After sending the message, Xu Xiuwen noticed Xiao Youran was missing.
He got up and searched around before heading towards the master bedroom.
Upon entering, he saw Xiao Youran standing inside.
Xu Xiuwen said, "This is my room."
Xiao Youran nodded, "I know."
Her expression was calm, making it hard to tell if she was happy or unhappy.
Xu Xiuwen continued, "You can sleep in this room tonight."
He pointed to Bedroom C across from the master bedroom.
Xiao Youran slowly walked out of the master bedroom and stood in the hallway. She glanced at Bedroom C and then at Bedroom D next to the master bedroom, unable to resist asking, "Can't I stay in this room?"
Xu Xiuwen explained, "That room belongs to An Shishi."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Youran snorted, "Hmph, even Shishi has a room."
She turned away from Bedroom D, twisted the doorknob of Bedroom C, and walked in.
The structure of this bedroom was no different from an ordinary one, with a bed, wardrobe, and all necessary furnishings.
Xiao Youran glanced at the bed and said, "I'll sleep here tonight."
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "I'll get you a new set of bedding."
Xiao Youran nodded.
Xu Xiuwen returned to the master bedroom, took a clean set of bedding from the closet, and brought it to the other room.
He personally made the bed for Xiao Youran.
Once everything was done, Xu Xiuwen said, "It's late. Get some rest."
Xiao Youran quickly called out to him.
"Xiao Xu!"
Xu Xiuwen turned and asked, "What else?"
Xiao Youran said, "I want to take a shower."
Xu Xiuwen hesitated slightly, "Maybe skip the shower?"
Xiao Youran shook her head, her expression firm, "No, I can't sleep without a shower."
Xu Xiuwen looked at her for a moment and had no choice but to agree.
"Okay, but you don't have any clothes to change into."
Xiao Youran said with a smile, "I can wear your clothes."
Xu Xiuwen was stunned, not expecting her to say that.
He immediately shook his head, "No, you can't wear my clothes."
Xiao Youran bit her lip and looked at Xu Xiuwen with big, watery eyes.
She looked so pitiful and endearing that Xu Xiuwen couldn't resist.
He surrendered immediately, "Alright, alright, I'll get them for you."
Xu Xiuwen returned to the master bedroom and had just opened the closet when he noticed Xiao Youran had followed him.
Before Xu Xiuwen could ask, Xiao Youran said, "I'll choose for myself."
Xiao Youran looked through Xu Xiuwen's clothes, quickly selecting a white shirt.
Xu Xiuwen found a pair of black, slightly androgynous sports shorts and handed them to her, explaining, "These shorts are new. I haven't worn them yet. You can use them."
Xiao Youran smiled and took the shorts.
With the clothes in hand, Xiao Youran turned and headed to the bathroom.
Xu Xiuwen followed her to the bathroom outside.
Xiao Youran hung her clothes on the hooks on the wall outside the bathroom.
Xu Xiuwen quickly said, "I'll get you some toiletries."
He went back to the master bathroom and grabbed a new towel and various toiletries.
After handing these to Xiao Youran, Xu Xiuwen said, "I'll be in the living room. If you need anything, just call me."
Xiao Youran nodded, "Okay."
Xiao Youran then began her shower.
Xu Xiuwen sat on the sofa in the living room, waiting.
He felt a bit bored, so he turned on the TV and started watching some shows.
But having been accustomed to various variety shows in his previous life, Xu Xiuwen couldn't get into the current ones.
He felt restless, like a cat scratching inside him.
After about half an hour, Xu Xiuwen heard the bathroom door open.
Xu Xiuwen knew Xiao Youran had finished her shower.
He quickly composed himself, sat upright on the sofa, and fixed his eyes on the TV.
The sound of light footsteps approached, followed by a voice beside him.
"Xiao Xu, I'm done."
Xu Xiuwen turned his head at the sound.
Xiao Youran stood not far behind the sofa.
Having just showered, her hair was still wet. She tilted her head, using a towel to absorb the moisture from the ends of her hair.
This movement highlighted the curve of her swan-like neck, and with the top few buttons of her shirt undone, her delicate collarbones were exposed.
Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but swallow.
Xiao Youran looked incredibly alluring at that moment.
She was wearing Xu Xiuwen's white shirt, which was long enough to cover just above her thighs, and nothing else.
Her smooth, bare legs were fully exposed, reminiscent of the "no pants" look seen in various fashion styles, except Xiao Youran truly wasn't wearing anything below.
