On a misty morning, while Ye Xuan was still lingering in dreamland, the sound of a tape recorder reading aloud could be heard outside the door. Irritated, Ye Xuan covered her head with the blanket and buried her head in the pillow, but the English voices still echoed in her ears, disturbing her peace. In the living room, Yang Ke was already laughing to himself. This was just the beginning of his plan; his goal was to deprive Ye Xuan of any peace, to drive her out of this room.
Ye Xuan rushed out of the bedroom and turned off the tape recorder, then angrily asked, "What are you trying to do? It's early in the morning, and you're not even letting people sleep!"
"You sleep if you want! I didn't go to your bed to pull you!" Yang Ke retorted rudely. "I want to listen to English. You know the postgraduate entrance exam is only a few months away, and I have to make the most of my time!"
"You could use headphones!" Ye Xuan said, suppressing her anger.
"That's harmful to the ears!" Yang Ke replied. "Besides, wearing headphones all the time is uncomfortable!"
"You're not afraid of causing harm to others with your loud voice?" Ye Xuan was almost shouting. "I know you're trying to find ways to drive me away!"
"Yes!" Yang Ke admitted without hesitation. "If you're not comfortable, just move out!"
"Yang Ke, I'm telling you clearly, I'm not leaving!" Ye Xuan said fiercely. "I have plenty of time. Let's see who can outlast whom!"
Yang Ke thought his actions would have some effect this time, but he didn't expect to expose his true colors in front of Ye Xuan. It was like stealing a chicken only to lose a handful of rice. Ye Xuan returned to the bedroom, and soon came out with an MP3 player, dancing alone in the living room. Yang Ke's mind was completely disrupted by Ye Xuan, and he couldn't find a moment of peace.
"Could you stop?" Yang Ke couldn't bear it anymore. "You've completely disrupted my thoughts. How can I study?"
But Ye Xuan didn't stop her movements. Unable to bear it any longer, Yang Ke angrily packed up his textbooks, slammed the bedroom door shut, and lay down on the bed. Ye Xuan's laughter echoed from the living room, and Yang Ke felt completely defeated. His plan for the day had failed miserably.
There was still some time before lunch. Yang Ke smelled a tantalizing fragrance coming from the bedroom. After a morning of turmoil, Yang Ke's stomach was growling. He opened the bedroom door and saw that Ye Xuan had already set the table, ready to have lunch.
"It smells so good!" Yang Ke approached the dining table and reached for the chopsticks, but Ye Xuan stopped him.
"There's no food for you here!" Ye Xuan said. "If you want to eat, make it yourself!"
"But didn't you already prepare it?" Yang Ke put on a smile, trying to please her. "I'll treat you next time!"
"No way!" Ye Xuan didn't back down. "I keep my word! If I say no, then it's no!"
Angry, Yang Ke slammed the chopsticks onto the table and watched helplessly as Ye Xuan enjoyed the delicious food, almost drooling. Ye Xuan pretended to savor every bite, occasionally casting a triumphant glance at Yang Ke. Unable to bear this "revenge" any longer, Yang Ke retreated to the bedroom alone.
"Victory!" Ye Xuan gloated to herself.
Before long, there was a knock on the door. Yang Ke was the first to rush to open it, and it was the restaurant's delivery person. He placed the dishes on the table one by one, collected the payment, and left. Ye Xuan glanced at the table—two dishes, one soup, and a bottle of chilled beer. These dishes squeezed her own meal to one corner of the table, like defeated soldiers retreating. Ye Xuan's previous triumph faded away.
"So comfortable!" Yang Ke said smugly as he sipped his beer.
Ye Xuan picked up her own meal and went into the bedroom, sitting on the bed alone, seething with anger. The good appetite she had just now disappeared.
"Ye Xuan, do you want to come out and eat together?" Yang Ke's voice came from the living room, and Ye Xuan could tell he was provoking her.
"You enjoy it by yourself!" Ye Xuan said, closing the door firmly.
After Yang Ke had his fill, he lay contentedly on the bed, burping occasionally, savoring the beautiful counterattack he had just launched. At that moment, Ye Xuan burst into the room.
"Go wash the dishes!" Ye Xuan commanded.
"I want to take a nap. I can wash them when I wake up!" Yang Ke tried to evade.
"No! That will attract flies!"
"What does it matter? We can use insect repellent!" Yang Ke deliberately opposed Ye Xuan.
"Are you going or not?"
"No!" Yang Ke refused without leaving any room for negotiation.
"If you don't, I'll throw your books downstairs!" Ye Xuan picked up Yang Ke's books and headed out.
"Wait!" Yang Ke finally became afraid. "I'll go!"
Ye Xuan stepped aside, letting Yang Ke out of the bedroom. She watched him closely until she heard the sound of water before putting the books back.
The night arrived particularly late, but both Yang Ke and Ye Xuan were already tired. The mental battles they had fought during the day could be described as evenly matched, with neither gaining the upper hand. Moreover, both of them ended up with injuries. However, they both knew they had brought it upon themselves, and fatigue made them both want to pause the conflict.
"Yang Ke, I know you're there!" Ye Xuan sent a message online.
"I'm here! So what?" Yang Ke's reply was terse.
"Can we make peace? To show my sincerity, I apologize—I shouldn't have added wasabi to your coffee this afternoon!"
"Since you put it that way, I also apologize—I shouldn't have put salt in your water this afternoon!"
"Yang Ke, you're quite something! Actually, I made other mistakes. I glued the pages of the book you're reading together, especially the most important ones!"
Yang Ke was shocked. He took the book and saw that several pages were firmly stuck together, almost bringing tears to his eyes.
"Qiancao, don't be too upset. I tied knots in the shoelaces of all your shoes. I guess you'll be barefoot when you go out tomorrow!"
Ye Xuan crawled under the bed, and none of her favorite shoes escaped the "ambush." Each shoe had grown a "twisted braid." If she were to untie them one by one, she would probably spend eight hours a day this summer. Ye Xuan took the shoes and rushed out of the bedroom, while Yang Ke was waiting for her in the living room, their eyes meeting with extra hostility.
"Yang Ke, you've gone too far!" Ye Xuan said.
"It's you who went too far!" Yang Ke didn't back down. "You ruined my books like this!"
"Well, now you can read fewer pages and have more time to read other content!"
"Then you can go barefoot, which is more stylish than wearing women's sandals!"