Remember to Bolt the Door and Be Fully Prepared

In the apartment.

Inside Mo Shangying's room.

Having just finished lunch, Mo Shangying had no intention of taking a nap.

She had woken up so late that she wasn’t the least bit tired.

Picking up her phone, she called her best friend Ye Mengfu on voice chat:

"Little Fufu, are you busy?"

"I’m so bored, and it seems like Master isn’t in the apartment either."

"Wanna come play games with me?"

Ye Mengfu, who was usually always ready to indulge her,

this time gave an unusually firm reply:

"Sorry, Ying'er..."

"I’m painting right now."

"It’s a very urgent piece."

Though Mo Shangying felt a little puzzled, she didn’t press further.

Occasionally,

when Ye Mengfu took on illustration work,

she would indeed lock herself in her room and refuse to come out.

With other things, Ye Mengfu might be vague and completely spoil Ying'er,

but when it came to painting,

nothing and no one could take priority.

Despite Ye Mengfu’s usual quiet demeanor,

Mo Shangying knew better than to throw a tantrum and disturb her at a time like this.

"Alright, alright, looks like I’ll be lonely for another couple of days then."

"Make sure you come find me once you’re done, Fufu!"

Ye Mengfu earnestly agreed over the call.

After hanging up,

Mo Shangying deftly hopped onto her computer chair, crouching in her usual bizarre posture, and started playing games again.

Even though there were so many games on her computer—some even brand-new and untouched—

right now,

they all seemed dull and unappealing.

She couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for them.

Just yesterday, she had been with Lin Yu...

And now, not seeing him today made her feel like a chain-smoker staring at an empty cigarette box.

She picked up her phone and scrolled through her chat history with Lin Yu.

Regarding the birthday party he had mentioned publicly that morning,

Lin Yu naturally hadn’t forgotten to tell Mo Shangying.

After all,

she was the "first girl in his camera’s memory"—

a girl of great strategic significance after his rebirth.

He might overlook others, but never her.

Mo Shangying kept rereading their sparse messages from today,

until suddenly, her eyes lit up...

"That’s it!"

"I can make a game for Little Yu as a gift!"

"No one else will have the same idea!"

When it came to gift-giving,

even the usually carefree Ying'er had been struggling internally after learning the date of his birthday.

But now, crouched in front of her computer, this sudden flash of inspiration

left her with no desire to do anything else.

---

Meanwhile,

inside Ye Mengfu’s room.

A short-sleeved hoodie with a small red flower painted on it hung from a clothesline bathed in sunlight.

Normally, Ye Mengfu would toss summer clothes into the washing machine after wearing them just once.

But this one was an exception—

because of the little red flower Lin Yu had "given her."

If she put it in the washing machine,

the flower would surely be ruined.

So,

Ye Mengfu came up with a painstaking solution...

Hand-washing it!

Not just tossing it into a basin for a quick scrub,

but carefully washing around the painted flower, leaving that spot untouched.

That way,

the next time she went on a date with Lin Yu,

she could confidently wear it again.

Otherwise,

even if the flower remained intact, an unwashed hoodie would go against Lin Yu’s cleanliness habits.

Right now,

Ye Mengfu sat in front of her easel,

working on a painting no larger than a book.

What she was busy with wasn’t some client’s illustration job—

it was a "special gift" she was preparing for Lin Yu!

As an artist,

the most unique gift she could give was naturally her artwork.

Yesterday,

she had already given him the "important original paintings" from the first half of her life.

For next week’s birthday party,

she had to offer something even more extraordinary.

All the unique gifts she had ever received in her life had come from Lin Yu.

In fact,

he had taught her the true meaning of gift-giving.

So,

the gift she was preparing now wasn’t just a single painting—

but an entire book!

Creating a fully hand-painted book on such small pages

was an incredibly time-consuming task.

Otherwise,

she wouldn’t have refused Ying'er’s invitation so bluntly.

Simply put,

what she was doing now was far more important.

---

Inside the Shen family’s ancestral home.

Lin Yu stood outside the door.

It was slightly ajar,

and from inside, he could faintly hear the soft rustling of fabric—

the delicate sound of gauzy clothing being adjusted.

Before stepping out,

Lin Yu had already taken a good look at the two outfits Shen Buyao had brought.

One was a black cheongsam embroidered with gold patterns!

Its front featured a special cut-out design, resembling a black love knot.

Seeing the antique-loving sister in dark, underworld-inspired colors—

this "hellish aesthetic" prison-chic style—

had Lin Yu eagerly anticipating how it would look on her.

The other outfit was one he had seen before.

To be precise,

he had seen it in a dream!

The costume of the Violet Fairy from A Chinese Odyssey!

Before coming to the Shen family home, Lin Yu had genuinely wondered

whether the antique-loving sister would pull out a Violet Fairy outfit

for a dream-come-true cosplay session.

Since Shen Buyao was the one who had created the dream world,

it wasn’t surprising that she owned a set—especially since it wasn’t some fantastical, unrealistic design.

Compared to the moon-white ruqun Shen Buyao was currently wearing,

these two outfits were drastically different in style,

making Lin Yu all the more excited.

To preserve the element of surprise,

Lin Yu hadn’t specified which outfit Shen Buyao should wear first,

leaving the choice entirely up to her.

Whichever one she picked,

he planned to make a few minor adjustments later.

Things like...

loosening a button,

rolling up a sleeve,

or lifting the hem slightly.

Since Shen Buyao had clearly done her homework,

she must have her own expectations for this "photography art."

She had even warned him earlier—

claiming she was a rose with thorns,

the more enchanting, the more dangerous.

If he wanted to cross the line into something beyond friendship,

he’d better think carefully.

Lin Yu had responded with action,

giving the clearest answer possible.

At the very least,

Shen Buyao now had no doubts about his boldness.

Then,

her voice came from inside the room:

"Lin Yu, I’m done changing. You can come in now."

Lin Yu pushed the door open immediately.

"Make sure to close the door properly. Preferably... lock it."

Before he could even get a clear look at Shen Buyao by the bed,

she quickly added another instruction—

reminding him to bolt the door.

Lin Yu’s mind raced.

She wanted the door locked tight?

The antique-loving sister was clearly prepared for anything.