Why didn't you tell me earlier that my little sister is still waiting for me?

Lin Bufan returned to his room and quickly checked it over to make sure it was a clean and tidy but ordinary double room without any hidden cameras. Only then did he leisurely walk into the bathroom and take a shower.

The warm water washed away the slight smell of alcohol from his body. Lin Bufan dried his hair and walked out, wearing only a bath towel. He picked up his phone and checked the time—11:30 p.m.

He threw himself into the soft mattress, casually scrolling through his phone's 99+ messages, while keeping a close eye on the doorway for any sounds.

Time passed by minute by minute.

11:45...12:00...12:30...

The light from the phone screen reflected Lin Bufan's increasingly suspicious face. He listened intently for any soft footsteps in the corridor, then wondered if Chen Nanxing had lost her room key, sending her a "?" message, which went unanswered.

"What's going on?" Lin Bufan sat up, his brows furrowed slightly. "Could Nanxing have fallen asleep on her own? Or is Hongdou watching over her too closely?"

Lin Bufan began to feel a little uneasy. He was determined to keep his promise to Xu Hongdou tonight regarding "compensation." It would be a huge loss if it fell through because Chen Nanxing messed things up.

……

Just as Lin Bufan was getting anxious, Chen Nanxing, in the twin room at the other end of the corridor, also felt like a cat was scratching at his heart.

She finished washing up early and went to bed, deliberately yawning widely, and mumbled to Xu Hongdou, who was still washing up in the bathroom, "Hongdou, I'm a little tired today, I'm going to sleep first."

"Okay, sure." Xu Hongdou's voice came from the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of water.

Chen Nanxing closed her eyes, pretending to fall asleep, but silently calculating the time in her mind. She felt that at least half an hour had passed before Xu Hongdou quietly came out, turned off the main light, leaving only a dim bedside lamp, and then lay down on the other bed.

The room fell silent.

Chen Nanxing cautiously opened his eyes a crack and, in the dim light, looked towards Xu Hongdou. He saw Xu Hongdou lying flat on her back, her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, seemingly wide awake.

Chen Nanxing was anxious, but he couldn't show it, so he could only continue to pretend to be asleep, hoping that Xu Hongdou would fall asleep quickly.

But things didn't go as planned. Instead of hearing steady breathing from Xu Hongdou, she began to toss and turn. She would roll over to face the wall, then lie back down, occasionally letting out a soft sigh.

Chen Nanxing: "..." Sis, why don't you go to sleep! How am I supposed to slip away if you don't sleep?

Xu Hongdou was indeed wide awake. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the image of her kissing Lin Bufan that day, and their promise on the motorcycle that evening. Although she rationally felt that with Nanxing around, Lin Bufan couldn't possibly come, the inexplicable unease and a faint, hidden expectation that she herself didn't want to delve into made her restless.

She even pricked up her ears, listening intently to the sounds in the hallway outside the door, both afraid of hearing something and as if waiting for something.

Time slipped away quietly between pretending to be asleep and waiting for an opportunity, and between overthinking and being unable to sleep.

Chen Nanxing initially managed to muster her energy, but she was quite tired from playing all day, and with the added effect of some alcohol, her pretense gradually wore off, and her consciousness began to blur. The rustling sounds of Xu Hongdou turning over seemed like hypnotic white noise; her eyelids grew heavier, and her breathing gradually became even and long…

She really fell asleep.

……

Lin Bufan watched as the time on his phone jumped to 2 a.m., and finally couldn't sit still any longer.

Can't wait any longer!

If we wait any longer, the time will be too short!

Lin Bufan quickly changed into a dark casual outfit and chose soft-soled shoes to ensure he moved almost silently. Reaching the door, he checked the silence of the corridor again, then gently opened it, slipped out, and very slowly closed it again—so he wouldn't need to swipe his room card to make a "beep" sound when he returned.

The corridor was deserted, save for the eerie green glow of the emergency exit sign at the end. Lin Bufan moved silently and swiftly, like a shadow, to the door of Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing's room.

He held his breath, pressed his ear gently against the door, and listened intently.

It was very quiet inside, with only two steady, even breathing sounds, one slightly lighter and the other slightly deeper and slower, intertwined, clearly indicating that the two people in the room had fallen asleep.

Women really can't be trusted; she could even fall asleep at such an important time!

