Ning Wanciu grabbed one with each hand, stopping the two from continuing their quarrel.
But it was obvious: Huai Xiang had been completely toyed with by Cheng Shimumeng.
She failed to scare anyone and only embarrassed herself.
Huai Xiang puffed up her cheeks, glaring at Cheng Shimumeng with eyes full of resentment.
So infuriating! I can’t beat her at games, and I can’t even win an argument!
“Alright, alright, honestly~”
Ning Wanciu said helplessly, playing the peacemaker once again.
“Shimumeng, are we almost there?”
She spoke softly, steering the topic away.
Xiangxiang’s competitive personality was really something; she acted just like a little kid.
But Shimumeng was no better, always indulging in the same childish temper.
“We’re almost there~ almost there~” Cheng Shimumeng replied with a smile, giving Huai Xiang a sideways glance.
She hadn’t lost anything, after all.
“Ugh! Damn you, Cheng Shimumeng!”
Huai Xiang muttered under her breath.
Not only had her revenge failed, she’d been looked down upon.
Feeling wronged from the failed prank, Huai Xiang quickly returned to An Yu’s side with light steps.
Because the prank had backfired, she was sulking, lips pouted, looking utterly dejected.
An Yu blinked in slight confusion when she saw Huai Xiang’s expression.
“Xiangxiang?”
An Yu tugged at Huai Xiang’s sleeve.
“Nn… huh? Little An Yu…”
“Mm.” An Yu nodded, then slowly asked, “Are you not feeling well?”
In An Yu’s mind, Huai Xiang had been cheerful just moments ago and suddenly turned like this; she was probably unwell.
As one of the great generals An Yu had tamed, it was only proper to show some concern.
Huai Xiang stared at An Yu, stunned for a moment, then blinked in surprise.
Little An Yu… is worried about me?
Even after she made a fool of herself, An Yu showed no sign of mockery and was actually concerned for her?!
“Waaaa… little An Yu!”
Huai Xiang was overcome with emotion. She suddenly wanted to hug An Yu and act spoiled.
She wanted the expressionless little An Yu to pat her head and comfort her.
“I’m here,” An Yu replied with a blank face, nodding.
“Waaah! She’s bullying me!”
Huai Xiang randomly pointed at Cheng Shimumeng, her face turning indignant.
Since she couldn’t win herself, she’d tattle!
“Mm?” An Yu blinked in confusion. “Really?”
“Yes, yes! She’s super mean. She bullies me every day!”
Cheng Shimumeng froze, the corner of her mouth twitching, barely maintaining her smile.
“Who’s bullying who here?!”
Wasn’t it Huai Xiang who tried to scare her and failed? How did it become her fault?
Cheng Shimumeng turned around and immediately saw Huai Xiang leaning close to An Yu, looking utterly wronged.
“It’s you!”
Now that An Yu was beside her, Huai Xiang suddenly felt bold, as if the little loli could back her up.
“Hmph, look at you… wait, huh?”
Huai Xiang was about to accuse Cheng Shimumeng in front of An Yu, trying to pull An Yu onto her side to boycott this dish-abusing villain.
But the second half of her sentence never came out; she just stood there dumbfounded.
“Mm, good girl. It’s okay now.”
An Yu raised her hand and gently stroked Huai Xiang’s head, her movements slow and soft, as if soothing a wounded soul.
“Nn…” Huai Xiang instantly quieted down, swallowing her accusations.
“It’s okay now,” An Yu said, her voice flat yet somehow carrying a trace of tenderness.
“An… An Yu…” Huai Xiang could barely speak properly.
“Are you feeling better?”
Huai Xiang instinctively looked beside her.
An Yu’s cute little face showed almost no emotion, yet she looked extremely serious.
“Y…Yes…”
Huai Xiang wanted to say she was fine, or that she had never been unwell in the first place, that it was just a joke, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Almost… just a little more.”
She wanted An Yu to pet her a bit longer.
Being stroked like this felt like her heart was being healed…
So that’s how it is.
An Yu’s voice was cool, but she didn’t refuse Huai Xiang’s request and continued gently patting her head.
“Hehe~” Huai Xiang let out a silly giggle unconsciously.
She looked up and realized both Ning Wanciu and Cheng Shimumeng were staring at her.
“Nn!!”
In an instant, Huai Xiang’s whole face turned bright red.
She had almost forgotten there were other people here.
Did that mean they had seen her greedily enjoying the head pats?!
For a moment, Huai Xiang froze solid; she couldn’t run and couldn’t stay.
An Yu’s hand kept moving. With every stroke, Huai Xiang’s face grew redder.
She could already imagine the teasing looks from Cheng Shimumeng and Ning Wanciu.
Ning Wanciu was fine; she wouldn’t actually laugh at her.
The problem was Cheng Shimumeng.
Argh… damn it, she’s got another thing to hold over me!
What should she do?!
At this moment, Huai Xiang began using her brain, which didn’t see much action, to its maximum capacity.
“Xiangxiang, feeling better?”
An Yu’s voice was completely calm, as if she was utterly unaffected by the others.
Huai Xiang actually envied that a little.
“Mm! Thank you for comforting me, little An Yu!”
Perhaps because she heard An Yu’s voice, Huai Xiang instantly perked up.
Wait, why should she feel embarrassed in the first place?!
This was head-patting comfort from little An Yu! Do you guys have that?!
Thinking this way, Huai Xiang’s entire attitude suddenly flipped.
Though her face was still red, she now looked proud and arrogant.
She practically looked down her nose at the other two, as if saying: See that?
I’m the winner here!
Cheng Shimumeng: …
Ning Wanciu: …
An Yu: ?
The scene turned awkward again. Nobody spoke first.
Because it was too quiet, a bead of sweat rolled down Huai Xiang’s face.
She really couldn’t fully convince herself to feel zero shame.
Cheng Shimumeng’s silence was easy to guess…
She pressed a finger to her lips, eyes narrowed.
Likes to show off, huh?
Let’s see how long you can keep this up!
…
…
After a brief silence, Ning Wanciu finally broke the stalemate.
“Guys, stop messing around. Didn’t we already arrive?”
She pointed at the door ahead, completely speechless.
None of them ever let her have a moment’s peace.
She reached out to Cheng Shimumeng and took the key from her hand.
“Goodness…”
After taking the key, Ning Wanciu shook her head helplessly, walked forward, and gently took An Yu’s hand.
“Come on, An Yu. We’re here.”
Her voice returned to its usual gentle tone as she led An Yu forward and opened the door.
An Yu followed Ning Wanciu outside.
This was the rooftop of the school’s teaching building, a place ordinary students weren’t allowed to enter.
“Nn…”
A refreshing breeze blew past, and An Yu let out a comfortable little sigh.
This place… felt perfect for a nap.
Someone had even thoughtfully spread out mats on the ground ahead of time.