I was being too narrow-minded about my previous ideas.

"Well, since we've said enough, I'll head back now. It wouldn't be good if Sister Miao woke up and found me gone." With that, Liu Xiaoxiao waved goodbye to Chen Bing and left without looking back.

Her feelings at this moment were undoubtedly complex, a mixture of relief at being relieved of her psychological burden and anticipation of taking on the task; a mix of gossip about her brother's love life and a slight sense of indebtedness towards Shang Yunmiao...

However, when I thought about the conversation I had with the other person before going to sleep, this guilt gradually disappeared.

More than an hour ago, in the bedroom of the two girls.

As night deepened and the lights were turned off, Liu Xiaoxiao couldn't resist reaching out and pinching the adorable face sleeping so close to her on her pillow.

Shang Yunmiao, whose cheek had been pinched, was slightly flustered. She subconsciously shrank back and looked at her with a surprised expression.

Although the other person quickly returned to normal, Liu Xiaoxiao still withdrew her hand.

I have to say, this woman is really cute and beautiful. Not only are her eyes very expressive, but her face also feels very soft to the touch.

No wonder my brother likes you so much. Girls like you, who are soft, cute and adorable, are liked by both boys and girls.

"Sister Miao."

"Um?"

Looking at this woman who didn't seem like a sister, Liu Xiaoxiao didn't know what she was thinking, but suddenly asked, "Do you like my brother?"

Startled by this question, Shang Yunmiao was slightly flustered.

Whether I like Chen Bing or not, it's not a secret I need to keep like it was in elementary school, but it's not something I can just tell everyone.

However, the other person is, after all, Chen Bing's cousin, a very close relationship. Moreover, after spending half a day together, she felt very good, like a mature and reliable older sister, giving her a sense of security reminiscent of Chen Bing.

Therefore, after hesitating for a while, Shang Yunmiao closed her eyes, nodded slightly, and answered the other party in a self-deceiving manner.

"So, what do you like about him?"

This is too profound a question, and given Shang Yunmiao's gentle nature, she would never dare to bring it up.

So the girl waved her hands repeatedly to indicate that she didn't know and not to ask me.

The outgoing and carefree Liu Xiaoxiao didn't care about any of that. Seeing that Shang Yunmiao was unwilling to talk about it, she changed her approach and asked, "I often see you two together at school, but it always seems to be my brother who's talking and taking the initiative. So I'm curious, do you really like him?"

"Of course I like him!" Shang Yunmiao, who was still shy, immediately disagreed when Liu Xiaoxiao questioned her about whether she liked Chen Bing, a matter of principle.

Strangely enough, if others say she likes Chen Bing, Shang Yunmiao will be very unhappy. But if others say she doesn't like Chen Bing, Shang's reaction will be even stronger.

"Then why is it always my brother who takes the initiative that I see?"

Shang Yunmiao opened her mouth, wanting to refute but unsure what to say. Because, indeed, that was how it was back in school.

For various reasons, I've always been too shy to take the initiative to approach Chen Bing. Even if she does approach me first, I won't be too enthusiastic.

But I'm very proactive at home!

Shang Yunmiao wanted to use this point to refute Liu Xiaoxiao, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that she hadn't really been very proactive at home today, so she couldn't refute it without evidence.

"Because, because, because..."

"Is it because you're embarrassed? Is it because you like her too much and care too much that you're embarrassed?" Liu Xiaoxiao picked up where Shang Yunmiao left off, offering a "defense" for her.

Was Shang Yunmiao shy? Yes and no. Of course, she was shy around other people. But with Chen Bing, aside from not wanting him to guess that she liked him, Shang Yunmiao wanted to put all her heart into showing her affection.

This idea is contradictory, yet it is real. For example, that kiss a month ago—to be honest, Shang Yunmiao didn't feel the slightest bit of shyness or timidity, nor did she casually mention the regret of losing her first kiss.

The budding joy in her heart was overwhelming.

However, Liu Xiaoxiao's explanation was indeed the best one available at the moment, so Shang Yunmiao nodded and tentatively accepted it.

After seeing that the other party had agreed, Liu Xiaoxiao did not respond immediately. She stared blankly at Shang Yunmiao's small face, and after a long silence, she suddenly said, "I will help you."

Shang Yunmiao only heard Liu Xiaoxiao say this, but he didn't know what she meant. But soon, she answered his question.

"I'll hint to my brother so he doesn't lose faith in you." After that somewhat cryptic statement, Liu Xiaoxiao quickly explained, "Men may seem carefree, but they're actually quite sensitive. If a girl they like doesn't take the initiative, they'll feel exhausted and start having other ideas."

As a naive and clueless eighth-grade girl, Xiao Shang had never interacted with any other boys her age besides Chen Bing. So, how could she possibly understand these things?

Hearing Liu Xiaoxiao say these words, she was immediately startled, and then she began to mentally count the times when she had not responded to Chen Bing's initiative.

But before that, she wanted to hear what Master Liu had to say.

"So, I'll help you keep him hanging on, let him know you like him a lot, act as your messenger, let him know you're just shy right now, know you won't leave him, and that you'll give yourself to him sooner or later..."

Shang Yunmiao had no idea what Liu Xiaoxiao said after that. Because after words like "hanging," "like," "shy," and "hand over" came out of the other person's mouth one after another, Shang Yunmiao was already incredibly shy.

Her head started spinning, and she buried herself deep in the blankets, trying not to think about anything. Apart from the "hmm" the other person said after speaking, Shang Yunmiao didn't respond at all.

When she came to her senses from her embarrassment, she found that Liu Xiaoxiao had fallen silent. Judging from the other's even breathing, she seemed to have fallen asleep.

She was asleep, but Shang Yunmiao couldn't fall asleep at all. The other person's words kept echoing in her mind—about taking the initiative, about falling for someone else.

Although Liu Xiaoxiao had agreed to help her, she knew that in the end, she had to rely on herself when it came to matters of the heart, so she finally mustered up her courage and secretly left the room.

Then, what happened next...

Snapping out of her reverie, Liu Xiaoxiao returned to her room, glanced at Shang Yunmiao who was pretending to be asleep, and then casually crawled back into bed.

"Don't worry, it's all taken care of."

Shang Yunmiao's petite shoulders trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

Exhausted and filled with various thoughts, the group of people, who had been very busy all night, went to sleep.

Nothing was said that night.