“Jingliu, enough.”
Li Yedao’s hand landed on Jingliu’s shoulder.
He wasn’t gentle about it.
For the first time, his expression darkened.
That usual lazy look—the one that made it seem like he never took anything seriously—vanished completely.
No matter how long he had been away from home, the influence that group of freaks had left on him had never faded.
Jingliu had stepped on something she shouldn’t have.
She glanced at him and swallowed the rest of what she had been about to say.
With a quiet snort, she stopped talking.
That counted as backing down.
The dining table fell silent for several seconds.
Kafka calmly lifted her teacup as though nothing had happened.
Firefly’s hand was still wrapped tightly around Li Yedao’s arm.
As for Acheron…
Somehow, the peach she had been holding was already inside Li Yedao’s pocket.
No one had even seen when she put it there.
Everyone had noticed the change in his eyes, so naturally, no one brought the subject up again.
Next came the sleeping arrangements.
Li Yedao spoke first.
“Firefly can sleep in my room.
I’ll clean up one of the empty rooms and sleep there.”
They rarely had guests, so the spare rooms were only cleaned once in a long while.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to make a guest sleep in one without tidying it up first.
He might as well handle it himself.
Kafka nodded.
Then she turned toward Silver Wolf, who was still eating quietly in the corner.
“Silver Wolf sleeps with me.”
Silver Wolf’s chopsticks froze in midair.
Her entire face screamed—
Please stop tormenting me.
But she didn’t dare refuse.
She didn’t even dare refuse indirectly.
All she could do was lower her head a few more degrees, hoping silence might somehow increase her chances of survival.
Firefly opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something.
In the end, she closed it again.
Clearly, her plans for tonight fundamentally conflicted with this whole “sleeping in separate rooms” arrangement.
But that was fine.
I can always sneak into his room later.
Hehe…
…
…
Late at night.
Li Yedao sat in front of his computer, rushing through a manuscript.
His keyboard clattered nonstop.
He had been playing around too much lately, and his backlog of prepared chapters was almost gone.
If he didn’t replenish it soon, he was going to have trouble explaining himself.
Knock knock knock.
A very soft knock came from the door.
It sounded like whoever was outside didn’t want the entire floor to hear.
“Coming.”
Li Yedao stopped typing and got up to open the door.
Jingliu stood outside.
She was wearing a hoodie that was obviously one size too large.
Li Yedao had given it to her when he first moved in.
Back then, he had wanted to get along with his new housemates, so he bought each of them a few things.
He hadn’t seen Jingliu wear this hoodie since.
He had assumed it had long since been buried at the bottom of a drawer.
Jingliu tilted her head as she looked at him.
Her gaze was far softer than usual.
“Still awake?”
“My backlog’s almost gone.
I’m catching up a little.”
Li Yedao leaned against the doorframe.
He made no move to step aside.
Jingliu remained where she was.
She tilted her head a little farther.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
Jingliu had come to talk to him at night before.
Back then, he hadn’t thought anything of it.
But things were different now.
He had a girlfriend.
And that girlfriend was currently sleeping in his room, less than two hallways away.
“Probably not a good idea,” Li Yedao said.
Jingliu didn’t respond.
Instead, she shifted slightly and slipped past his shoulder into the room.
The movement was quick and clean, as though she had calculated the exact opening in his defense beforehand.
“I’m inside.”
She stopped in the middle of the room and turned back with a smile.
Li Yedao stared at the intruder who had already successfully breached his defenses.
Then swallowed whatever he had been about to say.
He sighed, closed the door, and pulled a bottle of juice from the mini fridge beneath his computer desk.
He tossed it to her.
“Alright.
What do you want this time?”
Jingliu caught the bottle and calmly sat down on the edge of the bed.
She hugged her knees and looked up at him with a smile.
The oversized hoodie hung loosely enough to expose one smooth shoulder.
“What?”
“I can’t come see you unless I need something?”
“Or…
did getting a girlfriend suddenly make you this timid?”
Li Yedao sat in his computer chair and turned to face her.
He said nothing.
If she had come to see him for no reason, then that usually meant she was here to cause trouble.
