I care a lot about Gu Fan.
Ever since I returned after transmigrating, most of my free time—even during work—has been spent thinking about things related to him.
Maybe it’s because of my narrow life experience, or how pathetically few friends I’ve had.
When Gu Fan said I was cute, he looked so serious.
There wasn’t a trace of casualness in his tone.
And yet, despite that, I still felt a faint sense of unease.
I know that most of the friction between us comes from my own pettiness and overthinking, but I can’t help hoping that Gu Fan would embrace all of my flaws without a single complaint—and gently soothe my sensitive heart.
It’s a selfish wish…
I know I’m asking for too much.
“…Do you really think I’m cute, Gu Fan?”
As he confidently insisted that the photo turned out well, I quietly asked this follow-up.
Gu Fan is really good at hiding his emotions.
Whether he’s happy or upset, it’s hard to tell from his behavior or expression.
But maybe because of that, it’s also difficult for me to tell whether his compliments are truly sincere—if he genuinely cares about me from the bottom of his heart.
Could it be that he’s just being polite because we grew up together?
If every word Gu Fan says to comfort me is heartfelt, then why does he sometimes miss how I feel in the tiniest, most telling details?
Those kinds of thoughts pop up in my head from time to time—dark and extreme.
Even though friends should trust each other more, the greedy part of me always fantasizes about having a little soul parasite.
One that nests inside Gu Fan and thoroughly investigates his every thought—carefully filtering out any that might harm me and devouring them completely.
I pressed down the hem of my skirt in frustration, then subtly turned my gaze toward Gu Fan.
His fingers were toying with the camera strap, his head slightly tilted as if he were studying me.
After watching me for a while, he didn’t answer my question. Instead, he picked up the camera again and moved the screen in front of me.
“If Zhi Nian thinks she doesn’t look good, I won’t force you to change your mind. But what I want to say is… in my eyes, you’re incredibly alluring. Just looking at this photo makes me want to reach out and touch such an adorably clueless catgirl.”
“…Mm.”
My cheeks instantly flushed red, and I quickly turned my head to avoid Gu Fan’s burning gaze.
Gu Fan’s voice has always been well-suited for saying sweet, tender things.
And now, with him praising me so directly—no matter how used I am to his compliments, this was hard to withstand.
The little lamb who tried to run away didn’t make it back to the safety of the fence this time—it was caught by the eager big bad wolf.
Gu Fan’s arm circled around my neck, and his slender fingers unintentionally brushed across my collarbone, sending a wave of tingles and goosebumps over my skin.
I stared blankly at Gu Fan’s hand, the image I’d been resisting still displayed on the screen.
But this time, even if I wanted to escape, I couldn’t.
Held tightly in his strong arms, I heard Gu Fan’s gentle voice whisper by my ear:
“Zhi Nian, look here. That silly look of yours with milk foam on your lips—isn’t that just adorable?”
“…Don’t you think it looks really ungraceful?”
I’ve always wanted to present myself as perfect in front of Gu Fan, so I hated these little unconscious moments of mine.
“Hm? You’re overthinking it again. I’m not the type who cares about what’s graceful or not. On the contrary, it’s this kind of clumsy little moment you show without realizing—that’s what really touches me.”
Gu Fan… actually thinks that way?
Mm… I don’t get it. Aren’t guys supposed to want the perfect type of girl?
Even though we’re just friends…
After being comforted like this by Gu Fan, my mood suddenly softened a lot.
It was like a warm spring breeze brushing gently over me.
Even the photo in front of me didn’t seem as awful as before—I didn’t hate it nearly as much anymore.
Since Gu Fan thought it was cute, then I guess it passed the test.
Being seen as a cute catgirl in Gu Fan’s eyes—I’m really lucky.
The corners of my lips curved up without me realizing.
I placed my hand on Gu Fan’s arm and quietly leaned my head against him.
Mmm~
Once things calmed down, I realized just how intimate this pose was.
If I leaned back even a little, I’d fall right into Gu Fan’s chest.
But since Gu Fan hadn’t noticed how suggestive his position was, I decided to play dumb for once.
No way was I going to ruin such a perfect cuddling opportunity by pointing it out too soon.
“There’s also this one—this one’s pretty fun too.”
Gu Fan seemed completely unaware, his attention fully focused on the camera as he kept pressing buttons to flip through the photos for me.
My gaze slowly shifted from his slender fingers to the camera, looking at the many versions of myself captured in the photos.
My cat ears stood tall, quietly collecting all of Gu Fan’s compliments and the joy hidden in his voice.
I suddenly realized—being liked by someone really was such a happy experience.
“Hm? This one’s a shame. If it weren’t so blurry, I’d want to make it my phone wallpaper. That rushed pose you made while flashing a peace sign—it’s got such a strong visual charm.”
What Gu Fan saw as visually charming, I had always thought of as stiff and awkward.
But listening to him praise me like this, I felt like I was floating up onto a cloud.
It felt too unreal. If it were anyone else judging me, they definitely wouldn’t go on about it like Gu Fan did.
But… for now, I only wanted Gu Fan to be the one judging me.
If he liked complimenting me, then I’d just go ahead and accept it.
While Gu Fan talked about his impressions of each photo, I quietly leaned deeper into his chest.
The moment I touched him, I felt a comforting sense of reassurance settle over me.
Just like that, our little argument gently melted away, and our shopping mall adventure could continue once more.
It’s so nice~
So, so nice~
* * * * *
Gu Fan held me in his arms and chatted with me for quite a while.
Only after making sure I’d calmed down did he finally let go and finish off his now-cold coffee in one gulp.
Taking advantage of the cleared-up misunderstanding, I suggested going to play an escape room for a bit.
Naturally, Gu Fan didn’t refuse.
But once we arrived at the escape room venue, I suddenly started to regret it.
“Why are all the scenarios meant for multiple players…?”
I flipped through the brochure in frustration—under every scenario description, the words “multiplayer” were clearly written.
Gu Fan didn’t seem too bothered, casually browsing through the pamphlet.
But the whole reason I wanted to try an escape room was because it felt like a perfect two-person adventure, solving puzzles and braving challenges together.
Why were the owners so inconsiderate?
Being teamed up with strangers wouldn’t be nearly as fun!
Why couldn’t they design more two-player rooms?
I flipped through the entire brochure and finally found the only two duos-only scenarios.
But… one was a ‘brothers’ theme, and the other was a ‘couple’ theme.
Which one should I pick?
I turned to glance at Gu Fan—he hadn’t reached the last page yet, still reading the earlier scenarios with interest.
In that case…
I’ll just make the decision myself.
“Boss, we’ll take this one.”