Chapter 67: A Close Call
It’s always like this!
Whenever her thoughts start going in the wrong direction and her body reacts, she just can’t help but want to cuddle and get close to him!
But this was the first time she actually blurted it out without thinking!
Lying with her back to An Yuan, Chen Cheng buried her burning face under the blanket, leaving only her eyes exposed, nervously staring at the wall.
And to her surprise, An Yuan actually responded...
Their relationship was changing, changing into something that felt both sweet and a little sour.
As time passed, her tense body gradually relaxed. She could clearly feel the weight of his hand resting on her waist, even though there was a thick blanket between them.
It wasn’t really a big deal, yet it made her heart feel inexplicably comfortable.
But at the same time, it felt like an itch she couldn’t quite scratch, making her want to get even closer. To feel his warmth, to curl up in his arms, to rub against him like a cat, to bite him, to—
Wait, what?!
Do all women have impulses like this? Or was she just a total pervert?!
No, no! This is already way over the line! Friends don’t act like this!
Chen Cheng was locked in an intense mental battle.
But then again... they had already crossed the line so many times tonight.
And honestly, An Yuan was the one who crossed it first! What kind of guy points a "loaded gun" at his friend for hours?! Who knows, maybe he was even doing something indecent in a girl’s bedroom!
Chen Cheng opened her mouth, but just as she was about to say something, reason caught up with her emotions. She simply didn’t have the courage to ask him to hold her closer.
What if he rejected her?!
While Chen Cheng was lost in her own struggles, An Yuan was doing his best to stay composed.
Unlike her, who had no experience, he was a grown man who had been through life. Almost even got married once. She might get carried away by emotions, but he wouldn’t.
He kept a safe distance of about a foot between them, only extending his arm far enough to rest his hand lightly on her blanket. He stayed completely still, afraid that even the slightest movement might give her the wrong idea.
After about ten minutes of silence, An Yuan finally relaxed a little. He picked up his phone and started reading a novel.
Luckily, this was a parallel world, so while most of the bestsellers looked familiar, there were also a few he had never seen before. It was a refreshing experience.
But when he glanced at Chen Cheng again, something felt... off.
Wasn’t she a little closer than before?
He stared at the back of her head and watched as she quietly inched closer again.
Now, instead of just his hand resting on her waist, his entire forearm was naturally draped around her.
He considered moving back, but he was already lying at the very edge of the bed. If he moved any further, he’d fall off.
"Chengzi, do you like me or something? Trying to seduce me?" An Yuan asked half-jokingly.
"Huh? Are you crazy?"
Chen Cheng snapped back, putting distance between herself and An Yuan like a spring.
Her face turned bright red as she protested, "My stomach hurts! We’ve been friends for over twenty years, and I can’t even get a little comfort when I’m not feeling well?"
"Uh..."
An Yuan couldn’t tell if she was being honest or just making excuses. He couldn’t see her expression.
He grabbed the heated pad from the bedside table, shoved it under her blanket, and said, "Then why don’t you use this instead?"
"......"
For a moment, Chen Cheng had actually hoped he would pull her closer, but instead, he completely missed, or deliberately ignored her hint.
Well... if they got any closer, they wouldn’t just be friends anymore. They’d be something else.
She let out a quiet sigh, telling herself that was the reason she felt disappointed.
"Chengcheng! Did you take a shower?"
The sudden knock on the door startled An Yuan. In a flash, he rolled off the bed and hid behind the bed frame.
"I already took a shower," Chen Cheng replied calmly.
"Alright, I’m heading to bed then." Her mother yawned. "I didn’t sleep well at the hospital last night, so don’t make any noise."
"If you close your door, it’ll block out the sound better," Chen Cheng suggested slyly.
Her mother’s footsteps faded away, and a moment later, the sound of a door closing reached her ears.
Excited, she sat up and peeked over the edge of the bed. "She went to sleep! And she even closed her bedroom door! She never goes to bed this early!"
An Yuan, now sitting cross-legged on the floor, replied flatly, "I can hear just fine, you know."
"I’ll wait half an hour and then knock on her door to make sure she’s really asleep."
"Won’t she beat you up for that?"
"I’ll just act all pitiful and sweet-talk my way out of it," Chen Cheng shared her discovery with a smile. "Last time I tried that, she couldn’t handle it at all. It might actually work."
Honestly, you could probably get away with anything by acting cute, especially around guys.
An Yuan rubbed his nose, grateful for the distraction. Finally, he could focus on figuring out how to sneak out instead of worrying about Chen Cheng’s presence.
"Won’t opening the door make too much noise?"
"Yeah… our front door gets locked at night, and it’s pretty loud when you unlock it."
"If we get caught, we’ll need an excuse."
"Before she opens the door, you should rush out into the hallway and pretend you were just delivering food."
Their plan sounded foolproof, but the truth was… neither of them had experience sneaking someone out or hiding a person at home.
The next thirty minutes felt agonizing as they waited, constantly checking the time.
Finally, Chen Cheng got up, turned off her computer’s sound, and carefully cracked open the door to peek outside.
The hallway was pitch black, so dark she couldn’t even see her own hand. Her mother’s bedroom door had no light seeping through the cracks.
"Mom? I’m hungry," she called out softly, testing the waters like a guilty thief.
No response.
She tiptoed out of her room and approached her mother’s door.
"Mom? I want a midnight snack."
Pressing her ear against the door, she held her breath, straining to hear any movement.
Silence.
Phew… She must be in a deep sleep!
Chen Cheng turned back excitedly and waved at An Yuan, pointing toward the front door.
On his toes, An Yuan tiptoed to the entrance, holding his slippers in his hands. He carefully placed them back in the shoe cabinet and retrieved his own shoes.
Had her mom opened the shoe cabinet recently? A pair of men’s shoes sitting there was a little too obvious…
Gently, he turned the lock, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Click!
The sound was much louder than expected. In the dead silence of the night, it felt like a thunderclap.
Both of them froze, barely even daring to breathe.
A few seconds passed before Chen Cheng frantically waved her hand, signaling for An Yuan to hurry up and leave.
Without hesitation, he slipped out the door and carefully closed it behind him.
The cold air in the hallway hit him immediately, sending a shiver down his spine. His mind, which had been clouded with tension and an odd pink-tinted atmosphere all evening, suddenly snapped back to clarity. Even that part of him, which had been slightly restless, had completely calmed down.
He let out a long breath. God, that was the longest few hours of his life.
If this had lasted any longer, he might’ve ended up with actual health problems!
Inside, Chen Cheng locked the door again and sprinted back to her room.
Good thing she had plenty of experience sneaking in late-night takeout!