Should be okay

Two hours earlier—

In the room, several girls were huddled together, wearing loose pajamas and giggling among themselves.

"Zhixia, do you have a crush on anyone?" Conversations among girls always circled back to romance, and Tang Keke immediately raised her hand curiously.

Zhixia seemed a little shy as she smiled. "Hmm… not really, for now."

"What's your ideal type then?"

Zhixia thought for a moment before finally saying, "I like tall, slender guys who smell like apples."

"Apple scent…" Tang Keke found the description quite unique, even a little abstract.

An Shiyu lazily propped her cheek on one hand. "Well, I get it. Maybe even their bathroom breaks smell like apples."

Tang Keke: "…"

Surely that’s not what she meant?

"For some reason, I feel like outstanding guys always have a faint apple scent," Zhixia said.

The description was so abstract that the other girls couldn’t quite relate.

"I do know Linlin’s type, though," Zhixia suddenly turned to the tall girl beside her with a grin. Hearing this, Linlin widened her eyes in surprise.

"Hey, what’s the big idea? Why drag me into this?"

"I wasn’t planning to join this conversation!"

Seeing Linlin about to grab her, Zhixia quickly added, "Linlin actually has a crush on a guy in our class recently, and it seems like he’s interested in her too."

"Wow?!" Tang Keke’s eyes instantly lit up, her gossip radar fully activated.

"Spill the details!"

"Ugh, stupid Zhixia! It’s not like that! We just happened to eat together in the cafeteria, that’s all!"

"Just a coincidence? I saw you feeding him food, though."

"Eek!"

After another round of noisy chatter, Linlin seemed too embarrassed to continue and simply flopped onto the bed in defeat. "Your turn now! Keke, what about you? Your ideal guy!"

Tang Keke wasn’t surprised the topic shifted to her, but she didn’t have a clear type in mind either.

"Not really, for now. Most guys who confess to me just seem interested in my figure, and I don’t like that."

"Maybe you’ll meet someone you like when we choose our majors," the other girls suggested.

"Well…" Tang Keke swayed her head cutely and just smiled.

"Next up…" Zhixia glanced at Bai Yuyou but ultimately skipped her, turning to An Shiyu instead. "Shiyu, what about you?"

An Shiyu was sprawled on the bed playing a mobile game when the topic suddenly landed on her. She tilted her chin toward Bai Yuyou. "You skipped one."

"Oh, we don’t need to ask Yuyou," Zhixia and the others said.

"?" Bai Yuyou blinked her beautiful eyes in confusion. She was sitting on the bed in a duck-like posture, hands resting politely in front of her, seemingly not understanding the implication.

"…" An Shiyu, finding the topic uninteresting, waved a hand dismissively. "Men aren’t fun. No interest."

"Ehh—"

The girls weren’t too surprised by her response, though, since An Shiyu had always been a bit of a free spirit.

"Wanna play Ludo now?" Tang Keke asked as the conversation wound down.

"Let’s do it!"

Since no one seemed sleepy yet, they pulled out their phones and played Ludo for over an hour before finally feeling drowsy.

"Lights out, everyone?" Zhixia stretched and yawned.

"Okay~"

The room darkened as they bid each other goodnight, and soon, all the girls settled in to sleep.

"…"

"Hmm…"

About half an hour later, An Shiyu suddenly opened her eyes. She turned her head expressionlessly to the side—Tang Keke was sprawled out in a starfish position, taking up most of the bed.

Even An Shiyu’s thigh was pinned under Tang Keke’s leg, making her feel uncomfortably restrained.

"…" An Shiyu’s eyes turned into dots. She regretted coming.

Not fun at all.

At least the food was good, way better than takeout.

She glanced at Bai Yuyou, who had curled into a tiny ball, fitting snugly into the small space left by Tang Keke’s sprawl.

"Hehehe." Suddenly, Tang Keke rolled over, her arm smacking An Shiyu in the face as she giggled in her sleep.

An Shiyu pushed the arm away and sat up, rubbing her temples in mild frustration.

She stared at Tang Keke as if thinking, "I should just pop your balloons."

"This bed is way too small for three people." An Shiyu scanned the cramped space before her gaze drifted toward the door.

Ye Shuang had a whole bed to himself. That wasn’t fair.

"Unacceptable. I’ll make him sleep on the couch downstairs." An Shiyu stood up, nimbly stepping over the sleeping girls in the dim room.

When she reached Ye Shuang’s room, however, she found him already fast asleep.

"Press F to choke… just kidding." An Shiyu muttered under her breath, her gaze lingering on Ye Shuang. Moonlight spilled through the window, casting a cool glow over his sleeping face. After a moment, she quietly climbed onto the bed.

"Much better. I’ll just wake up early." Satisfied, An Shiyu stretched and slipped under the covers—only for a strong arm to suddenly wrap around her waist in the darkness.

"?!" An Shiyu’s eyes widened as she was effortlessly pulled into a warm embrace.

"Sleep… but remember to go back later," Ye Shuang murmured in a soothing, almost doting tone. The gentle pat on her head instantly stilled her struggles.

An Shiyu: "…"

She stopped resisting and let herself be held.

The warmth of his chest carried a steady heartbeat and a faint, familiar scent—like ripe apples.

"Apples… seriously?" An Shiyu tilted her head slightly and grumbled under her breath.

The room was silent, save for the soft rhythm of breathing. Under the silver moonlight, the tips of her ears burned red.

Her heart pounded so hard it almost hurt.

An Shiyu clenched her fist over her chest, biting her lip for a few seconds before finally resting her forehead against Ye Shuang’s chest.

"Even if time’s running out… just for a little while… this should be okay, right?"