You are my favorite.

Compared to Lin Yu's binge drinking, Xia Muzhu drank much less.

She was still not quite used to the taste of alcohol. Even though the sweet cherry flavor made it easier to swallow, she only took small sips.

So when Lin Yu could barely stand steady, she still had plenty of energy to clear the dishes and chopsticks from the table.

However, compared to the dishes, she cared more about Lin Yu.

Seeing Lin Yu swaying and barely able to stand,

she chose to help him back to the bedroom first before returning to clean up the dining table.

Helped back to the bedroom by Xia Muzhu, Lin Yu lay on the bed.

The alcohol brought a wave of drowsiness, washing over him like the tides of the sea.

Lin Yu's eyelids gradually grew heavy.

But he knew he couldn't fall asleep just yet.

They had eaten the food and drank the wine.

If he just went to sleep now, wouldn't it be like going to a Western restaurant, eating the complimentary bread, and leaving right after?

Lin Yu sniffled, forcing himself to muster up some energy.

No.

He couldn't disappoint Sister Zhuzi; he couldn't sleep yet.

Can't sleep...

Can't...

Sleep...

...

In a daze, he didn't know how long had passed until he suddenly felt the bed sink beside him.

Struggling to open his eyes, Lin Yu saw that Xia Muzhu had gotten into bed.

At this moment, Xia Muzhu also noticed Lin Yu groggily opening his eyes.

She gave a gentle smile, reached out to stroke his cheek, and asked softly,

"Did I wake you?"

"It's nothing."

"Go to sleep."

Saying that, Xia Muzhu withdrew her hand and lay down beside him.

By now, Lin Yu was genuinely so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open.

But he still had no intention of changing his plan.

He really couldn't do that!

How could he feed the stray cats outside until their cheeks were stuffed, while letting his adorable kitten at home go hungry?

That made no sense anywhere!

Driven by guilt and his responsibility as a boyfriend, Lin Yu reached out his sinful hand...

...

????

Lin Yu found his hand unable to move. Feeling it for a moment, he realized it was being held by Xia Muzhu.

"Rest."

Xia Muzhu turned over in bed, facing Lin Yu, and said softly,

"You probably haven't rested much these past few days, have you?"

"Get a good night's sleep tonight."

Lin Yu's groggy brain was instantly jolted awake by Xia Muzhu's words.

She, she...

What did she mean by that?!

It sounded absolutely, undeniably wrong!

Could it be that she knew something?

That shouldn't be!

Now that Qing Mo's goal had been achieved, she had no reason to leak the secret to anyone else. So what did Xia Muzhu mean by this...

...

Under the cover of night, Lin Yu tried hard to conceal the panic in his expression.

He secretly gulped, forced himself to calm down a bit, and tried to bluff his way through, saying,

"Ah, yeah."

"There, there have been quite a few things going on these past few days."

"It really has been a bit tiring."

"Actually, the main thing is the school. It's the end of the semester, and I can't go back, so there are just too many troublesome things."

Lin Yu yawned, pretending to be nonchalant, attempting to clear his name.

But looking at Xia Muzhu's gentle face that had lost a bit of its tenderness, Lin Yu knew he had been exposed.

"Sister Zhuzi, how, how did you know?"

Under Xia Muzhu's calm, almost chilly gaze, Lin Yu asked sheepishly.

"Idiot."

Xia Muzhu raised her hand, lightly poked Lin Yu's forehead with her finger, then withdrew her hand, and said with a hint of helplessness and exhaustion in her eyes,

"Did you think you hid it well?"

"Every time you come back, the perfume scent on you is different."

"Did you really think I didn't know anything?"

Lin Yu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately couldn't utter a word. It only turned into a bitter smile, tinged with a bit of self-deprecation.

Heh.

He actually thought he had been covering it up perfectly all this time.

So she had found out ages ago?

Damn it.

It seemed he could go be the new Joker in a deck of cards.

The thing he had wanted to confess was exposed without warning.

All the words Lin Yu had been brewing in his stomach completely vanished.

In the darkness, the two faced each other.

Xia Muzhu's gaze was sincere, while Lin Yu's eyes darted away.

Time passed between them, feeling exceptionally long.

Finally, it was Xia Muzhu who spoke first, breaking the silence.

"Lin Yu."

"Actually, I've thought about it for a long time, and I didn't know what attitude to take towards your relationships with others."

"But now I've figured it out."

"Lin Yu."

"I like you."

"I don't want to leave you."

"Anyway, in this world, the only people I care about are you and Little Shan."

"As long as we keep this a secret from Little Shan."

"And not let it affect his life."

"I can listen to you on everything else."

As she spoke, Xia Muzhu placed her hand on Lin Yu's face, gently stroking his cheek, her azure eyes carrying a unique tenderness.

Xia Muzhu revealed her innermost thoughts without any concealment.

At this point, Lin Yu also decided to no longer hide anything.

He immediately confessed everything...

...

Well.

Actually, not everything.

Lin Yu only confessed what had happened between him, Qing Mo, and Tang Manman.

And catering to Xia Muzhu's needs, Lin Yu made a tiny adjustment to the truth.

"Sister Zhuzi, actually, during the time I came to your house every day for free meals, I had already fallen for you. The reason I decisively wanted to distance myself from you later was that I was afraid you would encounter danger again because of my closeness..."

"..."

"I was really heartbroken at that time. It was only by holding back my reluctance that I made the decision to stay away from you..."

"..."

"If I didn't have this concern, I wouldn't have approached Tang Manman at all, nor would I have developed feelings for her, let alone all of this happening later. I can only say it's a trick of fate. In order to protect you, I ended up hurting you..."

"..."

"Actually, after that accidental mishap occurred, apart from guilt and self-blame, I also hid a bit of joy in my heart. Because of that, I could finally be with you, Sister Zhuzi. In fact, I had fantasized about this for a long time, but I always had reservations. This time..."

"..."

"After going to college, I looked forward to summer and winter every day, not because of the holidays, but because I could come back to see you..."

"..."

"Sister Zhuzi."

"Out of the three of us, you are the one I like the most."