Chapter 28: Eat, Then Sleep

An Yu glanced at the exquisite pastry box, then at Huai Xiang, but in the end, she didn’t reach out to take it.

She stared at Huai Xiang, expressionless, then slightly leaned forward, her beautiful eyes closing as her pink lips parted softly.

“Ah~”

An Yu still remembered that Huai Xiang said she wanted to feed her. 

Though she didn’t quite understand the purpose behind it, for such a small thing, An Yu was willing to indulge her.

“L-Little An Yu?” 

Huai Xiang’s face flushed red as she looked at An Yu’s soft, inviting little mouth.

W-what was this situation?

“Hmm?”

An Yu opened her eyes, tilting her head in confusion when she saw Huai Xiang frozen in place. 

Then she pointed at her own mouth.

What are you doing? 

I’m hungry. 

If you don’t feed me, I’ll eat by myself.

“Ah…”

Huai Xiang looked at the pastry, then at An Yu, finally realizing what she meant. 

Feeling flustered, she didn’t even dare glance at her two friends beside her.

If they saw her blushing, wouldn’t that be embarrassing!

Huai Xiang gently picked up a piece of pastry. Maybe because she was nervous, her hand trembled slightly.

Lifting the pastry, she looked at the obediently waiting An Yu. She subconsciously swallowed hard.

So… cute!

Why did it look so natural when Cheng Shimumeng fed her, but when it was her turn, she was so nervous? 

And…

Her two best friends were just sitting there watching without saying a word!

Huai Xiang shook her head, shaking off her stray thoughts. 

She had made up her mind—she couldn’t let Little An Yu wait any longer!

Cheering herself on internally, her cheeks blushed red as she slowly brought the pastry toward An Yu’s lips.

The closer she got, the more her hand trembled, until the pastry finally brushed against An Yu’s lips, and she froze.

The warmth of An Yu’s breath brushed against her fingertips, making her grip unsteady—but thankfully, An Yu had already bitten down.

Watching An Yu’s soft, pink lips press gently around the pastry, Huai Xiang’s heart raced wildly.

An Yu’s lips… had touched her fingers!

Huai Xiang’s face grew even redder, but An Yu didn’t care at all. In her eyes, she was just eating.

An Yu chewed lightly, the sweet and fragrant taste spreading in her mouth, filling her with a quiet happiness.

Delicious. I like it.

An Yu’s amber eyes shimmered when she opened them again, perhaps because of the sugar rush—they looked far livelier than usual.

Though her face didn’t change much, Huai Xiang could tell that An Yu liked the pastries she brought.

In that instant, Huai Xiang relaxed completely. 

If An Yu was satisfied, then she was satisfied too!

All that time she spent picking yesterday wasn’t wasted!

But before she could savor that relief, An Yu opened her mouth again.

That was normal—a single pastry wasn’t enough. It was tasty, so she wanted more.

Seeing this, Huai Xiang blinked. 

The nervousness she had just overcome flooded back.

She turned her head slightly, only to see Cheng Shimumeng smiling at her with a teasing look—as if saying, Can you handle it? 

If not, I’ll do it.

No way! 

This was her hard-earned opportunity!

Fueled by determination, Huai Xiang huffed softly, grabbed another pastry—different from the first—and swiftly brought it to An Yu’s mouth.

“Mm…”

An Yu almost didn’t react in time; Huai Xiang’s movements were much faster this time.

“Ah, sorry, Little An Yu.” 

Huai Xiang quickly apologized when she realized her action was too abrupt.

But An Yu only blinked in confusion. 

She didn’t understand why Huai Xiang was apologizing.

“The pastry is delicious. Xiang Xiang, thank you.”

After all, politeness never goes wrong.

“Wu…”

She didn’t even mind my rough movements, and she’s praising me? 

Truly… An Yu must be an angel!

Huai Xiang’s heart overflowed with emotion as she mentally reinterpreted the compliment about the pastries as praise for herself.

Never mind everything else—the pastries were hers, so if they were delicious, that meant she was being praised!

Unaware of Huai Xiang’s emotional spiral, An Yu swallowed the last bite and decided to have one more. 

One more piece, and she’d be ready for her nap.

“Xiang Xiang, ah~”

An Yu opened her mouth again. This time, Huai Xiang remained calm and fed her naturally.

“Mmm…”

Enjoying the sweet pastries, An Yu felt completely content. Each of the three pieces had a different flavor—Huai Xiang really did have good taste.

Full now. Time to sleep.

An Yu reached out toward Ning Wanciu, who had been patiently waiting nearby. 

Without hesitation, Ning Wanciu gently took her hand.

After all, she had promised to nap with An Yu outside today.

“See you next time, Xiang Xiang, Cheng Shimumeng.” 

Before leaving, An Yu politely said goodbye.

“Mhm! See you next time, Little An Yu~”

“See you next time—ah, I mean, Little An Yu!”

Receiving their responses, An Yu expressionlessly held Ning Wanciu’s hand and walked out of the classroom. 

As they passed the front row, it seemed a black-haired, red-eyed girl from the An Family was watching them—but An Yu didn’t care.

Look all you want. It’s not like she can sneak into my dreams and steal my pastries.

As for the System’s hatred notifications, it didn’t even bother reporting them anymore. 

No matter how high it got, the heroine would always keep the host alive until the end. It might as well wait until it hit ten thousand before rewarding her.

Ten thousand hatred points — Achievement Unlocked!

Leaving the teaching building, An Yu and Ning Wanciu walked hand in hand until they reached a bench under a large tree. 

The shade was cool and perfect for a nap.

“An Yu, shall we rest here?”

“Mm.”

“Then… what do you want to do?”

At that, An Yu blinked and pointed to the bench behind Ning Wanciu.

“Sit down.”

Ning Wanciu obediently sat, smiling softly. “Like this?”

“Mm.”

An Yu moved to the middle of the bench, then lay down toward Ning Wanciu, resting her small head on the girl’s lap before closing her eyes.

Comfortable…

Waiting until now instead of napping in class had been the right decision.

The faint scent from Ning Wanciu’s body was soothing, wrapping An Yu in a sense of safety.

The sunlight filtered gently through the leaves—warm, not hot. 

The peaceful environment lulled An Yu into sleep.

“Huuuh…”

Her breathing became slow and steady, her body completely relaxed.

Seeing her asleep, Ning Wanciu couldn’t help but smile tenderly.

Just as An Yu found comfort in her soft, fragrant lap pillow, seeing this small creature lower its guard and fall asleep on her lap healed something deep inside Ning Wanciu.

She still didn’t understand why An Yu had suddenly become so attached to her—but perhaps, that didn’t matter.

Gently tucking aside a strand of hair from An Yu’s cheek, Ning Wanciu gazed at her serene face, her heartbeat quickening ever so slightly.

What’s happening to me… I feel like I’m becoming strange.