Still a Master of Ambiguity

Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun looked at each other, wiping the moisture from their lips.

Haji-Chun's left and right brains seemed to be fighting each other; one moment she was licking him, and the next she acted like nothing had happened—truly a master of sending mixed signals.

However, he didn't say much. He just gently nuzzled Chunbao's forehead, eyes narrowed, pecking her every now and then.

Chunbao eventually got annoyed by the pecking, so she buried her face in his armpit, only lifting it up again after a good while.

It was rather warm today. With the quilt covering half their bodies, Shen Nian stared at the ceiling, appearing nonchalant. In reality, his arm was slowly curving around to pull Xia Yanchun into his embrace.

Having one's arm used as a pillow causes soreness and numbness after a while, so he had to adjust his position occasionally to make Xia Yanchun more comfortable, and himself too.

With Xia Yanchun in the crook of his arm, Shen Nian felt a subtle mix of emotions.

"I want to sleep," Xia Yanchun murmured, nestled in Shen Nian's arms, letting out a small yawn.

She had woken up early today and hadn't rested since. Coupled with how comfortable Shen Nian's embrace was, drowsiness spilled over uncontrollably.

Her eyelids felt heavy, barely able to stay open.

"Sleep then. Do you want me to tuck you in or something?"

"That wouldn't be so bad."

"Usually, it's older sisters comforting younger brothers, or older brothers comforting younger sisters."

"Then I don't need you to comfort me." Xia Yanchun propped up her face. "Shall I comfort you to sleep?"

"I'm not sleepy."

"If you're not sleepy, why did you come over here?"

"I just wanted to rest and lie down for a bit. I didn't want to lie on the sofa, so I had to come here, didn't I?"

"Hmph."

Xia Yanchun pulled up the quilt, covering her whole body, retracting even her pink-tinged toes.

Since Shen Nian wasn't sleeping, she was going to.

Resting her head on his arm was more comfortable than a pillow.

At least, it was at first, but it wasn't great for actual sleeping. Shen Nian's arm would go numb, and if she fell asleep, he would have to gently move her onto a pillow anyway.

In the end, she chose to lie down properly.

"By the way, do any of the girls in our class know much about jewelry?" Shen Nian suddenly asked.

"What kind of question is that? Are you planning to buy some?"

"I want to buy something for my mom, to fulfill a dream of hers. My parents have been married for so many years, but she doesn't even have a ring or a necklace..."

Xia Yanchun raised an eyebrow. In her memory, she indeed hadn't seen Shen Nian's mother wearing such jewelry.

Working on a farm required manual labor, so wearing jewelry was inconvenient. Her own parents were the same; her mother worked in a hospital and definitely wouldn't wear it, and her father was a public servant, so he wouldn't wear it either.

For ordinary people, especially in a relatively backward town, these things were mainly for collection value. Few people wore gold or silver out; even jade bracelets were rare. They were usually kept in small boxes, taken out occasionally to look at and boost one's mood.

After being married for so many years, buying jewelry to make up for the past was actually a nice idea if one had the means.

"I didn't realize you thought about things like that, Shen Nian. Are you really a filial son?"

"Guaranteed." Shen Nian winked; it had been a long time since he'd done that.

"Do you have the money, though? These things are expensive."

"If I don't have enough, I'll go fishing for funds."

"Mhm." Xia Yanchun squinted. "If you don't have enough money, I can lend you some first."

"Don't worry about the money. I still haven't spent all the cash from splitting the lottery winnings with that little lolita girl at the mall last time. I actually have some money in my card; spending two or three thousand shouldn't be a problem."

Shen Nian couldn't be bothered to expose Xia Yanchun's little scheme. The loan might be interest-free, but she would definitely make him call her "Big Sister"—probably one "Big Sister" for every hundred bucks borrowed.

"Oh..." Xia Yanchun pouted. "But I don't think any of the girls know about that stuff. We're all high schoolers; what would we know?"

