Are You Thinking of Me

Shen Nian felt a little dead inside.

Xia Yanchun knew Shen Nian had just gone out to do something bad, but she didn't want to say anything about it; it was a perfectly normal thing, after all.

She had provoked this state herself. Even if Shen Nian accused her of entrapment, she could only admit to it!

But whenever she thought about those thirty minutes he spent outside, she couldn't help but feel curious, imagining Shen Nian's expressions, emotions, and thoughts during those mysterious thirty minutes...

Xia Yanchun wrapped her arms around Shen Nian's waist, pressing her small face against his collarbone, not daring to think about it anymore.

"Are we going to hug like this?"

When it came to comfort, spooning from behind was definitely better. Hugging face-to-face could get quite uncomfortable once they fell asleep.

However, he could wait until Chunbao fell asleep to quietly change her position.

Shen Nian rubbed Xia Yanchun's hair, the silky strands of dark hair slipping through his fingertips.

"Mmm, did you wash your hands clean?"

"Damn it, I washed them. Say one more word and I'll slap you across the face." Shen Nian was getting genuinely agitated.

He laughed out of pure exasperation.

Xia Yanchun didn't dare look up at him, just blowing softly against his collarbone.

After a moment of silence, Shen Nian's emotions gradually calmed down.

After all... it was a feeling they both understood perfectly well without saying a word.

"Shen Nian?"

"What is it now?"

Xia Yanchun whimpered softly as she pulled out of his embrace. Pursing her lips, she pushed his shoulder with her small hands, gesturing for him to turn around.

He almost thought Kitty Chun wanted to have a sumo wrestling match—after all, sumo wrestlers were always pushing each other's shoulders. It took Shen Nian a moment to understand what she meant, and he turned around.

Being the big spoon was indeed comfortable, but Kitty Chun just refused to use her words, insisting on pushing him around instead.

Xia Yanchun pressed against his back and whispered in his ear.

"Shen Nian, you didn't even take your phone with you... Were you thinking of me just now?"

"...?!"

He couldn't see Xia Yanchun's face, but Shen Nian knew she must be blushing furiously right now.

The last time she asked this kind of question, she had been so terribly shy that even the base of her neck had turned red.

But even with a previous similar question under his belt, Shen Nian still sighed inwardly and chose to respond with silence.

Shen Nian could almost feel the faint heat radiating from the girl beside his face, warming his ears until they felt a bit hot, too.

Since he didn't speak, Xia Yanchun more or less understood.

"You... you're a massive pervert...!"

"Ugh, you're so annoying." Shen Nian grabbed the small hands resting on his lower stomach, wanting to just brush it off, play dumb, and go to sleep.

Xia Yanchun rested her little feet on top of Shen Nian's, feeling so energetic that she didn't want to sleep anymore.

That despicable Shen Nian! Did he know there was an exam tomorrow and deliberately pull a stunt like this to ruin her sleep, so he could take the opportunity to surpass her in the final exams?!

Just like when they were kids, Xia Yanchun wanted to blame everything on Shen Nian. The gentle Sister Chun always thought of pinning the blame on her younger brother first whenever something came up.

When it came to making Shen Nian the scapegoat, she had always been consistent.

Xia Yanchun muttered to herself in her mind, not realizing when two little peonies, one tall and one short, had bloomed in her heart.

She wanted to keep blaming Shen Nian in the future, too.

"We really have been together for a long time. We're even going to the same university, and then grad school, and then..."

"Why are you thinking so far ahead? You haven't even started university yet, and you're already thinking about grad school," Shen Nian interrupted.

"Mhm, true, let's not think that far."

Shen Nian turned back around. It was still more comfortable to hold Kitty Chun in his arms. He planned to keep holding her like this and change positions once she fell asleep.

"But we really have been together for quite a while. Eighteen years... How did this happen, do you think? I used to hate you so much, but now it's like this..."

"You're a pervert," Xia Yanchun said with certainty.

"Damn, why didn't you say so earlier?"

When it came to being a pervert, Shen Nian really did lust after Xia Yanchun. He stared at her legs every day and didn't even bother trying to hide it.

"But being a pervert is only one aspect of it."

"And the other aspect?"

"Aside from lusting after you, I also like every other aspect of you."

Xia Yanchun: ...

She felt relieved. It seemed the current Shen Nian had completely recovered from his earlier embarrassment and awkwardness.

Xia Yanchun felt soft and gooey inside. Honestly, she couldn't really name Shen Nian's good points aside from his looks either. If Shen Nian had asked her the same question in return, she probably would have given the same answer.

Wait, no, she would have answered that she didn't lust after Shen Nian—that was the truth.

"You hated me so much when we were kids, and now you like me this much. It seems you really can't live without me anymore. No wonder you want to be the best of friends in the whole world with me."

"Listen to you," Shen Nian poked her nose in amusement. "What about you?"

"I... used to hate you super much, and now, well, now I like you a tiny little bit."

"Did you really hate me that much back then?"

"Mhm." Xia Yanchun nuzzled her little head against him.

Just think about how much I used to boss you around, made you take the blame, made you fan me when it was hot, and stole your clothes when it was cold... Obviously, I hated you a lot!

Xia Yanchun muttered to herself in her mind.

She had made Shen Nian the scapegoat every single time, and constantly ordered him around to run errands. Even if the tissues were right next to her, she would still call Shen Nian over from his room.

Directly asking Shen Nian to get the tissues wouldn't work. She had to keep what she wanted a secret, call him out first, and only ask him to grab the tissues once he was already out. That was the only way he would do it.

Treating Shen Nian like that, the level of her hatred was glaringly obvious.

Shen Nian clicked his tongue. "Did you really hate me when we were kids?"

"From what I remember, you were always feeding me stuff since we were little. If you had a bowl of instant noodles, I got a sip of the soup. If you had a stick of candied hawthorn, I got one of the haws. You also made me call you 'sister' every day, and threatened to hit me if I didn't. I thought you had a crush on me since we were young."

Xia Yanchun's heart skipped a beat. "You're overthinking it!"

How come I didn't know I liked you when we were kids? What nonsense!

"Go to sleep, we have an exam tomorrow." Xia Yanchun didn't want to continue this topic anymore. The more they talked, the weirder it got. She absolutely refused to let him dig up her past!

The thought processes of those two age groups were completely different. Who could clearly explain things from when they were kids anyway?!

Shen Nian wanted to blabber a few more words, but the moment he opened his mouth, Xia Yanchun started aggressively nuzzling against his chest.

Fine, time to sleep.

The little figure in his arms felt incredibly soft.

Chunbao was a fragrant, soft, and sweet little cake. Right now, Shen Nian truly felt this way.

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It is a new month! Asking for update prompts and little gifts! ♞