Chapter 44 "A little bit".
Chapter 44
Ling Luo's house is very large and decorated in a very fashionable style. The brown wooden floor is covered with a beige carpet, and a long crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling.
The living room alone is almost the size of Yu Pan and Shen Yanzhou's entire house, and your voice echoes when you speak.
As soon as they entered, Ling Luo eagerly pulled Yu Pan in front of the television and shoved the controller into Yu Pan's hand.
"Quick, quick! I tried Contra yesterday, it's so much fun!" Ling Luo's eyes lit up, and she immediately sat cross-legged on the floor.
Yu Pan had never played this before. Holding the controller, looking at the pixelated figure on the TV screen, she was a little lost and pressed the buttons randomly, whatever she pressed turned out to be what she got.
Ling Luo said it was so much fun, but in practice, she wasn't much better than Yu Pan; they were evenly matched.
Under his command, the two characters either fell into pits or ran into enemy bullets, and within minutes they were "GAME OVER" several times.
"Hey, how did you die again!" Ling Luo exclaimed.
“It’s you…you’re blocking me from jumping up…” Yu Pan explained.
"Nonsense! You were the one who jumped off course!" Ling Luo resolutely refused to admit that it was her fault.
"..."
The two novices chattered and argued, playing for over half an hour. Although they were still stuck on the first few levels, the atmosphere was exceptionally good.
Yu Pan had never played with her classmates like this before, and she was extremely happy.
Ling Luo's eyes were getting sore from playing so much that she threw down the controller, collapsed on the ground, and let out a long sigh. "I can't take it anymore, I need to rest. My eyes are about to go cross-eyed."
Ling Luo turned her head and saw Yu Pan's schoolbag lying to the side. Remembering what Shen Yanzhou had said when she got off the bus, her curiosity was piqued. "Hey Yu Pan, what did you bring with you?"
Yu Pan then remembered, grabbed her schoolbag, and took out the fruit and candy/chocolate gift boxes inside.
Ling Luo saw the box of chocolates, whistled, and without any hesitation, tore open the packaging, took a piece, and threw it into her mouth, mumbling, "I love this brand."
While eating chocolate, Ling Luo suddenly slapped her thigh, "Oh right! I was so busy having fun that I forgot about the important thing! Let me show you my collection!"
After saying that, Ling Luo excitedly pulled Yu Pan upstairs and into a walk-in closet that was even bigger than Yu Pan's bedroom.
The room was filled with all kinds of clothes, neatly arranged by color and season, many with the tags still on.
Ling Luo pointed proudly to a few items, "Look at this denim jacket, and these beige casual pants, oh right! Most importantly, this one!"
He precisely pulled out a wool sweater from the rack full of clothes. "Look, isn't it exactly the same as the one you wore when you started school? I told you we were wearing the same thing! I recognized it at a glance!"
Yu Pan took a closer look and finally recognized the clothes. She nodded and said, "Yes, they really are the same."
Looking at Ling Luo's room full of clothes, Yu Pan belatedly exclaimed in surprise, "You have so many clothes!"
“Of course,” Ling Luo said with great pride, “My biggest hobby is buying clothes!”
Ling Luo leaned against the wardrobe door, looking at Yu Pan's clothes, which seemed simple in style but were made of good material and cut. Suddenly, as if she had noticed something, she said, "Yu Pan, I noticed that you don't have a local accent when you speak. It's a bit different from ours."
Yu Pan was looking at the same wool sweater when she heard this and smiled, "Really? Maybe my teacher who taught me to speak was from Zhongzhou."
"Teach?" Ling Luo caught the word and curiously leaned closer. "Teach to speak?"
“Hmm.” Yu Pan put down the clothes, turned to look at Ling Luo, her expression calm, “Because I used to… be mute, I couldn’t speak.”
Ling Luo froze, her mouth agape as if she hadn't heard clearly, or as if she had been stunned by this sudden information. "Wh...what?"
Seeing his surprised expression, Yu Pan found it rather amusing. "I used to be mute, unable to speak."
