Chapter 29: Lin Ran, Jane Wei'an, and Jiang Shuyao Share a Room for the Night

As they kissed, Jian Wei'an's head drooped lower and lower until she finally passed out on Lin Ran's shoulder. Lin Ran pursed his lips. "Shuyao, your best friend's lips are so soft and comfortable~"

Jiang Shuyao rolled her eyes. "Stop showing off and hurry up, carry her inside."

Lin Ran carried Jian Wei'an into the bedroom and laid her down, reaching out to remove her pants.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Shuyao rushed over, shoved Lin Ran aside, and hugged Jian Wei'an protectively, terrified.

"My girlfriend is drunk. I’m helping my girlfriend change clothes. Please give way, I need to help my girlfriend change clothes," Lin Ran insisted, calling Jian Wei'an his girlfriend at every turn, as if everything he did was only right and natural.

"I’ll do it, I’ll do it! You should just go home. Don’t worry, your girlfriend will be well taken care of."

"My parents are already asleep. If I go home, I'll wake them up. I’ll just sleep here tonight." As he spoke, Lin Ran shamelessly jumped onto the bed and clung tightly to Jian Wei'an.

Jiang Shuyao exploded, "That’s my bed! You can’t sleep there! Get out!"

"I told you, I’m not going home tonight. I’m sleeping here."

"You—" Jiang Shuyao sat at one end of the bed, with Jian Wei'an between her and the utterly shameless Lin Ran. Jiang Shuyao was so angry she almost laughed.

She really was... completely helpless against this man.

"Weiwei'an, wake up! Look at your boyfriend—he wants to sleep in my bed, boohoo~"

"Oh, stop shouting. Weiwei'an is too drunk, you won’t wake her. I’m sleepy too. Good night." Lin Ran wrapped his arm around Jian Wei'an’s slender waist, pulling her close, his head resting against her hair, breathing in the scent of his girlfriend’s locks as he drifted toward sleep.

Jiang Shuyao had seen shameless men before, but never one this shameless. Was Lin Ran a devil?

No, he absolutely could not sleep here.

"Lin Ran, I’ll let you stay over, but you can’t sleep in our room! I’m a girl, after all. You, me, your girlfriend—three people in one room? Unacceptable. You sleep on the sofa or go home, your choice!"

"Why can’t you sleep on the sofa?"

"Ha~ Did you hear that? Is this a normal person talking?"

"Fine, fine, the sofa then."

Lin Ran lay down on the sofa in the living room. Jiang Shuyao came out with her pajamas and, seeing him taking selfies, ordered, "Don’t you dare post anything on Moments."

A clever little sister, this Shuyao.

Lin Ran smiled. "Shuyao, are you going to shower?"

"I’ll change your girlfriend’s clothes first, then shower."

Jiang Shuyao brought a basin of water into the room, wiped Jian Wei'an clean, put her in pajamas, and finally went to shower, locking the door for fear Lin Ran might burst in.

She’d barely undressed when—

Knock, knock, knock~

Lin Ran was at the door.

"What is it?" Jiang Shuyao, startled, instinctively squeezed her thighs together.

"Where’s the charger? My phone’s out of battery."

"In the drawer under the coffee table. Find it yourself."

"Okay."

Phew~

Jiang Shuyao breathed a sigh of relief, turned on the shower, and began bathing.

Knock, knock, knock~

Lin Ran knocked again.

"What now!"

"I found the charger, thanks."

With that, Lin Ran outside the door left.

He really was...

Jiang Shuyao could only laugh and cry.

Girls take their time in the shower—Jiang Shuyao spent twenty minutes. Finished, she put on her cute pajamas—not the sexy kind, though she had some at home, but with Lin Ran here, that would be inappropriate. So she pulled out the cute, conservative pajamas she'd worn back in school.

Tonight, she even put on a bra. Don’t ask why—her best friend’s boyfriend was in the house, that’s why.

Creak~

The bathroom door opened. Jiang Shuyao, holding her freshly washed clothes, walked straight through the living room to the balcony to hang them.

Lin Ran lay on the sofa, watching as she tiptoed to hang up her laundry.

"Shuyao, do you need help?"

"No." Jiang Shuyao, her back to Lin Ran, shook out her underwear and hung it up.

Lin Ran looked up at the ceiling, where her lingerie was now displayed.

36D—what a waste of fabric.

Soon, Jiang Shuyao finished hanging the clothes. She hugged the basin to her chest and tiptoed back through the living room, not daring to look at Lin Ran, put the basin in the bathroom, zipped back to the bedroom, shut the door, and collapsed onto the bed with a sigh, yanked off her bra, tossed it on the headboard, turned over, and hugged Weiwei'an to sleep.

Soon, Jiang Shuyao was asleep.

In the living room, Lin Ran couldn’t sleep. He felt unbearably hot—not from desire, but because there was no air conditioning.

Sichuan’s capital in midsummer was suffocatingly hot. Without AC, only a small fan moved the air, which was simply unbearable.

He glanced at Bai Bai, peacefully asleep on the balcony.

