Morning

The next day.

At dawn, a ray of warm sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, quietly spilling into the room. This strand of golden light gently caressed every corner, illuminating everything within and turning the once-shadowed spaces bright.

"Mm."

Ye Shuang slowly opened his eyes in bed. He blinked hard, trying to bring his vision into focus, but things still felt hazy and foggy. He lightly massaged his temples, attempting to shake off that dull, drowsy sensation.

"That's strange—why am I so tired?"

To be ready for today's concert, Ye Shuang hadn't actually stayed up late. He'd finished reviewing the contract and gone to bed early.

Though he did have a dream last night.

He dreamed of a fish that drowned.

As absurd as it was, it was just a dream, after all.

"..."

Just as Ye Shuang sat up, he suddenly sensed a warm presence beside him. Turning his head, he found a girl lying quietly at his side. Her eyes were shut, her waterfall-like hair spread across the pillow, her lips slightly pursed, and her fingers were even clutching the sleeve of Ye Shuang's shirt, as if she were dreaming about something.

The slime on her nightgown was a bit too eye-catching, to the point that Ye Shuang had to pinch the bridge of his nose to confirm he wasn't still asleep—if he remembered correctly, he'd gone to bed alone last night, so where on earth had Bai Yuyou come from?

"Mm, morning." Perhaps sensing Ye Shuang's movement, Bai Yuyou slowly opened her beautiful eyes. She still seemed a bit dazed, and after saying that, she scooted half her body closer, even reaching out to wrap her arms tightly around Ye Shuang's waist.

"Yuyou, how did you get into my room?" Ye Shuang asked.

"I wanted to sleep next to Ye Shuang, so I came over," Bai Yuyou said with her eyes still closed.

"Uh... don't I have a room keycard?"

"Mother has a spare."

Ye Shuang: "..."

You didn't go ask Aunt Xian for the keycard last night, did you?

"I knocked on the door, but there was no response," Bai Yuyou said. She shifted back slightly on the bed, and the strap of her nightgown slipped off her shoulder, revealing her pale, smooth shoulder. "Ye Shuang was sleeping very soundly last night."

With that, Bai Yuyou opened her arms and said softly, "Ye Shuang, give me a hug."

"Did you let Keke know properly?" Ye Shuang leaned down to ask. "Otherwise, if she doesn't see you in the morning, won't she worry?"

The next second, he was pulled into Bai Yuyou's embrace, his face almost pressed against, well, her—the warmth and fragrance wafting to his nose made Ye Shuang's mind drift for a moment, but Bai Yuyou had already closed her eyes, as if holding onto something comfortable.

"Hug..." With her soft voice, her breathing soon steadied into a calm rhythm.

Ye Shuang: "..."

He could only reach out and gently stroke the back of Bai Yuyou's head, while carefully shifting the slime that was pressed against his face.

Whatever. Let's sleep a bit longer.

When he woke up again, it was almost noon. Only when the sunlight outside felt a bit harsh on his eyes did Ye Shuang realize he'd dozed back off—and the Bai Yuyou who had been sound asleep in his arms was gone. However, the sound of a faucet being turned on came from the bathroom.

Ye Shuang got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, where he found Bai Yuyou already fully dressed, holding a toothbrush mid-brush. Seeing Ye Shuang up, she blinked her beautiful eyes and handed him a toothbrush she'd prepared in advance.

"Here you go—"

"Okay." Ye Shuang took the toothbrush with a faint smile and stood behind Bai Yuyou. The girl naturally leaned back a little, letting herself stand alongside him. A few seconds later, as if sensing something, she turned her head.

"Ye Shuang..."

"What?" Ye Shuang steadied her and gently nudged her forward a bit.

"Leaning on you—am I heavy?"

"It's no problem."

Hearing that, Bai Yuyou glanced at him, nodded, and said nothing more.

After washing up, Ye Shuang changed clothes and took Bai Yuyou downstairs to have breakfast. Perhaps because no one had set a specific wake-up time, and since none of the Light Music Club members were main acts, Aunt Xian had left early to head to the venue to adjust equipment and run rehearsals.

Once everyone gathered up, Ye Shuang and the group made their way to where they'd rehearsed the night before.

Alice was the only one who had gone with Aunt Xian. Seeing Ye Shuang and the others show up late in a hurry, she sat in front of the makeup mirror with her arms crossed. "So slow. You're lucky you got to sleep all the way till noon."

"We actually woke up," Zhixia said, though it was true that Bai Yuyou and Ye Shuang had gotten up the latest. And this morning, Zhixia and the others had learned from Keke that Bai Yuyou had spent the night in Ye Shuang's room—they chose not to pry and simply waited for them to get up.

At that moment, Ye Shuang glanced at Bobo standing behind Alice and asked curiously, "Bobo, didn't know you could do makeup?"

"Yes, I've been in charge of Alice's makeup since we were young," Bobo said. The regular beauty blender looked like a tiny quail egg in his hands, and his movements were surprisingly gentle, completely at odds with his rugged appearance.

"Occasionally we bring in other makeup artists, but only Bobo truly understands what look I like," Alice said, waving her hand. "Just a light touch is enough—I'm this adorable, no need for heavy makeup."

As cocky as ever, huh.

But if we're talking about pure bare-faced beauty, Bai Yuyou was probably the strongest. She even gave off this dreamy, ethereal feeling that no other girl could match.

Ye Shuang smiled lightly and glanced over at Aunt Xian's side—unlike Alice's area, Aunt Xian had not only prepared several costume changes but had also come in early to do her makeup. It was clearly far busier than expected, with several people bustling about.

"Shuangzai, tell your little friends to sit down, and our makeup artists will come over to do them," Aunt Xian called out, gesturing for Zhixia and the others to take seats for their makeup. With so many people, they needed to hurry.

"Wow, I'm so nervous. A concert with ten thousand people?" An Shiyaya was the first to get her makeup done, and she felt like her head was spinning.

Honestly, as a streamer, An Shiyaya was used to gaming and singing casual songs beyond her usual commentary. Being able to perform on stage at a ten-thousand-person concert was something she'd never even dared to imagine, even if she wasn't one of the main acts.

"Mm, tickets are all sold out. It's a lot of people."

"My heart is pounding."

"Aunt Xian, are Yuyou and the others performing in the last few songs?" Ye Shuang confirmed, since based on last night's rehearsal, the Light Music Club's set was scheduled near the end of the show.

"Yes, that's the arrangement," Aunt Xian replied.