Ye Chuan woke up after about an hour of sleep. He sat up and looked out the window—the sky outside was just beginning to lighten, while the girl on the bed was still sound asleep.
Out of habit, he reached for his phone and checked his messages.
No surprise, his balance had just increased by another two thousand.
Sweet.
Easy money—another two grand in the bag.
Waking up to find two thousand bucks was beyond satisfying. Just last night, slaving away at the barbecue stall hadn’t even earned him half that profit. Six figures a month? Now that was something. The sight of the money instantly wiped away his drowsiness.
This was way more effective than Red Bull.
The thought made him wonder about his little cash cow—had she eaten? Was she sleeping well?
He opened the log on his phone.
A chibi version of Bai Qianshuang was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her chubby cheeks puffing slightly with each breath. Her tiny legs were folded beneath her as if she were meditating to absorb spiritual energy.
Ye Chuan was curious. Did cultivators even need sleep?
[Bai Qianshuang practiced for a while and finally absorbed some spiritual energy.]
[Bai Qianshuang attempted to refine the energy.]
[Bai Qianshuang regained some strength and happily rolled around on the bed.]
[Bai Qianshuang fell onto the floor.]
[...]
[Bai Qianshuang started sleeping.]
[...]
Seeing no mention of hunger, Ye Chuan relaxed a little. It seemed the half a steamed chicken from last night hadn’t fully digested yet. Even cultivators had to let their stomachs work, right?
He checked if there were any new items related to Bai Qianshuang and noticed a book in his inventory.
A cultivation manual?
[Skill: Storage
Allows the user to store any non-living object in the inventory.]
Storage?
Ye Chuan was surprised. Did this mean he could put anything into his phone’s inventory? He glanced at the dozens of empty slots and decided to test it—the next second, the pillow beside him vanished into thin air, as if someone had hit the delete button.
Ye Chuan blinked and looked back at his phone.
[Item: Pillow
Luo Xi’s pillow. The girl loves hugging it while sleeping.]
It actually worked!
After getting the hang of it, Ye Chuan wondered what would happen if he tried it on a living thing. He glanced at Luo Xi, still fast asleep beside him, and gave it a try with a thought.
The next moment, two new items appeared in his inventory.
[Item: Nightgown
Luo Xi’s nightgown. A simple design.]
[Item: Underwear
Luo Xi’s underwear. Features an adorable little bear.]
Silence hung in the air for several seconds.
Ye Chuan stared at the new additions, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had only meant to test if he could store a person—not strip them naked!
His throat tightened as he hurriedly tried to return the items, only for the still-warm nightgown to materialize in his hands. He froze, utterly mortified.
Why didn’t it go back the same way?
Even Pinduoduo had better refund policies.
“Mmm…?” A drowsy murmur came from the bed.
Ye Chuan nearly dropped the clothes in his hands. He immediately lay back down, pretending to sleep.
“So thirsty… water…” Luo Xi didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. Her eyes barely open, she yawned and fumbled around before grabbing the glass of water on the nightstand and taking a sip.
“Ahhh, refreshing!” She let out a satisfied sigh, rubbed her eyes, and flopped back down.
Soon, her breathing steadied again. The exhaustion from last night’s work had knocked her out cold.
Of course it’s refreshing for you.
Ye Chuan clutched the nightgown under the blanket, his heart pounding so hard he was sure Luo Xi would hear it. If she found out, wouldn’t she tear him apart?
There was no way to explain this.
[I have no idea how your clothes ended up in my hands. Must be magic~]
No, no. That excuse was way too flimsy.
[You sleepwalked last night and handed them to me~]
Even worse. At this point, playing dumb wouldn’t cut it. At least, that’s what Ye Chuan believed.
[Ehehe, I’m just a little pervert, Ciallo～(∠?ω＜)⌒☆]
No, no, no—that would be a death sentence.
Ye Chuan sat up again and looked at Luo Xi. She lay with her eyes closed, the blanket covering her, but the exposed curve of her shoulder and the smooth slope of her back made him hesitate with the nightgown in his hands.
There was only one solution now.
Do it.
Moving as quietly as possible, Ye Chuan crept to the bed and started sliding the underwear up Luo Xi’s legs. His movements were so gentle that she didn’t stir at all, still lost in sleep.
The room was silent—so silent that Ye Chuan could hear his own heartbeat.
But the process went smoothly. When he reached her waist, he paused, testing a few angles before giving it a firm tug upward. Success.
“Mmm…?” The soft sound from Luo Xi made his arm freeze. But she didn’t wake—just nuzzled her face into the pillow.
Close call.
The nightgown, however, was trickier.
Should he lift her to put it on?
That would definitely wake her.
But he had no choice. Ye Chuan rolled up the nightgown and carefully slipped it over Luo Xi’s head, moving inch by inch. Even so, when he lifted her neck slightly, she let out a sleepy murmur.
“Hn…?”
Ye Chuan stopped dead, not daring to move.
But Luo Xi seemed to sense something. She frowned in her sleep, instinctively tugging at the nightgown and pulling it down herself.
Ye Chuan hadn’t expected her to adjust it on her own. Relieved, he was about to retreat when he realized Luo Xi’s eyes were open—and fixed on him.
Ye Chuan: “...”
“Did we run out of beef skewers?” Luo Xi mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
Ye Chuan blinked. But Luo Xi just closed her eyes again and rolled over, as if nothing had happened.
Still dreaming, then.
Ye Chuan exhaled, the tension leaving his body.
Checking the time, he decided to go buy breakfast for Bai Qianshuang.
Tiptoeing to the door, he cast one last glance at Luo Xi’s sleeping form before gently closing it behind him.
Click. The soft sound of the door shutting was followed by the faint creak of the main entrance.
Silence returned to the room.
But Luo Xi, who had been lying with her back to the door, was now wide awake. Her fingers clutched the blanket, her face burning like a ripe apple. She could hardly believe what had just happened.
Did Ye Chuan just… undress me in my sleep?
But something didn’t add up.
Knowing him, he wouldn’t do something like that.
…Was it just a dream?