Maybe This Isn't So Bad After All

The next day.

"......" When Ye Shuang woke up, he felt a numbness in one of his arms, as if it had lost all sensation.

Slowly turning his head, he saw the sleeping girl still resting on his arm. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly with each steady breath. Ye Shuang wasn’t sure how their positions had ended up like this—perhaps it was just his habit of holding someone while sleeping, ingrained from the past.

After all, he had once been told he had to hold someone while sleeping. Recalling those memories, a vague sense of frustration welled up in his chest. He instinctively reached into his pocket for a cigarette, only to remember he had thrown the pack away the night before.

"Just one last one."

The craving hit him hard, making his entire body feel like it was crawling with ants. He stretched his hand toward the trash bin but froze when he heard Bai Yuyou mumble something incoherent in her sleep.

With a self-deprecating chuckle, he lowered his hand. "Forget it..."

"Just one last one." Who was he really fooling—others or himself?

Carefully pulling his numb arm out from under Bai Yuyou, he freshened up and left the apartment.

The morning air was chilly. After buying breakfast, Ye Shuang paused at a street corner and noticed a stationery shop.

After a brief hesitation, he stepped inside.

"Where are the notebooks?" The shop had just opened, and there were no other customers. He directed his question to the girl at the counter.

Without looking up, the girl replied, "Second row, all the way in the back."

Ye Shuang walked to the back of the second row—only to find a secondhand laptop sitting there.

Ye Shuang: "......"

"Not a laptop. Just a regular notebook." As soon as he spoke, the girl finally lifted her head.

Their eyes met, and they spoke in unison:

"You?"

"You."

"Weren’t you selling phones and steamed buns before? Why are you working at a stationery shop now?" Ye Shuang couldn’t hide his surprise. What was up with this girl?

Or were all three shops family-owned?

"Guess the jig is up..." The girl with shoulder-length hair stood up slowly and said flatly,

"I’m a ninja-in-training with two and a half years of experience. The other two versions of me you saw were just shadow clones."

Ye Shuang stared at her dead-serious expression. His brain short-circuited for a few seconds before he finally twitched his lips.

"You really think I’d believe that?"

"Hmph. Didn’t fall for it, huh?" An Shiyu crossed her arms and turned away, her expression practically screaming [I thought you’d be easy to trick].

"You’re not even trying to hide what you’re thinking..."

"Tch."

Then, Ye Shuang noticed the Yinshan Academy uniform she was wearing. "You’re a student at Yinshan Academy too?"

An Shiyu immediately grew wary. "Oh? How’d you know? Have you been stalking me?"

She scrutinized him from head to toe before shaking her head. "We’re not a match. You’re way too old, mister."

"Who’s stalking you?! You’re the one wearing the uniform!"

An Shiyu stiffened, then sighed dramatically. "Fine, you got me. I’m actually a high-level ninja undercover at Yinshan Academy."

"You’re still sticking to that story?! And didn’t you just say you were a trainee ninja?!"

Done with her antics, Ye Shuang cut to the chase. "I need a notebook."

"Here. Five bucks." She tossed one at him.

"Something smaller, preferably pocket-sized." He eyed the notebook, which was about the size of two palms.

"Here."

She handed him a palm-sized one instead. After grabbing a few pens, Ye Shuang finally left the shop.

As he walked away, An Shiyu propped her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

When Ye Shuang returned home, Bai Yuyou was still fast asleep—her plump, smooth legs sprawled over the blanket, her loose clothes slipping off one shoulder, her pale skin almost glowing under the morning sun.

That blanket sure is white.

Averting his gaze, he headed to the balcony to gather her laundry. That’s when he noticed the torn seam on her school uniform.

[Item: Yinshan Academy Girls’ Uniform

A clean, sun-dried garment with a faint warmth. Seems to have a loose thread.]

Ye Shuang grabbed a needle and thread from the drawer and sat on the small balcony stool to mend the tear.

With birds chirping outside the window, he stitched the uniform back together, one careful loop at a time. Strangely, his mind grew quieter with each motion.

It had been a long time since he’d felt this at peace.

After graduating, Ye Shuang hadn’t experienced a life free of worries—no late-night preparations for work the next day, no need to set five or six alarms spaced one minute apart, no obligation to keep his phone on 24/7.

No longer chasing time, nor being chased by it.

"Maybe this isn’t so bad?" he mused, admiring the freshly mended uniform as the morning breeze brushed against his face.

Then, a faint rustling came from behind him. He turned—

Bai Yuyou was awake now, sitting up drowsily, her mind still foggy with sleep.

"Up already?" Ye Shuang walked over. "I bought you five steamed buns for breakfast. Go wash up."

Bai Yuyou: "......"

He then held up the uniform he’d just fixed. "Here."

Still half-asleep, Bai Yuyou stared blankly at the clothes in his hands—then proceeded to strip off her pajamas.

Slender branches bearing heavy fruit. The sight made Ye Shuang’s head throb again. "Put your clothes on."

Bai Yuyou tilted her head but, under his stern gaze, slowly pulled the uniform over herself.

Once dressed, she remained seated in a seiza-like pose, staring at him expectantly, as if waiting for something.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Shuang assumed she wasn’t fully awake yet.

Bai Yuyou stretched out her arms, her voice carrying a rare hint of a whine. "Want... hug."

Ye Shuang paused, then crouched down and pulled her soft, warm body into his arms.

Her warmth and the floral scent of her hair eased the tension in his chest.

"So warm..." Bai Yuyou murmured, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder.

Ye Shuang didn’t reply, simply stroking the back of her head. The weight of her in his arms gave him a sense of security he hadn’t felt in years.

Maybe...

A hug really could give someone strength.

"Wait, why are you asleep again?!"