Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

I woke up alone in the hazy morning light.

When I opened my eyes, I was alone in bed. The spot next to me was empty, with only a nearly disappeared indentation indicating that someone had indeed lain there last night.

I reached out and touched the pillow next to me; it felt slightly cool, indicating that Elhesen had been gone for a long time.

Could it be that he hasn't come back since he took a shower last night?

Is it because I'm in his room? Or does he really have severe mysophobia and can't accept sharing a bed with someone else?

I sat up, clutching the blanket, and looked around the room, which was so simple it was almost cold. Everything reflected the owner's meticulous personality. And I was like an unexpected factor that had suddenly barged into this orderly world, disrupting the balance.

I think I'd better not sleep in his room tonight...

*

With my hair a mess from lack of sleep, I pushed open the bedroom door.

The sight before me made me blink in surprise—the messy living room from last night was gone, replaced by a spotless table and floor that were so clean they almost reflected light.

Every cushion was neatly arranged, and the floor was so clean you could see your reflection in it.

"You overslept today, so let's have breakfast and lunch together." Al-Hysen's voice came from the kitchen doorway, calm and even.

How dare you mention that I woke up late?

I had such an awkward night yesterday, I didn't sleep well at all.

My head has been feeling dizzy and my temples have been throbbing for the past few days.

The emotional rollercoaster of the night left me feeling terrible all over; every joint was protesting the exhaustion from lack of sleep.

"Where's Brother Kavi?" I turned around and asked him.

The moment I saw him, I almost took a step back.

Al-Hysen stood against the light at the kitchen doorway, the morning light streaming in from behind him, turning the outline of his gray hair golden.

He held a white coffee cup in his hand, leaning against the doorframe, his posture seemingly relaxed, yet still maintaining a certain indescribable elegance. His hair was still wet, water droplets falling onto his clothes, spreading dark stains on his light-colored pajamas.

He was still wearing his pajamas from last night, and half of his neck was already wet.

I guess it was because I was in his room that he couldn't change his clothes as usual—no matter when I saw him, his elaborate clothes were always impeccable, even the slightest wrinkles looked like they had been carefully arranged.

What is he doing...?

This appearance was a stark contrast to his usual serious demeanor, making me feel both unfamiliar and curious.

"I don't know. It's best if they've already moved." I could detect a hint of displeasure in his words? Or perhaps it was gritted teeth? It wasn't like his usual tone.

"Move away? Does he still have the money to rent a place? When he left... was he in good health?" I continued to ask worriedly, the image of Kavi's dark circles and tired expression flashing through my mind.

As far as I know, he immediately invested more than half of the deposit he received into a junior's research project.

This approach is really hard for me to understand... Even a child knows to prepare for his future, how can he, an adult, not know this?

"His affairs have nothing to do with me... Achoo... What does it have to do with me?" His cold tone was interrupted by a sneeze, which almost made me laugh.

"Are you alright...? Why are you standing in the cold wind without drying your hair?" I took a few steps toward him, wanting to do something, but found that I couldn't do anything.

We were so close that I could see the water droplets clinging to his eyelashes.

"...I won't catch a cold." He went into the kitchen, washed his hands, and wiped his nose, maintaining his characteristic composure, but the slightly red tip of his nose betrayed his condition.

"I'll make you some soup for lunch to warm you up." I finally thought of something I could do, and my voice was filled with a hint of excitement.

Being able to do something for him makes me inexplicably happy.

“I don’t drink soup.” He refused quickly, almost without thinking.

"Why?" I thought back, and it seemed he really hadn't had any soup. Even when it was made at home, it was just me and Kavi who drank it.

“The soup might splatter onto the pages,” he replied, a reason typical of his style.

"Then you shouldn't read while eating... That's so rude. I thought you were reading because you didn't want to eat with me, and now I'm afraid to talk to you," I complained, my voice growing softer.

Actually, there's another reason why I'm afraid to talk to him... He can be a bit scary sometimes; his all-seeing gaze always makes me feel uneasy.

"I understand," he replied briefly, without refutation or explanation.

This response surprised me.

He's actually quite easy to communicate with! This discovery eased my anxiety a bit.

"Does Brother Kavi like soup? Let's make him some tonight. Staying up late all the time will lower his immunity." I discussed another matter with him, trying to do something for my roommate who had disappeared.

"No way!" He rejected the idea before I could even finish speaking.

After economic sanctions, are they going to impose dinner sanctions?

"So, did you take a shower all night?" I looked him up and down, finally voicing my doubts. His wet hair and half-undressed pajamas hinted at this possibility.

"Hmm." He gave a very low affirmation, his voice so soft it almost disappeared into the air.

"Is the new shampoo not cleaning my hair properly?" I really can't think of any other reason. It sounds reasonable, but something just doesn't feel right.

"..."

He didn't answer my question; he just stood there quietly, letting the wet droplets of water drip down his hair.

*

"Achoo..." In the afternoon, Al-Hysen, who had an extremely healthy lifestyle and was exceptionally strong, sneezed for the second time. Seeing that I was about to move away, he added, "I don't have a cold." His tone was flat, as if he were simply stating an objective fact.

"Thinking, cursing, and muttering... it means someone is cursing you!" I judged using the common sense of an eight-year-old.

"It couldn't be you, could it?" He actually accepted my logic and continued along with what I said.

"Huh? I thought you would think of Brother Kavi first." I didn't understand why his first reaction was me.

Of the three of us, he and Kave were clearly the ones who clashed most often.

“You’ve told me many times—'You hate me,'” Al-Hysen said calmly, as if reciting a passage from a book.

"It must have been said in anger! I definitely didn't mean it that way!" In my child's opinion, the words "I hate you" are quite heavy and shouldn't be said so easily.

I hurriedly waved my hand in denial, afraid that he would take it seriously.

"Really?" He clearly didn't believe it, his slightly raised voice carrying a hint of doubt.

“If I hated you, why would I stay with you? And I think my previous expressions of affection for you weren’t lies; I genuinely thought you were very handsome…” I explained hastily, the words tumbling out: “And you’re a very nice person, very kind to me. Although I don’t remember what happened before, I think… I must like you.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. These blunt expressions made my cheeks burn instantly, and my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.

"So we're... lovers or something, right?" I said, my face flushed, my voice trailing off, almost to myself.

"We... are a couple?" He raised an eyebrow slightly.

At that moment, the air in the entire room seemed to freeze.

I held my breath, waiting for his response.