Chapter 88: If You Can't Sleep, Why Not Get Up and Do a Practice Test?

Tang Yu’s eyelashes fluttered slowly, and Bian Yang’s voice was gentle, carrying a faintly hoarse timbre.

“From now on, our little Yu is an eighteen-year-old girl.”

At this moment, the moonlight was at its brightest, streaming in through the clear glass and casting a dazzling glow on the floor.

“At eighteen, you can do so many things—wear even more beautiful dresses, see more diverse landscapes, meet more people of all kinds. You’ll become braver, ready to embrace a more challenging life, and more open to accepting the love others offer you.”

His voice was an endless source of energy, a blazing ray of sunshine.

Tang Yu’s eyes grew red, unable to help it.

He leaned down, nuzzling into the hollow of her neck. “From now on, our little Yu will become confident and bold, radiant and unrestrained. All difficulties will melt away in the heat of your vibrant life. Our little Yu will gradually grow into an adult who can do anything.”

After he finished, he chuckled to himself, “But you don’t have to be all-powerful. Sometimes you should act a little spoiled, so I can feel like I matter.”

She bowed her head as she listened, a smile forming on her lips without her realizing, but tears slid straight down from her eyes.

They fell onto the back of Bian Yang’s hand, which was wrapped around her waist.

He moved his fingers, turned her gently toward him; without switching on the light, the room was dim, and she kept her head lowered.

He reached up, touching her tears, and carefully cupped her face.

Looking into the young girl’s tear-filled eyes, so bright in the darkness.

Bian Yang turned on the light.

“Why are you crying?”

He wiped her tears awkwardly, gently using his fingertips.

Her nose was red, her lashes damp and clumped together, and the sight made Bian Yang’s heart tremble.

He thought he’d bullied her.

“Fine, I admit I was wrong! I won’t kiss you anymore, never again, not ever!”

There wasn’t a trace of drunkenness left; Bian Yang was completely clear-headed, but had no idea how to comfort her.

Her tears fell faster and faster, still silent, not uttering a sound.

Suddenly he thought Qin Mingyu was right—he really was a beast!

Tang Yu was crying to let it all out, her tears free of any particular emotion.

As if she had to turn all the grievances and forbearance of the past into tears and release them.

So she cried for a while, and when she finally looked up again, she saw Bian Yang in front of her, hands braced on his knees, his own eyes red with anxiety. She paused, wiped away the tears with the back of her hand, and broke into a smile through her tears.

Bian Yang didn’t quite understand what it meant, this crying and laughing at the same time.

He coaxed her, asking, “Are you still mad? Next time…I won’t kiss you. Just don’t ignore me.”

Tang Yu pressed her lips together, thinking of that kiss outside, her cheeks burning. She raised her hand to her face, feeling that no matter how she answered, it would sound strange.

If she said she was angry—well, just now, she really wasn’t upset about that.

But if she said she wasn’t angry, it would seem like some sort of hint.

So she didn’t look at him, licked her lips lightly, remembering that he’d just kissed that very spot, her ears burning. She pressed her lips together, pretending to be calm, lowered her head, and walked toward the bedroom.

“I’m tired. I want to sleep.”

Bian Yang watched her quietly as she walked past him, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.

He pressed his lips together, as if her taste still lingered there, and for the first time, he felt so defeated.

She hadn’t rejected his kiss, but afterward, she ignored him.

Was it…was his kissing so bad that he’d left her traumatized?

Tang Yu tidied up quickly, never glancing at Bian Yang, who was still trying to be noticed in the living room. She changed into pajamas in the bathroom, washed up, and then hurried into the bedroom, burrowing into the bed as if into a cloud of cotton candy.

She didn’t even leave her head exposed.

In the living room, Bian Yang lounged on the sofa, one arm draped over the back, the other hand flipping through TV channels, all the while keeping an ear out for any sounds from the bathroom.

The rustle of changing clothes, the sound of brushing teeth and washing up.

She moved quickly, as if racing against time.

