A Girl in Love Has a Negative IQ

Ah... I didn't sleep a wink...

Xiao Ling stared through panda eyes at Little Ai, who was sleeping soundly in front of him. Fortunately, it was the weekend; otherwise, he would have fallen asleep the moment he got to class.

They were so close that he could count every one of Little Ai's eyelashes, though he had no idea what the point of counting them was.

After Little Ai caught him red-handed hugging his peach last night, she had taken the peach's place. He had to admit, the two felt completely different.

Dania was petite and lovely, while Aemeath was tall and voluptuous. The physical impact she had on him was incomparable.

As if that weren't enough, she had even refused to leave in the end, insisting on sharing his bed and pillow. He had repeatedly stressed that men and women should keep their distance, but when he saw how aggrieved Aemeath looked, on the verge of tears, he suddenly couldn't bring himself to be firm.

There was nothing he could do. He had been in the wrong first, so he might as well indulge her.

Of course, he had originally planned to sleep on the floor and let Little Ai have the bed. Who knew Aemeath wouldn't give him any room to negotiate? She pulled him onto the bed and even used him as a body pillow.

How was he supposed to know that someone who looked so delicate and frail could be so strong? Hajiling couldn't have gotten away even if he'd wanted to.

As expected, he hadn't slept well all night. The girl had slept soundly while holding him, while a rich floral fragrance kept drifting into his nose. He didn't know whether it was her own scent, her body wash, or a bit of both.

In short, it was irresistible.

So Xiao Ling couldn't sleep at all. With her holding him, he couldn't move around much either. All he could do was scroll through his phone and count her eyelashes until the birds greeted the morning sun with cheerful song.

"I really want to sleep..."

Just then, Aemeath, who was sleeping soundly with Hajiling in her arms, frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes.

"Mm... is it morning?" Little Ai's voice was a little nasal, still hazy with sleep.

"Yeah. Good morning, Aemeath."

"Mm~ good morning, A-Yu~" Aemeath smiled sweetly as she greeted Xiao Ling, who was lying beside her.

Xiao Ling was just about to say something else when Aemeath suddenly tightened her arm around his neck. All he could see was her flawless little face, wearing a faint smile, rapidly drawing closer, and then-

Chu~ mwah~

??????????

Wait, bro?! Huh?! Hajiai, what the hell are you doing?!

Xiao Ling felt something soft and moist against his cheek and suddenly realized that, for some reason, he might have just received Little Ai's good-morning kiss service.

After the kiss, Aemeath buried her little head in the crook of Xiao Ling's neck. He could feel how hot her cheeks were. Was steam coming off them too?

"You dared to do it, but you won't own up to it?" Xiao Ling poked the pink-haired bundle and teased her.

"Stop it~ this is so embarrassing..." Aemeath had only worked up the courage to do something so intimate by taking advantage of her half-awake daze. Now, her own sweet prank had left her blushing.

So Xiao Ling kept poking, and Aemeath kept shrinking away. Finally, Little Ai couldn't take it anymore. She suddenly lifted her head and gently took his restless index finger between her cherry lips.

"Y-you poke me again and I'll bite you!"

Holy! Shit!

What the fuck is this development? Wuthering Waves isn't supposed to work like this! I'm supposed to go on dates with you first, max out your affection, and finally have a beautiful candlelit dinner or something! What do you mean your affection maxed out before I even started grinding it? And the way you're blushing and threatening me with my finger between your teeth really makes it hard not to have improper thoughts, okay?!!!!!!

Aemeath also realized that what she was doing was practically no different from flirting. Her cheeks turned so red they could have dripped blood. She hurriedly told the blushing, still-dumbfounded Xiao Ling that she was going to wash up, then scrambled out of bed and even bumped into the doorframe on her way out.

Dania thought Aemeath was acting very strangely today.

Not only had she seen Aemeath come out of Xiao Ling's room that morning, but she'd also noticed that her face was unusually red, she was limping a little, and her brows were slightly furrowed, as though she were enduring something.

Wait, no way. Don't tell me...!

Dania suddenly wanted to slap her yesterday's self, who had enjoyed watching the commotion and hadn't cared how big it got.

She had been so stupid, really. She had known perfectly well that Aemeath had extraordinary feelings for Ling, yet she had still given the two of them space to be alone and had even thoughtfully closed the door behind her.

Ling's boundaries were clear, but that didn't mean Aemeath wouldn't force herself on him!

If something really happened between them...

"I'm full. I'm going back to my room." Dania set down her half-finished porridge and immediately ran upstairs, not letting anyone see that her eyes were already turning red.

"Hey, Yaya...!" Sigrika noticed that something was wrong with Dania, but before she could call her back, Dania was already upstairs, closing the door a little heavily behind her.

"What's wrong with Xiao Ya? Doesn't she usually love eating?" Aemeath, who was directly involved, never once considered that she might be the cause. "Ow... that hurts a little..."

"Let me take a look, okay? Hmm... you did scrape your knee a little. There's medicine in Senior's room. I'll go get some for you now." After checking Aemeath's injury, Chisa immediately put down her nearly empty bowl and went upstairs to get some ointment.

"That's strange. Xiao Ling still hasn't come down. Is he not up yet?" Lynae wondered aloud as she helped herself to another bowl of porridge.

"I'm not sure..." Sigrika shook her head, her four braids swaying gently with the movement.

(He actually just went to sleep. Please don't @ him.)

"Jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk!"

Dania pounded the soft pillow to vent her feelings. Her eyes were rimmed red, and she looked terribly aggrieved.

