Chapter 106: Go Online!
"An Yuan! Is Chengcheng here?"
"Why are you still in bed?"
His mom yawned as she reached for his bedroom door handle, but when she twisted it, she heard a click, the door was locked.
She paused for a moment. Normally, she wouldn’t barge into An Yuan’s room without knocking, but he also didn’t have a habit of locking his door.
A young man and woman alone in a small bedroom… with the door locked…
The corners of her lips curled up in amusement. With a knowing smile, she turned around and headed to the bathroom to freshen up, deciding not to disturb the young couple.
But just as she took a few steps away, the door opened. An Yuan walked out, yawning, his expression completely normal.
"Mom, what’s up?" he asked casually.
"Where’s Chengcheng?"
"Doing her homework."
His mom glanced at him suspiciously but didn’t see anything unusual. However, when she walked back to the room and looked inside, she immediately noticed something off about Chen Cheng.
Chen Cheng had her head down, her long hair covering half her face, but her cheeks were still flushed, so red, it looked like they might start dripping blood.
His mom’s smile widened. "Chengcheng, why don’t you stay and have lunch with us later?"
"It’s okay, I’ll just eat out with An Yuan."
"Alright, that works too."
His mom walked into the bathroom and stood beside An Yuan, who was brushing his teeth. She pulled a few hundred yuan from her wallet and stuffed it into his pocket.
"When you take her out, don’t let her pay."
"What do you mean 'take her out'? We’re just going to the internet café. A few dozen yuan is enough."
"Internet café, internet café, you guys are always playing games! Take your ID with you and stay safe."
"......"
An Yuan said nothing, feeling a little guilty, and simply spat out the toothpaste foam.
Back in the bedroom, Chen Cheng was still feeling uneasy, her legs squeezed together.
It was thrilling, sure, but also terrifying…
Just moments ago, her mind was completely in the gutter, but the second his mom tried to open the door, all her dirty thoughts vanished in an instant.
She discreetly wiped her palm on a scrap piece of paper, feeling a little grossed out.
If someone had told her in her past life, or even just a few months ago, that she’d not only kiss her "brother," but also… help him out with her hand… she would’ve laughed in their face.
And yet, here she was.
She was embarrassed, but strangely enough, she didn’t hate it.
In fact… she even felt a little excited.
Covering her face with one hand, she started to wonder, was she being too forward? Maybe that’s why An Yuan kept jokingly calling her a vixen.
At this rate, forget waiting until after marriage. If things kept going like this, she wouldn’t even make it to the end of senior year before completely giving herself away…
This is completely different from her own attitude in her past life, when she was so conservative that she wouldn't even touch her girlfriend while sharing a bed!
"Chengzi, let’s go."
An Yuan walked back in after washing up, opening the window to clear out the youthful energy lingering in the room. He casually grabbed the trash bag on his way out.
"Oh…"
Chen Cheng quickly stood up and followed him, her face still slightly flushed. As she stepped out of the room, she immediately noticed his mom’s knowing smile and quickly lowered her head, nervously greeting her.
"Good morning, Auntie~"
"Morning~ Go have fun. Are you coming back for lunch?"
"I’ll eat at home."
"Alright then. Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve, make sure to come over and celebrate with us."
Chen Cheng wasn’t sure what her parents’ plans were, but personally, she’d rather spend New Year’s at An Yuan’s house. With him around, the night wouldn’t feel so dull.
"It depends on my parents…"
"Don’t worry, I’ll talk to them."
Chen Cheng noticed that An Yuan’s mom looked especially radiant today. Her face was glowing, and she seemed even more graceful and mature than usual. The whole house felt warmer and cozier too.
Was it because his dad was back?
She glanced at An Yuan’s uncle, who was happily sitting on the couch, and couldn’t help but feel genuinely envious of An Yuan’s family.
"Must be nice~"
As they left An Yuan’s house, Chen Cheng stuffed her hands into the pockets of her coat, her feet snug in the boots her dad had bought for her. She muttered with a bit of admiration, "I wish my home was like that."
