The Best Ending

"Beep."

Turning on the air conditioner, Ye Shuang burrowed himself under the blankets, his mind blissfully empty. Though his body wasn’t exhausted, a relentless wave of mental fatigue washed over him. Now that the tension had finally snapped, he didn’t want to think about anything at all.

He wanted to be an amoeba.

But then the blankets rustled, and a girl squirmed her way toward him like a snail before flopping onto his chest, exhaling as if she’d just surfaced from drowning. Soft and warm, she settled against him. Ye Shuang opened his eyes to find Bai Yuyou peering down at him curiously.

"What’s wrong?" he asked.

"Ye Shuang tired?" she murmured.

"Yeah… kinda. Maybe tired, maybe not." He closed his eyes again, only to feel Bai Yuyou shift beside him, lying down properly this time.

A moment later, his face was pressed against something pillowy.

He opened his eyes again. "…"

"Yuyou?"

"Keke said this helps with tiredness," Bai Yuyou explained, cradling his head in her arms while gently stroking his hair.

Surrounded by the floral scent of her skin and the warmth of her embrace, drowsiness overtook him. Before he knew it, he’d drifted off, letting the girl hold him as he slept.

……

As everyone knows, humans spend a third of their lives asleep.

Whether for growth or recovery, sleep plays a vital role.

"So… Brother slept the entire day and still hasn’t woken up?" That evening, Tang Keke sat at the dining table, munching on food as she processed the fact that Ye Shuang had been out cold since morning.

"Mn. Ye Shuang tired," Bai Yuyou confirmed between bites of her towering rice bowl. She’d made dinner tonight, and as usual, Keke had come over to freeload—though she’d brought plenty of ingredients with her.

"Probably stayed up all night," Keke mused. "Didn’t he go out with An Shiyu yesterday?"

"Mn."

"Tsk… out with a girl, then up all night?" Keke suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, as if realizing something earth-shattering.

She slammed the table.

"Oh no, we’ve been infiltrated!"

Bai Yuyou tilted her head. "?"

"Don’t worry, Yuyou! Even if there’s another rival, I’ll help you win Brother over," Keke declared solemnly. "This is a battle of endurance!"

Though Bai Yuyou didn’t quite understand what "another rival" meant, she nodded anyway. "Oh…"

By the time Ye Shuang woke up, it was already Monday morning.

He sat up slowly, rolling his stiff neck before calling out, "Smart Speaker."

"Here," answered the AI device on his nightstand.

"What time is it?"

"Master, it is currently 10:30 AM. By subscribing to Smart Speaker Premium, you can enjoy—"

"Shut up."

"Understood, Master."

Ye Shuang leaned back against the headboard, letting himself ease into wakefulness.

So he’d only slept two hours? All that time-jumping had left him disoriented, unable to distinguish past from present.

He couldn’t tell anymore.

The quiet apartment around him offered some semblance of reality.

Getting up, he headed to the bathroom to wash up. Staring at his reflection, he touched his jaw—but his face hadn’t changed at all.

Even if he looked the same, didn’t his mental age technically make him 47 now?

"Feels like I forgot something…" He rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth, dismissing the thought as a momentary lapse.

At the dining table, he found a plate of breakfast wrapped in cling film and a small note beside it.

【(。•ω•。)♡ Went to school. Eat well~】

"She even left me breakfast now?" Ye Shuang chuckled, pressing a hand to the plate—still slightly warm.

Wait.

"School?" He glanced at the clock. "Isn’t today Sunday?"

"…"

"I slept a whole day?!"

It wasn’t until after breakfast that he fully accepted it.

"Ah well… better than sleeping forever." He pondered what to do next.

Right, work.

And…

Writing?

Sitting at his desk, Ye Shuang stared blankly at the screen. The words looked almost unfamiliar—as if he couldn’t believe he’d written them himself.

"After all these years without updates, my readers probably gave up…" But then he noticed the last update was just two days ago.

Ye Shuang: "…"

Rubbing his temples, he laughed at himself.

His brain really was a mess. It’d take time to readjust.

"Time to write. Hope those lovely readers will still toss me some free gifts." He skimmed through the previous chapters before diving back in.

……

After finishing his writing session, Ye Shuang drove to the academy. Pushing open the infirmary door, he found the usual spot empty.

The beanbag chair was vacant. The gaming console was cold.

He stood there, silent, his deep eyes unreadable.

Until—

"Oi. Blocking the door?"

Ye Shuang turned. Behind him stood a short-haired girl with her hands in her pockets. She sidestepped him and plopped onto the beanbag.

"Where’s the other one?" Recognizing her as the An Shiyu with hyperthymesia, he asked, "How’s she doing? Still in the hospital?"

"Her?"

This time, An Shiyu didn’t deflect or deny the other girl’s existence. She just shrugged.

"Behind you."

Ye Shuang froze. Turning slowly, he saw another short-haired girl—thinner, paler—standing there. She seemed to have so much to say, yet all that came out was a quiet chuckle.

"Yo."

Ye Shuang’s body locked up, his gaze lingering on her for a long moment.

Then a breeze brushed past, and he finally exhaled. All the struggles, all the effort—it all melted into a soft, relieved smile.

"As long as you’re okay."

"That’s enough."

An Shiyu: "…"

For some reason, it felt like they hadn’t seen each other in years. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

"Mm…"

"Don’t know how you pulled it off, but… thanks." Her voice dropped to a murmur, something like a dialect, too quiet for him to catch.

"Don’t mention it."

Meanwhile, the other girl on the beanbag rested her chin on her hand, watching the two by the door with an unreadable expression.

But maybe… this was the best ending they could’ve hoped for?