Chương 34: A Midnight Visit

Starfrost stared intently at the wand in her hand, the pinkish-gold light shimmering slightly at its tip, trying to discern the changes that had occurred after absorbing the energy core.

Suddenly, her magic barrier rippled slightly—someone was approaching the room!

"Oh no!"

Her pupils suddenly contracted, and she frantically waved her wand. The pink-gold barrier vanished with a "pop" like a bubble being popped.

Before the light from the transformation had fully faded, Lin Che rushed toward the desk at an astonishing speed, almost tripping over his slippers. His elbow slammed into the corner of the desk with a "thud," but he didn't care about the pain. He grabbed the transformation device and stuffed it into the drawer.

"Click." The sound of the doorknob turning came a moment later.

Lin Che turned around abruptly, his back pressed against the edge of the desk, his heart pounding as if it would burst out of his chest. He took a deep breath and forced himself to return to a normal expression.

The door was slowly pushed open, and Su Yuqing stood in the doorway holding a fluffy down comforter. Her light pink pajamas were printed with several dozing kittens, and the collar was slightly askew, revealing half of her fair shoulder.

Her long hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, with a few unruly strands hanging down beside her ears, swaying gently as she tilted her head.

"Ah Che?" She blinked.

"What are you doing standing there?"

Lin Che's Adam's apple bobbed: "... What are you doing hugging the blanket in the middle of the night?"

"Oh, this." She shook the "giant marshmallow" in her arms, her tone light as if she were discussing tomorrow's breakfast.

"When my parents found out about the virtual world infiltration this afternoon, they rushed out in a panic and completely forgot to contact the furniture store. My new bed hasn't been delivered today, so I have nowhere to sleep!"

"You can sleep on the sofa," Lin Che immediately suggested.

"It's too hard." Su Yuqing pouted.

"Then we'll sleep on the floor."

"You'll catch a cold." She gave a pitiful look.

"I'll go tell Dad to contact them now—"

"No!" Su Yuqing rushed in, blocking the door with her back.

"They'll definitely make me go downstairs and share a bed with Xiaoye. That girl kicks people when she sleeps!"

Her eyes gleamed with a sly light: "Anyway, we live upstairs, so as long as I sneak over, they won't notice."

Lin Che sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Do you know how inappropriate this is?"

"What's inappropriate about it?" She suddenly pouted, her voice lowering, "I even gave up the chance to call my best friend Xing tonight just to spend time with you."

Lin Che's breath hitched. What was she about to say?

"You even gave up the chance to call Senior Xing Shuang?" He completed the sentence in his mind, his chest feeling like a sponge soaked in warm water, both soft and swollen.

Yin Xue's words from that afternoon suddenly echoed in my ears: "So today... I want to dedicate all my time to him."

Yin Xue's figure gradually overlapped with the girl who had lowered her head in front of him. Lin Che's gaze softened unconsciously. He reached out and took the down comforter from the girl's arms, then stepped aside to make way.

"Tonight only."

Su Yuqing's eyes immediately lit up, like a kitten that had stolen a fish, and she tiptoed in.

Her gaze swept curiously over the bookshelves, desk, and wardrobe, finally settling on the slightly worn teddy bear doll on the bedside table.

"So this is what A-Che's room looked like in junior high~" She suddenly chuckled, reaching out to poke the teddy bear's nose.

"It's cuter than I imagined, you even kept the doll."

"That was when I graduated from elementary school..."

"I know, I know, it's a 'very important souvenir,' right?" She deliberately imitated the other person's speech in an exaggerated tone, and at the same time, she pounced and threw herself into the middle of the bed. The down comforter rose and fell like a cloud, enveloping her whole body.

When Lin Che turned around from the wardrobe with the spare blanket, this was the scene he saw—Su Yuqing had rolled herself up like a sushi roll, revealing only a smug little face.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm making room for you." She blinked her innocent big eyes.

"Didn't we agree to sleep in the same bed?"

"When did I ever say we'd be together...?"

"We've slept together before!" She suddenly stretched a fair arm out from under the covers and patted the empty space next to her.

"Or perhaps..."

Her voice suddenly lowered, tinged with a mischievous smile: "What strange thoughts do you have about your sister?"

