Chapter 64: Let’s Be Sisters
"Go, go, go! Great teamwork!"
"Whoa! We finally cleared it! We’re seriously amazing!"
After finishing the co-op game they had been playing, Chen Cheng stretched lazily and leaned back in her chair. She held out her fist toward An Yuan for a celebratory fist bump.
"Yeah, yeah, I carried you." An Yuan opened the post-game stats. "Your damage output isn’t even half of mine."
"Come on, brother! We’re a team! Would you have even made it without me starting the game?"
An Yuan rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. After playing for over an hour, his back was aching a little.
Chen Cheng, knowing exactly what to do, walked behind him and started massaging his shoulders. "Sore? Must be a mental thing. What’s making you anxious now?"
"This wooden chair of yours is too hard. Not used to sitting on it for so long."
What was he anxious about? He was anxious all the time. Until he could be financially independent, there was no way for him to truly relax.
His parents had drilled into him since childhood that money was everything. It might not solve all problems, but without it, you had nothing.
On top of that, Chen Cheng had handed all her money over to him. He wasn’t even sure if the new energy stocks he invested in would go up as expected or if they’d crash completely.
"Then take a break. I’ll put the chair back in the dining room."
Chen Cheng picked up the wooden chair. It was a bit heavy, and she wobbled a little as she carried it out of the room, placing it back in its original spot.
When she returned, An Yuan was lying on her bed, playing on his phone.
"Wanna go out this afternoon?"
"Eh~ Not really. I finally have a day off. Gotta stay home and relax!"
Chen Cheng rested her chin on one hand at her desk, randomly opening a video while pulling over her homework.
"You always stayed home like this before? Just watching dramas and gaming all day? You don’t get tired of it?"
"A little, but it’s fine." Chen Cheng thought back to her old life, feeling nostalgic. "It was peaceful and stress-free. Unlike now."
Her ideal life was simple, peaceful and hassle-free. Just staying in her small room, doing whatever she wanted.
If she had enough money to maintain that lifestyle forever, it would’ve been perfect. But before she ended up in this situation, her comfy shut-in life was already on the verge of collapse. Her novel-writing income was drying up, and she was about to be forced out of her comfort zone to find a job and avoid starving.
"Sounds nice, honestly," An Yuan teased. "You’d make a great housewife. You wouldn’t have to go out at all."
"No way. I hate cleaning, I can’t cook, and I don’t wanna get married."
Suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from outside.
Their casual conversation was cut short. They both looked at each other in alarm.
"My mom? Or maybe my dad?"
Chen Cheng panicked, glancing around before lowering her voice anxiously. "Quick, hide somewhere! If they find you in my room, I’m dead!"
"Where am I supposed to hide?" An Yuan sat up, equally panicked. He really didn’t want to get thrown out. "The bed’s too low. The closet?"
"Chengcheng? What are you doing?"
Her mother’s voice called from the living room.
"I’m here!"
In a panic, Chen Cheng grabbed An Yuan’s arm and shoved him under the desk.
The desk had solid panels on the sides, and the space underneath was big enough. As long as she sat in front of it, she could block her mom’s view.
"Wait—"
But An Yuan was over six feet tall with a broad frame. Even curled up under the desk, his head still stuck out.
"Get in! No time for ‘wait’!"
Her mom’s footsteps were getting closer. Chen Cheng spread her legs wider to make more room, pushing An Yuan in further. Then, she scooted her chair forward, practically pressing her chest against the desk to hide him completely.
She could clearly feel his head against her thigh. His short hair was a little prickly…
And she had her legs wide open, basically trapping him between them. His warm breath brushed against her skin, tickling her.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Her mom peeked inside. Her daughter was sitting properly at the desk, seriously working on her homework.
"Mom? Why are you back so early?" Chen Cheng turned to look at her. "Weren’t you supposed to come back in a couple of days?"
"I wasn’t comfortable leaving you home alone."
