Both of them froze on the spot, staring at each other.
It was like time had stopped. Chen Cheng could clearly feel something hard under her thigh. She glanced down in disbelief, and once she confirmed her suspicion, she quickly scrambled off, sitting to the side and taking a couple of gulps of beer to calm herself down.
As best friends, roughhousing and a little physical contact were totally normal.
Especially back in middle and high school, there was even a time when An Yuan accidentally broke her bone while messing around.
But this was the first time An Yuan had ever felt this embarrassed. His face flushed red, and the moment Chen Cheng climbed off him, he immediately sat up, leaning forward slightly to try and cover up his… reaction.
Crap. She definitely noticed.
Forget being best friends, she probably wouldn't even want to talk to him anymore!
Chen Cheng had always been uncomfortable when male friends confessed to her, let alone seeing a guy react like that to her.
But instead of freaking out, she just sat there, casually wiping her glasses with a tissue while eating her barbecue. She even sounded a little apologetic.
"Okay, I won't bring it up again. But you better stop messing up my hair like that, it really hurts!"
She had only pounced on him because she was in pain and acted on instinct. She hadn't expected An Yuan to just sit there and take it without fighting back.
An Yuan avoided looking at her. "…Mm."
Wait, was she acting like nothing happened?
But she definitely looked down just now!
"Anyway, Li Wanyi still seems interested in you," Chen Cheng reminded him. "Don't let your guard down."
"Yeah, don't worry about that."
An Yuan couldn't figure out what she was thinking, but he wasn't about to ask. Instead, he just sat there, eating and drinking awkwardly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her rubbing her thigh with her hand, hard enough that the skin turned red. Clearly, she was disgusted.
Her skin is so good— No, wait, this barbecue is really good.
Forcing himself to focus, An Yuan sighed. "I'll head home after we finish eating."
"Huh?"
"Otherwise…"
"No! No!" Chen Cheng shook her head wildly. "I waited for you all day! You think you can just bribe me with some barbecue and then run away?"
An Yuan paused. "Wait, you were waiting for me?"
"I don't have a single friend in this world!"
"…You could just live like before?"
Chen Cheng smacked his arm with a barbecue skewer, looking annoyed. "Do you hear yourself? You think just because I was a shut-in before, I have to stay a shut-in now? I don't even have the option anymore! You dragged me into this mess, and now you're just gonna abandon me?"
He just didn't want things to be awkward… Who's abandoning who?
And why does this sound kind of weirdly sentimental?
"Of course not," An Yuan muttered, awkwardly handing her a beer. "So… what's the plan for tonight?"
"Gaming! There's this new game that's kinda like Stardew Valley, and we can play it on the same computer!" Chen Cheng already had everything planned. "I'll farm, and you go mining."
"Sounds good."
Grilled chicken, sausages, stuffed flatbread, roasted cauliflower…
Chen Cheng was stuffing her face, her lips glistening with oil and barbecue seasoning. She set her empty beer bottle on the ground, let out a satisfied burp, then stuck out her tongue to lick her lips, which had turned red from the spice.
Her eyes were getting hazy, losing focus, and everything in front of her seemed blurry. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision.
She absentmindedly rubbed her thigh again. It still felt like there was something dirty on it.
As much as she was grossed out, she had once been a guy too. She knew exactly what puberty was like, how guys at this age were constantly on edge, sometimes even getting random reactions while just walking. It was mortifying and impossible to control.
So she completely understood why An Yuan was panicking right now, and she was kind enough to pretend it never happened.
Just like she had told him this morning.
A week ago, she still had one of those herself. What's the big deal?
"No more beer..."
Chen Cheng's voice was slightly raspy from the alcohol, carrying a sultry low tone.
"So, are you just gonna go to sleep now?"
"This is the perfect state to game! Just shut my brain off and charge ahead, dominate the battlefield!"
"The game we're playing is a farming sim."
"Then let's play something else!" Chen Cheng jumped off the couch, sprinting toward the bedroom. "You clean up the table! I drank too much!"
An Yuan sighed helplessly, shaking his head as he tidied up before slowly making his way to the bedroom.
The scent in the room was even stronger, filled with a sweet, feminine fragrance. It was like some kind of invisible chemical reaction in the air, triggering something deep in his instincts.
A chair had been set up beside Chen Cheng. She had already prepared it while he was cleaning, and now, without even looking back, she patted the seat impatiently.
"Hurry up!"
"We were supposed to go to an internet café during break, and now we're just gaming at your place instead."
An Yuan had already adjusted his mindset. He sat down beside her without a change in expression.
Since she was acting like nothing had happened, there was no point in him making things awkward either. He wasn't as tense about hiding his… reaction anymore.
Not that it was something he could control in the first place…
He placed his hands on the small keyboard, controlling his character with the number and arrow keys. They were playing a game similar to League of Legend, a top-down action roguelike that required skill, had random elements, and even let players mess with each other. A perfect recipe for frustration.
"Damn! Go, go, go! Work with me here!"
"You suck at this!"
Normally, Chen Cheng was a quiet gamer, but today, thanks to the alcohol, she was shouting nonstop. Since they were sharing a keyboard, they had to squeeze together, their shoulders touching.
Every now and then, his thigh would brush against hers, smooth and cool. It was the kind of casual contact he never used to care about, yet now it sent ripples through his thoughts.
An Yuan was getting distracted.
He knew full well that his reaction to Chen Cheng was just basic human instinct, hormones at work, a totally normal biological response.
But after it kept happening, he started second-guessing himself.
Was this really just a physical reaction? Or was something changing between them?
No, no, no! It's just a simple physiological reaction! Nothing's changed!
There's no way he'd fall for his own brother. He couldn't betray the trust between them. He was just overthinking things due to a prolonged lack of physical satisfaction! That's all!
"Hey! Move already! You're blocking my screen!"
Chen Cheng's loud complaint snapped him back to reality. He quickly tried to control his character, but it was too late. Her character got killed because of him.
"…Are you sure you're not drunk?" Chen Cheng gave him a skeptical look. "You're that bad at holding your liquor?"
"A little." An Yuan forced a smile and shook his head.
"Then just go to sleep. I'm getting tired too…"
Chen Cheng stifled a yawn. She had been full of energy while gaming, but the moment she stopped, exhaustion hit her like a tidal wave.
"I haven't showered yet…" she mumbled, getting up to grab her pajamas from the wardrobe.
"Just shower in the morning."
She found that pretty reasonable. Instead of heading to the wardrobe, she turned and flopped onto the bed, sprawling out like a starfish. Within a minute, her breathing slowed, and her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.
The lights were still on, the blanket was pushed aside, and she hadn't even taken off her glasses. Lying there completely unguarded, she was already sound asleep.
An Yuan got up and walked to her side, pulling the blanket over her and gently removing her glasses. He nudged her a little further onto the bed to keep her from rolling off in the middle of the night.
After everything was settled, he stood there for a moment, looking down at her peaceful sleeping face, her long, curled lashes, flawless pale skin…
For some reason, he felt a sense of warmth and calmness. His gaze softened as he took in every little detail, from the flutter of her lashes to the strands of her hair. He had never looked at her so closely before. His mind and heart sank deeper into the quiet comfort of the moment, wrapped in its warmth and tranquility.
It felt like time itself had slowed down for her.
Then, he snapped out of it, confused by the brief moment of daze. He quietly tiptoed out, turning off the lights and closing the door behind him.
"…Good night."
Chen Cheng's eyelids twitched slightly as she let out a soft yawn, rolled over, and fell into an even deeper sleep.
<+>
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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
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed