Ye Shuang...

When Ye Shuang saw the shrimp meat being offered to him, he smiled and shook his head. “It’s fine. I must’ve just seen wrong. You eat it.”

“Oh.” Bai Yuyou began eating in small bites, but even so, she still left several shrimp for Ye Shuang. The girl had even carefully arranged them along the edge of the bowl, one after another, like a red flower.

“Ye Shuang, eat.” Bai Yuyou spoke to him as if seeking praise, her expression indescribably adorable.

Seeing this, Ye Shuang had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks and start eating the shrimp. But just then, he suddenly felt something brush against him. No—more accurately, it felt like a brief, feather-light touch.

Ye Shuang: “…”

He felt as though he had just been harassed.

He raised his head and looked toward An Shiyu and Anshi Yi. Although the two fish still wore expressionless faces and continued eating their shrimp intently, there was no doubt that they were the culprits.

Wei Xi was out of the question, and Peach was honest enough. As for Keke… her legs probably weren’t long enough. He didn’t even need to use process of elimination to know the answer.

Ye Shuang asked, “Is it good?”

“Delicious!” Wei Xi was the first to answer. Since she was freeloading, she immediately made an effort to respond enthusiastically.

“So-so. These shrimp aren’t very honest. They’re all too small,” Anshi Yi said. “I heard that shrimp suddenly get bigger when they’re being passive.”

“I think that’s how it works. They get about one size bigger,” An Shiyu added with a nod.

Their words left Tang Keke somewhat surprised. “Huh? So that’s a thing when eating shrimp? I had no idea.”

“What do you know?”

“Exactly. All the nutrients were stolen.”

“?!”

After eating for a while, Bai Yuyou decided to take a sip of her drink and rest for a moment.

However, she wasn’t particularly well-behaved even while sitting down. Every now and then, her little paw would reach over to bother Ye Shuang’s thigh.

Ye Shuang: “…”

Why did all of you have to act like female hooligans?

Just as Ye Shuang was wondering whether he should stand up and say he needed to use the restroom, Bai Yuyou suddenly felt something strange. She felt as though something had brushed against the back of her hand.

The next second, Bai Yuyou blinked her beautiful eyes and grabbed the other person’s hand.

What was this…?

“Mm?” Across the table, Anshi Yi also froze. She looked somewhat strangely at Ye Shuang’s two hands resting on the table.

What was going on?

Had Jinjin turned into a hand? Was it really that amazing?

Bai Yuyou and Anshi Yi looked at each other at the same time. Clearly, they had both guessed what had happened. The next second, Bai Yuyou released her grip, while Anshi Yi, whose body had been sliding downward, sat up a little straighter.

“…”

Bai Yuyou looked at Ye Shuang, then at Anshi Yi.

Anshi Yi looked at Ye Shuang, then at Bai Yuyou. Everything suddenly became rather awkward.

A few seconds later, Bai Yuyou finally spoke. “Xiaoyi, what are you doing?”

At that, Anshi Yi slowly shifted her gaze away, pretending not to understand. “Eating shrimp. Yu You, do you want some?”

“I’m full. You should eat less too. This isn’t good for you,” Bai Yuyou said.

“Huh? That won’t do. I like eating them.”

It sounded like a perfectly normal conversation, and Tang Keke, sitting nearby, didn’t notice anything strange. When she saw that Bai Yuyou and Anshi Yi had both stopped, she immediately reached over with her chopsticks and started picking up shrimp.

“Gimme a serving.”

Bai Yuyou continued looking at Anshi Yi. A few seconds later, she withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to keep eating.

The atmosphere had become distinctly strange.

After seeing this, Ye Shuang gave a light cough. “All right, we’re almost out of shrimp. I’ll go get some more for you.”

After they finished at the buffet, Ye Shuang and the others parted ways with Wei Xi. Her home happened to be nearby, so there was no need to take her back. Besides, she felt embarrassed about making Ye Shuang both treat her to dinner and drive her home. After saying goodbye, she simply ran off.

Bai Yuyou sat in the passenger seat. She seemed no different from usual, sitting there quietly, but anyone familiar with her could sense that something was off. She looked as though she were sulking.

After noticing this, Ye Shuang glanced at Keke and the others in the back seat. In the end, he said nothing.

…

It was already evening by the time they returned home.

Ye Shuang had originally planned to go to bed early, but after taking a shower, he still helped Yezi with her homework before returning to his room.

As soon as he entered, Ye Shuang noticed Bai Yuyou sitting on the edge of the bed with a pillow in her arms.

“Ye Shuang.” Seeing him, the girl spoke softly. Her mood had indeed changed somewhat, and she hugged the pillow even tighter. It was the pillow Ye Shuang usually slept on.

Seeing Bai Yuyou clutching his pillow, Ye Shuang sat down beside her.

“Yu You, are you feeling upset?”

“I don’t know…” Bai Yuyou answered quietly. Then she suddenly asked, “Ye Shuang, what do you think of Little Yu and the others?”

“Me?”

For a moment, Ye Shuang didn’t know what to say. But when he noticed Bai Yuyou staring straight at him, he ultimately chose not to avoid the question.

“They might be an important part of my life.”

Ye Shuang had sacrificed two portions of his memories for An Shiyu and Anshi Yi. If he claimed that they weren’t important, even he couldn’t deceive himself.

Bai Yuyou didn’t seem surprised by his answer. Hugging the pillow, she spoke in an increasingly quiet voice. “I feel like… Ye Shuang, you’re going to be taken away from me.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Did you have babies together?” Bai Yuyou suddenly asked.

“No.” Ye Shuang was stunned for a moment. Then, as if he understood something, he asked, “Are you upset because of that?”

Bai Yuyou said nothing, clearly confirming his guess. She had always felt that An Shiyu had already done those things with Ye Shuang. They were all around the same age, yet Ye Shuang insisted on waiting until after she graduated.

“Nothing like that happened between me and them, and besides…” Ye Shuang didn’t know how to explain the misunderstanding about crying with An Shiyu and Anshi Yi earlier. In the end, he smiled and reached out to pinch Bai Yuyou’s cheek.

“You’re afraid I’ll be taken away from you?”

“Mm…” Bai Yuyou made a muffled sound. A few seconds later, she curled up in Ye Shuang’s arms and spoke again.

“Ye Shuang, I want that.”

“…”

Holding the girl in his arms, Ye Shuang thought for a moment. Then, as if he had finally made up his mind, he pulled open the drawer beside him.

There was indeed quite a lot inside. After all, Ye Shuang had anticipated that this day would come. But before graduation, it was still better to take precautions.

“Ye Shuang…”

“Ye Shuang…”

“…”