Lin Ran rolled off the sofa and walked to the bedroom door.

Knock, knock, knock~

"Shuyao, Shuyao, Shuyao~"

Inside, Jiang Shuyao had just fallen asleep, only to be woken by his voice.

Ah~ She sat up, utterly done with everything, and called toward the door, "What now, big brother?"

"It’s too hot in the living room—I’m about to get heatstroke. Can I sleep in here?"

"Just go home—it’s only three minutes away. Go home and enjoy your air conditioning."

"I already told my parents I’d be staying at my girlfriend’s. If I go home now, they’ll think we’re fighting."

Jiang Shuyao clenched her fists. She was... honestly speechless.

"I’ll sleep on the floor—I swear I won’t get on the bed."

Lin Ran even offered to compromise.

"Is that all right, Shuyao?" His voice outside was as pitiful as a white lotus, shamelessly fishing for sympathy.

Jiang Shuyao shook Jian Wei'an. "Wake up, your boyfriend wants to come in and sleep. You decide."

Jian Wei'an irritably pushed her away and kept sleeping.

"Shuyao, Shuyao~"

"Shout, shout, shout—what are you, the soul caller? Are you two here to torment me? Not one of you is easy to deal with." Jiang Shuyao complained.

But honestly, with the temperature at forty degrees, sleeping in the living room really was impossible.

Huff~

Jiang Shuyao let out a heavy breath. Fine, fine—she was helpless against this couple. Her boundaries were retreating step by step.

She rolled out of bed, opened the door, and glared at the sweat-drenched Lin Ran standing in the doorway.

"Unbelievable—it’s so hot, why not just go home? Why squeeze into our little room? Fine, come in, and close the door."

"Okay." Lin Ran was very obedient now. He closed the door and stood in the bedroom, which was small but simply decorated. Jiang Shuyao had made it very cute. A double bed held his girlfriend and her best friend.

The air conditioning sent out cool, fragrant air, mingling with the scent of the girls.

A small nightlight glowed, casting a cozy, atmospheric light in the room.

Jiang Shuyao laid out two yoga mats on the floor, covered them with a quilt, spread a strawberry-patterned bedsheet, placed a pillow, and clapped her hands. "All right, done. Lin Ran, you sleep on the floor. Don’t get on the bed, understand?"

"Don’t worry, I won’t."

Lin Ran lay down on the floor bed. Jiang Shuyao immediately jumped onto the bed, pulled up the covers over her skirt, then suddenly remembered something, grabbed her bra from the bedside table, ducked under the covers, and quickly put it on.

As for Jian Wei'an, she was Lin Ran’s girlfriend—none of her concern.

"Good night, Lin Ran. I’m turning off the light."

"Okay."

The light went out. The room fell into darkness, with only a thin sliver of moonlight illuminating the outlines of the furniture.

Lin Ran’s makeshift bed was laid out beside the bed, in the narrow space between the bed and the wardrobe, almost parallel to the bed; from above, it looked as if the three of them were lying in a row.

The room was very quiet.

Lin Ran tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He sat up and saw Jiang Shuyao lying with her eyes closed.

He edged closer, little by little.

Suddenly, Jiang Shuyao’s eyes shot open, glaring at him.

"You scared me!"

"Why aren’t you sleeping? Why are you staring at me?"

"I’m not staring at you, I just wanted to check if my girlfriend’s covered up properly."

"…Such a model boyfriend. Relax, I’m here. Go to sleep, or I’ll throw you out."

"Okay, okay, I’m going to sleep."

Lin Ran lay down, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

Jiang Shuyao, lying on the bed’s edge, noticed he wasn’t asleep.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Shuyao, this is my first time sleeping in the same room as two girls. I’m a bit excited."

"Excited my foot. Don’t be excited—you being excited makes me nervous."

"Shuyao, can you sing me a song? If I listen to you sing, I’ll fall asleep."

"Are you done yet?"

"Come on, I’ve never heard you sing. Just sing a little, please~"

"Eugh, repeating yourself like a child—so gross~"

"Please sing~"

"Gross, gross, don’t act cute. Fine, fine, I’ll sing a short bit, but then you have to sleep."

Clearing her throat, Jiang Shuyao lay flat on the bed, gazed at the ceiling, and sang softly.

"The July wind is lazy ♪
Even the clouds are turning warm ♪
Soon the air grows stuffy ♪
After the clouds, there’s rain ♪"

A summer song floated gently through the room, drifting into Lin Ran’s ears.

Jiang Shuyao’s voice was pure and her singing skillful, her song so lovely it made Lin Ran’s ears feel as if they’d conceived children.

"All right, sleep now."

"More, I want to hear more."

"Are you ever satisfied?"

"Sing—it's beautiful."

"Okay, okay, you win."

Jiang Shuyao and Jian Wei'an lay together on the bed, softly singing to Jian Wei'an's boyfriend, who lay on the floor...

"The summer wind, I’ll always remember ♪
Clearly saying you love me ♪
I see your cool smile ♪
But you have shy moments too ♪"