Chapter 80: Morning at An Yuan’s House
Last night, An Yuan’s mom had gone to bed early on purpose, giving her son some space. She wasn’t sure if he’d take the hint.
Wrapped in a nightgown, she yawned as she pushed open her bedroom door and glanced into the living room, only to freeze in place.
Chen Cheng and An Yuan were squeezed together on the tiny couch, fast asleep.
The girl was practically draped over An Yuan, with one foot stuffed inside his shirt and the other nearly poking his face. She was sound asleep.
Meanwhile, An Yuan was lying on his back with his legs awkwardly bent, resting his calves behind Chen Cheng’s head. One of his arms dangled off the couch. How he even managed to fall asleep like that was a mystery.
For a moment, his mom wasn’t sure what expression she should make.
Their sleeping positions were an absolute mess, their clothes slightly disheveled, but still on. Clearly, nothing inappropriate had happened. They had just been fooling around before falling asleep.
"You two are way too old to be acting like little kids."
She let out a helpless sigh. There wasn’t much she could say about the situation, so she walked over, picked up the blanket from the floor, and gently covered them with it again.
Chen Cheng was a light sleeper. Sensing movement, her eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes, looking drowsily at An Yuan’s mother covering her with a blanket.
"Auntie...?"
"Do you want to go back to your room to sleep?"
"Huh?"
Still half-asleep, Chen Cheng stretched out her leg, only to kick An Yuan straight in the face.
Unaware of what she had done, she absentmindedly kicked him twice more before finally pushing herself up. Then, she looked down, her brain suddenly snapped awake, and her face instantly flushed red.
"Wait—! I was just chatting with An Yuan last night, and I accidentally fell asleep!"
Panicking, Chen Cheng pulled her foot back, quickly scrambled to her feet, and stood there awkwardly, staring at the floor. She was too embarrassed to look up at An Yuan’s mother, her toes curling as if she wanted to dig a hole big enough to hide in.
An Yuan’s mother smiled knowingly. "You and An Yuan sure are close~"
"Uh… I guess?"
Chen Cheng let out an awkward laugh, scratching the back of her head nervously.
"Go back to your room and get some more sleep. I’ll wake you up for breakfast in half an hour."
"Okay!"
Like a startled rabbit, Chen Cheng dashed into the guest room, slammed the door shut, and dove under the covers.
She curled up on the bed, her face burning, still feeling groggy from just waking up. As she replayed the events of last night, she realized she couldn’t even remember when she had fallen asleep. They had just been chatting and messing around… and at some point, she must’ve dozed off.
But An Yuan probably fell asleep first, right?
Ugh! She kicked his face in front of his mother!
And she had spent the whole night squished on the couch with him. Did An Yuan’s mother misunderstand anything?
To be honest, the sleep wasn’t even that comfortable. The couch was way too small, and she woke up sore all over, like An Yuan had secretly beaten her up in his sleep.
Her sleep quality was terrible too. She had only been wide awake because of embarrassment, but now, barely a few minutes after lying down, a heavy drowsiness crept over her. Her eyelids started drooping.
When An Yuan’s mother knocked on her door again, it felt like no time had passed at all.
"Chengcheng~ Time for breakfast!"
"I'm coming… Ah-choo!"
Chen Cheng stretched her arms, feeling an itch in her nose, and let out a loud sneeze.
The door creaked open, and An Yuan’s mother peeked in with a concerned look. "Are you catching a cold? You and An Yuan barely had any blankets on last night."
"I don’t think so—Ah-choo!"
She sneezed two more times in a row, sniffled, then quickly grabbed a tissue from the bedside table to wipe her nose and blew hard.
"Do you want to take some medicine?"
"I don’t really like medicine… I’ll see how I feel later."
Pulling on her school jacket, Chen Cheng lazily got out of bed. She still felt wobbly as she walked out of the room.
An Yuan was already awake, sitting on the couch with a groggy expression. He frowned as he massaged his lower back, shoulders, and neck. Clearly, he hadn’t slept well either.
