"Me... what did I do again?" I knew I was the one who had made Duanmu Yao cry, but given the situation, it seemed better to pretend I didn't understand. Xijun, Song Wanyi, and the others clearly weren't willing to let it slide. They all glared at me, probably thinking I was playing favorites.
Ao Shuang pouted at me and said angrily, "That's it?"
"What else can I do?" I can't exactly do something else that would make Duanmu Yao misunderstand me, can I?
Then, without me knowing who it was, someone suddenly shoved Duanmu Yao from behind. She instinctively cried, "Ah!" and was about to fall into my arms. I had already experienced this clumsy trick several times, so how could I fall for it again? I immediately reached out and caught Duanmu Yao by the shoulders.
What I hadn't expected was that Duanmu Yao took advantage of the momentum to hug me. I sighed inwardly, thinking that dodging this time would be difficult.
Sure enough, Duanmu Yao threw her arms around me. The solid, unmistakably soft sensation made my heart beat much faster than usual. But when I looked at Long Yue, the mastermind behind it all, I couldn't help finding it amusing. This little girl had spent so long with the women's corps that, although she hadn't learned much else, she had certainly mastered this trick.
Duanmu Yao hugged me tightly, but I didn't dare put my arms around her or return her embrace. Pure friendship was still explainable, but once I responded, it would have an entirely different effect. She might misunderstand something, and that would only constrain her future.
It was just like the Zhu sisters. Their almost pathological obsession with cleanliness was not only unreasonable—it had also become an obstacle of their own making.