When he finally heard the glass door slide shut, Bian Yang pressed his tongue to his palate and turned off the TV.

Lying under the covers, Tang Yu could no longer hear the TV from the living room. The bedroom door opened—Bian Yang had come in.

She gripped the edge of the blanket, peeking out through a gap. His silhouette was hazily reflected in the checkered glass.

He grabbed the hem of his T-shirt with both hands and pulled it off.

She quickly averted her gaze, burying herself deeper under the blanket.

The curtains blocked sight, but not sound.

Because it was so quiet, every small noise was unnaturally amplified…making her imagination run wild.

When the bedroom door closed again, he must have gone to take a shower.

Tang Yu lifted the blanket, her face flushed from holding her breath. She exhaled softly with her eyes closed, her fingers unconsciously brushing her lips.

She thought again of that kiss in the hallway.

Just a gentle touch, yet she could recall exactly how it felt when he leaned in.

Her face grew warm again, so she threw off the blanket, exposing herself completely.

Her pale legs dangled comfortably over the edge of the bed, swinging gently.

She turned her head to look at the moonlight outside the window, her lips curving in a smile, a subtle sweetness blooming in her heart.

She had always loved basking in the sun, because only sunlight brought both light and warmth.

But now she liked the moon as well.

Tang Yu lifted her hand, as if she could touch the silvery moonlight streaming through the window—just like she could touch Bian Yang.

Proud and radiant, yet never stingy with his light.

When Bian Yang came in after his shower, he moved quietly, even closing the door with extra care.

The girl seemed to be asleep, hugging her blanket, her legs casually draped to one side, her shadow faintly outlined on the checkered glass.

Bian Yang silenced his phone and set it on the nightstand.

When he lay down, he rested his arm under his head, staring at the ceiling. After a while, he turned on his side, mirroring her posture.

The two beds were separated by a single pane of glass, close together but shrouded in half-light, making each other indistinct.

Yet Bian Yang felt as if he could see through the glass, imagining how gentle and soft she must look while sleeping.

His fingertips traced her silhouette on the glass, silently sketching her profile.

It wasn’t until she turned over and exhaled softly that Bian Yang realized she wasn’t asleep.

He quickly drew his hand back, coughed lightly, “Can’t sleep?”

Tang Yu paused, clearly surprised that he was awake as well.

After three seconds of hesitation, she answered softly, “Mm. You can’t sleep either?”

Bian Yang turned his head toward her, his breathing shallower. He answered in a low voice, “The moon is so beautiful tonight, I can’t bear to sleep.”

Tang Yu glanced at the moonlight outside, “It is beautiful.”

Bian Yang took a moment, preparing to ask why she’d cried earlier.

But Tang Yu suddenly said, “If you can’t sleep, why don’t you get up and do a practice test?”

Bian Yang: “…?”

He thought he’d misheard.

“Wang Qing told me you haven’t been paying attention in class, that you were napping even when the teacher was going over test papers.”

Bian Yang: “…”

Talking about these things was the only way for her to clear her mind.

“You promised me you’d focus in class, but you didn’t keep your word… We agreed to take the college entrance exams together, Bian Yang. Your promises don’t mean much.”

Bian Yang pressed his tongue against his jaw. “…Do I look like someone who doesn’t keep his promises?”

“Then if you can’t sleep, go do a practice test.”

“….”

“After a while, you’ll be sleepy.”

With that, Tang Yu yawned, her voice languid, “I’m going to sleep too.”

And with that, she turned her back to him.

Bian Yang: “….”

Was this really the kind of conversation people had after a kiss?

Telling him to go do practice tests?

So it turned out the only one left bewildered and with his heart pounding from start to finish was him!

Tang Yu stuck out her tongue as she turned away, not knowing how to deal with the awkwardness.

But she really was sleepy, and took the opportunity to remind him to study—a win-win.

She spared no thought for Bian Yang’s tangled, complicated mood on the other side of the glass. Hugging her blanket, the girl had already drifted sweetly into sleep.