Chapter 66: A Hug?
"We really need to thank Auntie properly. She came over just to cook a meal for you, but she ended up stuffing our fridge full of food."
"Yeah."
"An Yuan’s birthday is next Tuesday. His mom invited us over, so we kinda have to go now. Do you know what he likes? We should get him a gift."
"How would I know? Just get him a couple of practice workbooks."
Chen Cheng stuffed big mouthfuls of food into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s. She was in a rush to finish eating, but ever since she became a girl, her mouth was clearly smaller, and her bite capacity wasn’t what it used to be. No matter how anxious she was, she couldn't just wolf down an entire bowl of rice in three bites anymore.
Her family mostly ate dry rice, so when she ate too fast, she choked and had to hiccup. Grabbing the small soup bowl beside her, she downed the whole thing in one go.
Her mom refilled it halfway and frowned. "Why are you eating so fast?"
"My game’s still running."
"All you care about is gaming." Her mom shot her an annoyed look. "At this rate, your eyesight's gonna get even worse. Those thick lenses are ugly as hell. After your college entrance exams, why don’t you get laser eye surgery?"
"Sure, whatever."
In her past life, Chen Cheng had thought about getting the surgery, but her mom always said it was risky. That fear held her back from her teenage years all the way until she got reincarnated. She’d been stuck wearing thick glasses the whole time.
Now that she was a girl, she realized her mom totally had double standards.
Halfway through her meal, her mom suddenly stood up and walked out of the dining room as if she had remembered something.
Chen Cheng immediately tensed up, watching her mom’s movements carefully. Was she heading to her room? Or the balcony?
Not taking any chances, she put down her chopsticks and ran to her bedroom.
She had to claim the spot first, and remind An Yuan to stay hidden.
Luckily, her mom had only gone to the balcony. When she came back inside, she gave Chen Cheng a confused look. Just in time to see her coming out of her room.
"Why are you acting so jumpy today?"
"I told you, my game’s still running..." Chen Cheng quickly shut the door behind her.
"Leave the door open so the air circulates."
"Mom, can I just eat in my room? I can play while eating."
Her mom glared at her disapprovingly. A high school senior already playing on the computer too much, and now she wanted to eat while gaming too? What kind of parent would tolerate that?
"No!"
"…Okay."
Looks like An Yuan wasn't getting dinner tonight.
Chen Cheng sat obediently at the dining table and scarfed down the rest of her food in a few minutes. Then, grabbing two boxes of milk and some fruit, she made a quick escape to her room, ignoring her mom’s disapproving stare as she shut and locked the door behind her.
Hearing the soft click of the lock, An Yuan peeked out from behind the bed frame.
"How’d it go?"
"Keep hiding. My mom usually goes to bed in a few hours." Chen Cheng sat down at her computer, then turned and tossed the milk onto the bed. "Brought you some milk and fruit. Just make do with that for dinner."
An Yuan sat on her bed with a dead-inside expression, pulling the blanket over his lower half.
"I already finished eating. Why are you still... uh... not settled?"
His expression stiffened, and he awkwardly lowered his head, sipping his milk. "...I’m not that desperate."
Honestly, he was struggling, but he still had some self-respect.
"Then why were you freaking out earlier?"
"How the hell was I supposed to know if it was you or your mom coming in?"
"Almost believed you there."
Chen Cheng turned back to her screen, trying to focus on her game.
But for some reason, her mind was filled with all sorts of inappropriate scenarios from those kind of stories. The worst part? She kept subconsciously imagining herself as the female lead, and An Yuan as the male lead...
Given the current atmosphere, if either of them made even the slightest move, this would straight-up turn into one of those scenes!
Her face grew hotter and hotter, the heat creeping up to her ears and down her neck. It spread so fast that her whole body felt warm. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, and a familiar heavy feeling settled in her lower abdomen.
Annoyed, she rubbed her face hard.
Why the hell was she thinking about this?!
She was on her period, for god’s sake! Shouldn’t she be in a depressed and miserable mood like yesterday?
This had to be An Yuan’s fault!
"I'm going to sleep!"
"Huh? It’s not even seven yet."
