Xie Ying’an wasn’t being too rough, perhaps out of consideration for Qingran who had just had her fill, so the ride ho wasn’t bumpy.
By the ti they got ho, it was already past midnight.
Their departure had been silent and so was their return.
The downstairs study had gone back to darkness, and it was late, Mr. Li had also gone to bed.
Mr. Li was a light sleeper, so Qingran tiptoed as lightly as possible up the stairs, with Xie Ying’an following behind her, watching her act like a thief, and his lips curved up into a silent laugh.
After climbing a few stairs, Qingran turned to look at Xie Ying’an, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her voice as low as it could get: "Lighten your footsteps."
It was almost a whisper.
Xie Ying’an quickly concealed the smile on his lips and replied softly, "Okay."
The sound of his reply seed like a thunderous noise to Qingran’s ears.
She didn’t bother to speak again and continued tiptoeing up the steps and didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until she reached the top floor.
Xie Ying’an followed her slowly and leisurely.
Qingran’s fingers were on her room’s doorknob, and that’s when she rembered to look back at Xie Ying’an.
Xie Ying’an was leaning against his own room door, watching her, his expression subtly indulgent.
Qingran’s gaze unconsciously drifted to the clothes at his waist, noticing the wrinkles she had made in her panic...
She dared not look any longer, the words she intended to say were swallowed back, and she quickly opened her door and entered the room, still faintly hearing a chuckle behind her as she closed the door.
Low and deep, especially pleasant to the ear.
Qingran leaned against the door to calm her sowhat rapid heartbeat, only then rembering that her cousin and Ruan Ruan were still in her room.
Under her guilt just now, she hadn’t made her door-closing action deliberately soft, but the two people in the bed had no reaction at all?
That was sowhat unreasonable, wasn’t it?
Could they be asleep?
Qingran didn’t turn on the light and groped her way forward, not realizing until she was near her bed that the two people on the bed were still playing with their phones, heads covered, interspersed with—
Luo Xi: "There’s soone behind that tree, do you see?"
Ruan Ruan: "Where?"
Luo Xi: "In the grass behind the tree, should be a bot. Your turn to shoot."
Ruan Ruan: "Okay."
Qingran didn’t have to look to know that they were definitely playing a ga.
To be able to play gas with such enthusiasm at this hour, she was really impressed.
But how long had the two been mingling together? Ruan Ruan had even been led to play gas. Old Wu was right: people like Ruan Ruan, who lacked determination, really needed soone with strong willpower to constantly keep an eye on her.
If Ruan Ruan and her cousin were desk mates, she would surely fail.
The sumr was hot, and after going out, not only was her body sweaty, but it was also covered with the sll of oils from the night market barbecue stalls. Qingran found a pajama in the dark and went to the restroom.
Almost as soon as she entered the bathroom, Luo Xi lifted the thin blanket; she wrinkled her nose and sniffed the air.
Seeing Luo Xi’s actions, Ruan Ruan also lifted the blanket and asked her, "What’s up?"
Luo Xi took a deep breath, puzzled: "Why do I sll barbecue? It slls quite nice."
Ruan Ruan laughed, "Maybe you’re just craving barbecue? In the middle of the night, how could there be a barbecue sll in Ranran’s room?"
"I’m very sensitive to the sll of cumin," Luo Xi sniffed again with her nose extended, turned her head towards Ruan Ruan: "I still think I can sll cumin powder, you don’t sll it at all?"
Ruan Ruan shook her head: "I only sll a fragrance in Ranran’s room."
It was the sa fragrance that wasn’t present in her own room; she was utterly envious every ti she slled it coming to Qingran’s room, but Qingran didn’t use any perfu. Where did that faint grass fragrance co from?
"Maybe I really slt it wrong," Luo Xi turned her head back, indifferent and ready to continue gaming when she noticed that the bathroom light was still on.
"Uh?" Luo Xi sat up and turned on the light: "Ranran isn’t asleep yet?"
At this point, Ruan Ruan did have so self-awareness, shaking her phone in her hand: "With us making so much noise, how could Ranran possibly sleep?"
Feeling sowhat embarrassed, Luo Xi touched her nose and smiled: "That’s because I’m used to playing gas at ho, if I don’t play a couple of rounds before bed, I can’t fall asleep."
She didn’t get the title of gaming addict for nothing.