Xu Xiuwen resisted the urge to take a longer look, turning his head away and shouting, "Why aren't you wearing pants?"
Xiao Youran smiled faintly.
She walked closer, stopping about a meter in front of Xu Xiuwen, and asked coyly, "Do I look good?"
Xu Xiuwen's peripheral vision couldn't help but take a glance.
She looked amazing, absolutely stunning.
Xiao Youran's legs were long, smooth, and beautifully shaped, perfect by any standard.
Xu Xiuwen urged, "Go put on some pants. What kind of look is this?"
Xiao Youran didn't move. She said, "Just take a look."
Xu Xiuwen said, "I don't want to look."
Xiao Youran bit her lip and pouted, "Come on, just take a look."
Xu Xiuwen hesitated, then quickly turned to glance at Xiao Youran's legs before looking back at her eyes. "I've looked. Now what?"
Xiao Youran gazed at him and asked, "Do you want to touch them?"
Of course, Xu Xiuwen wanted to, but he said, "No."
A glint of mischief flashed in Xiao Youran's eyes as she chuckled, "You're lying. You obviously want to."
Xu Xiuwen didn't feel embarrassed about being caught.
He stayed silent.
Xiao Youran continued to tempt him, "If you want to touch them, go ahead. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Really?" Xu Xiuwen asked instinctively.
But as soon as he spoke, he realized it was the wrong thing to say.
He was about to explain when Xiao Youran laughed.
Xu Xiuwen felt a surge of embarrassment and frustration, saying, "Go put on your pants!"
Xiao Youran laughed, "I'm wearing them."
She lifted the shirt slightly as she spoke.
Xu Xiuwen instinctively swallowed but then noticed she was wearing shorts underneath, though the legs were folded up and hidden by the shirt.
Realizing he had been tricked, Xu Xiuwen said, "Is tricking me fun for you?"
Xiao Youran nodded, "Yes, it is. If I didn't trick you, how would I know you wanted to touch my legs?"
Xu Xiuwen explained, "Don't talk nonsense. I never said I wanted to touch your legs."
Xiao Youran sat down next to Xu Xiuwen and grabbed his hand, smiling, "I'm not joking. If you want to touch them, go ahead. I won't tell anyone."
As she spoke, she placed Xu Xiuwen's hand on her thigh.
Feeling the smoothness under his palm, Xu Xiuwen instinctively moved his hand up and down.
Xiao Youran leaned weakly against Xu Xiuwen's shoulder.
Her legs felt incredible to the touch.
Xu Xiuwen, unable to resist, stroked her legs a few more times.
Even though it was just a few strokes, Xiao Youran's face flushed, and her body went limp.
She let out a soft sigh, calling out coyly, "Xiao Xu~~"
Xiao Youran's call of "Xiao Xu~~" was highly seductive.
However, Xu Xiuwen suddenly snapped out of it.
He quickly withdrew his hand and shot up from the sofa, hastily saying, "It's late. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."
With that, he headed to the master bedroom.
Xiao Youran watched his retreating back, biting her lip, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing in her eyes.
Back in the master bedroom, Xu Xiuwen turned off the lights, undressed, and got into bed.
He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind filled with images of Xiao Youran's "no pants" look and the sensation of touching her.
He wasn't naive; he knew Xiao Youran had done it on purpose.
He wasn't angry; in fact, he somewhat enjoyed the attention.
But he couldn't take things further because he hadn't yet convinced Cheng Lu to accept Xiao Youran.
Though he couldn't bear to let Xiao Youran go, pushing forward without Cheng Lu's acceptance would only result in greater harm.
As Xu Xiuwen thought about this, sleep gradually overtook him.
At one o'clock in the morning, in a certain apartment at Jiangning Huayuan(Garden), the master bedroom's doorknob slowly turned.
The door opened the next second, revealing a figure in the doorway.
The figure quietly entered the room, moving stealthily towards the bed.
Xu Xiuwen suddenly woke up, shouting, "Who's there!"
He quickly turned on the bedside lamp, illuminating the figure.
Xu Xiuwen was stunned, "Youran? Why is it you?"
Xiao Youran playfully stuck out her tongue.
Xu Xiuwen asked helplessly, "Why are you here instead of sleeping?"
Xiao Youran didn't explain.
She put on a frightened expression and said, "Xiao Xu, I had a nightmare."
