Chapter 23: Midnight Fright

Though it was said that Lin Wei would sleep in the middle, in the end, Yu Qing found herself held on both sides—whether it was her own doing or theirs, she couldn’t say.

After turning off the lights, the room sank into darkness.

The three of them lay side by side, the soft mattress sinking beneath them, wrapping Yu Qing in a strange, comforting embrace.

It was quite miraculous—despite sleeping with two beautiful girls, Yu Qing found herself inexplicably calm after lying down.

She lay in the middle, somewhat dazed, trying to minimize her presence, her body stiff as a board.

The darkened room was filled with the unique, delicate fragrance of youth, mingled with the crisp scent of mothballs.

The two aromas intertwined, lingering at Yu Qing’s nostrils, stirring countless thoughts within her mind, making sleep impossible.

Lin Wei, however, quickly settled into slumber.

Yu Qing had thought they might chat a little before falling asleep, but the room had become unexpectedly quiet.

She must be really tired, Yu Qing thought involuntarily.

But the peaceful moment didn’t last long.

Lin Wei first lay quietly for a while, then began to squirm restlessly, touching here and there.

Just as Zhou Min had said, she finally flipped over, using both hands and feet to pull Yu Qing into a hug beside her, mumbling, “Hehe… Yiyi… so soft and cuddly…”

Yu Qing’s entire body stiffened, feeling like she had been caught by an octopus.

Lin Wei’s arms wrapped around her waist, legs pressing down, and her head rubbed against the nape of Yu Qing’s neck.

Warm breath brushed against her skin, causing a ticklish sensation.

The sudden assault made Yu Qing freeze momentarily, but she quickly regained composure.

Once the fear of being discovered faded, she found herself enjoying Lin Wei’s embrace from the inside out.

The tighter Lin Wei held her, the more fulfilled she felt.

Yu Qing remained silent, calmly accepting this side of herself.

In the darkness, she seemed to see Zhou Min turn to face them, a faint curve on her lips?

Then she reached out, gently patting Lin Wei’s head over Yu Qing’s body: “Weiwei, loosen up a bit, you’re going to choke Yiyi.”

Lin Wei mumbled a response and loosened her grip slightly but still wouldn’t let go.

Zhou Min’s hand didn’t immediately withdraw either; instead, it rested on Yu Qing’s arm, softly patting it as if soothing her.

The touch was warm and delicate, lingering endlessly before settling on Yu Qing, stroking her smooth, tender skin again and again.

Alright, alright, so you’ve started too, huh.

Yu Qing’s lips twitched slightly, but she chose to remain silent, savoring the sweetness in her heart.

The three of them shared a tacit understanding, silently giving each other comfort.

Still, she never took the initiative to cross that line—only passively accepting the affection given to her.

Perhaps until she completely replaced Fu Yi, she wouldn’t use this body to respond to any feelings.

It undoubtedly sounded like a terrible person, and her reserve was somewhat baffling, but that was truly how Yu Qing felt.

After all, in her view, their feelings were not for the real Yu Qing.

Lin Wei’s failure to recognize her was understandable, but Zhou Min’s warmth puzzled her.

She was a stranger, yet she genuinely radiated kindness toward Yu Qing, which was hard to grasp.

So even though Yu Qing hadn’t resisted in the bathroom earlier, she remained vigilant in her heart, even if in the end Zhou Min had only handed her a bar of soap.

The long night passed, and Yu Qing didn’t know when she finally fell asleep.

After some time, she was awakened by a pressing urge to urinate.

The moonlight outside was hazy, the room silent except for the steady breathing of the two beside her.

Lin Wei still clung to her like a tree kangaroo, while Zhou Min’s sleeping posture was relatively stable, though her hand remained firmly on Yu Qing.

Carefully, Yu Qing moved Lin Wei’s arms and legs aside, moving slowly and with great effort to escape the “clutches.” Barefoot, she tiptoed, fearing she might wake them.

After handling her need, Yu Qing rubbed her sleepy eyes as she emerged from the bathroom, preparing to slip back into the “Spiderweb Cave” when she suddenly heard a faint door sound from the living room.

“Click.”

It sounded like…

The lock being opened?

Yu Qing’s sleepiness vanished instantly!

So late at night, who could it be?

A thief?

Unlikely. What thief would have a key?

Could it be… Fu Yi coming back?!

A wave of panic gripped Yu Qing. Her mind went blank.

The only thought racing through her head was:

She must not be discovered!

Especially not looking like this, with the junior’s face and wearing her Kumamon pajamas!

What should she do?

Go back to Lin Wei’s room?

No, too far—and what if the person was already inside and they bumped into each other in the hallway?

In desperation, Yu Qing recklessly pushed open a nearby door, slipped inside, and quietly closed it, leaving only a thin crack.

Her heart pounded wildly, almost bursting out of her chest.

Leaning against the cold door, Yu Qing held her breath and strained to hear outside.

There were footsteps!

Quiet but definitely footsteps coming from the living room!

Then, a soft “click” sounded as the small living room lamp was turned on!

A faint beam of light seeped through the door crack, drawing a thin line across Yu Qing’s vision.

Her heart leapt to her throat.

Only now did she realize how rash she’d been—she had seemingly hidden in Fu Yi’s room!

A room full of plush toys! You can’t possibly say it’s Zhou Min’s icy exterior hiding a girlish heart!

This was bad, very bad!

The footsteps grew closer, steady and sure, heading straight for the room Yu Qing was in!

She could feel them drawing nearer, then softening, until they disappeared completely.

The junior was standing right outside this door!

Yu Qing could almost picture her reaching out to grasp the door handle!

It was over, over, over!

Yu Qing closed her eyes in despair, her body trembling slightly from fear.

But she hadn’t given up yet.

Fueled by terror, an immense strength surged from within her.

As long as she could hide before the door opened, she still had a chance!

Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that moment.

Yu Qing felt everything slowing down—the ticking of the second hand held back by an invisible force, sinking into a quagmire, ticking once every half an age.

Barefoot, she sprinted to the bed and, ignoring the dirt beneath, crawled underneath completely.

Fortunately, she hadn’t worn slippers when she left to avoid waking Lin Wei and Zhou Min, so even her heavy steps on the floor made little noise—insufficient to alert the junior outside.

Just as Yu Qing settled in, the door handle began to slowly turn.

“Click.”

The bedroom door opened.

Yu Qing hid under the bed, silent and still.

By the light filtering in from the living room, she saw a figure at the doorway.

Slender, soft legs clad in brown knee socks, feet in the slippers Zhou Min had given her, slowly approaching the bed.

The footsteps were light but steady, neither hurried nor slow.

Then, the figure stopped right beside the bed, motionless, as if searching for something.

Until a lock of hair fell down.

Yu Qing’s eyes snapped wide open, breath held tight.

Was the junior about to check under the bed?!