"Later, my brother took me to see doctors for a long time and I did a lot of rehabilitation training before I could speak like this now. I learned my accent word by word from my rehabilitation teacher."
Ling Luo was completely stunned. He couldn't connect the person in front of him who could have a fluent conversation with the word "mute".
At the same time, many previously overlooked details suddenly flashed through his mind.
Yu Pan is sometimes a beat slow to react and speaks slowly. Occasionally, he will pause for a few seconds when he encounters a difficult word. Ling Luo initially thought he was just slow-paced, but she did not expect that this was the reason.
"I...I really didn't expect this..." Ling Luo was unusually incoherent. He scratched his head, his eyes filled with admiration, and said sincerely, "You're amazing!"
Yu Pan was a little embarrassed by his words, "I'm not that good, I just spent a lot of time practicing."
"Isn't that amazing!?" Ling Luo's voice unconsciously rose a little. "To be honest, I used to think that when you first started school, you were the kind of person who was particularly aloof? You didn't like to talk to people and seemed indifferent to everything."
"Huh?" Yu Pan was surprised. He was just shy and not good at communicating, so how did it become "arrogant" in Ling Luo's eyes?
"Oh, it was just a misunderstanding at the beginning! First impressions don't count!" Ling Luo waved her hand and smiled a little embarrassedly. "Later I quickly realized that you're not aloof at all, you just love to daydream."
Ling Luo's joking expression faded, and her tone became more serious. "Most of the people around me used to revolve around my money and my family background. But you, you seem completely oblivious to what I wear or what my family is like."
Yu Pan blinked as she listened to his words. "Really? I didn't think that much about it. I just think you're a really nice person."
Although she has a sharp tongue, she is not a bad person at heart, and she is willing to share so many things with him.
Ling Luo felt a warmth in her heart from his words, scratched her head, and changed the subject, "Didn't I bring you to look at clothes? How did it turn into a heart-to-heart talk?"
“Yes,” Yu Pan also snapped out of the slightly sentimental atmosphere and continued, “I’m here to visit your collection.”
"Then let's continue!" Ling Luo waved her hand, regaining her usual smug demeanor. "Ask me anything about the clothes in this room; I can answer any question about their prices and materials!"
"You're so amazing..."
"That's right."
The two stayed in the dressing room for quite a while, and then Ling Luo mysteriously lowered her voice and said, "I'll show you another one of my 'treasures,' it will definitely open your eyes!"
These words really piqued Yu Pan's curiosity.
When Yu Pan arrived at Ling Luo's bedroom, she saw him pull a small cardboard box from under the bed, open it to reveal a stack of books with proper literary covers, and immediately guessed what it was.
He turned around and ran out of Ling Luo's room, quickly going downstairs.
"Hey, why are you running away!" Ling Luo became even more unrestrained at home, shouting after him, "These things were only interesting at first, but now I'm getting bored! Do you want some? I can give you a few to study?"
Yu Pan stood in the living room, her face flushed crimson, shaking her head repeatedly, "No! No!"
He stayed at Ling Luo's house until 7:30. After it was completely dark outside the window, even though he and Ling Luo were already quite familiar with each other, Yu Pan still began to feel a little uneasy about staying at someone else's house so late.
So he called Shen Yanzhou and told him he wanted to go home.
Shen Yanzhou arrived quickly; the doorbell rang in about ten minutes.
Before getting on the bus, Ling Luo suddenly stopped Yu Pan, winked and took out a square object wrapped tightly in newspaper, stuffed it into Yu Pan's schoolbag, and whispered, "This is a gift for you. Open it when you get home! It's definitely something good!"
Yu Pan's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling, but she still nodded.
Once in the car and starting, he was still clutching his backpack, his mind preoccupied with the "gift" Ling Luo had slipped in, hesitating whether to open it now and take a look.
Just as he was feeling uneasy, Chen Yanzhou's voice interrupted his thoughts. While driving, he glanced at Yu Pan and asked, "Did you have fun at your classmate's house today?"
