more so.
Liu Jiaren explained, "We were just chatting!"
Yan Shouyi chuckled. "Alright, alright, I don't want to hear your explanations. Let's keep it a secret from each other."
Both parties formed an alliance, deciding to keep secrets from each other.
This was because Liu Jiaren didn't know if Liu Zong and the others would accept Agong.
"Then… you two chat, I'll go wake up my little niece."
Yan Shouyi left the guest room, his heart in a turmoil.
Mainly, how would he face Liu Yiren later?
The fact that they had slept in each other's arms all night was undeniable.
He could only try to convince himself in his heart.
She made the first move, she made the first move, she made the first move.
It wasn't my fault!