Are You Happy?

Liu Chang'an opened his eyes comfortably in the morning. The room felt warm, but the window wasn't closed tightly, letting in a wisp of cool air. This actually made him feel comfortable and clear-headed, unlike the drowsy feeling he often gets from sleeping too long in a warm environment.

Liu Chang'an felt a warmth under his body. He touched the blanket and realized it was thicker than usual; it seemed like there was an electric blanket under the sheet.

This was probably something Zhou Shuling added out of boredom. Aside from the elderly and women, who among young men with such vigor would sleep with someone like that?

Liu Chang'an flipped through the pile. It was a sensor-activated heater, and the switch wasn't very obvious, but he found the plug, reached out and unplugged it, then continued lying down.

Liu Chang'an was just about to enjoy the wonderful time of getting up early and browsing his phone in bed, asking An Nuan to send him some private selfies, when he heard Shangguan Dandan's footsteps coming from the living room.

Zhou Dongdong's footsteps were like the roar of a landslide or a collapsing Snow Mountain- capped mountain, extremely heavy. Zhou Shuling always moved very quietly, as if afraid of disturbing others. Only Shangguan Dandan had the kind of calm and light footsteps.

She stood in the living room for a while without moving, which aroused Liu Chang'an's suspicion. When she came over and knocked on the door, Liu Chang'an closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Shangguan Dandan knocked on the door.

Liu Chang'an lay motionless, mimicking Shangguan Dandan's reclusive state while lying in the coffin.

Shangguan Dandan pushed the door open and came in herself.

Liu Chang'an noticed that she was standing by the bed, and then he heard soft, rustling sounds, as if she had taken off her shoes and sat on the bed.

What was she up to? Liu Chang'an suspected she was after the three thousand yuan she lost to him yesterday.

Yesterday, after Liu Chang'an won five yuan from Zhou Dongdong only had five yuan left of her New Year's money, so she stopped playing.

Shangguan Dandan played with Liu Chang'an for a while and lost 100 yuan. She didn't want to play anymore, but Liu Chang'an returned the 100 yuan to her, so Shangguan Dandan continued playing.

Later, Liu Chang'an lost another three hundred, which he returned to her.

As they played, Shangguan Dandan lost another thousand yuan, which Liu Chang'an still returned to her.

In the end, Shangguan Dandan lost three thousand yuan, so Liu Chang'an didn't return it to her. After all, there has to be a wager when playing cards, and if he returned it all to her, her luck at cards this year would be ruined.

Besides, Liu Chang'an has already returned about three thousand yuan to her, so the three thousand yuan she lost has already been returned to her. The three thousand yuan he has now is extra money that appeared out of thin air; it's not hers anymore. So what reason does Liu Chang'an have to return it to her?

This Shangguan Dandan isn't as magnanimous as Zhou Dongdong. After Zhou Dongdong lost yesterday, she just howled a few times before accepting reality.

Just as he was thinking this, Liu Chang'an felt Shangguan Dandan actually lie down on her side in bed, facing him.

Liu Chang'an lay quietly for a while. Although he was no less patient than Shangguan Dandan, he had something to do today.

So he opened his eyes, and when he looked to his right, he saw Shangguan Dandan staring at him quietly with a sweet smile on her face.

"You're awake." Shangguan Dandan reached out and pressed the edge of the blanket on Liu Chang'an's shoulder to prevent him from getting up on his own.

What are you going to do?

Shangguan Dandan grabbed a coat, then reached out and grabbed Liu Chang'an's head, lifting his upper body up. "I'll help you get dressed."

Shangguan Dandan stood behind Liu Chang'an, knees against his back, and stuffed him into his clothes. Then she climbed to the bedside, found Liu Chang'an's shoes, and pinched Liu Chang'an's toes to stuff them in.

What kind of rag doll are they treating him like? Liu Chang'an had seen Zhou Dongdong play with a rag doll before, and it was done like this.

After finishing these tasks, Shangguan Dandan jumped onto her shoes that she had placed by the bed and stood there, staring wide-eyed at Liu Chang'an.

Liu Chang'an left the bedroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.

Shangguan Dandan lifted her skirt and ran to the bathroom. Then she took a toothbrush and squeezed a long strip of toothpaste onto it. After Liu Chang'an came in, Shangguan Dandan stood on a small stool, pinched Liu Chang'an's mouth, and put the toothbrush into his mouth to brush his teeth.

"Has there ever been a case in history where the Empress Dowager was served such a luxurious treatment as washing up?" Liu Chang'an let her do as she pleased, glancing at her sideways.

"Those empress dowagers of fallen or weak kingdoms, none of them are as noble as I am." After Shangguan Dandan finished speaking, she puffed out her cheeks to make herself appear more dignified and majestic. She hoped that such a noble empress dowager, in contrast to her current behavior of serving him, would move him.

"Thank you." Liu Chang'an was not moved.

Shangguan Dandan took a towel, wet it, wrung out some water, and rubbed it on Liu Chang'an's face. Liu Chang'an took out his phone and filmed the process of her washing his face.

After helping him wash up, Shangguan Dandan tugged at his clothes, turned her head away from him, and slowly ran to him. She tilted her head and stared at him with wide eyes, gesturing for him to look at her too.

This scene was very familiar. Sometimes when Liu Chang'an went out with her, she would get tired after walking a little further than usual. She wouldn't say anything, but would just express herself in the hope that he would understand the meaning in his eyes.

Liu Chang'an sat down, opened his phone, and saw a photo Zhou Shuling had sent. She was making crispy roasted pork in the kitchen, and breakfast wouldn't be ready for a while.

Glancing at his kitchen, he realized he was making breakfast less and less these days, which meant Zhou Shuling's cooking skills had improved a lot.

Shangguan Dandan skipped over to him, pulled up a stool and sat down, placing her hands on the electric heater table, her cheeks resting on the back of her hands as she looked at him.

"Where's your thermos?" Liu Chang'an laughed. "Aren't you fiddling with it right now?"

"I tried it for a long time last night! But it didn't work!" Shangguan Dandan stretched out her hand, only to realize that the thermos was not with her. She hadn't even boiled any water this morning.

"Alright." Liu Chang'an casually lifted the blanket on the electric heater table, revealing the three thousand yuan he had won from her yesterday underneath.

Shangguan Dandan immediately pictured herself riding her electric scooter at breakneck speed, and looked at him with delight.

I dress you, put on your shoes, and help you wash your face and brush your teeth every day!

"No, as long as you don't come to help me dress, put on my shoes, wash my face, or brush my teeth again, you can take the money back." This was exactly what Liu Chang'an was worried about.

"Aren't you very happy?" Shangguan Dandan, puzzled.

Liu Chang'an played the footage he had just filmed of her washing his face, then went to the bathroom to get a towel, pressed it against Shangguan Dandan's face, and rubbed it. "Are you happy?"

Shangguan Dandan opened her mouth but said nothing. She took three thousand yuan and went downstairs to boil water. She didn't want to talk to him now that she didn't have a thermos with her.