"You always act like such a gentleman, but the moment someone asks, you just give it to her!"

They said a girl in love had a negative IQ, and Dania was a perfect example right now.

Though, for her, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

After racking her brain for every insult she could throw at Xiao Ling, Dania finally grew tired. She collapsed onto the pillow, her shoulders shaking as she secretly shed tears.

About fifteen minutes later, Dania finally pulled herself free of her grievances and immediately made a decision.

"I have to find him and make that jerk explain himself in person!"

So she marched straight to Hajiling's room without hesitation, then gently opened the door.

She was so gentle, really. Even though she knew Hajiling had made her this sad, she was still thinking of him.

Dania entered the room and immediately saw Xiao Ling sleeping soundly on the left side of the large bed.

Hah, sleeping so soundly. Looks like he worked pretty hard tilling the fields last night...

She knew that all she had to do was twist his ear or slap him across the face, and she could vent her anger while waking him up to confront him. But in the end, she didn't.

Instead, she chose a very silly approach-she lay down beside him and waited for him to wake up on his own.

It was also a good chance to sort out her own feelings.

When did I start letting this big jerk affect my emotions so much?

Was it when he angrily stepped in to protect me at the convention?

Was it when he reunited me with Sigrika?

Or was it when he took me shopping and out to eat, bought me clothes, and praised me?

Or... was it when he silently indulged all my wilful demands?

Dania didn't know, and she couldn't figure it out. It wasn't until she personally felt that sour ache on the school field beneath the blazing sun that day that she realized how deeply she had fallen.

What a joke. She had thought she was simply dependent on him, only to discover that she had fallen for him long ago without even realizing it.

Perhaps this world was too gentle, so gentle that it was hateful. That was why she had gradually lost herself in the warmth of the little everyday moments he spent by her side.

That was why, when she saw the happiness mixed with pain on Aemeath's face, it had felt so piercing, so piercing that it made her want to cry.

She had clearly been there first, yet she was also the one who had handed the opportunity to someone else.

She was angry with Xiao Ling, but even angrier with herself. That was why she desperately wanted an answer, one that would either put her mind at ease or make her give up all hope.

So, when Xiao Ling woke from his sleep, he found an aggrieved peach with red-rimmed eyes in front of him.

"Hmm? Who bullied you?" Xiao Ling immediately became much more alert. Though his voice was still a little hoarse, his tone was colder than usual.

Which blind fool made my adorable peach cry again? Want a Rider Kick?

"You're awake?" Dania said languidly, her voice choked with tears.

"Barely. So why are you crying? Who upset you? I'll go deal with them."

Dania said nothing, just kept staring at Xiao Ling with eyes as red as a rabbit's.

After silently meeting her gaze for a moment, Xiao Ling suddenly understood.

Well, turns out I'm the source of the problem.

"Tell me, what did I do to upset you this time?" He sat up straight and gently rubbed Dania's little head.

Dania unhappily slapped his paw away and asked in a choked voice, "Did you and Aemeath...?"

"You're overthinking it." Before Dania could finish, Xiao Ling knew she had misunderstood. "Aemeath and I didn't do that."

"Why should I believe you?"

Yeah, why should she believe me?

He really couldn't produce any evidence in his favor. If he brought up things like marks on the sheets, he could easily have cleaned them up afterward, so that wouldn't be decisive evidence.

Xiao Ling's sudden silence made Dania even more certain of her judgment, and tears gradually filled her eyes.

She hated it when Xiao Ling lied to her. She hated it very, very much.

Just as Dania's trust in Xiao Ling was about to hit rock bottom...

"Senior, are you in there?" Chisa knocked on the door. "Aemeath bumped her knee and scraped it a little. I'd like to get some ointment from you for her. Is that okay?"

Chisa had come by once before, but Xiao Ling had been sleeping too soundly. After knocking and waiting a while without a response, she had given up.

Bumped her knee?

The suspicion and grievance in Dania's eyes vanished in an instant.

"Wait a moment. I'll get it for you."

Xiao Ling dug out the first-aid kit, took out a tube of ointment for scrapes, and handed it to Chisa through a crack in the door. Then he closed it again.

"Forget it. I'll tell you exactly what happened after you left last night." Xiao Ling looked helplessly at Dania, whose tears were swirling in her eyes.

"So Aemeath's face was that red just because she was too embarrassed?"

"Yeah. And the only reason I slept during the day was that I didn't sleep at all last night."

He really couldn't let Aemeath sleep with him next time. Hugging and cuddling were fine, but after sleeping together this once, his credit score had nearly dropped too low to use the shared bikes.

Dania got the explanation she wanted, and her anxious heart finally settled.

"This kind of thing is sacred, Yaya." Xiao Ling gently held her hand, soothing her as he spoke earnestly. "When two people in love take their relationship to that point, it means that from then on, they'll be each other's strongest support. I wouldn't joke about something like that."

"Then why do you make dirty jokes every day?"

"I'm a healthy man, aren't I?"

After that exchange, the two of them burst out laughing at the same time.

Then, while Dania was still laughing, Xiao Ling casually pulled her into his arms.

Dania leaned obediently against him. Her laughter gradually faded, replaced by muffled sobs.

A faint, gentle smile on his lips, Xiao Ling quietly let Dania vent her feelings.

What Dania wanted was simple: a safe harbor that would be there for her simply because she needed it.

A safe harbor where she needed no lies or brave face, one that would be open to her no matter how wilful she was.

And he happened to be happy to provide just that. That was enough.