"So, we could've gone through the front gate. Why are we sneaking over the wall?"
Shen Luolun couldn't help grumbling as he climbed the ladder to get over the wall.
"What do you think my family would think if I brought a man home in the middle of the night?"
Yelan gave the man in front of her a push on the backside.
"Hurry up. We're done for if the guards spot us on patrol."
"It's not like I've never been here before. What's there to misunderstand?"
Shen Luolun rolled his eyes and climbed faster.
It wasn't that he'd never been to Yelan's home. On the contrary, he'd been there so often that he knew the place inside out. He was practically family.
He and Yelan had grown up together, and he was on familiar terms with just about everyone in the Ye Family.
Everyone who saw him could call him by name.
He even called Yelan's parents his godmother and godfather. Anyone who didn't know better might think he was the Ye Family's eldest young master.
With an advantage like that, who would dare make a fuss if he went through the front gate?
He really couldn't understand what this woman was thinking.
The two climbed over the wall, put the ladder away, and quietly headed for Yelan's courtyard.
Everything went extremely smoothly, and they reached the courtyard without incident.
Only after they went inside did Yelan breathe a sigh of relief and soothe her pounding little heart.
Thank goodness we weren't discovered.
Wait, soothing what? Who was doing the soothing?
She looked down. A hand both unfamiliar and familiar was doing a fine job of soothing her little heart for her.
Shen Luolun beamed and gave her a thumbs-up with his other hand, as if to say, We're bros. Don't mention it.
A vein bulged on Yelan's forehead.
Bang!
Birds scattered in fright.
The commotion soon drew the guards patrolling the grounds.
"Who's there?"
"Is someone there?"
"Let's go take a look."
Four or five men carrying lanterns walked over.
When they saw where the sound had come from, they exchanged glances and stopped in their tracks.
"Huh? Isn't this the eldest young lady's courtyard?"
"The eldest young lady?"
"This..."
Yelan held an exceptionally high position in the Ye Family. It could be said that she ranked second only to the family head. Without her permission, not even the family head could enter her courtyard, let alone guards like them.
But they had a duty to perform, and this concerned the eldest young lady, so they had to be cautious.
Just as their leader hesitated over whether to knock, an indifferent yet familiar voice came from inside:
"You can all leave!"
So the eldest young lady had returned.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes."
The group left to patrol elsewhere.
Once the sounds had completely faded into the distance.
In the courtyard.
Yelan looked at the half-conscious man she was gripping, her voice icy.
"Who said you could put your hand there?"
"..."
Seeing that he still hadn't come around, she shook him hard.
Shen Luolun quickly came to his senses.
"Stop shaking me, stop shaking me. I'm going to throw up."
Only then did Yelan let go of him.
"You looked tense, so I was helping you relax."
Shen Luolun rubbed his head, then spoke with a completely serious expression.
"If you want to touch something, touch your own!"
Yelan glared fiercely at him, anger written across her face.
Did this man really not understand, or was he pretending?
Could he just... touch a girl like that?
Did he have any... sense of safety at all?
"We're bros. It's not like I was deliberately taking advantage of you. Didn't we play like that all the time when we were little?"
Shen Luolun pursed his lips.
He really hadn't meant to take advantage of his bro just now. He'd simply been trying to help, with just a tiny bit of mischief mixed in, wanting to see how she would react.
Although he had felt lust for his bro earlier, he had quickly realized his mistake and buried it in his heart as something taboo. His state of mind had returned to normal, and he could do whatever he usually did with his bro and get along with her.
"Can things be the same as when we were little?!"
Yelan clenched her fist, unable to resist the urge to beat him up again.
Was he a savage? Did he understand anything about the basics of human society?
Under Liyue law, behavior like his would land him in prison for life!
Honestly...
But when she thought about all the years they'd spent together, how carefree he was around her and how he paid no heed to the distinction between men and women, Yelan suddenly felt weary.
Shen Luolun really did see her as a bro of the opposite sex, without any improper thoughts. That was why he played around with her as he always had; his innocent heart had never changed.
Yelan had known that all along, yet she was still angry.
"Hmph!"
She turned and walked away, paying the man no attention.
"Hey, hey, hey, wait for me."
Shen Luolun called out and jogged after her.
Wow, how shameless.
She actually used her Elemental Skill.
So what if she has one constellation?
Hey, hey, hey, I'm falling behind.
Yelan's courtyard was very large, but also very small.
There was only one room and one bed.
After all, a private courtyard didn't have a guest room. Those were elsewhere in the residence.
After washing up one after the other, the two changed into their pajamas and sat on the bed, staring at each other.
"Hey, how about you sleep on the floor?" Shen Luolun suggested.
"What?"
Yelan pinched the bastard.
What was he saying? This was my room, and he wanted me to sleep on the floor?
Where was his gentlemanly manner?
Shen Luolun grimaced, giving her a resentful look.
"You hit people at the drop of a hat. You were so cute when you were little."
Did girls all turn into violent maniacs when they grew up?
What exactly caused it?
How scary.
"If someone didn't ask for it when he had nothing better to do, he wouldn't get beaten up," Yelan said coldly.
Shen Luolun coughed twice.
"You know I'm a restless sleeper. I move around and kick the covers off, so sharing a bed with you would affect your sleep quality. That's why I suggested you sleep on the floor. I'm doing it all for your sake."
"Please sound more sincere when you say that last part. I might just soften up and agree."
"Oh, really?"
"Then, dear Yelan geigei, could you-"
Yelan pinched his cheeks and gave him a deathly smile.
"Nope."
"Mmph-"
A trace of fear flashed in Shen Luolun's eyes.
This woman suddenly got so scary.
"You're the one who should sleep on the floor!"
"As a guest, you should know your place. Don't you understand that you shouldn't make things difficult for your host?"
Yelan folded her arms across her chest, her gaze cold.
"That's not right, is it? When an honored guest graces a humble home, the host should save face in front of the guest even if it costs them everything, achieving a happy ending where the guest feels right at home," Shen Luolun argued.
"What you're describing is practically a rules horror story, isn't it? Who would ruin themselves to please a guest? Don't think I haven't read the Old Tavern you wrote."
Yelan waved her fist, startling him.
Shen Luolun gave an awkward smile.
"Oh, come on, you know it's a novel. Fictional things won't happen. Besides, it's just a bed, so put up with it for one night. I'll sleep in a guest room tomorrow."
"If someone has to put up with it, you do it. I'm going to sleep!"
Yelan ignored him and lay down on the side of the bed next to the wall, turning her back to him in her blue pajamas.
"..."
Shen Luolun opened his mouth.
But he had nothing to say.
If Yelan wanted to sleep there, he couldn't exactly drive her away.
He was the challenger.
Shen Luolun looked at the cold floor, then felt the warm bedding.
He steeled himself.
And lay down on the bed too.
He really didn't want to sleep on the floor, so he had no choice but to put up with it and share a bed with his bro.
So sad (っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)
And where Shen Luolun couldn't see, two peach-colored blushes had quietly spread across Yelan's cheeks.
This guy really did dare to sleep with her.