Ziyue was relentless, and Tao Yi could only force himself to stay awake.
But heaven still seemed to have some mercy on Tao Yi. The TV channel Ziyue was watching had one more episode of the drama she liked. Once the episode started, Ziyue finally quieted down, her big, beautiful eyes fixed attentively on the screen.
Poor Zhang Lei kept his ear pressed against the door for a full half hour before he finally fell asleep in disappointment, forgetting to even go to the bathroom. Tao Yi, too, truly drifted off into a deep sleep, his soft snores rising from his spot on the floor.
At this moment, Ziyue slowly turned her gaze away from the television and towards Tao Yi.
She sighed softly, and her expression gradually turned fierce.
"I can only deceive a lowly race like yours this way. It's really unsatisfactory, but to prevent you from discovering our secret, I have no other choice," she muttered to herself, her cold gaze softening as she spoke.
She gently placed one delicate hand under Tao Yi's neck and the other under his thigh, lifting him effortlessly and setting him down on the sofa. Afterward, she picked up the quilt from the floor and covered him with it.
Throughout this process, Ziyue's expression was nothing but tender and caring, as if she were a woman deeply in love, taking care of her boyfriend.
However, if anyone else had witnessed Ziyue's expression just as Tao Yi fell asleep, they would have been astonished—these were two completely different people! Her acting was impeccable!
After finishing all this, Ziyue took a deep breath, seemingly satisfied with her performance, and whispered to herself with a sly smile, "I want you to think I've fallen for you."
She then turned her attention back to the TV, appearing genuinely interested in what she was watching.
The next morning, Tao Yi opened his bleary eyes. He was still not fully awake, but seeing Ziyue on the floor immediately snapped him to full attention.
Ziyue was lying on the floor, watching TV. She was wearing a pair of short shorts that they had bought yesterday and a tight-fitting tank top. Her slender, elegant waist and her perky, attractive hips were clearly visible to Tao Yi.
Though it was just her back, he could still see Ziyue's delicate hands propping up her chin, and her dainty feet occasionally kicking up playfully—she looked utterly adorable!
Tao Yi instinctively touched his nose to check for a nosebleed and thought to himself, "Oh my, when did this girl change her clothes? Did she have to tease me so early in the morning? I'm already fully awake, and if I get any more excited, my reaction will be impossible to hide. What if Lin Lin comes out and sees it?"
"Ah!!"
Just as Tao Yi was worrying about this dilemma, a scream erupted from the bedroom, followed by Zhang Lei rushing out frantically!
"What's going on? What happened?!" Startled by Zhang Lei's scream, Tao Yi shifted his gaze away from Ziyue and sat up, asking in a hurry.
Zhang Lei's face was bright red, and he couldn't utter a single word, frantically knocking on the bathroom door.
"Huh? What's the matter? Desperate to pee? No need to be this frantic, right? Isn't your wife inside?" Seeing Zhang Lei's actions, Tao Yi quickly pieced together the situation and looked at him like he was an idiot.
Zhang Lei nodded furiously while continuing to pound on the bathroom door.
"What a nutcase, holding it in for so long," Tao Yi muttered as he got up from the sofa.
Stimulated by Ziyue, his sleepiness had long since vanished. Zhang Lei's loud, pig-slaughtering-like yelling startled him so much that his reaction had temporarily subsided.
As he stood up, Tao Yi casually threw the quilt he had been using over Ziyue, who seemed as if she were in a world of her own. Despite Zhang Lei's racket, she remained unperturbed, her big eyes still glued to the TV.
"You stayed up all night, huh, Sister Yue?" Tao Yi asked, no longer paying attention to Zhang Lei, stretching lazily as he spoke.
But as soon as he uttered "Sister Yue," cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Oh no, he had just used his own blanket to cover Ziyue! Given her haughty personality and her view of humans as an inferior race, she might skin him alive!
Panicking, Tao Yi quickly glanced at Ziyue.
But the reaction he expected didn't happen. Instead, Ziyue replied in a sweet voice, "Yes, all night."
Tao Yi swallowed nervously. At the moment, he was incredibly tense. Ziyue's voice sounded so gentle, but he thought she must be too engrossed in the TV to notice the extra blanket.
Yes, that must be it! I have to get out of here!
Thinking this, Tao Yi dashed to the door, grabbed his clothes, and hurriedly started dressing. Lin Lin came out of the bathroom at the same time, giving Zhang Lei a good slap on the forehead, saying, "What's with all the noise? Can't even use the bathroom in peace first thing in the morning!"
Zhang Lei, without responding, darted into the bathroom as if escaping from captivity.
"So early, where are you rushing off to?" Lin Lin asked, seeing Tao Yi hastily putting on his clothes, looking puzzled.
"Running away... Ah, no, I mean, I asked the boss for a half-day leave yesterday afternoon. Since Old Man Qian is getting on in years, I felt bad. So today, I'm planning to go in early to make up for it," Tao Yi explained as he quickly slipped into his shoes and rushed out.
