Dragging herself home with a deep sense of exhaustion, Su Yao no longer had the energy to do anything else.
Fortunately, they had eaten dinner outside before coming back. Without any leftovers to deal with, making something new would have been far too much work and taken too much time.
Miss Mu had never lifted a finger for household chores, so she really couldn’t manage this kind of work. At most, she could help out behind the scenes by washing vegetables or rinsing rice.
But after meals, she would always clear the dishes and actively offer to wash them, which really lightened Su Yao’s burden.
Every time Su Yao saw Mu Nanqiu washing the dishes, she felt inexplicably excited.
She thought she was amazing for being able to get out of washing dishes herself.
No one is perfect; even the most capable person has their shortcomings. There are no true all-rounders in this world.
Su Yao thought about these things in her heart to comfort herself, but she didn’t say them aloud. Mu Nanqiu might not be as good as her at these daily chores, but it definitely wasn’t because of any lack of ability—she simply never needed to concern herself with such matters. To be able to wholly focus on doing what you love, ignoring all else, was something few could achieve.
Many geniuses had been buried beneath the trivialities of daily life.
After a comfortable bath, Su Yao had wanted to play a bit more with Mu Nanqiu, but she was simply too tired. Her eyelids were heavy and kept drooping, forcing her to hurry off to bed.
At that moment, she wore a light, thin nightdress, her eyes hazy and dreamlike as she walked out of the bathroom. When she saw Mu Nanqiu already looking her way, Su Yao was just about to say she would sleep first, but then Mu Nanqiu strode over and wrapped her in a hug.
Su Yao, still in a daze, snapped back to her senses and turned to look at Mu Nanqiu.
Unfortunately, Mu Nanqiu’s head was resting on her shoulder, and from this angle, Su Yao could only see a swath of pitch-black, silky hair that exuded a faint, delicate fragrance. Su Yao liked that scent so much she almost forgot about Mu Nanqiu’s rather mischievous hands holding her.
One hand was on her back, the other on her hip.
She heard Mu Nanqiu softly say, “You’ve worked hard.”
Worked hard?
Did she mean learning that today? Actually, Su Yao was pretty happy—it was a novel experience and a feeling she’d never had before, though it truly was tiring.
Thinking that Mu Nanqiu had also practiced like this before, Su Yao found a bit of psychological balance and didn’t blame her anymore.
But to be honest, she wasn’t that interested in things like dancing or yoga—her own experience and watching others practice were completely different. She didn’t care much for many things, but was willing to do them just because she was with Mu Nanqiu. Was that just a matter of the person?
Su Yao grinned foolishly, and very soon, Mu Nanqiu let go of her, speaking in a gentle voice as if coaxing a child.
“Yao Yao, go to sleep. Be good.”
Su Yao felt a bit helpless at that—she was eighteen, no, nearly nineteen already. She wasn’t a little kid, was she? There was no need to be coaxed like this. Though she enjoyed it and was happy to hear it, she still felt a little embarrassed.
Resting her head against Mu Nanqiu’s chest, she gave a soft “Mm” before returning to her room. She hadn’t expected Mu Nanqiu to follow her in, but then again, was there really anything strange about that?
Su Yao climbed onto her bed, and Mu Nanqiu sat by her bedside.
“Want to hear a bedtime story?” Mu Nanqiu joked, glancing at the half-drowsy Su Yao. She really had exercised a lot today—she’d probably be sore all over tomorrow. But that would be tomorrow’s problem.
Thinking of this, Mu Nanqiu smiled, only to hear Su Yao murmur, “With you staring at me like that, I can’t sleep.”
“Then…” Mu Nanqiu pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and came up with a compromise. “Just close your eyes—you won’t see me then.”
“That’s just covering your ears while stealing a bell.”
“As long as it works. If you don’t sleep, I’ll mess with you.”
Su Yao sensibly shut her mouth and closed her eyes. Even though she couldn’t see, she could still sense Mu Nanqiu sitting very close by, so close she could vaguely smell her familiar scent.
Mu Nanqiu watched Su Yao’s breathing gradually grow steady and was momentarily surprised. She hadn’t expected Su Yao to fall asleep just like that—it seemed she had underestimated today’s intensity, and overestimated Su Yao’s endurance.
Once she was sure the girl on the bed was asleep, Mu Nanqiu bent down and kissed her forehead.
“Goodnight.”
Mu Nanqiu didn’t linger in Su Yao’s room. After glancing around the space, which had little feminine touch, she quietly left, carefully closed the door, and leaned back against it with a long, quiet breath.
“Su Yao? Still sleeping?”
“…ABO?”
Upon hearing the voice, Su Yao frowned, opened her slightly reddened eyes, and saw that she was in a classroom. Glancing back, she noticed there were only a few people still seated.
“I’m over here.”
Luo Yu gave Su Yao’s shoulder a not-so-gentle pat, making Su Yao jump and turn the other way. Seeing Luo Yu so energetic after a whole day of classes, Su Yao found it odd.
By all rights, Luo Yu wasn’t a particularly lively person. Didn’t she often stay up late?
As she was thinking this, Luo Yu continued, “Hey, hey, Su Yao, why do you keep sleeping lately? Are you too busy at night or something?”
Judging by the mischievous smile on Luo Yu’s face, Su Yao instantly understood what she really meant. This girl, usually the quiet, green youth, was secretly a huge pervert—just lacking any real-world experience, which left Su Yao free to tease her mercilessly.
After rolling her eyes, Su Yao took her hand from under her head on the desk.
She’d slept so long her arm had gone numb.
“What are you up to lately? You haven’t played basketball in ages, and you rush home as soon as class ends.”
What was she up to?
Su Yao remembered that ever since that time, Mu Nanqiu had dragged her to the practice room every day, correcting her posture while taking advantage of her about equally. Sometimes it was exhausting, sometimes quite relaxed.
Mu Nanqiu said it was so they’d look good in photos later, but Su Yao honestly thought it wasn’t that necessary.
Couldn’t they just strike a pose when the time came?
But since Mu Nanqiu insisted, she didn’t argue—she just accompanied her. After all, as a freshman, she had plenty of free time.
Because of that, Su Yao hadn’t been to her club in a long time.
She really owed Ji Yun for introducing her. Maybe she’d go back when she had free time and wasn’t so tired.
With a soft sigh, Su Yao said, “Busy doing bad things.”
“Uh, well…”
Now it was Luo Yu’s turn to be dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected Su Yao to answer so bluntly, and it left her quite surprised.
Su Yao glanced at her phone for the date. Was it almost May already?