"A nightmare?" Xu Xiuwen was taken aback.
Xiao Youran pitifully begged, "Xiao Xu, can I sleep with you? I'm so scared~"
She finally revealed her true intention.
Xu Xiuwen understood and stared at Xiao Youran for a moment before saying helplessly, "We're adults. It's inappropriate to sleep together."
Xiao Youran pouted, "Why is it inappropriate? Last time we slept together, you didn't say it was inappropriate."
Xu Xiuwen was momentarily speechless.
After a few seconds of silence, he explained, "You know what our relationship was like back then."
Xiao Youran retorted, "I don't know what our relationship was. Why don't you tell me?"
Xu Xiuwen remained silent.
Xiao Youran felt a tinge of disappointment but then smiled, "I remember now. I was your good little sister. You promised you'd always be good to me. Was that a lie?"
Xu Xiuwen looked up and seriously said, "You'll always be my good sister. I'll always be good to you."
Hearing this, Xiao Youran was overjoyed.
She laughed and said, "Then it's settled. I want to sleep with my big brother."
Without waiting for a response, she climbed into bed, lying on her side and blinking up at Xu Xiuwen.
Seeing Xu Xiuwen about to say something, Xiao Youran quickly closed her eyes, "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."
Xu Xiuwen watched her for a while, then sighed.
He didn't stop her but silently reached out to turn off the bedside lamp.
The room plunged into darkness once more.
Immediately after the lights went out, Xiao Youran took Xu Xiuwen's arm and wrapped it around her neck, snuggling into his embrace.
Xu Xiuwen opened his eyes and said, "Don't mess around."
Xiao Youran coyly said, "It's more comfortable this way. You're my big brother, don't be so stingy."
Xu Xiuwen had no response and could only give in.
In truth, he didn't resist Xiao Youran's advances; he even enjoyed them.
He gently held Xiao Youran closer and said, "Sleep well."
Xiao Youran murmured an acknowledgment.
Then, the room fell silent, so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.
After some time passed, Xiao Youran suddenly asked, "Are you asleep?"
Xu Xiuwen didn't respond.
She asked again.
Xu Xiuwen, eyes closed, said, "Yes, I'm asleep."
Xiao Youran giggled, "Liar, how can you answer if you're asleep?"
Hearing her laugh, Xu Xiuwen opened his eyes and looked at her.
Xiao Youran's eyes shone like stars, bright even in the dim room.
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
Xu Xiuwen asked, "Why aren't you sleeping?"
Xiao Youran replied, "I can't sleep."
Xu Xiuwen asked, "Why can't you sleep?"
Xiao Youran said, "Because I have something to ask you."
After a moment of hesitation, Xu Xiuwen said, "Go ahead."
Xiao Youran said, "Xiao Xu~~"
Xu Xiuwen: "Yes, I'm listening."
Xiao Youran: "Xu, do you like me or not?"
Xu Xiuwen didn't say anything.
He hadn't expected Xiao Youran to ask such a question.
Seeing his silence, Xiao Youran didn't push; she patiently waited.
Xu Xiuwen sighed and asked, "Why do you ask?"
Xiao Youran softly said, "No reason, I just want to know if you still like me."
Xu Xiuwen asked, "Isn't it too late to ask this now? Even if you know the answer, what difference does it make?"
Xiao Youran gently shook her head, "It's not too late. Just answer me, please."
Xu Xiuwen fell silent again.
Minutes passed.
Xiao Youran called, "Xiao Xu~"
"Yes."
"You still haven't answered me."
After a few seconds of contemplation, Xu Xiuwen said, "I do like you."
Xiao Youran's face lit up with joy, a happiness blooming from deep within.
Xu Xiuwen continued, "But don't get too happy. Even if I like you, it doesn't matter. My girlfriend now is Cheng Lu."
Hearing this, Xiao Youran still smiled brightly, "I know."
Xu Xiuwen said no more.
Xiao Youran traced circles on Xu Xiuwen's chest with her finger.
Xu Xiuwen didn't stop her.
Xiao Youran asked, "So, do you like me more, or do you like Cheng Lu more?"
Xu Xiuwen immediately replied, "Cheng Lu."
Xiao Youran's smile faded.
She stopped tracing circles and lightly punched Xu Xiuwen's chest with her small fist.
She pouted, "You're lying. We grew up together, but you've known Cheng Lu for how long? How can you like her more than me?"