Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

[Day one of... abstinence... Eh!]

Xu Qingfan inwardly regretted how easily he lost control!

It wasn't Brother Fan's fault for not behaving, it was Yu's irresistible charm.

He sighed quietly and held Yu tighter in his arms.

Wu Lingyu hung her head low and scooted closer, her small hands clutching a wad of paper tightly.

The two enjoyed the warmth of the moment, neither speaking a word.

Time trickled by, and Xu Qingfan tapped irregularly on Yu's back with his fingers.

Gradually, Wu Lingyu felt her strength returning; she propped her chin with both hands and lay on the bed, staring into Xu Qingfan's eyes.

Xu Qingfan casually swept her hair behind her ear, and the girl gave him a sweet smile.

"Brother Fan... Is this also a kind of friendship?" Wu Lingyu sniffed the wad of paper and then wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Smack~"

Xu Qingfan raised his hand and slapped her butt, and Wu Lingyu immediately showed a woeful expression.

"Wuu~"

"Isn't lip friendship still friendship?" Xu Qingfan pinched her nose.

"???" Wu Lingyu tilted her head, clearly not getting the lame joke.

"Just kidding, friendship means 'to rely on,' like 'an elder to rely on,' get it?" Xu Qingfan poked her forehead with his finger.

This time, Wu Lingyu understood and changed her worry into joy, "Brother Fan, that means you and Yu will grow old together, right?"

"Of course!"

The sly man gripped her hand, romantic words flowing easily, "Today, we share the trials together, destined to grow old together in this life."

"Brother Fan!" Yu's smile seemed about to overflow.

"Hmm." Xu Qingfan teased her like a kitten, scratching her chin.

"Yu wants to be with Brother Fan forever, forever!" Wu Lingyu lay on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as she spoke.

Xu Qingfan tenderly stroked her head but said no more, though inwardly he mused, [And also grow old with Xiaoxiao, Ruan Wen, Wanning, and Yiyi, eh.]

...

The next day.

Xu Qingfan, having slept refreshingly the night before, got up very early today.

But someone else was up even earlier.

Just past seven in the morning, Xia Xiaoxiao had already washed up and appeared in his room.

"Xu Qingfan?" Seeing no one in the room, she knocked on the bathroom door.

"Xiaoxiao? It's still very early, why are you up so soon?" Xu Qingfan opened the door, and there stood Xia Xiaoxiao at the door.

"I should be asking you that, why did you get up so early?" Xia Xiaoxiao leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, watching him brush his teeth.

"Went to bed early last night so naturally woke up early today."

Xu Qingfan remembered for a moment, last night he seemed to have fallen asleep while holding Wu Lingyu, and presumably, Yu had covered him with a blanket and then quietly left.

[Maybe I can also... for future bouts of insomnia?]

He felt this was more effective than a sleeping pill.

"Without even playing on your phone." Xia Xiaoxiao replied nonchalantly, then turned and lay down on Xu Qingfan's bed.

Rolling around in the blanket, Xia Xiaoxiao quickly noticed something amiss.

[Why does it smell like Yu???]

But she soon rationalized it, guessing Yu had probably sat there the previous night.

Suddenly, Xia Xiaoxiao wrapped herself in the blanket, only her eyes peeking out.

Not because the air conditioning was too cold, but because she wanted to sleep sniffing his scent.

A girl's inexplicable possessiveness!

Before Xu Qingfan came out, Xia Xiaoxiao had already neatly folded the blanket, leaving no trace.

"I'm going to wake Yu up!" She yelled toward the bathroom where Xu Qingfan was, and then left the room on her own.

Wu Lingyu's room was to the right of Xu Qingfan's, while Xia Xiaoxiao's was to the left.

She first opened her own room to check—clean and tidy, apparently Yao Jiping cleaned often.

After closing the door, Xia Xiaoxiao then proceeded to Wu Lingyu's room.

Living together meant they often slept together and even bathed together, so there wasn't really a concern about invading Yu's privacy.

Xia Xiaoxiao entered the room; the air conditioning had been off for a while, and the level of carbon dioxide was a bit high.

Wu Lingyu was still sleeping, possibly having forgotten to close the curtains before bed. Soft sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow directly onto Yu's bed.

In the south, having sunlight on your bed was a blissful thing because it meant you didn't have to air out the blanket often.

Wu Lingyu shielded her eyes from the light with her left hand, the blanket only covering her calves due to the rising room temperature.

As Xia Xiaoxiao approached, she instantly widened her eyes in shock.

Not only was Yu not wearing pants to bed, but Yu had also wet the bed!

The first thing Xia Xiaoxiao did was quickly cover her with the blanket, and as she prepared to make her escape, a voice stopped her.

"Xiaoxiao?"

Wu Lingyu, still groggy, opened her eyes, only seeing the blurred outline of someone resembling Xia Xiaoxiao.

"Um... good morning, Yu, I came to wake you up." Xia Xiaoxiao glanced behind her to make sure no one was passing by, then quickly ran to lock the door.

By the time she returned, Wu Lingyu had nearly come to her senses.

"That... that... Xiaoxiao, listen to me..."

Wu Lingyu felt as if her CPU were overheating. She had declined Xu Qingfan's offer of mutual help the previous night, but still, Brother Fan had had his way with her in her sleep.

Xia Xiaoxiao didn't seem to mind at all; the more Yu acted this way, the more Xia Xiaoxiao smiled mischievously.

"It's okay, Yu, you don't have to explain, I understand, I get it all."

Xia Xiaoxiao sat on the bed, gently stroking Wu Lingyu's back, "Our Yu has grown up."

"You don't have to be shy, Yu. I won't tell anyone else."