Seeing this, Chen Cheng felt a little guilty and walked behind the couch to help massage his shoulders.
"A little lower… yeah, right there. It’s really sore."
An Yuan let her do it without hesitation. She didn’t really have any proper technique, but it was still better than trying to stretch or smack his own back.
"When did you go back to your room last night?"
An Yuan had fallen asleep before her, but even in his sleep, he could feel a weight pressing down on him like sleep paralysis. It gave him nightmares all night.
"When I saw you were asleep, I went back to my room."
An Yuan groaned. "That couch is impossible to sleep on. Mom! If Chengzi stays over again tonight, I’m just gonna sleep on the floor in the living room!"
His mom, who was busy in the kitchen, glanced over and saw Chen Cheng giving An Yuan a shoulder massage. She couldn’t stop smiling. "Alright, come eat breakfast first."
"Auntie~ What’s for breakfast today?"
By now, Chen Cheng had gotten used to Auntie’s over-the-top enthusiasm, like she was already treating her as a future daughter-in-law. She excitedly ran to the kitchen doorway to ask.
"I went downstairs early to buy dingbianhu for you. Didn’t you say you love it?" An Yuan’s mother placed a plastic bag over a bowl to avoid extra dishwashing. "And I got fresh oyster pancakes from the market, the seller made them fresh for me."
Next to her was a giant bag of oyster pancakes. Just by looking at it, there had to be at least seven or eight of them.
Chen Cheng did love them, but… "Isn’t this a bit too much?"
"Well, An Yuan and I like them too, right?"
An Yuan’s mother turned to look at her son.
"Yeah, sure." An Yuan rolled his eyes. When have you ever been this nice to your own son?
Once breakfast was on the table, An Yuan’s mother sat at the far end, resting her chin on her hand as she watched the two of them eat. Her face was full of laugh lines, and her eyes sparkled with happiness.
"Chengcheng~ How many kids do you want in the future?"
"Cough cough!!"
Chen Cheng nearly choked on her food.
"Mom! We’re still in high school! Why are you even asking this?!" An Yuan immediately jumped in to defend her, his face slightly red.
"What’s there to be shy about? It’s only a matter of time."
Chen Cheng glanced at An Yuan’s expression and was shocked to see that he was actually embarrassed. She playfully nudged his leg under the table with her toe.
"I told you, we’re not dating…" An Yuan muttered, sounding a little guilty, then shot Chen Cheng a glare.
I’m helping you clear up a misunderstanding, and you still kick me?!
"Yeah, dating in senior year isn’t a good idea. I doubt Chen Cheng’s mom would agree either," An Yuan’s mother nodded. Then she casually added, "How about a pair of twins? A boy and a girl?"
"MOM!"
Technically speaking, An Yuan was nearly thirty, had once been engaged, and had almost gotten married.
But somehow, facing his mom’s teasing and Chen Cheng’s smug expression, he couldn’t stop his face from heating up, making him look like an awkward high school boy.
"Alright, then Chengcheng can just tell me in secret," Auntie said, switching targets.
Now Chen Cheng couldn’t just sit back and enjoy the show anymore. She lowered her head, stuffing her mouth with food, and mumbled, "We’re not dating. Seriously, we’re not."
That’s what she said, but their actions, whether they realized it or not, already looked exactly like a couple in love. At least, that’s how An Yuan’s mother saw it.
She snuck a glance at An Yuan’s face, which was just as red as hers. The moment their eyes met, they both looked away at the same time, pretending to focus on their breakfast.
No, no, no! Who said we’re acting like a couple? She doesn't even like men, okay?!
Just imagining herself marrying a man felt ridiculous! She had spent almost thirty years as a guy. There was no way her preferences had changed in just a few months!
Chen Cheng bit into an oyster pancake and, out of the corner of her eye, stole another glance at An Yuan’s side profile.
If it were An Yuan… maybe it wouldn’t be…
NOPE! Absolutely not!
Wouldn't that be ridiculous if she was getting pinned down by her best friend of so many years?