Lin Lin scratched her head, muttering to herself, "What's that supposed to mean? You usually sneak off early, laze around, and close up shop as soon as the boss leaves."
"He's scared of me," Ziyue said with a sly smile, her eyes still fixed on the TV.
"Hm?" Lin Lin, intrigued by Ziyue's words, noticed the blanket over her.
When Lin Lin had gone to the bathroom earlier, still half-asleep, she hadn't opened her eyes much, relying on memory from the previous day to navigate her way. Now, seeing the blanket over Ziyue and the floor space wide enough for two people, along with two pillows, she suddenly realized: they must have slept together.
"What's your name?" Ziyue finally took her eyes off the TV and looked at Lin Lin, asking kindly.
Lin Lin had fallen asleep shortly after returning yesterday afternoon and didn't know about Zhang Lei's awkward encounter. Her only impression of Ziyue was the one from helping them out of trouble, so she didn't feel much aversion.
Hearing Ziyue's gentle, melodious voice, Lin Lin smiled and replied, "I'm Lin Lin. Hehe, thank you for yesterday."
"It was nothing, hehe. I'm Ziyue," Ziyue responded briefly, still smiling.
Lin Lin sat on the sofa, and unable to suppress her curiosity, she looked at Ziyue with eyes filled with eagerness to learn more about this mysterious person. "You're so beautiful, little sister. You don't look Chinese. How did you meet Tao Yi? And your skills are amazing—it's hard to believe!"
To Lin Lin, Ziyue seemed only about seventeen or eighteen, justifying the "little sister" title.
"Little sister?" Ziyue, however, looked at Lin Lin with an amused expression, barely able to suppress her laughter.
No wonder Ziyue found it funny. Even though her memories were a bit muddled, she knew very well that her life had spanned over a thousand years.
But Ziyue merely smiled, not wishing to delve into such matters. She was more interested in learning more about Tao Yi through Lin Lin.
So she replied, "I'm indeed not Chinese. Tao Yi knows my identity, and if he doesn't tell, I'd rather not reveal it. This is the only secret I'm keeping. Apart from that, I'm sincere in everything else."
"Hmm…" Lin Lin pouted. Seeing Ziyue's reluctance, she didn't press further. After all, it was Ziyue's secret, and Ziyue had helped her once. She decided it was best to be grateful and not pry too much.
"You're quite pretty too, sister, and you seem very happy." Noticing that the conversation had paused, Ziyue spoke again, her voice tinged with sadness as she uttered the words "very happy."
Seeing Ziyue's expression, Lin Lin was curious and asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you living a happy life?"
Lin Lin didn't understand. Although she wasn't close to Ziyue, there was something about Ziyue's gaze that felt oddly compelling, like seeing a dear friend upset. Instinctively, Lin Lin scooted closer under the blanket next to Ziyue.
Placing a comforting hand on Ziyue's delicate shoulder, she patted gently and asked, "Yue'er, is it okay if I call you that?"
Ziyue nodded obediently.
Seeing Ziyue's response, Lin Lin continued, "Hehe, that's good. If there's anything that's bothering you, tell your big sister. You saved us yesterday, so that makes you my friend. I'm someone who values friendship above all else!"
After saying these spirited words, Lin Lin looked at Ziyue with what she believed to be a gentle expression.
"It's just about Tao Yi. I don't understand why he's always afraid of me..." Ziyue's voice sounded a bit plaintive.
"Ah?!" Now it was Lin Lin's turn to be surprised. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "Aren't you two sleeping together? Why would he be afraid of you?"
Ziyue looked puzzled and asked, "Sleeping together? Who said that?"
"Aren't you? With these pillows and the blanket… didn't you sleep together?" Lin Lin asked, shaking the blanket and pointing to the pillows.
"He covered me with it, and after he did, he got scared I'd be angry and ran away," Ziyue replied with a pout, her expression growing even more melancholy.
Lin Lin was speechless.
While the two women were talking, Zhang Lei, having finished his bathroom break, walked out feeling light and refreshed. But in the next second, he froze in place, rubbing his eyes forcefully, unable to believe that Lin Lin and Ziyue were lying together.
Recalling Ziyue's haughty attitude towards him the previous day, he thought to himself, "How did these two become so chummy? They've only just met, but they already seem like sisters..."
Although surprised, he knew it wasn't his place to comment, so he decided to greet them and leave.
"Morning, Sister Yue. You two seem to be getting along… hehe."
Just as Zhang Lei was about to finish speaking and make his exit, Ziyue stopped him, her eyes full of apology. She said, "Brother Zhang Lei, I'm sorry. You and Tao Yi are friends, right? I wasn't in a good mood yesterday, so I lost my composure and treated you poorly. Don't take it to heart, okay? My name is Ziyue, but you can call me Yue'er, just like Sister Lin does. Hehe..."
"No... no worries, hehe." The sudden change caught Zhang Lei off guard.