Realizing that now was not the time to think about this, Lin Bufan composed himself, took out his phone from his pocket, brought up a special interface (one of Audrey's masterpieces), and aimed it at the door lock's sensor area.

After a very faint electronic beep, the door latch quietly retracted.

Lin Bufan gripped the doorknob and pressed down extremely slowly, millimeter by millimeter, opening a crack. There wasn't a sound. He squeezed inside and then closed the door just as slowly.

The room was darker than the hallway, with only a few rays of city light filtering in through the window, outlining the contours of the two beds.

After a few seconds of adjusting to the darkness, Lin Bufan's gaze quickly locked onto the bed by the window—judging from the breathing and body shape, it was Xu Hongdou. Like a nimble cat, he tiptoed silently to Xu Hongdou's bedside.

Xu Hongdou was sleeping on her side, facing outwards, breathing lightly, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes. She was fast asleep because she had been drinking.

Lin Bufan bent down, carefully lifted a corner of the blanket, and then gently supported her neck and the back of her legs with one hand. Xu Hongdou only let out an unconscious whimper, rubbing her head against his arm, showing no signs of waking up.

After picking up Xu Hongdou, Lin Bufan did not rush to leave. Instead, he took out a large plush bear from his system space and stuffed it into the blanket, pretending that she was still sleeping!

After everything was settled, Lin Bufan, with the steadyest steps, carried Xu Hongdou and slowly made his way to the door. He opened it, went out, and gently closed it again. The whole process was smooth and seamless, without disturbing Chen Nanxing inside or making any noise.

Back in his room, Lin Bufan was naturally less cautious. He gently placed Xu Hongdou on the soft bed, then sat on the edge, leaned down, and his warm lips covered her slightly parted lips without warning, lingering and deepening, with an undeniable tenderness and domineering force.

"Well……"

Xu Hongdou thought she was dreaming and responded groggily, then suddenly woke up with a start, her eyes widening. When she saw the handsome face so close to her, she was so frightened that she pushed Lin Bufan away and almost jumped out of bed.

"Lin Bufan! How...how did you get in?!" she exclaimed in a low voice, her heart pounding.

Before Lin Bufan could answer, Xu Hongdou had already guessed, and she immediately turned her head to look at the original location of Chen Nanxing's bed!

Xu Hongdou originally thought that Chen Nanxing opened the door and let Lin Bufan in, but she was dumbfounded when she saw him. She could understand if he wasn't there, but wasn't it a bit exaggerated that the bed was gone too?

However, once her brain was fully activated, Xu Hongdou finally realized that this was not her and Chen Nanxing's room at all!

Xu Hongdou was completely dumbfounded, and her brain, which had just been turned on, crashed again!

Once Xu Hongdou's brain had finished rebooting, countless possibilities flashed through her mind, finally settling on the worst possible guess. Her voice trembled slightly: "You...you drugged me at the bar?"

Lin Bufan rolled his eyes helplessly as he watched Xu Hongdou shrink back, clutching the corner of the blanket as if facing a formidable enemy. "Comrade Xu Hongdou, please use your clever little brain to think this through. I, Lin Bufan, may drug others, but how could I possibly drug you?"

Why would I drug you? Do you think I can't succeed without drugging you?

Since I can succeed, what's the point of whether I drugged him or not? Why would I bother?

Under Lin Bufan's barrage of questions, Xu Hongdou inexplicably felt that it made a lot of sense—right, she didn't object last time when he didn't drug her, did she? If it weren't for that brat Nanxing causing trouble, maybe things that should have happened and shouldn't have happened would have happened!

Just as Xu Hongdou was about to nod in affirmation of Lin Bufan, she suddenly realized something!

"Wait!" Xu Hongdou's beautiful eyes widened, and she lowered her voice angrily: "What do you mean by drugging me? What, do you think I have anything you want from me?"

And what do you mean by "you could succeed without drugging me"? What, do you think I'm that easy?

Seeing this, Lin Bufan immediately realized that he had accidentally blurted out his true feelings. So he quickly tried to cover it up: "Oh, Dou'er, you know that's not what I meant! I just wanted to express that we are mutually attracted, our hearts are in sync, and things just happened naturally. Besides, you promised to make it up to me, so how could I possibly drug you, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Xu Hongdou didn't give Lin Bufan a chance to steer the conversation back to compensation. She grabbed Lin Bufan's collar and pulled him close to her face, their noses almost touching. She asked, word by word, "And first, explain to me clearly, how did I get here?"

