Chapter 167: Early Morning
Maybe it was because of the rain last night, but the temperature in the small town dropped a lot overnight.
Luckily, both Li Mu and Yu Fan were used to being around ghosts, so they were not bothered by the sudden cold. They also always kept warm clothes with them.
When Li Mu woke up, it was still raining lightly outside. She curled up under the blanket, enjoying the warmth.
She pushed herself up a little and peeked down at the floor. At some point, Yu Fan had made himself a bed on the ground. He was wrapped in a blanket and sleeping soundly.
“Sister,” Xiao Jing, who was lying on the inner side of the bed, gently poked her back and proudly said, “I made the bed for him!”
“Mm.”
Li Mu yawned and pulled the blanket up, then glanced at the weather app on her phone.
A little over 20 degrees Celsius.
It was already November. In places further north, the temperature was in single digits or low teens. This small town was only just starting to feel like winter.
Xiao Jing didn’t need to sleep, but her body still needed to rest so it wouldn’t wear out. Right now, she was holding a bottle of lubricant oil and applying it to her joints.
It was pretty convenient, most of her joints could be taken apart.
She even had to oil her head, which was often removed, to keep it from making stiff noises whenever she turned it.
Li Mu turned around and watched Xiao Jing do all this. It looked a bit creepy, but she had gotten used to it.
At first, sharing a bed with Xiao Jing made her uncomfortable. It felt like sleeping next to a corpse. But after a while, she didn’t really feel that way anymore.
After all, she was still her little sister.
“After you finish your maintenance, help me get the breakfast delivery.”
She had already ordered food, and after telling Xiao Jing, she went back to lying flat on the bed like a zombie.
Twenty degrees was still a bit too warm. It would be perfect if it were colder, like in the teens, that way curling up in bed would feel even cozier.
“Then I’m going out to watch TV.”
Xiao Jing put down the oil and ran out of the room.
Li Mu yawned again, turned to lie on her side, rested her cheek on one hand, and looked at Yu Fan on the floor.
This guy could stay up until 3 or 4 AM on weekends. He probably went to sleep very late last night too. Most likely, he wouldn’t wake up until noon.
“Do I need to lose weight?”
She mumbled as she touched her belly. Because she didn’t have much muscle, even though she was skinny, her belly still had two soft rolls when she curled up.
It actually felt kind of nice and squishy.
“Maybe I need more muscle instead?”
She frowned slightly and held her stomach.
Last night, she had gone out in the rain to buy pads and snacks for Xiao Jing. Now she was showing signs of period pain, it felt stronger than before.
Trying to ignore the pain, she kept watching Yu Fan sleep.
She had to admit, Yu Fan was really good-looking. His skin was a healthy tan, his face was masculine but delicate, and while he didn’t have a huge, muscular build, he was still strong. His naturally wavy hair was parted to the side. He usually looked cheerful and sunny, but when he wore glasses, he gave off a calm, artistic vibe.
“If only I looked that good when I was younger.”
Li Mu muttered, but then she remembered what she heard last night. “Am I too cold?”
She rubbed her face, trying to make herself smile.
But her forced smile felt stiff. Even without looking in a mirror, she knew it didn’t look good.
Maybe it was because her family left her, and her relatives betrayed her. Li Mu had gotten used to being cautious with everyone. Over time, her expressions became colder, and now it was hard to change, even if she wanted to.
“Ding-ling-ling~”
The sudden sound startled her. She looked up and saw that the phone on the computer desk was ringing.
As soon as Yu Fan heard the phone ring, he sat up, rubbed his eyes, reached for the phone, and looked at the screen before answering.
"Hello?"
"Still sleeping? Get up and eat breakfast! I knocked on your door and you didn’t open it!"
"I’m not at home," Yu Fan said, putting a finger to his lips to signal silence.
Li Mu quickly pulled the blanket over her head and didn’t make a sound.
"Not at home? Where did you go so early in the morning?"
"To eat breakfast. I stayed up all night, and I was hungry, so I went out to eat."
"Hurry back! Your stepmom made a bunch of food because she knew you were coming back. If you don’t come, no one will finish it!"
"Tch..."
He hung up the phone, clearly annoyed, then stretched and looked over at Li Mu.
"I need to go back."
"Mm."
A muffled response came from under the blanket.
Yu Fan put on his jacket and stood up, ready to leave. But then he paused.
"Uh... is it okay if I come back at noon for lunch?"
"You don’t seem that close to your family?"
But instead of answering, Li Mu changed the subject.
She had never heard Yu Fan sound so annoyed when talking to anyone. Normally, he always had a cheerful smile, no matter the situation. Even when he was in a bad mood, the worst he’d do was speak a bit stiffly.
Yu Fan scratched his head awkwardly. "That’s why I don’t like talking about my family."
"Come if you’re free at noon. I never said you couldn’t come over."
"Alright, I’ll message you first if I’m coming."
Yu Fan immediately smiled his usual sunny smile. "Okay, I’m heading out. Let’s chat online, call if it’s urgent. I’m always around!"
With that, he ran out of the room. A moment later, she heard the front door open and close.
Li Mu finally peeked her head out from under the blanket. Her face was red and warm from being under the covers for so long.
She placed her feet on the floor, pushed herself up with both hands, and sat on the bed. She stared blankly at the spot on the floor where Yu Fan had slept.
"I should buy a new blanket. Otherwise, there’s nothing warm for Yu Fan to use when he comes over."
"I..."
Suddenly, she slapped her cheeks with both hands, then shook her head hard, as if trying to shake her thoughts loose.
"Why am I starting to feel like I can’t be without him?!"
"I’m supposed to be a guy!"
"Even if I’m a girl now, it’s only been one day!"
"This is all Lin Xi’s fault, that crazy girl!"
Li Mu whispered angrily to herself, trying to fight off the weird feelings in her heart. But just after a few words, she froze and turned her stiff neck toward the doorway.
"Sister, the food’s here." Xiao Jing raised a takeout bag. "Time to eat."
"Mm."
She had ordered enough breakfast for three people, but Yu Fan had left.
Xiao Jing walked over to the computer desk, quickly opened the bag, and took out three bowls of porridge with pork and preserved egg, three fried dough sticks, three meat buns, and three local oyster pancakes.
The breakfast had cost Li Mu over 30 or 40 yuan. If she hadn’t gotten some money from Uncle Chen Yi recently, she wouldn’t have been willing to spend that much.
She got up, walked to the computer desk, sat down, and took a sip of porridge. Then she turned on the computer to check what Yu Fan had been doing on it last night.
Xiao Jing sat beside her, tilting her head as she watched. After a long pause, the little girl finally spoke.
"Sister, this is definitely your own problem. Don’t try to blame others."
"No, it’s Lin Xi’s fault. You don’t even know her."
"But I can see right through it."
"Can’t you just shut up already?!"