Chapter 81: The Anti-“Qing” Alliance Is Officially Formed!

Ruo Xiaozhen had been binge-watching a dating reality show for two consecutive days, to the point where she was completely obsessed.

She sat cross-legged on her bed, the tablet propped up on the blanket, the screen’s light reflecting off her face.

Outside the window, the night was thick, and the entire building had fallen silent.

Only the light in her room was still on.

The show playing on the screen was Heart Signal, the hottest amateur dating show right now.

Six single men and women were living together in a beachside villa, with cameras recording all their interactions.

The panel of observers in the studio watched and analyzed, debating who liked whom and who was hesitating.

The production team had specially stated that this was a very inclusive and open-minded show—it didn’t necessarily have to be a man and a woman forming a CP.

Two men or two women could also match.

With that gimmick, the show had instantly garnered massive attention online.

Ruo Xiaozhen used to watch shows like this just for fun, but today, for some reason, the more she watched, the faster her heart raced.

On the screen, Female Contestant No. 4 was tying an apron for Female Contestant No. 2 in the kitchen.

She wrapped her arms around from behind, reaching around Female No. 2’s waist, and gently tied the apron strings into a bow at her back.

Female No. 2’s face instantly turned red.

She lowered her head, afraid to look at Female No. 4, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t help lifting up.

Ruo Xiaozhen stared at that image, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

‘What if it were me and Yan Yu…’

She shook her head violently, trying to shake off the thought.

But that image seemed to have burned itself onto her retina, impossible to get rid of.

She began to imagine all sorts of messy scenarios:

‘If she and Yan Yu went to that new dessert shop, would Yan Yu help tie an apron for her too? If they rode the Ferris wheel together, at the highest point, would Yan Yu turn her head to look at her?’

Ahhhh!

Ruo Xiaozhen slapped her own cheek hard.

‘What am I thinking?’

If she kept going like this, if she kept fantasizing about so many strange things, there was no way she’d be able to interact with Yan Yu normally anymore.

She had to stop that from happening.

Hadn’t that shameful thing she’d done that night been enough?

But the harder Ruo Xiaozhen tried to drive these thoughts away, the more they grew like wild weeds.

They drilled through the cracks in her mind, took root, sprouted, twisted, and finally wrapped around her entire heart.

She had planned to get up early the next morning to make Yan Yu breakfast—she’d promised to make brown sugar steamed cake, and the dough was already proofed—but the more she thought about it, the more excited she became.

She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep at all.

The pillow was rolled into a mess, and the blanket was kicked into wrinkles.

“No, no, no, no, no! Ruo Xiaozhen, pull yourself together! Yan Yu is your important friend, your best bestie.

You can’t have those weird thoughts about her!!

Absolutely not, got it?”

“Ruo Xiaozhen, you can’t be a lesbian!

You absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot become a lesbian!”

She tossed and turned like this, her heart roaring and surging inside.

Three in the morning.

She still hadn’t fallen asleep.

Her phone screen was still lit up, the dating show still playing, and her mind was still a mess.

Her attempts to convince herself had absolutely no effect!

The strange feelings for Yan Yu just wouldn’t stop.

She realized she was like someone who’d gotten hooked—once she started to notice the emotions, she couldn’t stop, and her body was no longer under control.

On the screen, the show had already reached the third episode.

The observer panel had switched to a new topic, discussing:

“What is the most heart-fluttering moment in love?”

The question was very standard, but the male and female guests were all enthusiastically participating.

They sat around a long table, looking at each other and chatting excitedly.

Meanwhile, in the comment section, netizens watching online were also chiming in.

Some said love at first sight, some said being treated gently, and some said the sense of security accumulated through everyday trivialities.

Ruo Xiaozhen flipped the tablet face down on the blanket, lay on her back, and stared at the light on the ceiling that had already been turned off.

“The most heart-fluttering moment…”

She murmured the phrase, and all that appeared in her mind were shadows of Yan Yu.

What was her most heart-fluttering moment?

It must all be related to Yan Yu, right?

The way Yan Yu sat at her desk, slightly lowering her head to read.

The way Yan Yu picked up a glass of milk, took a sip, and set it down again.

The way Yan Yu stuck out her tongue to lick the milk stain off the back of her hand.

Every image was crystal clear.

