Chapter 51

"I choose to sleep by the bay window."

Lin Yuan thought for a long time before rejecting the option she was given. The bay window would allow her to restrain herself while also being able to stay by her side.

"Ah!" Xu Feifei was taken aback by the answer. She had completely forgotten that her room had a bay window until Lin Yuan mentioned it.

The bay window in the room is two meters long, and Lin Yuan can stretch her legs out without any problem. It is also wide enough that two of hers could lie down comfortably.

In short, she didn't know how to express her feelings; she didn't know whether to be happy or unhappy. She was happy that Lin Yuan was willing to stay by her side, but unhappy that Lin Yuan resolutely refused to sleep with her.

Xu Feifei wondered to herself, "Is it normal for my best friend not to sleep in the same bed as me?"

"Uh...it seems okay. I'll put down a few more mats, otherwise you won't be comfortable sleeping." Xu Feifei returned to the room, opened the cabinet, took out mats, and laid them on the bay window.

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly when she saw the color of the mat, her expression a little surprised.

"Are there... other colors?"

Xu Feifei patted the mat and said, "There aren't any left, only the pink one. Pink is so pretty, so cute and tender."

Many things in this room were arranged by her mother, especially pink items. Her mother often said that wearing pink when you're young makes you look delicate and youthful.

Lin Yuan fell silent.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Xu Feifei stopped making the bed and said, "Don't you like pink? Do you want to go to your room and get a new one?"

"No need for that, I can accept it," Lin Yuan said, shaking her head.

After Xu Feifei laid out the cushions, she sat down to test the softness. Once she felt it was comfortable, she asked Lin Yuan, "Sit down and see if you need to add another cushion?"

After Lin Yuan sat down next to her, she said, "No need, that's enough."

Xu Feifei laughed and said, "If that's not enough, then you can sleep with me! Hahaha~"

Lin Yuan didn't speak, her head lowered, a slight smile playing on her lips. She stroked the wool blanket beneath her, her fingers sinking into it as she gently rubbed it.

It's past ten o'clock now, almost eleven, well past the dormitory curfew. There aren't many people walking downstairs anymore, and the streetlights dimmed a bit around eleven, making the road seem even quieter.

The starry sky is exceptionally beautiful on early summer nights, with few clouds, many stars, and a bright moon.

After arranging the pillows and blankets, Xu Feifei drew the curtains, blocking out the night view.

"It's already past eleven o'clock, and neither of us has showered yet. Why don't we go back to our room to shower first and then come back?"

"good."

"Then take my key back. I take a while to shower." After seeing Lin Yuan agree, Xu Feifei handed her key to Lin Yuan. She couldn't finish showering in less than half an hour.

"Okay." Lin Yuan took the keys and went back.

When Xu Feifei finished washing up, she saw Lin Yuan sitting on the sofa in the living room waiting for her.

Xu Feifei, drying her hair, asked, "So fast?"

"fine."

"Then you sit here for a while, I'll go out and get my hair dried first."

Xu Feifei took out a hairdryer from the cabinet, plugged it in next to the sofa, and turned it on to the highest speed to dry her hair.

Lin Yuan stood up and walked behind her, reaching out to hold her hand that was holding the hairdryer, saying, "Let me help you."

The hair dryer was of good quality and not very noisy, so Lin Yuan's voice could be clearly heard by Xu Feifei.

"No need, I can do it myself..." The moment Xu Feifei turned to look at her, she was caught in Lin Yuan's deep gaze, and her hand unconsciously loosened its grip.

After taking the hairdryer, Lin Yuan blew it at the roots of her hair, gently inserting her hands into the hair and occasionally shaking it to make the airflow more evenly reach each strand.

Run your fingers down your hair to the ends and gently loosen the tangled ends.

Is this pressure okay?

As Lin Yuan asked this question, her hand returned to her ear, slid down her earlobe, brushed her neck, and gently touched the damp hair at the nape of her neck.

The hairdryer was blowing warm air, but Xu Feifei felt the air was unusually hot. Her ears turned red involuntarily, and her cheeks were pink, just like the color of the mattress she had laid out that night.

"Is it too heavy?" Lin Yuan asked, looking down when she didn't speak.

"No, that's enough...that's enough," Xu Feifei stammered, lowering her head.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan smiled knowingly and continued drying her hair.

The night is unusually quiet tonight; so quiet that even if you blow the hairdryer at the top of your lungs, you can hear your heart pounding.

Xu Feifei thought to herself, "Why is today so strange? The atmosphere feels off." But Lin Yuan's hair-drying technique was still excellent; it felt so comfortable!

As she blew the whistle, Xu Feifei yawned, her head gently resting on the sofa as she squinted.

Lin Yuan didn't wake her up. Instead, after drying her hair, she picked up the hair oil from the table next to her and applied it to Xu Feifei's head.

When she was almost finished applying the hair oil, Xu Feifei woke up and saw Lin Yuan applying the hair oil for her. She asked, "Why didn't you call me?"

After drying the ends of her hair, Lin Yuan smiled and said, "I wanted you to sleep a little longer. Have you been sleeping poorly lately?"

"A little, I didn't get enough sleep. I had too much homework."

"Let me give you a massage," Lin Yuan gestured for her to make room next to the sofa.

"You can give massages?" Xu Feifei looked at her in surprise.

Lin Yuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "I can, but I'm not very good at it. Do you want to give it a try?"

"Yes, I want to!" Xu Feifei made way for Lin Yuan to sit down.

