After enjoying his DQ ice cream, Gu Yebai lay on his side in bed, his body curled up.
Almost instinctively, he turned his back toward Gao Hongyi, not daring to look at her.
His body was so stiff that he didn’t look like he was resting; instead, he seemed to be forcing himself into a standby state.
At this moment, Gu Yebai easily brought to mind a soldier crouching in a trench during a war.
Even the slightest sound of the wind would make him spring up and throw himself into battle.
Sleep?
That was an almost impossible task.
Behind him lay such an exquisite young girl.
Her breathing was right next to his ear, the rise and fall so vivid it was excessive, and even the rhythm of her heartbeat felt as though it could be sensed.
Her perfume mingled with her natural scent, slowly and stubbornly entangling Gu Yebai’s sense of smell.
Falling asleep had become the most difficult thing in the world.
Right now, Gu Yebai felt as if he were being tortured.
He was wide awake yet had nowhere to run.
This feeling made him want to cry, but there were no tears.
However, Gao Hongyi was the exact opposite of Gu Yebai.
She looked perfectly at ease, like a kitten that had successfully occupied its territory.
Her entire being radiated the contentment that follows satisfaction.
Of course, she knew that Gu Yebai wasn’t asleep yet.
His act of pretending to sleep was simply too cute.
With neither her father nor mother present, the enclosed space held only Uncle Bai and herself.
The world was so quiet it felt like an extravagance.
This was truly wonderful.
Gao Hongyi closed her eyes, unable to stop herself from daydreaming.
How great would it be if time could stop at this moment?
How great would it be if she never had to leave this room and could just stay with Uncle Bai forever?
She really liked it here.
She also loved the tense, embarrassed, and clumsy way Gu Yebai acted when facing her.
The “Uncle” online, who could always calmly spout life philosophies and maintain the posture of someone in a superior position, was actually a shy and bashful youth in reality.
It was truly laughable. It was also truly adorable.
“Uncle Bai, are you asleep?” Gao Hongyi asked softly.
The only response she received was a deliberately elongated snoring sound.
To fake sleep, he was actually pretending to snore.
Really.
‘Is he trying to kill me with cuteness?’
‘Don’t blame me for playing a prank on you then, Uncle Bai.’
Thinking about how that guy, who used to look down on everyone on the internet, had now fallen into her palm, a sense of sadistic mischief quietly surged in Gao Hongyi’s heart.
“It seems he’s really asleep…”
“Well, he did get up at 5:00 AM today. That was way too early. I’m getting sleepy too…”
“Goodnight, Uncle Bai. Wait, it’s only 8:30 AM right now.”
“Anyway, I love you the most, Uncle Bai.”
Her voice was sweet and low, carrying an undisguised sense of reliance.
Afterward, Gao Hongyi also pretended to be getting ready for sleep.
Her breathing gradually became even.
Sensing that she had also entered “sleep,” Gu Yebai’s tense body finally relaxed a little.
Come to think of it, this was his first time staying in the same room as a member of the opposite sex.
It was also the first time he had ever shared a large bed with one.
Had couples slept in this bed before?
The sheets must have been washed, surely.
It was said that the purpose of most hotels wasn’t just for sleeping.
Perhaps he and Hongyi were lying on an ancient battlefield where intimacy and desire had played out countless times.
Gu Yebai closed his eyes, but hoarse and languid moans surfaced in his mind at an inappropriate time.
To him, this was enough to make his blood boil.
Suddenly, a cold sensation brushed against his back.
“Uncle Bai…”
Gao Hongyi rolled over in bed.
Her cold forehead pressed against his back.
Along with it came a soft sensation that pressed against him like jelly.
Like a cat’s paws, she lightly brushed against his nerves.
‘Is she trying to kill me?’
‘She’s definitely doing this on purpose.’
‘She’s not asleep at all.’
Just as Gu Yebai intended to get out of bed, Gao Hongyi’s arms and legs suddenly tightened.
