As the evening rolled in, Chen Cheng lazily lounged on the living room sofa, half-lying down as she covered her mouth, yawning with half-closed eyes.
Every now and then, she turned to glance out the window, looking toward the entrance of the apartment complex.
With nothing else to do, her mind drifted back to what happened earlier that afternoon. She started to regret overreacting toward Pan Jie.
She could've just politely turned him down. Tossing his feelings into the trash like that was way too harsh… he must be heartbroken.
If only she hadn't invited him out to the internet café today, this whole thing wouldn't have happened.
What is she supposed to do when she sees him in class tomorrow?
But then again, she couldn't accept his confession either. She had always seen Pan Jie as a good friend and a decent desk mate, but Pan Jie was greedy for her body!
Just thinking about it sent goosebumps crawling up her arms.
She'd have to start acting more distant in class, especially around those daydreaming, lovestruck virgins. Otherwise, she'd just end up getting misunderstood, confessed to, and it just made her feel sick of herself in the end.
As a 27-year-old who had never dated, Chen Cheng could easily put herself in Pan Jie's shoes and guess exactly what was going through his head when he confessed.
"An entire day gone, and all I did was finish homework."
She sighed, then suddenly noticed a familiar figure at the apartment entrance. She immediately sat up, knelt on the sofa, and peeked sneakily over the windowsill.
It's An Yuan!
But… who's that woman next to him?
She was too far away to see clearly, but the woman looked stylish and attractive, clinging to An Yuan's arm.
His cousin?
Chen Cheng muttered suspiciously, "Would cousins really hold hands like that?"
She'd met An Yuan's cousin before, but they never seemed that close.
Could that be… his date? Maybe even his girlfriend?
"Lucky bastard…"
She muttered under her breath, a little bitter.
"I turn into a girl and get confessed to by guys left and right, it's disgusting. Meanwhile, you're out here enjoying life at your peak attractiveness, effortlessly attracting pretty girls."
Soon, An Yuan and the woman split up, and he started walking toward the apartment, carrying something in his hands.
Chen Cheng shrank back from the window, but for some reason, a wave of frustration stuck in her chest. She tossed and turned on the sofa, kicking it a couple of times in irritation.
Ding-dong!
Her face remained cold, but her legs moved fast. In a flash, she dashed over to open the door.
The moment she did, An Yuan was greeted by a very grumpy-looking Chen Cheng.
He grinned and raised the plastic bag in his hand. "I brought you some beer and barbecue. Oh, and I got an oyster cake from that stall you like."
"Oh!"
Chen Cheng instantly lit up, happily taking the bag. "Oyster cake! Did you add extra meat? Is it from my favorite stall?!"
"Of course."
Since they were back in high school, she could finally eat all the nostalgic local street food again.
But now that she had turned into a girl, her mother strictly banned her from eating street food. On top of that, her daily allowance was barely enough to cover two meals and two bottles of water. Not even enough for a soda, let alone extra snacks. She couldn't ask An Yuan to treat her every day, either.
Being financially restricted was miserable. Back in her old life, she could spend however she wanted, even dropping 100 yuan on a meal without a second thought.
"Where'd you get the money for all this beer and barbecue?"
Chen Cheng cheerfully invited An Yuan inside.
"My cousin paid for it." An Yuan chuckled. "She said it was for you, so she generously told me to order whatever I wanted."
"Damn, your cousin's amazing! I'll treat her next time!"
An Yuan changed into slippers and stepped inside. The living room had a faint sweet, girly fragrance, making his face feel a little warm.
He walked over to the window, opened it for fresh air, then turned back to see Chen Cheng carefully nibbling on the oyster cake, holding it with both hands like a little hamster, afraid of getting her fingers oily.
"You looked pissed off just now. What happened?"
"Ugh, don't even bring it up." Chen Cheng grumbled, fuming. "I was bored at noon, so I called that idiot Pan Jie out to the internet café. I treated him to a cup of milk tea, and guess what? He tried to give me roses in return! Is he insane?! Is his brain broken or something?! Does he actually think I like him?!"