"Nice, my ass," An Yuan grumbled, still yawning. "I barely got any sleep last night."
"Huh?"
An Yuan turned to look at Chen Cheng and was surprised to see her looking completely clueless. "Seriously? You don’t get it? Aren't you a pervert? How are you this slow?"
After that reminder, she finally realized what he meant.
So last night was… a full-on battlefield, and that’s why An Yuan woke up so late today?
She had never really associated older people with that kind of thing. In her house, her parents never showed any affection. If they weren’t arguing, they were about to argue. It made her think that adults just didn’t have… those kinds of needs.
But now that she thought about it, there was a saying, ‘Women in their thirties are like wolves, and in their forties, they’re like tigers…’
"Why do you think they rushed us out so quickly?" An Yuan said knowingly. "Normally, they’d insist we stay for breakfast, right?"
That made sense. Chen Cheng finally understood, but she still felt a little awkward discussing that about his parents. She quickly changed the topic.
"What are we eating for breakfast?"
"Let’s check out the area near the internet café. I remember there’s a shop that sells really good meat buns." An Yuan now had money in his pocket and a mischievous idea in mind. "Or maybe we can just walk around for a bit?"
"Internet café!"
What kind of couple goes on a date to an internet café?
An Yuan had been thinking about taking Chen Cheng somewhere nice. A café, a shopping mall, maybe even a movie.
Unwilling to give up, he asked, "There are some good movies out for the New Year…"
"Internet café! I don’t like watching movies."
"Alright, alright…"
Why did it still feel like they were just brothers hanging out? Going out together always meant either drinking and eating or playing games at an internet café.
But then, out of nowhere, Chen Cheng did something unexpected, she took his hand.
It was rare for her to take the initiative, and her hand was freezing cold. In the middle of winter, she definitely needed someone to warm her up.
Now it actually felt like they were a couple.
An Yuan glanced down at the girl wrapped in a scarf, dressed in a black trench coat. Her nose was red from the cold, her skin dry, and every breath she exhaled left behind a trail of white mist. Looking down at her from this angle, she seemed small and delicate, triggering his protective instincts.
"My hands are freezing~" Chen Cheng whined before sneaking behind An Yuan and wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her face against his back. This way, she could hold both of his hands while also blocking out the wind.
It made walking a little clumsy, they walked along like two penguins.
An Yuan chuckled softly, his voice gentle. "Want to grab a hot milk tea to warm up?"
"Sounds good~ Are we not taking a taxi to the internet café?"
"I wanna walk there with you. Let’s take our time."
Chen Cheng glanced at the shops along the street, then up at the back of An Yuan’s head. Walking aimlessly to the internet café would take at least half an hour. Normally, she hated unnecessary walking, but for some reason, she didn’t mind today.
She pressed her face deeper against his back, took a deep breath, and caught a faint scent of sunshine. Her cheeks warmed up.
"Then let’s walk slowly."
The streets were lined with red lanterns, LED lights, and banners celebrating the Lunar New Year.
Firecrackers and fireworks occasionally went off in the distance. Holding onto An Yuan, Chen Cheng shuffled forward awkwardly, but the winter morning air didn’t seem as cold anymore. The sunlight felt warmer, and her mood naturally lifted.
Even if they were just strolling aimlessly, as long as she was with An Yuan, it didn’t feel boring.
"An Yuan! Whoa! What a coincidence!"
A familiar voice called out from the side of the road. Chen Cheng peeked out from behind An Yuan’s back and saw their classmate, Gao Dong, sitting outside a breakfast shop.
"Chen Cheng’s here too? You guys on a date?"
"Yeah." An Yuan smiled and nodded. "We’re heading to the internet café."
Gao Dong blinked in surprise, then laughed. "Damn, you’re truly an inspiration! A date at the internet café to grind ranks, huh?"
"See ya."
It didn’t take long for the whole class to find out. By the time they reached the internet café, An Yuan had already become the target of friendly ridicule in the class group chat.
The guys gave him a thumbs-up, while the girls teased him for being unromantic.
But honestly? An Yuan didn’t even think it was his idea to go to the internet café in the first place.