In that instant, Gu Yebai felt as though the bed were a Venus flytrap.
And he was a pathetic little insect that had mistakenly thought he could take a short rest, only to accidentally fall into the trap.
Her arms snapped shut as if they had sensed prey.
Those long and graceful legs—the same beautiful legs that had been wrapped in milk-white stockings when they met Ai Lian yesterday—now pressed down ruthlessly on Gu Yebai’s waist.
She wouldn’t let him get out of bed.
“Hongyi…” Gu Yebai tried to speak.
But the only response he got was Gao Hongyi’s sweet and rhythmic snoring, like a pre-prepared certificate of innocence.
‘Hee hee. I’m doing all this while unconscious, okay?’
She was absolutely a genius-level demon.
If a demon’s hair had a color, it would certainly be red.
Gu Yebai closed his eyes.
He decided not to think about anything.
A calm mind keeps one cool.
All is vanity.
Even if he was being used as a body pillow, there had to be a path to sleep.
This bed was very soft.
It was much easier to sink into than the wooden plank bed back in his hometown in Linchuan.
And indeed, he finally began to feel drowsy.
After a while, Gao Hongyi seemingly pulled away from him just a little bit, as if nothing had happened.
It was only then that Gu Yebai finally got his wish and began to truly fall asleep.
His consciousness slowly sank.
The world was gradually swallowed by darkness.
“Je te garde toujours, tu es à moi.”
Gao Hongyi leaned close to his ear, whispering a foreign language he didn’t understand at all.
Perhaps it was a “goodnight.” Or perhaps, it was a certain vow.
The voice was as gentle as a lullaby.
Very soon, Gu Yebai sank completely into sleep.
Empty the body.
Then, have a good sleep.
Life had only just begun.
The previous 16 years were merely a prologue.
Thus, Gu Yebai finally fell asleep.
His phone sat openly on the nightstand.
It was one of the gifts Gao Hongzhi and Ya Xinyao had given him—a brand new iPhone 17 Pro Max.
In addition to face unlock, it had a six-digit passcode.
Ever since he arrived at the Gao family home, Gao Hongyi had been almost inseparable from Gu Yebai.
Even when he went to say goodbye to Ai Lian, it had been no exception.
Gu Yebai had no idea that Gao Hongyi had used her peripheral vision more than once to sneak a peek at him entering that six-digit sequence.
His password was very easy to remember.
It wasn’t anyone’s birthday.
It was simply 123321.
If it weren’t to confirm whether Uncle Bai was hiding any secrets in his phone, Gao Hongyi wouldn’t have actually “let him off” and allowed him to sleep so peacefully.
She quietly took the phone.
With practiced ease, she entered the string of numbers.
Successful unlock.
This wasn’t for the sake of doing something bad.
At most, she would just check if there were any strange photos in the gallery.
Then, she would confirm if there were any unhealthy social relationships on QQ or WeChat.
[Dark Night Orgy]: @Baiye Duxing update already!
[Yukino]: @Baiye Duxing you dead pigeon, you haven’t updated in almost 48 hours. Are you still writing the book or not? Give me a straight answer!
[Ai]: You didn’t drop it, did you?
[Ai]: Are there any good books to read lately?
[Snowdrop]: @Ai “What should I do if a yandere young lady is trying to force me to marry her in different ways?” is pretty good. I’m actually tempted to spend money on it.
[Kamisato Ayaka’s Cat]: No moles here, send some spicy pics.
The group was quite lively.
That wasn’t a bad thing.
However, she hadn’t peeked at Uncle Bai’s phone for the sake of a QQ group.
After all, she was in the group herself.
What Gao Hongyi really wanted to see were the private chats.
She wanted to confirm if anyone besides herself—especially girls—was proactively initiating chats with Gu Yebai.
There were quite a few unread messages.
It seemed Uncle Bai wasn’t as well-behaved as he appeared.
One of them was from one of Gu Yebai’s “golden sponsors.”
It was [Yukino], who was currently studying abroad in Tokyo.