"I'm so happy!" Yu Pan perked up at the mention of this and began to recount everything he had done at Ling Luo's house.
"We've been playing Contra for ages, but we're not very good at it, we keep dying..."
"Ling Luo took me to see his wardrobe, and wow, bro, the whole room was full of clothes!"
Shen Yanzhou chuckled as he listened, "That's amazing. Panpan, wouldn't you like a room full of clothes?"
Yu Pan shook her head, "No, no, I can't fit into it at all."
He likes it this way; he wears whatever Shen Yanzhou buys for him—simple and comfortable.
Then Yu Pan continued to share other things, such as Ling Luo's collection of models, but he subconsciously omitted the fact that Ling Luo had shown him erotic books.
For some reason, Yu Pan doesn't want Shen Yanzhou to know about this yet.
-
It was already 8:30 when I got home. Because I went to Lingluo's house to play, Yu Pan hadn't done any of her homework.
He quickly finished his meal and showered, and as he opened his schoolbag to get his homework, that square thing wrapped in newspaper caught his eye again.
Yu Pan's heart skipped a beat, and he roughly guessed what was inside. He glanced furtively at Shen Yanzhou, who was working beside him, and like a thief, he only pulled out the homework book.
Fortunately, there wasn't much homework today. Apart from math, which required a bit of brainpower, the rest was within Yu Pan's ability to handle easily.
After he finished the last problem and stuffed his notebook back into his bag, the newspaper bundle came into his view again.
Yu Pan felt like a cat was scratching at his heart. He secretly observed Shen Yanzhou again and saw that he was still focused on his work and seemed to have no idea that he was paying attention to him.
Yu Pan composed herself, casually picked up her schoolbag, and slipped on her slippers as she walked out of the study.
Usually, after finishing his homework, Shen Yanzhou would help him pack his schoolbag, and Yu Pan would usually just roll onto his bed and lie down. However, occasionally Yu Pan would do it himself, which wasn't unusual.
Hmm, not unusual at all!
After finishing the document in his hand, Shen Yanzhou glanced at the time and realized it was almost ten o'clock. He subconsciously turned his head to look at the small bed by the wall, which was empty.
No wonder the room felt too quiet tonight; something was missing.
He got up and stretched, and as soon as he stepped out of the study, he found that the bedroom door was closed.
Shen Yanzhou walked over and knocked on the door. "Panpan?"
Several seconds passed before Yu Pan's somewhat muffled voice came through, "Hmm? Brother, what's wrong?"
"I'm coming in," Shen Yanzhou said, pushing open the door.
Yu Pan was already lying in bed, her eyes half-closed, looking extremely sleepy.
"What's wrong?" His voice was a little sleepy.
Shen Yanzhou walked to the bedside and felt his forehead. "Aren't you feeling unwell? Why are you going to bed so early today?"
"I'm not feeling unwell." Yu Pan shrank half her face into the blanket. "I'm just tired from playing and a little sleepy."
"Oh..." Shen Yanzhou looked at the blush on his cheeks and, still worried, touched the side of his neck with the back of his hand. His temperature was normal, so he didn't seem sick. "Okay, you go to sleep first, I won't disturb you."
"Mmm," Yu Pan mumbled in response, turning her back to Shen Yanzhou. "You should finish your work and go to sleep too."
Shen Yanzhou turned on the bedside lamp for him, then turned off the main light in the room, and quietly closed the door before leaving.
Hearing the footsteps fade into the distance, Yu Pan held her breath and waited a while longer, only letting out a quiet sigh of relief after confirming that Shen Yanzhou had returned to his study.
He carefully pulled the book, which he had been holding until it was slightly warm, from under his body, and continued to read it with a flushed face under the dim light of the bedside lamp.
Good heavens... these two... are they really determined to cause trouble?
Oh my god... this... this... won't it break...?
Oh my god... this... this looks a bit...
Just as Yu Pan's heart was racing and her mind was racing, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open without warning.