An Yuan had a complicated expression. "I mean… it's kind of understandable."
"Understandable my ass! I was so pissed off, I don't even know how I'm supposed to face him tomorrow."
"Why overthink it? Just reject him."
He sat down on the couch, pulled out the beer and barbecue from the plastic bag, and unwrapped the foil containers.
"I didn't get too much. I don't want you getting drunk."
Chen Cheng came closer, peeking at the food. It was mostly her favorites.
She glanced at An Yuan and asked tentatively, "Were you with your cousin the whole afternoon?"
"Yeah, my feet are killing me. Shopping with a woman is seriously exhausting." An Yuan's tone suddenly brightened as he pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket. "But she gave me money! A whole hundred yuan!"
Though, technically, it was supposed to be his 'dating funds,' not payment for keeping her company.
"Oh, nice! You should share with your best friend!"
"Keep dreaming!" An Yuan stuffed the bill back into his pocket, acting all stingy.
"An Yuan~ An Yuan~ Come on, we've been buddies for years! Good things should be shared~"
Chen Cheng's voice was so sweet and playful it could make someone's bones go soft.
"Don't act coquettishly with me," An Yuan nearly lost control for a second, quickly stopping her. "You're a guy!"
"What? I wasn't acting coquettish."
Clearly, she had no idea how sweet and coquettish her voice sounded when she did that unconsciously.
Sitting with her legs wide apart in a totally relaxed posture, she grabbed a beer bottle and took a few big gulps before letting out a satisfied sigh. "Ahh, that hits the spot!"
Since she'd been home all afternoon, she had changed into a loose-fitting T-shirt and shorts for sleeping. Thankfully, she was at least still wearing a bra, so An Yuan's eyes had somewhere safe to land.
He stole a glance at her pale, smooth thighs, noticing how they slightly wobbled with her movements. Her skin was flawless, no blemishes or hair, round and plump but still slender.
"How about we pull an all-nighter at the internet café? Then we can go straight to school in the morning," Chen Cheng suggested eagerly.
"We have the homeroom teacher's class in the morning."
Both of them were already on their teacher's watch list. If they got caught sleeping in class, their parents would definitely be called.
Chen Cheng frowned in frustration but took another sip of beer and a bite of barbecue. Instantly, she felt better. "Then just stay over tonight!"
"Huh? Uh…"
"Come on! Drink and eat with me! I've been so annoyed these past few days!"
An Yuan was desperately trying to come up with an excuse to leave. His 'little brother' was already getting out of control in such a short amount of time.
It wasn't like it had taken over his brain or anything, but if Chen Cheng noticed, it would be super awkward. It could even mess up their friendship.
"Hey! When you got cheated on, I drank with you! Now I'm stuck as a girl, frustrated as hell, and you won't even stay?"
An Yuan said righteously, "Too much alcohol is bad for you."
"And can you stop bringing up that damn cheating thing!"
He smacked Chen Cheng on the head and ruffled her hair, gritting his teeth. "It's over! Why do you keep bringing it up?!"
"Stop messing up my hair!" Chen Cheng's head wobbled under his rough treatment.
"You better not bring it up again."
"Let go!"
An Yuan was caught off guard and ended up getting shoved backward onto the couch. Before he could react, Chen Cheng quickly climbed on top of him, pinning him down with all her weight, glaring at him angrily.
"That hurt, okay?! I wouldn't even mention it if you didn't keep messing with my hair!"
"..."
A soft, sweet scent filled the air, and the cool, smooth skin of her inner thighs pressed against his waist. The touch was light but sent a shiver down his spine.
Above him, Chen Cheng's eyes were slightly glazed from the alcohol, her cheeks flushed, and she was fuming as she glared at him.
"Fine, fine, talk about it all you want…" An Yuan turned his head away, completely surrendering.
"Nobody wants to talk about your stupid stuff! Stop messing with my hair! It really hurts."
Chen Cheng finally stopped, but as she adjusted her position to get up, a warm solid object brushed her thigh, causing her to instantly freeze.
<+>
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/129811097?collection=1362427
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/129811097?collection=1362427
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