The warm breath, carrying her faint fragrance, wafted onto Lin Bufan's face. Looking at the pretty face so close to his and those bright eyes in the dim light, Lin Bufan's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

"Well, it's a long story..." Lin Bufan's eyes darted around for a moment, "We're short on time, so how about we do it while we talk?"

Sitting down to talk?

Xu Hongdou looked down at their current positions. Although they were quite close, they were definitely sitting down.

Just as Xu Hongdou was about to say that changing the subject was useless and that only by being honest and confessing could she get the lenient treatment, she was suddenly silenced!

"Mmm...mmm...what are you doing...?"

Only then did Xu Hongdou realize that Lin Bufan's actions and words were not the same thing as her understanding of sitting and speaking!

Time always flies when you're busy. In the blink of an eye, two hours had passed. Just as Lin Bufan was about to give Xu Hongdou his explanation, which was about to reach the most important part, a sudden change occurred!

Although Lin Bufan was fully focused on explaining to Xu Hongdou, his abnormal physical abilities still allowed him to notice the subtle movements coming from outside the door!

Lin Bufan instantly realized something was wrong—at this time, the person who could come to his door was most likely Chen Nanxing!

Lin Bufan didn't bother to "explain" to Xu Hongdou anymore. He immediately reached out and slammed the bedside lamp switch off, plunging the room into darkness. Then, he pulled the blanket over them, covering them completely.

Still absorbed in Lin Bufan's "explanation," Xu Hongdou was bewildered by the sudden darkness and movement, and instinctively wanted to ask a question. However, Lin Bufan preemptively covered her mouth without explanation, then whispered rapidly in her ear, "Don't make a sound... There's someone outside... It should, probably, likely, probably... Nanxing is here!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hongdou's eyes widened instantly, her pupils filled with terror and panic in the darkness.

It's over, it's over, it's over!

Nanxing must have realized he wasn't in bed and came looking for him!

What should I do? How can I explain to Chen Nanxing how I ended up here?

But the next second, Xu Hongdou's chaotic thoughts suddenly stopped.

its not right!

Even if Nanxing realized she was missing, how would she know she was with Lin Bufan? Didn't Lin Bufan just "explain" that he secretly "transported" her here while Nanxing was asleep? Nanxing wasn't even awake at the time!

Just then, a "beep" sound came from the direction of Lin Bufan's room door. Xu Hongdou, who had been working in the hotel industry since graduation, immediately recognized it as the sound of a room card being swiped to open the sensor lock!

Someone came in?!

Xu Hongdou's heart leaped into her throat.

The one who came in... is Nanxing?!

How could Nanxing have Lin Bufan's room card?

In a flash, Xu Hongdou's mind was filled with the image of Chen Nanxing returning home yesterday morning, his furtive, guilty-looking demeanor, and his somewhat evasive gaze and vague explanation...

All the clues connected instantly!

Having figured everything out, Xu Hongdou wanted nothing more than to bite Lin Bufan to death! But she also knew that now was not the time to lash out. In order to avoid being discovered by Chen Nanxing, she could only desperately curl up, trying to minimize her presence, almost shrinking into the shadow behind Lin Bufan, even holding her breath.

The door was gently pushed open and then gently closed.

A slender figure tiptoed in; it was Chen Nanxing. The room was pitch black, and she instinctively reached for the light switch on the wall.

"Don't turn on the light!" Lin Bufan quickly stopped him, his voice slightly hoarse from being deliberately suppressed: "It's too bright."

Chen Nanxing paused, muttering in confusion, "But I can't see without the lights on..."

"Don't worry, I know the place well. I can find it even without the lights on." Lin Bufan tried to make his voice sound natural, even with his usual teasing tone.

Upon hearing this, Chen Nanxing scoffed in the darkness, her tone laced with amusement and a hint of coquettishness: "What a character!"

Xu Hongdou, who was hiding behind Lin Bufan, was so angry that she reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Lin Bufan's side hard!

Chen Nanxing gave up on turning on the light and walked towards the bed by the faint light from the various electrical indicator lights in the room. Then, Lin Bufan's blanket was lifted by a corner, and a soft body with a slight chill naturally snuggled into Lin Bufan's arms!