When Qingran ca out of the restroom after her shower, she saw Luo Xi and Ruan Ruan staring at her with big eyes and small eyes.
Feeling guilty as a thief, she suddenly panicked: "Why are you, you guys still not sleeping, why are you staring at ?"
Ruan Ruan first voiced her confusion: "Ranran, didn’t you take a bath before bed? Why did you take another one?"
Qingran was montarily dumbfounded, thinking about how to respond to Ruan Ruan.
Liu Luoxi rolled her eyes at that mont: "When girls have this sort of thing, it’s definitely because their ’aunt’ has visited. Who else would be so bored to take two baths?"
Ruan Ruan suddenly realized: "Oh oh oh, I really didn’t think of that..."
Qingran, who was ’bored out of her mind’, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, letting them guess wildly as she dashed to the bed.
She didn’t forget to urge them to sleep earlier: "Cousin, Ruannuan, you guys should sleep too, it’s already the early hours."
Ruan Ruan yawned and placed her phone on the bedside table, then lay down to sleep: "Sleeping, I’m sleepy too."
Liu Luoxi wasn’t sleepy, she slipped on her slippers and walked outside: "I’m so hungry, I’m going to find sothing to eat."
Qingran: "..."
Her heart beca even more unsettled.
At seven o’clock in the morning, Qingran finally woke up, having slept in about an hour longer than usual because of the late night.
When Qingran got up, Liu Luoxi and Ruan Ruan were still sleeping back to back, both in rather unflattering positions.
Ruan Ruan’s leg was draped over Liu Luoxi’s belly, and Liu Luoxi’s leg hung down from the bed, and their thin quilt was kicked to the floor at so point during the night.
Qingran sighed helplessly, picked up the quilt from the ground and covered them both, before heading to the washroom to freshen up.
By the ti Qingran was ready to go downstairs for breakfast, Liu Luoxi and Ruan Ruan were still sleeping soundly.
Qingran tried to wake them, calling out a couple of tis.
Liu Luoxi turned over and grumbled with obvious impatience: "So sleepy! Don’t bother ! Go away!!"
Despite normally being even-tempered, she was quite cranky when woken up.
Ruan Ruan, sleeping beside her, didn’t have any reaction at all.
Helpless, Qingran had no choice but to close the door and head out by herself.
Mr. Li was sitting in the living room downstairs, reading a book.
Qingran greeted him: "Good morning, Dad!"
Mr. Li took off his glasses, placed the half-read book on the table, and with a smile, asked Qingran—
"Your cousin and your brother, and that little classmate of yours, why didn’t they co down with you? Are they still not up?"
Qingran nodded: "They went to sleep pretty late last night, they might need to sleep a bit longer."
Mr. Li shook his head with a chuckle: "It was past midnight and they were still running downstairs looking for food, how could they not go to bed late?"
Qingran: "..."
Damn it! She felt not just guilty but also a bit panicked.
Sneaking out to the night market, she decided she’d never do it again in her lifeti.
"Alright," Mr. Li stood up and headed towards the dining table: "Let Aunt Liu prepare a separate breakfast for them, we’ll eat first."
"Where’s An?" As he spoke, Mr. Li looked back with a hint of confusion: "Wasn’t he just sitting there chatting with a mont ago?"
Qingran looked around the living room and did not see Xie Ying’an.
"Maybe he went for a jog?" She guessed.
Xie Ying’an had a steadfast habit of getting up early for a jog to exercise.
"He ca back from his workout a while ago." Mr. Li sat down and with a hint of exasperation about his son added, "Look at An, then look at your brother..."
Qingran sat down across from Mr. Li, not responding.
The whole school knew that Li Qing Mo was no match for Xie Ying’an.
"Never mind," Mr. Li sighed: "Let’s not talk about your brother, or I won’t have an appetite for breakfast later."
As he was talking, the living room door suddenly opened from the outside, and Xie Ying’an slowly walked in.
The young man wore a white T-shirt and light grey casual pants, his figure appearing radiant against the backlight.
Qingran’s gaze slid from Xie Ying’an’s face to his arms, then fixated unwaveringly on the fluffy small creature he held.
Amidst the delight, her mind suddenly thought ’fluffy’?
That’s it! Xie Ying’an had unwittingly committed the big taboo of their household.
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