Afternoon Nap

"You're not fat." Ye Shuang reached out and gently ruffled Bai Yuyou's hair with a smile when she joined the conversation. On the contrary, Bai Yuyou's figure was quite well-proportioned—curves in all the right places, a flat stomach without a trace of excess weight. In fact, Ye Shuang secretly wished she could gain a little more, as it would make her look even healthier.

Perhaps when someone truly cares for another, their wish isn’t to mold them into a gaunt figure to fit some distorted standard of beauty like "pale, young, and thin," but rather to see them plump, fair, and healthy.

Ye Shuang had initially considered suggesting that Bai Yuyou eat a bit more, but given her already substantial appetite, the remark would have been pointless—the girl’s capacity for food was downright astonishing. The stack of lunch boxes she carried around would make any passerby assume she was fetching meals for several people.

Little did they know, this was just Bai Yuyou’s normal portion for a single meal. Ye Shuang had even checked her health stats through his system and confirmed there were no issues.

Once they reached the rooftop, they found uneven concrete protrusions that could serve as makeshift tables and chairs. As soon as Ye Shuang sat down, he felt warmth and weight settle onto his lap—Bai Yuyou had casually plopped herself sideways across his thighs, her shoulder pressing against his chest.

When Ye Shuang glanced down, the girl’s delicate face wore an expression of pure innocence and mild confusion.

"Yuyou…"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you sitting on my lap?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Because… there’s no chair…" she replied flatly.

"You could sit here, you know." Ye Shuang pointed to the empty space beside him, where Tang Keke had already settled, watching them with an amused smirk.

Bai Yuyou shook her head. "I like this better."

"It’s not convenient for eating," Ye Shuang pointed out. How was he supposed to eat with her draped over his legs?

Bai Yuyou tilted her head, then placed a hand on her stomach, as if conducting some kind of investigation.

"What’s wrong?"

After a few seconds, she murmured softly, "I’m not fat…"

"It’s not about you being fat—it’s about this position making it hard for me to eat, dummy." Ye Shuang chuckled helplessly and lightly flicked her forehead.

Finally understanding, Bai Yuyou slowly shifted, turning to face him while still perched on his lap.

Ye Shuang: "…"

Wasn’t this position even worse?

And now his wound was getting irritated.

Resigned, he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from toppling backward and asked, "Isn’t this even less convenient for eating?"

"Oh."

Once all three were properly seated, they finally began their meal.

"Since the school festival’s coming up, what theme is your class planning?" Ye Shuang asked between bites.

Tang Keke answered, "Haven’t decided yet, but some classmates suggested setting up a mini cinema."

"A cinema?"

"Yeah, using the projector from class, arranging some chairs, and screening movies." She gestured vaguely, though her description made it sound thoroughly unappealing.

"Uh…" Ye Shuang frowned. "Wouldn’t that just waste the event time? And it’s not like you’d get the real cinema experience."

"Exactly, so it got vetoed," Tang Keke continued. "Then some guys proposed a maid café, saying the girls in class should dress up as maids."

Maids…

Ye Shuang’s gaze drifted to Bai Yuyou before asking, "Did they mention who’d be doing it?"

"Not specifically, but the homeroom teacher seems to want Yuyou to participate. She’s really popular in our grade now—it’d draw in customers."

At this, Ye Shuang’s tone turned frosty. "How convenient. Back when they bullied her, they made her play the ghost. Now that she’s pretty, they want her to play the maid to attract customers? What is she to them—a useful tool?"

Back then, they’d ignored her even when she was being kicked and punched as the "ghost." Now that she was popular, they thought they could just assign her roles at will?

With that in mind, Ye Shuang turned to Bai Yuyou, who was quietly focused on her meal, and said,

"Yuyou, skip the class theme this year. Wait until after the fourth-year reshuffling."

The fourth year was when students specialized in different fields, and aside from those advancing internally, new students would also join. With the class composition changing drastically, the same classmates who’d mistreated her before wouldn’t even be around much longer. If she wanted to invest in class activities or help her peers, those past bullies were the last people worth considering.

"But the homeroom teacher…" Bai Yuyou tilted her head.

"Don’t worry. If he pressures you, I’ll handle it." Ye Shuang smiled reassuringly. "Didn’t I say it before? Come to me for anything you’re struggling with."

The girl nodded obediently. "I’ll listen to Ye Shuang…"

A few seconds later, she suddenly spoke up again. "Ye Shuang."

"Yeah?"

"I have a problem…"

"What is it?"

"It’s… the difficulty of wanting to take a bath together tonight." Her beautiful eyes fixed on him with utmost seriousness, as if her face were screaming, This is a genuine dilemma.

"That’s the exception." Ye Shuang kept a straight face.

"Oh."

After finishing their meal, they lounged under the sun for a while—the weather was lovely today, with even the afternoon rays feeling gentle. The warm light draped over them, casting a glow over what would otherwise have been an uneventful, tranquil day.

Ye Shuang and the two girls leaned against the wall, watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky, as if time itself had slowed.

The sky was beautiful, the clouds were beautiful, even the breeze was perfect—though it also carried a drowsy lethargy. Before long, Bai Yuyou’s eyelids grew heavy, and she rested her head against Ye Shuang’s shoulder, closing her eyes.

People always relax most where they feel safest. Just like now, with the exhaustion of morning classes catching up to her, she chose to nap beside Ye Shuang—the place where she felt most secure.

Soon enough, Tang Keke dozed off too, using Bai Yuyou’s shoulder as a pillow.

Ye Shuang glanced at the two girls napping peacefully and found it oddly endearing. Nothing particularly eventful had happened today, yet this quiet, ordinary moment was exactly what he’d come to cherish.

There was a time when he believed that only days filled with challenges counted as truly living, and that lazing around like this was a waste of time.

But now, he thought differently. This kind of peace was rare and precious.

Perhaps the ordinary days we take for granted are nothing short of continuous miracles.

With the faint, mingled scents of the girls lingering in the air, Ye Shuang closed his eyes as well.

Might as well rest for a bit.