Shen Yanzhou's voice rang out in the quiet room: "Panpan."
Yu Pan was so startled she almost jumped out of bed, instinctively stuffing the book back under the covers.
Shen Yanzhou walked to the bedside in a few steps, pulled back the quilt, and frowned slightly as his gaze fell on the book that Yu Pan had not yet completely hidden: "How many times have I told you not to read while lying down? It will hurt your eyes."
Yu Pan felt his heart pounding in his throat. He tried to remain calm and shoved the book behind his back. "I...I'm not reading anymore, I'm going to sleep!"
“A book.” Shen Yanzhou reached out his hand to him.
Yu Pan shook her head. "I'll take it myself."
Shen Yanzhou narrowed his eyes. "Books."
They had agreed that if they were caught reading while lying down, their books would be confiscated for two days.
Normally, Yu Pan would have obediently handed it over, but today's book is about the shady Little Imperial Uncle!
Yu Pan adopted a pitiful tone, trying to get away with it by being cute, "Brother, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, just this once, I'll never dare to do it again..."
Shen Yanzhou knew him too well. Yu Pan was best at taking advantage of others' opportunities. If he gave in this time, there would be a next time. His attitude was firm: "No."
"No! I won't give it to you!" When the gentle approach didn't work, he started to act spoiled, hugging the book and burrowing into the quilt. In the blink of an eye, the corner of the quilt was completely covered by him.
Shen Yanzhou's eyes twitched as he looked at him. "Oh, you've hidden it?"
As he spoke, he reached out and pulled at Yu Pan's blanket.
Shen Yanzhou usually let her have her way when they played around, but when it came to real play, Yu Pan's strength was no match for his. In no time, Shen Yanzhou dug Yu Pan, book and all, out of bed.
Shen Yanzhou easily grasped Yu Pan's wrist and pulled the book out with a slight force. Without even looking at it, he casually tossed it onto the bedside table, leaving the book open and revealing its contents.
Shen Yanzhou was just about to give Yu Pan a good talking-to when his gaze inadvertently swept across the bedside table and he saw the picture in the book, causing him to freeze.
Yu Pan followed Shen Yanzhou's gaze.
"!!!"
"..." Yu Pan shrank back, wishing she could disappear into the ground, her voice growing softer and softer, "I, I can explain..."
Shen Yanzhou snapped out of his daze, looked down at Yu Pan in his arms, whose face was flushed and whose eyes were darting around, and was so amused that he pinched Yu Pan's burning cheek. "Well, Yu Pan, you've gotten quite bold, haven't you? You've been secretly reading these kinds of books? Where did you get them?"
"Ling Luo gave it to me." Without thinking, Yu Pan confessed the culprit without hesitation.
"Why do you want to see this?" Shen Yanzhou's voice was unreadable.
"I...I'm just a little curious," Yu Pan said, biting her lip.
Shen Yanzhou let out a soft, enigmatic chuckle, then lowered his voice and leaned close to Yu Pan's ear, "Curious about this? Why don't you ask me?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Pan abruptly raised her head, her voice even a little louder, "I'd love to ask you! I've wanted to tell you for a long time! But lately you've been busy all day long, either working overtime or in meetings, and you're still working when you get home at night, how am I supposed to ask you!"
Shen Yanzhou looked at his reddened eyes and paused for a moment. He was silent for a while, then pulled him closer to his arms. "...It's my fault. I've been too busy lately and have neglected you."
His apology dispelled most of the slight unease in Yu Pan's heart, and Yu Pan gave a muffled "hmm".
Shen Yanzhou held him quietly for a while before speaking again, his voice lower and hoarse than before, "Now that I know, tell me, are you still curious?"
"If you're still curious... I can teach you."
Yu Pan buried her burning face in Shen Yanzhou's neck, nuzzled against him, and after a long while, she hummed in an almost inaudible voice, "A little bit."
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Author's Note: Panpan: I'm about to get even angrier! [Cat emoji][Cat emoji][Cat emoji]
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