Chapter 30: Next Time, Together Too

“Mm…”

In her sleep, An Yu seemed to sense something.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her small body trembled.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Could it be that she’s having a nightmare?”

Ning Wanciu quickly reached out to gently stroke An Yu’s head, trying to soothe her restless mind.

The gesture worked.

Perhaps because she felt the tender caress, An Yu’s expression gradually relaxed, and her tense brows slowly eased.

It was as if she had woken from a nightmare — her long lashes fluttered gently before she slowly opened her dazed eyes.

An Yu was awake.

“Haa…”

Seeing that it was her big pillow, not someone else, An Yu finally let out a relieved sigh.

“You’re awake. Did you have a nightmare?” Ning Wanciu asked softly.

An Yu blinked a few times instinctively but didn’t speak.

She hadn’t recovered yet — because she really had dreamed something unpleasant.

She had been sleeping peacefully, yet for some reason, she suddenly felt as if someone was watching her.

Feeling uneasy, An Yu had a nightmare — and it was about An Qing.

The dream had been terrifying…

She dreamed that An Qing stole her food, and even went into her room and threw away her pillow!

How could anyone be so evil? 

Stealing food was one thing — but without a pillow, how was she supposed to sleep at night?

Too much. Truly too much! That reborn heroine is terrible!

Though in reality, An Qing hadn’t actually done anything… except for secretly watching An Yu, of course.

On the surface, An Yu remained calm, but inside, she was cursing An Qing nonstop.

“An Yu?”

A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.

An Yu subconsciously looked up — only to be met with a pair of large, soft mounds.

Mm. Ning Wanciu.

No one else she knew had such… proportions.

Her consciousness sharpened, and the unpleasant traces of her dream gradually melted away.

After all, it was just a dream. No one in real life would throw away her pillow.

And even if they did — she could always get a better one.

“Mm. Good morning, Ning Wanciu.”

An Yu rubbed her eyes.

She hadn’t woken naturally, but there was no point going back to sleep now.

It was almost time to return to class.

“Morning… It’s almost the end of lunch break, you know~” Ning Wanciu lowered her head, her eyes glinting with faint helplessness.

“Oh.”

That was all the response she got.

For An Yu, morning or noon — it made no difference. She could sleep at either.

“Well, since you’re awake, it’s time to get up~”

Seeing that An Yu had no intention of correcting her, Ning Wanciu didn’t press further and simply spoke softly, reminding her it was time to get up.

But An Yu didn’t move.

Instead, she rubbed her head against Ning Wanciu’s lap.

It was soft. Warm. Comfortable.

She didn’t want to move.

“Honestly, An Yu?”

Ning Wanciu lightly pinched her cheek.

“I said it’s time to get up~ Next time, let’s nap together again, okay?”

“Mmm…”

An Yu let out a small, reluctant whimper.

She didn’t want to get up. She wanted to stay here.

Maybe she should just skip class.

If I stare long enough, maybe she’ll understand I want to stay, An Yu thought seriously, fixing her amber-like eyes on Ning Wanciu.

But Ning Wanciu clearly couldn’t read minds.

Being stared at so intently made her flustered, and she averted her gaze.

Her hand, which had been pinching An Yu’s cheek, slowly withdrew.

Only then did she realize what she had done.

She hadn’t been able to resist — she had pinched An Yu’s cheek.

She’d wanted to do it for so long, and despite holding back again and again… she’d lost the battle to temptation.

Now she regretted it, thinking she’d offended An Yu.

Little did she know, An Yu was merely inviting her to keep napping.

Seeing Ning Wanciu look away, An Yu pouted unhappily.

So her “skip class” invitation was rejected again?

Well… fine then.

Expressionless, An Yu stretched out her arms.

“Ning Wanciu, carry me up.”

Leaving such a comfortable position required immense courage — and An Yu didn’t have it.

So she needed help.

Hearing her voice, Ning Wanciu froze for a second.

She looked at An Yu’s outstretched arms.

After confirming that the girl wasn’t mad about the cheek-pinching incident, she finally lifted her up.

In an instant, that soft, petite body was nestled in her arms.

That boneless softness made Ning Wanciu want to hold her longer.

But she resisted the urge — she’d already lost control once today.

After setting An Yu gently on her feet, Ning Wanciu stood and, without thinking, took her hand.

“Ah…”

The action came so naturally that even Ning Wanciu realized it only after doing it.

They always left the classroom hand in hand — so maybe it wasn’t that strange… right?

Fortunately, An Yu didn’t seem to mind.

In fact, she quietly tightened her grip.

“Let’s go, Ning Wanciu.”

Noticing Ning Wanciu’s daze, An Yu softly called her name.

Of course, if Ning Wanciu decided to stay and nap with her instead, she wouldn’t object either.

“Ah—um. Yeah, let’s go back.”

Pretending to be calm, Ning Wanciu led An Yu toward the school building.

There was still some time left — no need to hurry.

But… didn’t she just say, “Next time, let’s nap together”?

Was that… presumptuous of her?

Ning Wanciu began to overthink, as usual.

But An Yu wouldn’t let her spiral too long.

“Ning Wanciu, next time… let’s nap outside together too, okay?”

Contrary to what Ning Wanciu expected, An Yu was the one who invited her again.

Being with her was so comfortable that An Yu wanted to nap beside her every day.

“Ah… Mm, of course. You can nap anywhere you want, An Yu.”

“Mm. Thank you, Ning Wanciu.”

A faint smile curved on An Yu’s normally expressionless face.

It was a small smile — but Ning Wanciu caught every detail of it.

So cute…

Was that smile… because of her?

Suddenly, Ning Wanciu’s cheeks warmed.

Her heartbeat quickened —

Bang—bang—bang—

The sound echoed loudly in her chest.

But oddly enough, the nervousness she always felt around An Yu… vanished.

In its place was calm, lightness — comfort.

Being with An Yu… really feels good.

If it’s her… then maybe I can trust her.

Ning Wanciu smiled softly, squeezing An Yu’s small hand.

Her voice was warm when she asked, “An Yu, do you know how to play games?”