By the time they returned to Lily’s house, it was already quite late.
Entering the living room, the massive floor-to-ceiling windows that spanned an entire wall offered a stunning view of the city’s nightscape. The colorful, vibrant scene made Qianqian gasp in awe. She ran barefoot, not even bothering to put on slippers, and pressed her nose against the glass, staring at the view, her nose squished against the glass like a pig’s snout.
"I've never seen a night view from this high before!"
Yan Xinya, who had already seen the view a few times, rolled her eyes at Qianqian’s dramatic reaction. She put her handbag on the coffee table and asked, "Where are Ning Chu and Wen Yang? Did they get a ride?"
Lily, who had been following behind, shook her head.
"Isn't it a hassle to get a cab around here at night? There are hardly any delivery options either..."
Yan Xinya sat down on the couch, grumbling.
This area was a bit remote, part of the city's newly developed district. Although the residential buildings had been constructed, the surrounding facilities were still incomplete, and the area had low foot traffic, making it difficult to get a rideshare or a taxi at night.
The three of them had managed to catch a ride first, so they had returned earlier.
"I already said they should just squeeze in with us," Yan Xinya grumbled. "Let Ning Chu sit on Wen Yang's lap, that would work."
"Not safe."
Lily, who had dropped her bag, yawned and stretched out on the couch, pulling her legs up and curling into a ball, holding her phone as she relaxed.
"What are we doing tonight? Watching a movie? We were supposed to play mahjong, but Qianqian ran off with some guy, and Ning Chu still isn’t back."
Yan Xinya, though, was still full of energy, her excitement at MAX. She hadn’t rested for even two minutes after coming home and was already thinking about their next activity.
"I’m tired."
"Tired? When we were in the dorm, you could stay up all night watching Little Emperor’s Uncle."
"..."
Qianqian, keenly aware, turned to her. "Huh? What book?"
"Novel."
Although Lily’s essence was exposed by the lewd wallpaper on her computer, Qianqian wasn’t a succubus and hadn’t been around long enough to see Lily completely let loose.
Otherwise, Qianqian would already have links to her online shopping in her phone.
"Let’s watch a movie~" Yan Xinya grabbed the projector remote and began operating the projector while looking for an interesting movie. "How about a horror film? Perfect for the night."
"Anything’s fine."
Qianqian had grown bored of the city’s night view and finally joined them on the couch. Leaning forward with curiosity, she asked, "A horror film? You all have such big guts?"
"Of course! I’m a wolf! A brave and bold wolf!"
Though Qianqian was tempted to joke that Yan Xinya looked more like a husky, she refrained and dutifully turned off the living room lights, plunging the room into darkness.
This dark atmosphere was definitely perfect for watching a horror film.
...
Over an hour and a half later, the movie ended, and Lily, curled up with her legs tucked under, had already dozed off, resting her head on Yan Xinya’s shoulder.
Yan Xinya didn’t know how Lily managed to fall asleep during a horror movie, especially since it was pretty scary.
She awkwardly stiffened, not daring to move too much for fear of waking Lily.
"It’s already midnight... I’m hungry," Yan Xinya complained, covering her stomach. She turned to Qianqian and asked, "Should we get a late-night snack?"
"Sure!"
Qianqian agreed but then lowered her voice, confused, and asked, "By the way, where’s Ning Chu? Haven’t they gotten a ride yet?"
"..."
Yan Xinya suddenly realized why she felt something was missing after finishing the movie! Ning Chu and Wen Yang still hadn’t come back?
"It’s been two hours, they should’ve walked here by now, right?" Yan Xinya scratched her head. "Maybe they went off somewhere to have fun?"
But it was so late, and the area was remote—where would they go for fun?
Even finding a hotel would be difficult.
Then, her eyes lit up. "Don’t tell me they went back to the hot spring again?"
"Ah?" Qianqian, momentarily caught off guard, asked, "Ning Chu hasn’t had enough of soaking? It’s not good for her health if she soaks for too long."
"Ah, you’re just a kid, it’s hard to explain to you."
"I’m already eighteen, okay?"
Yan Xinya glanced at Qianqian’s flat chest, a polite smile forming on her face.
Considering the time, it had definitely been over two hours since they left the hot spring resort.
Wen Yang was really something, huh? Even if those two hours weren’t entirely spent on action, with some prep time, it still seemed like a huge stretch compared to what people online said—usually, the average time was about ten minutes, and yet here they were.
Qianqian slowly began to understand something, her face turning a faint shade of red.
Just as they were discussing Ning Chu, they heard the sound of the elevator door opening.
"Why is it so dark? Did everyone already fall asleep?"
Entering Lily’s hallway, Ning Chu hurriedly lowered her voice, instinctively softening her steps.
Her steps were awkward, and as she bent down to slip on her slippers, she furrowed her brow slightly, muttering under her breath, "It’s all your fault, it hurts so much, and I don’t even know when it’ll get better."
"Yeah, yeah, it’s all my fault."
Wen Yang gave her a helpless, gentle smile.
He had no idea who had been calling for more, faster...
He slid off his shoes and put on his slippers, walking toward the living room. However, he stopped in his tracks when he turned the corner.
"You know I didn’t feel any pain up there? You need to be careful next time..."
"Still not sleeping? Watching a movie?"
Wen Yang’s words interrupted Ning Chu’s complaints. She froze for a moment, then realized her earlier conversation with him had been overheard. Her face instantly turned bright red, and she couldn’t lift her head, her shyness making her cheeks burn.
I can’t believe this! How did they hear nothing?!
She hurriedly peeked into the living room, only to find the projection screen was still showing a dim, black interface, with the faint glow of the screen. Her three best friends were sitting on the couch, all turning to look at her.
Lily had already woken up when the elevator door opened, and the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ three of them turned to Ning Chu in sync, each with a strange, teasing look in their eyes.
"..."
Ning Chu silently retreated, her head quickly disappearing behind the door.
Wen Yang also awkwardly gave a dry smile, then nonchalantly turned on the living room lights. "What time is it? You’re still up. Don’t tell me you’re planning to stay up all night?"
"Xin Ya said she wanted to wait for you to play mahjong, but she didn’t realize she’d be waiting until now."
Yan Xinya wasn’t as innocent as Qianqian. She grinned widely, teasing, "I was worried you two might be noisy if you slept together, but it looks like you’ll sleep well now~"
Lily nodded in agreement. "True."
It sounded like an intense battle of epic proportions... probably still happening in the hot spring.
"I’m going to the bathroom."
Ning Chu quickly darted out of the hallway, rushing past the living room, and slipped into the bathroom.
I knew it! They’d find out! If it weren’t for Wen Yang’s suggestion, I wouldn’t have gotten tempted!
It’s all Wen Yang’s fault!
Her hurried footsteps, due to the pain, made Yan Xinya notice right away.
It looked like she was really hurt.