Chen Cheng’s mother walked over to the desk with a smile, placing a box of strawberries she had bought on the way. She lowered her head and glanced at the worksheet her daughter was working on.
"……"
Chen Cheng wasn’t sure if her mom could understand what she was writing. If she could, she’d see that it was all nonsense.
Feeling a little annoyed, Chen Cheng whined, "Mooom~ you’re distracting me from my homework~"
"Why are you in such a rush on a weekend?" Her mother’s smile grew softer, her daughter rarely acted this spoiled. "What did Auntie make you for lunch?"
"Ribs, beef soup, pea shoots… She brought so much food upstairs that the fridge is completely full."
"You should’ve just gone downstairs to eat instead of troubling her."
Under the desk, An Yuan shifted slightly, making Chen Cheng freeze in place. She tensed up and urged her mom again, "Mom~ I really need to finish my homework."
"Wow, so motivated?" Her mother ruffled her hair. "Then I’ll leave you to it?"
"Mm-hmm."
"What do you want for dinner?"
Wait, weren’t you supposed to be at the hospital taking care of Grandpa?!
"What about Grandpa?" Chen Cheng forced herself to stay calm, keeping her head down to hide her nervous expression.
Thankfully, her hair covered half her face when she lowered her head.
"Your aunt went to see him today. I’ll go tomorrow, we’re taking turns." Her mom seemed to sense something was off. "What’s wrong?"
Tomorrow?!
"I was just thinking… maybe I should go visit him too?"
"It’s not a major surgery. You can go if you want, but it’s fine if you don’t."
Her mom, who had just said she was leaving, suddenly sat down on the bed nearby, watching her daughter from the side. She also noticed Chen Cheng’s rather unladylike sitting posture.
"You’re a girl, sit properly. If you were wearing a skirt, everything would be exposed."
Chen Cheng’s nerves shot up again. Instinctively, she tried to close her legs, only to end up squeezing An Yuan’s head between her thighs.
"Mom! I’m doing my homework!" she snapped, embarrassed and flustered, raising her voice in frustration. "Why are you bothering me so much?!"
"You don’t even want to chat with me…"
Seeing her daughter getting annoyed, her mom sighed and finally left the room, closing the door behind her.
Chen Cheng felt like all the strength had drained from her body. She slumped onto her desk, feeling a bit guilty about snapping at her mom.
Underneath the desk, An Yuan struggled to poke his head out from between her legs. "Can I come out now?"
"No!"
Chen Cheng gritted her teeth and pushed An Yuan back down again. The next second, her mother opened the door and poked her head in.
"Chengcheng, do you have a fever?"
"No, I'm just feeling hot, Mom~"
"Alright, alright, I won’t bother you anymore."
Once the door closed again, Chen Cheng finally let out a deep breath. She looked down at An Yuan’s innocent face and twitched the corner of her mouth.
Why was she sitting like this… with her legs wrapped around An Yuan?!
A tingling, weirdly numb sensation spread along the inside of her thighs…
Her face instantly turned bright red. Flustered and annoyed, she kicked at An Yuan twice, but then nervously glanced at the door again.
"You’re the one who told me to hide here…"
"Just stay put."
Listening carefully to make sure her mom’s footsteps had faded, Chen Cheng finally got up, ran to the door, and locked it. Only then did she feel relieved. She pulled her chair back, letting An Yuan crawl out from under the desk.
"So what now?" She plopped onto the bed, watching An Yuan climb out with a completely defeated look. "That really felt like sneaking around for an affair…"
Her heart was still racing. If her mom had found them, there would be no way to explain it.
An Yuan, on the other hand, seemed pretty chill. Sure, it was cramped, but at least her legs smelled nice. Just consider it a reward.
"Can you stop looking at me?" Chen Cheng turned her burning face away. "It’s freaking me out…"
"It’s just a normal biological reaction. You know that better than I do."
"Why don’t you just cut it off and be my sister instead?"
"No thanks."