Time never stops, and it pushes everything forward—whether what lies ahead is paradise or hell.
It was a morning nearly two months into the school term, with another mock exam looming on the horizon.
Dawn had barely broken when Ye Xingmian opened her eyes.
Today… was a day off.
Since it was a holiday, there was really no need to get up this early.
But she’d had a dream—not a pleasant one.
She thought she’d dreamed something similar before, but she couldn’t recall that scene anymore. This time, though…
Rain, a hospital, the beeping of machines, and then flames, a tombstone, a pitch-black basement.
Everything seemed torn to shreds, scattered haphazardly across her mind. Countless images flashed before Ye Xingmian’s eyes, yet she couldn’t identify a single one. There was no logic, no sequence, nothing but chaos in her head.
By now, her memory of that nightmare had already grown blurry.
Still, for some reason, she felt terrible—a heavy stone pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe, and even her eyes had dulled.
Since that day, she had never seen Mother in her dreams again.
In reality, too, she had never heard another word about her.
I hope she’s doing well over there. I hope our reunion will be filled with laughter.
Ye Xingmian changed her clothes, intending to get up.
But why… does my chest feel so restless?
It’s just a dream.
She consoled herself with that thought.
But what was she supposed to do, getting up alone?
It really was early. Liu Yinuo… probably wasn’t awake yet, right?
They didn’t always sleep together—most of the time Liu Yinuo went back to her own room, and Ye Xingmian was too shy to take the initiative to go to her.
Her heart felt clogged, so she decided to be selfish for once.
She got out of bed in her pajamas, her delicate feet slipping into slippers, her fair, carved toes faintly flushed pink.
After all this time recuperating, her figure had grown much healthier. She was no longer overly thin, and her face finally had some color. And… the soft flesh had grown in all the right places.
She poked her chest gently. It seemed… it had gotten a bit bigger again?
At this rate, she’d need to buy new underwear.
It wouldn’t keep growing, would it?
She didn’t dare think about it. If it kept growing, would she turn into a cow? It was already this big…
Ye Xingmian felt she was now twice the size of Liu Yinuo!
For that, she’d been teased sourly by Liu Yinuo more than once.
Of course, if she could, she’d rather those soft mounds grow on Liu Yinuo instead…
The weather was warm enough now—the snow had completely melted, and it was a bright, beautiful spring.
Her mood relaxed a little. She left her room, walked to Liu Yinuo’s door, and knocked.
To her surprise, the door opened the very next moment.
What greeted her was a weary-faced Liu Yinuo, faint dark circles under her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Did you stay up late?”
Ye Xingmian was a bit surprised and asked cautiously.
Liu Yinuo was silent for a moment, as if she didn’t want to answer.
“Exams are coming up in a few days. I had some things on my mind.”
“Is the pressure too much? Mm… is it my fault? It must be because I’m too stupid—I can’t seem to learn anything, and that’s why you can’t even sleep well, right?”
Ye Xingmian looked a little dejected.
“No, it’s not related to you.”
Liu Yinuo shook her head, her gaze fixed on Ye Xingmian.
“Is there something you need?”
“I… I had a nightmare. I wanted to come see you… and if we sleep together, maybe I’ll feel a bit lighter?”
Ye Xingmian twisted her fingers nervously.
“Mm, come in.”
She entered the room without any trouble.
Since she handled the room’s tidying, Ye Xingmian was no stranger to Liu Yinuo’s room, but she still loved it here.
It had a wonderful scent—the scent that belonged to Liu Yinuo.
Every time she smelled it, she felt at ease.
Ye Xingmian sat on the bed naturally, pulled up the blanket, and playfully blinked at Liu Yinuo.
Liu Yinuo couldn’t help but laugh.
“Since when did you become so outgoing?”
“Huh? Did I? I just thought, since we’re already so familiar with each other, I don’t need to be so cautious anymore. So I got a little bolder. If you don’t like it, I can go back to how I was.”
“No, this is fine as it is.”
Liu Yinuo shook her head, climbed onto the bed as well, and naturally wrapped her arm around the girl’s waist.
Soft, slender, warm—holding her was truly comfortable.
Liu Yinuo absolutely loved it.
If her parents weren’t watching sometimes, she’d want to go to Ye Xingmian every night.
She had many thoughts, and if she could, she’d want to take it further…
“Mm…”
Ye Xingmian’s face flushed slightly. She also loved being held and had gradually grown used to it.
But she faintly noticed something—after all these months… Liu Yinuo’s chest still hadn’t changed much…
She secretly rejoiced inside.
So there was something she was better at than Liu Yinuo?
“What are you smiling about?”
Ye Xingmian shook her head.
“Nothing… it’s nothing…”
Liu Yinuo stared at her suspiciously, feeling like she was thinking about something naughty.
But she didn’t pay it much mind.
“Alright, I’m going to sleep now. Don’t move around.”
She was just about to close her eyes.
“Um… Yinuo.”
“Mm?”
Liu Yinuo raised an eyebrow slightly, opened her eyes, and saw Ye Xingmian’s tentative gaze.
Those pink eyes were filled with careful hesitation.
The moment their eyes met, Ye Xingmian instinctively lowered hers.
She spoke, her voice barely a whisper.
“What are we… to each other right now?”
The air went silent for a moment.
To wait for an answer, Ye Xingmian even held her breath.
But a long, long time passed, and she received no response.
She timidly lifted her head and saw Liu Yinuo deep in thought.
Was she thinking?
Or choosing her words carefully?
Ye Xingmian didn’t know. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
Her heart wasn’t dead. Even if she’d already made up her mind, every time she found herself in a scene like this, she couldn’t help but voice such words.
She felt she must be so annoying.
Liu Yinuo didn’t answer directly—instead, she tossed the question back.
“What do you think?”
“Me…”
Ye Xingmian was stunned for a moment, hesitating.
“I think… Yinuo is the most important person to me.”
“More important than your mother?”
Liu Yinuo asked calmly.
“Huh?”
Ye Xingmian was taken aback.
But that single pause was already enough to give Liu Yinuo her answer.
She closed her eyes briefly.
“No, nothing.”
“As for me… to me, you’re… my most important, dearest friend.”
Ye Xingmian seemed to want to say something more, but Liu Yinuo didn’t give her the chance.
“How is that? That’s the best answer there is, isn’t it?”
“Friend…”
“Do you want to be something more?”
Liu Yinuo’s calm voice came again from before her.
Ye Xingmian felt a little disheartened.
“Something more… do I?”
“No… that’s not necessary.”
Was this a test?
Ye Xingmian didn’t know what to do.
“Sleep. Let’s catch up on rest together. After we eat, I want to take you out for a walk.”
“Okay.”