It's Best to Have a Tacit Understanding

Shen Nian stared at her in a daze, subconsciously retracting his tongue, smacking his lips and pressing them together, savoring an unexpected and delightful surprise.

Although it hadn't been a deep kiss, the procedure of lips touching and tongues meeting had been completed, even if it was just for a split second.

"Hehe, still want some?"

"Get lost." Xia Yanchun quickly broke free from his embrace.

What was this about "wanting some"? If anyone heard that, they'd think they were doing something shady.

Just because he wants it means he gets it? Not even in his dreams.

"Fine, suit yourself." Shen Nian grazed her lip with his finger, feeling even more satisfied than he had imagined.

Confessing love or whatever seemed irrelevant now. He knew the emotions Xia Yanchun hid deep inside, and he understood the feelings she found difficult to express.

Often, a tacit, unspoken understanding is far more beautiful than blunt confessions or getting things off one's chest.

He and Xia Yanchun were arch-enemies, childhood sweethearts, neighborly siblings, and the third generation of two families on good terms. They didn't seem to need the title of "boyfriend and girlfriend."

Even if they became so-called boyfriend and girlfriend, the trivialities between him and Xia Yanchun wouldn't change. Things would stay exactly as they were now; at most, they would just be adding an insignificant label of "boyfriend and girlfriend" to the end of their long list of relationships.

Unspoken understanding was the best.

I say I like you, and I actually do like you.

You say you hate me, but I know you like me.

Unspoken understanding was truly the best!

Xia Yanchun met someone's intent gaze, looked away guiltily, and murmured, "I'm going to watch you workout tomorrow. I'm not setting an alarm, so just come over and call me."

"Would it kill you to set an alarm? It's such a hassle."

"This is a hassle, that is a hassle... when you wanted to get intimate with me, I didn't hear you saying it was a hassle. It's settled!"

Xia Yanchun turned around, opened the door in two shakes of a lamb's tail, kicked off her shoes at the entryway, and let her small feet, clad in cute white socks, land gently on her slippers.

She looked back at Shen Nian with an unreadable expression, said nothing, and pushed the door with her foot, causing it to click shut.

In the small corridor sandwiched between the two apartments, Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun had shared countless intimate moments. It was a good thing they were the only two households living on this entire floor, otherwise, they would have been discovered sooner or later.

The corridor fell silent. Shen Nian also turned and went back into his apartment to shower and get an early night's sleep.

·

The next day.

Shen Nian got up early as usual. Usually, before the sky was even bright and before his alarm rang, he would already be awake, lying in bed staring blankly at the ceiling.

He had thought about it all night but couldn't figure out why Haji-Chun suddenly wanted to watch him exercise. Why didn't she watch back when the weather was hot?

Running in long pants was incredibly uncomfortable.

After brushing his teeth and washing up—secretly squeezing a bit of Shen Yue's facial cleanser—Shen Nian checked the time. It was only 5:06 AM.

At this hour, even the breakfast stalls might not be open yet; Xia Yanchun was definitely not awake.

Shen Nian didn't plan on exercising outside for too long, so he waited until 5:20 AM before tiptoeing into Xia Yanchun's home and quietly opening the girl's bedroom door.

The slight creak didn't wake Xia Yanchun. The girl was buried in a thick quilt, hugging a small otter plushie. Her cheek was squished by the pillow into a cute curve, and she was sleeping soundly.

The air conditioner was old. Although it had heating, turning it on made the room stuffy, and opening the window wasn't really an option. In winter, Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun preferred to snuggle under the covers and wouldn't turn on the heater unless absolutely necessary.

Her hair was scattered across the pillow. Shen Nian was a little curious whether girls with long hair ever woke up from the pain of lying on their own hair.

Shen Nian sat gently on the edge of the bed and poked Xia Yanchun's face with a finger. Xia Yanchun was sleeping like a log; he poked her several times before she started to frown, whimpering as she buried her face deeper.

He couldn't quite bear to wake Chunbao up...

Just kidding. Mercy to an enemy is cruelty to oneself. Heheh.

Shen Nian clamped Haji-Chun's nose shut like a clothespin.

A few seconds later, Xia Yanchun gasped for air like a little piglet, twisted around, and rustled as she climbed up from the bed.

Her eyes were filled with sleepiness. The girl, having just woken up, was still a bit dazed. Once she saw Shen Nian clearly, she wanted to vent her morning grumpiness on him.

"You're finally up? It's five-twenty."

"...Oh." Xia Yanchun stuck her feet out of the quilt and kicked Shen Nian in the butt twice. "Why did you pinch my nose? Couldn't you just wake me up directly?"

"The thought of me being up while you're still sleeping so comfortably just rubs me the wrong way."

"I swear I'm going to beat you to death in a bit."

"Alright, alright, hurry up. Brush your teeth and wash your face. Thirty minutes of exercise is about enough. If you're sleepy, just sleep a bit more during the morning study session; the teacher can't do anything to you anyway."

"That's easier said than done..." Xia Yanchun rubbed her sleepy eyes and let out a lazy yawn. Not knowing what else to say, she just got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and ran into the bathroom.

Girls aren't as complicated as boys; when they wake up, they can just throw off the covers immediately. Occasionally she wouldn't wear a bra, but knowing Shen Nian would be coming, Xia Yanchun had slept with one on last night.

Her toothpaste was stored upside down in the rinsing cup. Xia Yanchun brushed her teeth very meticulously, cleaning inside and out.

Shen Nian stood behind her, lightly holding her waist but not tickling her, resting his chin on top of her head like a stacking toy.

"Go away." Xia Yanchun was annoyed to death by him. She quickly patted him twice and then went to apply facial cleanser.

She still had to comb her hair. Xia Yanchun's hair was short, so it didn't require too much effort; a few stray cowlicks were nothing to worry about.

She put on a hoodie underneath and a jacket over it. The girl stood there, slender and graceful. She grabbed a carton of pure milk, pulled Shen Nian's hand over, and stuffed it into his palm.

"Let's go, let's go! The time to prove you can defeat me has arrived!"

"Does this even need proving?"

"Although my physical stamina isn't as good as yours, I have a threshold for strength in my heart. Until you reach that threshold, you're just a rookie to me."

"...Bravo on that logic. So even though I only scored sixty points, if you didn't score a hundred, you're calling me the rookie, right?"

"Exactly." Xia Yanchun crossed her arms, looking self-righteous.

Shen Nian was completely speechless. That's a "little fairy" for you; he felt like venting about it on an internet forum.

Forget it. She was his arch-enemy; he just had to roll with it.

Down in the residential complex, Xia Yanchun pranced ahead with a spring in her step. She thought they were going to drive. She had barely taken two steps toward the carport when Shen Nian yanked her hair.

"Why are you pulling my hair?" Xia Yanchun complained resentfully.

"Where are you going? We're not driving."

"Huh? Y-You want to walk there?"

"Otherwise?" Shen Nian rubbed his chin. "It's just over a kilometer. I usually run there. Going back and forth doesn't take long."

"One kilometer?!"

Xia Yanchun's world crumbled.

That was going to kill her with exhaustion.