Lin Che's ears immediately turned red. He opened his mouth, but found that any rebuttal would fall into the girl's verbal trap. In the end, he could only grit his teeth, throw the quilt back into the closet, turn off the light, and go to bed.

There was a rustling sound coming from the other side of the single bed. Su Yuqing emerged lightly from under the covers, her hair, which smelled of shower gel, brushing against his nose.

"Don't worry~" she chuckled softly in the darkness, "I'll abide by the first rule of the sibling code—" A slightly cold little foot suddenly pressed against his leg.

"I will never lay a hand on my brother."

"... I don't remember ever making any sibling rules with you." Lin Che suddenly stiffened.

"I made this up right now. Do you want to hear me make up a few more?" Su Yuqing smiled mischievously and leaned closer, her warm breath brushing against his cheek.

"Like the second one, the brother must unconditionally warm the sister's bed."

"Why bother warming the bed in this weather..." Lin Che sighed helplessly, but his voice unconsciously carried a hint of doting.

"What about the third one?"

"The third thing..." Her voice suddenly became very soft, "Brother must always come back safe and sound."

The room suddenly fell silent, save for the sound of their intertwined breathing. Lin Che slowly relaxed his tense shoulders and turned to the side, looking at her slightly trembling eyelashes in the moonlight: "Are you scared?"

"Mmm." She rarely admitted honestly, her fingers secretly tugging at the hem of his pajamas, "When I learned you were trapped inside the illusory bubble, I kept thinking, if I could do it all over again, I would still lose someone important..."

Lin Che's heart felt like it had been hit hard. He gently pulled her into his arms and rubbed her rough head: "Silly girl, I'm perfectly fine."

"But I'm still scared." Her voice was muffled, as if it were squeezed out from deep within her chest.

"I'm right here, don't be afraid, okay?" Lin Che said softly, gently stroking her long hair with his fingers.

"I'll be here today, and I'll be here tomorrow. I won't leave."

Su Yuqing trembled slightly in his arms, then suddenly relaxed, as if finally confirming his presence. Lin Che felt her breathing gradually become longer and more even, and only then did he feel relieved.

"Ah Che..." Half-asleep, she pressed herself closer to Lin Che and called out unconsciously.

"Um?"

"Nothing... I just wanted to call you." Her voice was heavy with sleepiness as she rubbed against him like a contented cat. This gesture reminded him of every night they spent sleeping in each other's arms in his past life, when she always made sure he was by her side before falling asleep.

Lin Che gently brushed away her stray hairs: "Goodnight, Qingqing."

When he uttered this nickname, he felt the girl in his arms tremble slightly, and he realized that he hadn't called her that in a long time.

Not long after, he heard even breathing beside him. Lin Che smiled slightly, intending to step aside to give the girl more space, when suddenly— Su Yuqing unconsciously turned over, wrapped her arms around his, and pressed herself against him like a koala.

A soft touch suddenly came from his arm, and Lin Che froze, his ears burning instantly.

"Wait, wait a minute..."

He instinctively tried to pull his arm away, but as soon as he moved, Su Yuqing, who was asleep, frowned, let out a dissatisfied hum, hugged him even tighter, and even put one of her legs on top of him.

Lin Che immediately dared not move, and could only remain in this awkward position, letting the girl's warm breath brush against his neck.

Just as he was trying to calm his racing heart, he suddenly realized a cruel reality—Su Yuqing was sleeping here, which meant he couldn't transform into Starfrost for training tonight.

According to the system's rules, all unfinished penalty time must be multiplied by a factor of 1. 2 and included in the total time.

In other words, the precious time that could have been used tonight to offset the punishment is now accumulating in the opposite direction at 1. 2 times the rate...

Lin Che stared at the ceiling, his eyes gradually losing their luster. What was this? Sweet torture?

He tried to gently move the arm that was holding him again, but Su Yuqing immediately rolled over and pressed herself against him, her cheek against his chest, and rubbed against him contentedly.

"Um... Senior..." she mumbled in her sleep.

Lin Che: "..."

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the boy's lifeless face. He looked at the girl sleeping soundly beside him, finally sighed resignedly, and gently tucked the blanket around her.

—Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.