Every image made her so happy, she could never get tired of looking at them.

She buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled groan.

Just then—

Ding-dong.

Her phone rang.

Ruo Xiaozhen lazily reached out, grabbed her phone from the nightstand, squinted, and swiped the screen open.

It was a WeChat message.

The sender made her pause for a moment.

Bai Yan’er?

That girl who was Yan Yu’s younger sister—nominally her sister, but actually not blood-related.

Ruo Xiaozhen wasn’t that familiar with Bai Yan’er.

But recently, Bai Yan’er had been sending her messages from time to time, asking about Yan Yu’s health and whether she was eating well.

Her tone had always been gentle and polite.

Ruo Xiaozhen didn’t think much of it.

In her eyes, Bai Yan’er was just the kind of very warm-hearted person, a good sister who really cared about her elder sister.

She tapped to open the message.

[Bai Yan’er: Good evening, Xiao Zhen.

Are you resting?]

Ruo Xiaozhen immediately typed back:

[Ruo Xiaozhen: Not yet!

I’m watching a show, totally hooked, can’t fall asleep, haha.]

She added a crying-laughing emoji.

[Bai Yan’er: A show?]

[Ruo Xiaozhen: Yeah!

Heart Signal Season 3!

Have you seen it?

It’s super good!

I’m telling you, Male Guest No. 4 this season is amazing—tall, handsome, and he can cook!]

Ruo Xiaozhen typed a long message, but after sending it, she felt her excitement was a bit too much, so she added:

[Ruo Xiaozhen: Sorry, I tend to ramble…]

[Bai Yan’er: It’s fine.

I’m glad you like it.]

A smiling emoji followed, soft and gentle.

Ruo Xiaozhen held her phone, thinking Bai Yan’er was really a nice person.

Even though she was from a high-class family, she had no airs at all.

Another message came.

[Bai Yan’er: Oh, by the way, Xiao Zhen, how has my sister been lately?]

Sister—meaning Yan Yu.

Ruo Xiaozhen replied almost without thinking:

[Ruo Xiaozhen: She’s doing great!

We just got through midterms, and she’s been resting at home these past couple of days.

Her condition is good.]

[Bai Yan’er: What about her health?

Nothing serious?]

[Ruo Xiaozhen: No, no, don’t worry!

I’m taking good care of her for you!]

Ruo Xiaozhen typed that line with a pat on her own chest, wearing an expression that said, ‘Leave it to me, no problem.’

On the other end of the call, Bai Yan’er stared at the line on her screen, a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

“…I’m taking good care of her for you.”

That line sounded so weird.

Bai Yan’er’s finger paused momentarily above the screen, a flicker of displeasure in her eyes.

But she quickly adjusted her expression and continued typing in a gentle tone.

[Bai Yan’er: That’s good.

With you looking after her, I feel reassured.]

After a pause, another message came.

[Bai Yan’er: Xiao Zhen… have you been keeping anything from me lately?]

Ruo Xiaozhen froze.

[Ruo Xiaozhen: Huh?

Why do you ask that all of a sudden?]

[Bai Yan’er: It’s like this.

I was thinking of asking my sister to help me with some tutoring this weekend.]

Ruo Xiaozhen thought, Yan Yu was indeed good at her studies, so asking her for tutoring made sense.

—But Bai Yan’er’s next sentence snapped her fully awake.

[Bai Yan’er: But when I mentioned it to her, she said she already had plans this weekend.]

[Bai Yan’er: Was it you who made plans with her?]

Ruo Xiaozhen’s eyes widened, her fingers flying to type two words.

[Ruo Xiaozhen: It wasn’t me!]

After sending, she slowly finished reading Bai Yan’er’s messages.

Already had plans this weekend.

Yan Yu had plans with someone?

How come she didn’t know?

Ruo Xiaozhen tilted her head, staring at the screen, her brows furrowed.

She lived with Yan Yu every day, ate together, studied together—she knew when Yan Yu went out, came back, went to bed, and got up.

If Yan Yu had plans for the weekend, she should have mentioned it.

[Bai Yan’er: Is that so?

Then who do you think it could be?]

When this message arrived, several possibilities were already turning over in Ruo Xiaozhen’s mind.

[Bai Yan’er: Who are the closer friends around my sister?]