An Yuan looked up, confused, as he saw Chen Cheng set down her mouse and climb onto the bed. She turned off the lights, grabbed the blanket that had been covering his legs, and lay down next to him.
The only light left in the room came from the computer screen, and music played softly from the speakers to make sure their conversation wouldn't be overheard.
"I'm just lying down for a bit. If I fall asleep, wake me up at midnight so I can help cover for you when you sneak out."
Chen Cheng pulled the blanket over her head, wrapping herself up like a burrito, turning her back to An Yuan.
She tried to clear her mind and relax. If she could fall asleep, that would be even better.
But no matter how much she told herself to sleep, her mind kept wandering. With the blanket wrapped around her, it felt like she had a shield, so she pressed her legs tightly together and secretly rubbed them a little.
Wait, no!
What the hell was she doing?! An Yuan is right there!
The bed shifted slightly as An Yuan lay down too, turning his back to her while plugging in his phone to charge.
The nighttime temperature had dropped to just over ten degrees, much cooler than during the day. He zipped up his jacket, curled up to keep warm, and tried to endure the next few hours.
But he still couldn't stop shivering a little.
Chen Cheng noticed. "Why don't you grab a blanket?"
"I'm leaving soon anyway."
She hesitated, then moved closer and pulled part of the blanket over toward him.
An Yuan accepted the gesture but only used a small corner to cover his stomach, not daring to share the whole blanket with her.
"This reminds me, when we were kids, we used to sleep together all the time."
"Yeah, back in kindergarten and early elementary school. Our moms would be playing mahjong in the living room while we slept in the bedroom."
"Right! And at night, we'd whisper under the covers, chatting nonstop until midnight, and then either my mom or your aunt would come in and scold us."
Chen Cheng turned over, now facing the back of An Yuan’s head. She poked his back excitedly. "Just like now, sneaking around!"
An Yuan felt like… it wasn't exactly the same.
Back then, he definitely didn’t have images of female Chen Cheng constantly popping into his head.
But at least talking about childhood memories helped him calm down. He reminisced, "You used to love playing house. You always made me be the dad while you were the mom."
"I still like simulation games," Chen Cheng grinned, poking his back again. "Turn around and face me."
Sighing, An Yuan turned over. Now they were lying face-to-face, so close he could feel her breath. He could even see her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
The awkwardness was unbearable for him, but Chen Cheng didn’t seem to notice at all. She kept excitedly rambling about the past.
"You used to bully me all the time! You broke my arm once, made me cry three times, stole three of my toys, and even broke my glasses once!"
"Wow, still holding grudges? Keeping track so you can get revenge someday?" An Yuan was surprised at how well she remembered. "I think those toys are still in my storage room. Want them back?"
"I'm not a kid anymore, I don't play with toys..." Chen Cheng’s voice weakened, suddenly sounding unsure.
Once they started talking about their childhood, the conversation became endless.
They reminisced about their wrestling matches, taking baths together, sneaking money to buy snacks, playing with trading cards, their childhood crushes, and all the weird or annoying classmates they used to know.
Somehow, without realizing it, they had ended up under the same blanket, whispering in the dark, just like when they were kids.
But... they weren’t kids anymore.
Chen Cheng suddenly froze. Her cheerful expression stiffened, and her face quickly turned red. She immediately pulled back her knee and turned her back to An Yuan.
She had accidentally bumped into something she shouldn’t have.
How are we having such a fun conversation, yet An Yuan is still thinking about that?! Doesn't it hurt?!
Feeling just as awkward, An Yuan scratched his head. "Maybe I should go play on the computer?"
He sat up, ready to get off the bed, but before he could move, a small, soft hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.
He paused, looking at the slim figure curled up next to him.
"Um..."
"Hmm?"
"I just... suddenly thought... can I get a hug?"
"......"
There was a moment of silence.
Then, as if realizing what she had just said, Chen Cheng curled up even tighter, covering her face with her arms, too embarrassed to look at him.
"No, no, forget I said that! I was just... talking nonsense. Just... pretend I didn’t say anything."
An Yuan hesitated for a moment, then gently placed a hand on her waist, though the thick winter blanket kept them apart.
At that moment, Chen Cheng instantly went silent. Her short hair barely covered her ears, which were now burning red, almost like they were about to drip blood.