Lin Yuan sat down beside her and massaged her shoulders with moderate pressure. The stiff shoulders gradually relaxed under Lin Yuan's skillful massage.

Is the pressure appropriate?

"Mmm, it feels so good," Xu Feifei said with her eyes closed, enjoying the moment.

Xu Feifei seemed to have thought of something, and then hummed, "After you finish massaging me, I'll massage you too."

"No need, I'm not tired," Lin Yuan said with a smile.

Xu Feifei opened her eyes and turned to look at Lin Yuan, but was stopped by her, "If you turn your head, it will be difficult for me to massage you."

Xu Feifei thought it made sense, so she didn't turn her head away.

"Lin Yuan, sometimes I really think you're too polite."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan unconsciously tightened her grip. Xu Feifei, however, didn't notice, and after readjusting her grip, asked, "What do you mean?"

“Like just now, I offered to massage you, but you refused. And tonight, I asked you to sleep with me, but you wouldn’t…” Xu Feifei recounted all the requests Lin Yuan had refused in the past.

"You're being too polite, aren't you? I think friendships need to be reciprocal to last; otherwise, it's just one-sided giving and receiving, which definitely won't last."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled as she listened to her words, "I haven't been making one-sided sacrifices; I've also gained quite a bit. Do you think you haven't given anything in return?"

"Yes, there are, but not nearly as much as you. When you were sad and upset before, I wasn't there for you, and I didn't share your burdens or help you relieve your worries."

After saying this, Xu Feifei hung her head dejectedly and rested it on Lin Yuan's hand.

Lin Yuan stopped what she was doing, but didn't stop her. Instead, she looked at her seriously and asked, "Feifei, is this the truth?"

“Of course it’s the truth! Even pearls aren’t this real!” Xu Feifei reached out and grabbed Lin Yuan’s hand, turning her head to look at Lin Yuan sincerely.

Looking at Xu Feifei's sincere eyes and her hand being held, Lin Yuan smiled happily, "Then if I have any difficulties in the future, I will tell you. If you have anything to say, you must tell me too."

"Can't we say it now?"

"Let's wait a while."

"Alright then, but don't try to hide it from me."

"Mmm." Lin Yuan nodded in assurance.

After seeing Lin Yuan nod, Xu Feifei glanced at the clock and stood up, saying, "It's getting late, let's go back to sleep."

"Aren't you going to press it anymore?"

Xu Feifei stretched her back and shoulders, waved her hand and said, "No need, I feel fine now. Besides, it's too late now, and I need to check the surveillance footage tomorrow morning, so remember to wake me up!"

“Okay!” Lin Yuan agreed.

After the two returned to the room, Xu Feifei plopped down on the bed, patted the empty space next to her, and asked, "Want to come along?"

Lin Yuan chuckled and said, "No, I'll sleep by myself."

"Fine, then I'll have to have this big bed all to myself."

"Okay. Just call me if you need anything, I'm right next to you."

Yes, it will.

After seeing Lin Yuan get into bed, Xu Feifei said, "Then I'll turn off the lights now."

"good!"

With a "snap," the room was plunged into darkness.

"good evening!"

"good evening!"

After saying goodnight to each other, Xu Feifei happily patted the blanket, closed her eyes, and waited to fall asleep, imagining chatting with the Duke of Zhou (a figure in Chinese mythology associated with dreams).

Lin Yuan lay on the wool mat, staring at the ceiling. Her pupils dilated involuntarily in the darkness as she recalled the events of the evening, her mind racing with calculations.

Xu Feifei hadn't slept well for the past few days, and Lin Yuan massaged her before bed. She fell asleep quickly.

Lin Yuan reached out and pulled open the curtains beside her a crack, allowing moonlight to stream in and instantly illuminate the room.

She listened carefully to the sounds in the room, and finding nothing amiss, she got up, put on her shoes, and quietly walked to Xu Feifei's side. Hearing her regular breathing, she felt relieved.

I quietly opened the door and took the three books from the table back into the room.

After returning to bed, I drew the curtains. The moonlight disappeared as the curtains were drawn, and the room was plunged into darkness again.

Tonight may be close to the fifteenth of the lunar calendar, so the moonlight is particularly round, and with few clouds on this early summer night, it appears especially bright.

Lin Yuan hid behind the curtains, took out one of the books, and quietly flipped through it, reading ten lines at a glance.

After finishing the three books, her overall feeling was indescribable, and she was physically and mentally exhausted. Lin Yuan closed her eyes wearily and rubbed her eyes and brow with one hand.

After closing her eyes to rest, she picked up the bookmark and examined it carefully, but still couldn't see anything. Recalling Feifei's earlier question, she felt there must be something hidden inside the bookmark.

The novel and the bookmark—she felt there was some connection between them, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Lin Yuan held the bookmark up to the moonlight, but still found nothing. She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes again.

Afterwards, she took the book out and put it back in its original place.

When Lin Yuan returned to her room, she stopped in her tracks as she passed Xu Feifei.

The moonlight shone perfectly on her face, making her skin appear exceptionally smooth. Her lips, glossy from the lip balm, looked incredibly alluring.

She never considered herself an upright person; on the contrary, she saw herself as a volatile and unpredictable individual. The reason she presented herself well was because she constantly exercised extreme self-control, struggling and restraining herself in the face of another "him."

She closed her eyes, then opened them again, her left hand tracing the contours of Feifei's face repeatedly. Squatting beside the bed, she silently asked, "Feifei, is there something you're hiding from me?"