Lying in bed, she pulled the covers tight.
Mu Bai was completely buried under the blankets, her face steaming as she rolled around every now and then.
After returning to her own carriage to cool down for a while, there was no way she couldn’t realize that Mo Cha had been teasing her.
The other girl probably saw how small and cute she looked and couldn’t resist playing with her, just like how girls back in school loved to tease the shorter students.
Sigh, it was all because she was so charming—specifically, her Charm Value.
Ye Yuan’s Charm Value was 18.
She wondered what Mo Cha and Tang Shifu’s stats were.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, it was hard to judge who was the most beautiful.
However, Mu Bai didn’t know what criteria the Train System used for its numerical values.
Since someone like her had a 20, it probably wasn’t just based on looks and figure.
Perhaps it relied more on things like affinity.
Speaking of which, she realized she hadn’t seen Mo Cha or Tang Shifu’s Personal Panels yet.
Even though she had shown them her own, she had completely forgotten about theirs…
She would check next time.
Since they were all teammates anyway, she could just ask to see them whenever she wanted.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the door opening rang out.
Ye Yuan had returned from her shower.
Mu Bai skillfully shifted her body, making room for Ye Yuan to sleep.
The girl lay down beside her, but she didn’t immediately pull her into an embrace like before.
Instead, a few seconds passed.
Just as Mu Bai began to feel confused, Ye Yuan lightly rested her arm across Mu Bai’s upper body, as if everything were normal.
“Yuanyuan, what’s on your mind?”
Mu Bai recalled Ye Yuan’s odd behavior during dinner…
Come to think of it, she had been a bit too quiet and withdrawn ever since they were at the Slaughter Station.
Although Ye Yuan naturally had a cold personality, as teammates who had experienced difficulties and dangers together and trusted each other, Mu Bai could still sense that the other girl’s emotions were a bit off.
On the surface, everything seemed fine, but the more silent she became, the more it seemed like she was masking a fluctuation in her emotions.
Ye Yuan was the person she trusted most.
If there was a problem, it had to be solved; she couldn’t let small, negative emotions develop into a mental burden.
Having experienced four years of dormitory life in university, Mu Bai knew exactly how to maintain relationships between roommates.
However…
she had to be tactful when asking.
She needed to show that she had noticed something was wrong and that she cared, but she couldn’t be too blunt and cause the other girl to become defensive.
After all, the fact that Ye Yuan hadn’t spoken up meant she didn’t want the matter to be known.
“I’m just not used to having so many people around. Don’t overthink it,” Ye Yuan said, rubbing Mu Bai’s head to reassure her.
Though she said that, her heart suddenly felt warm.
They had only been together for less than one month, yet Mu Bai already understood her so well…
she could detect subtle emotional changes and guess that something was bothering her.
Moreover, a small thing like her mood had caught Mu Bai’s attention, prompting her to ask out of concern.
This made Ye Yuan, who had been lost in her own thoughts, feel much better.
Then, a pang of guilt washed over her.
Mu Bai was so kind, yet her own thoughts were so selfish, even causing Mu Bai to worry…
She could never let this dark, possessive desire be known.
If she scared her away, it would only push Mu Bai further, which was something Ye Yuan could absolutely not accept.
Mu Bai fell into deep thought.
‘Too many people… So it really is because the teams merged?’
Was she not used to having more teammates, or did she dislike the change in her daily environment?
Perhaps it was both.
Back when she was the only teammate, Ye Yuan’s private space had already been compressed significantly.
Now that she had finally gotten used to her, two new teammates had been added.
Ye Yuan wasn’t exactly a social butterfly.
Anyone with social anxiety would have had a breakdown by now.
Based on what she knew of her, Mu Bai felt that Ye Yuan preferred peace and quiet over activity.
Yet, there was something illogical about it.
If that were the only reason, given Ye Yuan’s personality, she wouldn’t go out of her way to pretend otherwise.
Or rather, she wouldn’t care enough to hide such a minor detail.
Was there anything else Ye Yuan cared about?
Recalling that Ye Yuan had mentioned she disliked meaningless socializing and preferred being home alone, Mu Bai felt she was getting closer to the truth.
“Yuanyuan… am I important to you?”
Mu Bai asked after some deliberation.
From her angle, Mu Bai couldn’t see Ye Yuan’s pupils shrink for a split second.
But being so close in such a quiet environment, she could clearly feel the other girl’s breath hitch for a moment.
‘That must be it…’
Friendship!
Ye Yuan’s upbringing likely lacked the love of relatives, which led to the development of her current, somewhat unhealthy personality.
Mu Bai was very likely one of her few friends.
Considering the weight of being a teammate who shared life and death in the Train Survival Game, her importance was even higher.
This kind of emotion, similar to that of comrades-in-arms, was quite special.
But if there were more teammates, that emotion would be diluted.
Mu Bai could understand.
She had experienced similar things in middle school, when her best friends went to university, met new people, and played games without her.
For Ye Yuan, this awkward internal feeling was likely magnified many times over.
“Very important.”
This time, Ye Yuan didn’t hide it.
Her emotions drove her to answer directly.
Ye Yuan didn’t know what she was hoping for, but Mu Bai’s sharp insight gave her a glimmer of hope that she herself felt was unrealistic…
She longed for the other girl to know her selfish desires, craving to be comforted and accepted.
Mu Bai’s question bypassed all the complications and struck directly at Ye Yuan’s heart, causing her to lose her composure for a brief moment.
“I see… I figured as much,” Mu Bai said, her heart settling.
It was just as she thought.
Some things were too embarrassing to say directly.
Laying it all out would only make them both feel awkward, so Mu Bai could only subtly hint that she understood.
…Once there were new teammates, the old ones were no longer unique.
Ye Yuan was afraid of being lonely, afraid that the important connection between them would no longer be solid, and she didn’t want them to drift apart.
“Yuanyuan, I know how you feel. But… in a Survival Game, having two powerful and trustworthy new teammates makes us safer and gives us more breathing room, right?”
“Mm…”
That wasn’t what Ye Yuan wanted to hear.
“Anyway, our team might grow even larger in the future. It’s inevitable. Our daily lives will change, and we’ll have more teammates to survive with… but there’s one thing that will never change…”
At this point, Mu Bai raised her head and proactively leaned further into Ye Yuan’s arms, pressing their bodies tightly together like she was using a Power Bank.
“We were the first teammates. Our bond was the first to be tested by hardship and danger. We are each other’s only ‘original,’ and we are the people who trust each other most.”
This was something no one else could ever compare to.
The original bond.
Ye Yuan didn’t respond.
Undeniably, she was moved, but there was still a sense of unfulfillment in her heart.
‘Just teammates?’
She wanted more security, a tighter bond, a more intimate affection…
What Mu Bai said was still far from enough.
“What is it?”
Mu Bai asked, confused.
“Nothing, you’re right,” Ye Yuan said, hugging her Power Bank tighter.
Whatever the case, her mood was much better.
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