You and I can squeeze in together.

Now, only Su Yang and Lu Yun were left at home.

The living room, which had been lively just moments ago, had fallen into an eerie silence.

Lu Yun swallowed hard, her heart inexplicably beginning to race.

Su Yang turned and sat back down on the sofa, glancing at Lu Yun’s flushed face with a smile. "Why’s your face so red? You didn’t drink much, did you?"

Lu Yun stammered, "N-no, did I? Is it red?"

As she spoke, she reached up to touch her cheek.

Su Yang chuckled and let the matter drop, suddenly remembering the system’s newly added scanning function.

—System, show me Lu Yun’s info.

[Lu Yun, Age: 23]

[Height: 169cm]

[Weight: 54kg]

[Appearance: 94]

[Figure: 90]

[Relationships: 1, Single]

[Battle Count: 0]

Su Yang smirked at the virtual screen only he could see.

—I knew she’d never been in a battle. That one relationship probably didn’t even involve holding hands. Wonder which bastard stole her first love.

"What are you looking at?" Lu Yun waved her hand in front of Su Yang’s eyes.

He was leaning back on the sofa, staring blankly ahead with a silly grin—a sight Lu Yun found slightly unsettling.

"Huh? Nothing, just thought of something funny."

"Don’t scare me like that. There’s nothing in front of you, and you’re just grinning at empty space." As she spoke, Lu Yun unconsciously shifted closer to him.

Su Yang laughed. "Relax, I wasn’t looking at anything. Just zoning out."

"Alright then."

Su Yang glanced at the ceiling and continued his mental inquiry.

—System, show me Pan Ning’s info too.

[Pan Ning, Age: 24]

[Height: 170cm]

[Weight: 55kg]

[Appearance: 93]

[Figure: 93]

[Relationships: 0, Single]

[Battle Count: 1]

Su Yang couldn’t help but laugh again at Pan Ning’s stats.

—Hah! Battle count 1? That’s gotta be me. Nice, very nice!

—System, sometimes I really wanna praise you, but I’ll hold back so you don’t get cocky.

System: "......"

"W-why are you laughing again?" Lu Yun asked nervously.

"Oh, it’s nothing," Su Yang said, shaking his head. "Just remembered something amusing. I’ll stop now."

"Your random laughing is kinda creepy, you know."

"Come on, scoot closer. Nothing to be afraid of with me here."

Su Yang looked at Lu Yun and mused, "Your parents probably won’t be back tonight."

"How come?"

"If they’re on good terms with the hosts, they’ll likely be helping out all night."

"Oh."

Su Yang grinned. "So, this long night..."

"W-what about it?"

"What do you mean? We gotta find something to do, or it’ll be way too boring."

Lu Yun swallowed quietly. "Nights in the countryside are usually like this. Not much entertainment, and it’s pitch-black outside."

The only sounds were the ceaseless chirping of crickets and the occasional croak of frogs in the distance.

Su Yang sprawled on the sofa. "Yeah, kinda dull."

"Want to watch TV?" Lu Yun picked up the remote.

"Not really. Haven’t watched TV in ages."

"Then what should we do?"

Su Yang’s eyes darted toward the window. "How about a walk outside?"

"But it’s so dark out there. The streetlights don’t go far."

"Doesn’t matter. Good for digestion."

"O-okay."

They stood and headed downstairs. Lu Yun grabbed the keys and locked the front door.

Outside the courtyard, Su Yang glanced around. The only sign of life was a small group of middle-aged men chatting in front of a convenience store down the road. The street was otherwise silent.

"Let’s just stroll along the road."

"I thought you’d suggest going up the mountain."

Su Yang turned to her with a laugh. "Hah! Why would I go up there at night? Even I’d get spooked."

‘Wait, the mountain? Wild battle? Damn, that’d be intense… but nah. What if something creepy shows up mid-action? Ugh, just imagining it gives me chills.’

"We’ll stick to the road."

"Okay."

They ambled leisurely to the right, looking every bit like a newlywed couple taking a post-dinner stroll.

After a while, Su Yang found himself holding Lu Yun’s delicate, soft hand.

Lu Yun didn’t resist. Her face burned, her pulse quickened, and her palm grew sweaty. Though embarrassed, she felt a quiet happiness.

[Ding. Host’s current enjoyment detected. Reward: 500,000.]

Su Yang smiled as they walked wordlessly along the rural path.

Ten minutes later, the houses thinned out, the streetlights vanished, and only the inky darkness of distant fields and forests remained.

Lu Yun peered ahead nervously. "Should we keep going? It’s too dark up there."

Su Yang shook his head. "Nah, let’s head back. Got business to attend to."

Lu Yun blinked. "What business?"

"Heh, you’ll see." Su Yang tugged her hand, leading her back the way they came.

Soon, they returned home. Just then, Lu Yun’s phone buzzed—a message from Li Xiurong.

"Yunyun, we probably won’t be back tonight. Gotta help out here."

Lu Yun replied, "Got it. I’ll lock up then."

"Mm-hmm, go ahead."

Su Yang glanced over. "Your parents made it to town?"

"Yeah, but they said they’re staying the night."

A faint smile crossed Su Yang’s face. "Well, that’s… convenient." He rubbed his head.

Lu Yun went downstairs to lock the gate. Back in the living room, she turned to Su Yang with a bright smile. "Let me show you upstairs. You can pick a room."

Su Yang grinned. "How many are up there?"

"Four, but one’s for storage. The other three are fine."

Su Yang stayed seated. "Is your room upstairs?"

Lu Yun pointed to a door on the right side of the living room. "I sleep there."

Su Yang’s grin widened. "Then I’ll pass on upstairs. Too lonely up there. I’ll just squeeze in with you."

Lu Yun: "Huh?"

......