"True." Shen Nian sighed. "Sleep, go to sleep."

"Mmm..."

Xia Yanchun leaned against him sweetly and gradually quieted down.

At some point, the sound of a door opening came from outside the room. It sounded like Uncle Xia had woken up to use the bathroom. Shen Nian listened quietly, making no sound at all.

Actually, he wasn't really afraid of being seen by Uncle Xia—visiting each other's homes was too common for him and Xia Yanchun. What he was afraid of was Uncle Xia seeing the intimacy between them, like right now, with Xia Yanchun lying next to him, one leg draped over his feet.

If Uncle Xia found out that the son of his childhood friend, whom he had watched grow up, had hooked up with his daughter...

Although Uncle Xia had a steady and gentle personality, Shen Nian felt that his own dad would still get kicked by Uncle Xia.

How dare your son hook up with my daughter? Prepare to die, you knave!

Just for my sake, Dad, please endure it. Watashi will definitely observe more than three seconds of silence for you.

Discovering the intimacy between him and Xia Yanchun wasn't that easy, unless Uncle Xia barged directly into the room, which was obviously impossible.

Uncle Xia returned to his room after using the bathroom. Shen Nian remained calm. With Chunbao sleeping so comfortably beside him, he started feeling lethargic too.

When your deskmate at school falls asleep instantly, can you resist taking a nap yourself?

...

When he woke up, it was already six in the evening.

Having enjoyed a rare, super refreshing afternoon nap, Xia Yanchun murmured incoherently and couldn't help but hug Shen Nian tighter.

This small movement woke Shen Nian, who was already close to waking up. He opened his eyes groggily.

"Hiss..." Shen Nian moved his arm. It was fine before he slept, so how did he end up being hugged like a plush toy by Xia Yanchun during his sleep? It was numb.

"I thought you weren't going to sleep," Xia Yanchun giggled.

"...You ate hotpot without rinsing your mouth, then slept for so long without speaking. You have bad breath. Can you not talk right in my face?"

"!"

Girls care a lot about their scent. Whether it's sweat, body odor, or bad breath, it all affects a girl's overall image.

Xia Yanchun sat in a W-position, covering her mouth and breathing into her hand. She felt there was indeed a bit of a smell, and her face instantly burned red.

So, she started attacking Shen Nian. "Yours stinks too!"

"Attacking me won't make your mouth smell any sweeter, Chunbao."

"Are you disgusted by me?"

"Not really." Shen Nian bared his teeth. "But it really doesn't smell good."

"Hah!" Xia Yanchun, face flushed, breathed her 'bad breath' onto him.

"..."

Shen Nian looked at her with disdain. Damn it, I tell you it stinks and you breathe it on me on purpose.

Next time Chunbao said he stank, he was going to attack her too.

After breathing on him, Xia Yanchun quickly ran out to brush her teeth and rinse her mouth, ensuring there was no smell left.

Now, Shen Nian was the only stinky one.

The door to the adjacent bedroom was open, and the sheets were rumpled, but Xia Herui was nowhere to be seen. Xia Yanchun checked the entryway; his leather shoes were gone.

After all, it was already six in the evening. The sky was filled with brilliant sunset clouds, and it would be dark in half an hour.

She padded back to the room in her slippers and saw Shen Nian sitting up under the quilt. Her eyes curved into crescents as she covered her mouth, giggling at him.

The clever Xia Yanchun had already figured everything out.

"What are you laughing at? It's perfectly normal, okay..." Shen Nian was annoyed. It would be strange if he could control that thing; every normal guy had it.

"I didn't say it wasn't normal." Xia Yanchun hummed lightly, crawling over to sit beside him. "I've rinsed my mouth."

"Oh."

"You haven't rinsed yours yet. You're stinky." Xia Yanchun poked him repeatedly.

"Hah!"

Now it was Shen Nian's turn to breathe on her.