Daring and Simple

The night grew deeper.

After Ye Shuang laid out his sleeping mat in the living room, he noticed Bai Yuyou standing by the bed, clutching a pillow in her arms.

She didn’t say a word, but her tranquil, pool-like eyes followed his every move.

“Do you want to sleep together?” Ye Shuang asked, sensing her intention.

Bai Yuyou gave a slight nod.

“No, go back to your room and rest,” Ye Shuang said.

Hearing this, Bai Yuyou obediently retreated to her room, pillow still in hand.

What a clingy girl.

With that thought, Ye Shuang finished arranging his bedding and lay down.

After turning off the lights, he lay there pondering his future plans and how he should interact with Bai Yuyou going forward. Gradually, drowsiness overtook him, and he drifted off to sleep.

Ye Shuang was gently roused by the chirping of birds outside the window. Sunlight spilled in, draping the windowsill in a soft golden glow—a far more pleasant awakening than the heart-stopping jolt of an alarm clock.

Waking up naturally—what a luxury.

“Haah—” He stretched with a yawn, but as he moved to sit up, he felt a slight weight and warmth against his shoulder, accompanied by the faintest sound of breathing.

Turning his head, he found a fair, slightly flushed face mere inches away, deep in slumber.

She wasn’t on the mat but lay instead on the cold tile floor, hugging her pillow as she curled up slightly against the chill.

Her soft cheek rested lightly against his shoulder.

She sought warmth but didn’t dare get too close, clinging to the pillow as if it could offer the embrace she’d never known.

Ye Shuang: “…”

Perhaps his gaze lingered too long, because even the system’s pop-up window slowly appeared—

[Character: Bai Yuyou

A stunningly beautiful girl, currently fast asleep. Perhaps you could gently wake her with a kiss?]

Ye Shuang averted his eyes and slowly sat up.

The slight movement roused Bai Yuyou, who blinked awake and mirrored his posture, sitting up as well.

“Why were you sleeping next to me?” Ye Shuang asked once she was fully awake.

Bai Yuyou hid half her face behind the pillow, her pale legs slightly bent. Peeking out with just her eyes, she replied cautiously, “I didn’t… sleep with you. I slept on the floor.”

“That still counts as sleeping next to me! And do you have any idea how bad it is to sleep on the floor without padding? You’ll catch a cold!” Ye Shuang’s voice rose slightly.

Bai Yuyou looked at him, flustered. After a few seconds, she lowered her head.

“Sorry… sorry…”

Seeing her apologetic expression, Ye Shuang’s heart twinged. Realizing he’d been too harsh, he softened his tone. “I’m just worried you’ll get sick. If you really want to sleep near me, at least don’t sleep on the floor, okay?”

“You might as well just share the mat with me.”

The floor was freezing at night, and sleeping directly on it without padding could lead to all sorts of health issues.

Bai Yuyou looked up, seizing the key point.

“We can sleep together?”

Ye Shuang: “…”

You’ve got me there.

He stood and pulled her up. “Come on, let’s go wash up first.”

“Okay.”

While getting ready, Ye Shuang picked up a comb to tidy Bai Yuyou's hair a little. Seeing how long her hair was, he asked, "Do you want to get a haircut?"

Hair reaching down to the waist like this was rare these days, and it definitely wasn’t convenient for daily life.

For instance, she had to hold her hair up when using the bathroom, lift it aside before sitting down, and even risk getting it tangled while sleeping.

A medium-length cut would be much more manageable.

"A haircut?" Bai Yuyou simply glanced back at Ye Shuang, her expression unreadable.

"No, forget I mentioned it." Ye Shuang quickly dismissed the idea. After all, a girl’s hair was her pride—he couldn’t make that decision for her.

Still, with hair this smooth and silky, just trimming the ends would be enough.

Ye Shuang gathered Bai Yuyou’s hair in his hands and examined the tips, only to find not a single split end—flawless beyond belief.

This…

Snapping out of his daze, he gently let her hair fall back.

It was safe to say Bai Yuyou’s looks were absolutely perfect, without a single flaw.

"Alright, I’ll go grab breakfast." After finishing with her hair, Ye Shuang headed downstairs to buy food.

The old residential area was never short of breakfast vendors, whether it was the portable foam-box rice noodle rolls or the buns and fried dough sticks from small shops—all delicious.

He chose a bun stall with a small crowd gathered around it.

"Boss, three char siu buns, two fried dough sticks, two cups of soy milk, and a tea egg, please."

As soon as Ye Shuang spoke, the busy figure inside the shop casually replied, "Hold on, three steamed buns, two cups of millet porridge, and fried dough sticks, right?"

The voice sounded familiar, making Ye Shuang pause for a second. He took a closer look at the girl behind the counter—shoulder-length hair, straight-cut bangs, wearing a white apron, her appearance neat and efficient.

Wasn’t this the girl who sold him a phone yesterday?

"It’s you?" Ye Shuang was slightly surprised.

Noticing him, she raised an eyebrow. "Oh, it’s you, old man. What did you say you wanted again?"

"Aren’t you the one who sells phones?" Ye Shuang countered.

"Oh, that’s my younger sister. I’m the older one," she said.

"Twins?" Ye Shuang realized, then caught himself. "Wait, but you recognized me just now?"

"Did I? You must’ve misheard." She averted her gaze, her amber eyes shifting evasively.

Ye Shuang: "..."

"It was definitely you!"

"Tch, annoying old man."

"Here, your buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk." She handed him the packed food.

Ye Shuang felt like arguing further would only raise his blood pressure, so he dropped it. "How much?"

"Check the price list behind me. I’m bad at math," the girl said, pointing at the menu. "Don’t forget to scan and pay."

With that, she turned to serve the next customer.

Ye Shuang was speechless. For a second, he considered just walking off without paying—see how smug she’d be then.

Of course, he ended up paying the exact amount.

Breakfast in hand, he returned to the apartment.

"Let’s eat first. Later, we’ll go deposit the money," Ye Shuang said, taking a bite of one of the buns.

Hmm, sweet sesame filling. Not bad.

"..."

Wait—where’s my char siu bun?!

After another couple of bites, Ye Shuang could only sigh in exasperation.

With this guy around, is there any chance the bun shop would go out of business?

While eating the buns, Ye Shuang’s phone on the side soon rang. He glanced at it—it was Chen Hai calling.

"Hello?"

"I’m at the neighborhood now, and I brought a few safes with me," Chen Hai’s voice came through the phone.

"Will they be enough?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Just a few million? Easy peasy!" the other man assured without hesitation.