Jingliu didn’t speak either.
The only sound in the room was the faint hum of the computer’s cooling fan.
Thirty seconds.
A full thirty seconds of eye contact.
Neither looked away first.
In the end, Li Yedao was the one who gave in.
He reached over and closed his laptop.
“If you don’t need anything, go back to your room.
I’m going to sleep.”
“You’re lying.”
Jingliu raised her phone.
The time was displayed on the screen.
“You normally don’t sleep until after midnight.”
“It hasn’t even been dark for that long.”
The corner of her mouth curved a little higher.
It was difficult to tell whether she was smug or simply amused.
Either way, the smile in her eyes didn’t fade in the slightest.
Li Yedao answered with silence.
Several more seconds passed.
Then Jingliu spoke again.
This time, her tone changed.
No more circling around the subject.
“I don’t like other people looking at you.”
Li Yedao’s brow twitched.
“What do you mean?”
This feeling.
This atmosphere…
Bad.
Very bad!
Jingliu stood.
Then she walked toward him one slow step at a time.
Every step seemed to land in rhythm with Li Yedao’s heartbeat.
She kept moving until his back was pressed against the chair and he had nowhere left to retreat.
Jingliu leaned down.
Both hands planted against the chair’s armrests, trapping him completely inside.
“I said I don’t like other people looking at you.”
“I want you to break up with that woman.”
“Is that clear enough for you?”
Li Yedao’s pupils contracted slightly.
“You…”
“That’s right.”
“I’ve got my eye on you.”
The moment Jingliu said it, she sat directly on his lap.
She cupped his face in both hands.
Then lowered her head and kissed him.
Her eyes were filled with smug satisfaction.
Like someone who had waited a very long time for a chess move and had finally been able to place the piece.
Li Yedao’s eyes went wide.
A faint metallic sweetness spread across his tongue.
One of Jingliu’s sharp canines had bitten open the corner of his mouth.
He abruptly shoved her away.
His back struck the chair.
His breathing became ragged.
“Jingliu, don’t do this…”
Jingliu wasn’t angry about being pushed away.
She merely ran the tip of her tongue over the faint trace of blood at the corner of her lips.
Her expression was almost unbearably pleased.
“Well?”
“Not bad, right?”
Knock knock knock!
A sudden knock sounded at the door.
Not loud.
But perfectly clear.
“Yedao, are you in there?”
It was Firefly.
Her voice was soft and sleepy, like she had just crawled out of bed.
There was a faint drowsiness in it that made her sound like someone who should be wrapped up in a blanket and carefully protected.
Li Yedao’s face changed instantly.
He grabbed Jingliu’s wrist.
Then lowered his voice urgently.
“Hide!
Hurry!
Don’t let her see you!”
What would a normal person do in this situation?
They would feel guilty.
They would avoid causing misunderstandings.
At the very least, they would show some respect for the girl standing outside.
But the words avoid misunderstandings had never existed in Jingliu’s vocabulary.
She looked at Li Yedao.
Her eyes practically said—
Why should I?
Then she stood up from his lap, walked straight to the door, and opened it.
“Yedao, you—”
Firefly’s voice cut off halfway the moment she saw who had opened the door.
Her lips remained slightly parted.
But no sound came out.
The sleepy expression on her face shattered like a mask.
Something cold and hard emerged beneath it.
When Firefly spoke again, her voice was very low.
Almost squeezed out through her throat.
“Why are you here?!”
“Why am I here?”
Jingliu leaned against the doorframe.
She folded her arms and looked down at the girl standing half a head shorter than her.
The curve on her lips was completely undisguised.
Contempt.
Mixed with the pity of someone looking down from above.
“You still don’t understand?”
“I’m here to steal your man.” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“I want Li Yedao.”
Firefly’s eyes widened sharply.
The phone clenched in her hand nearly slipped from her grasp.
Her fingers tightened until her knuckles turned white.
She stood frozen in place.
“…What?!”
join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I’m a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 230)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
Yu-Gi-Oh!
— Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 355 “Is this chat group even serious?” (Completed)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal!
(Completed)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77 From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa (Completed)
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 265
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 377
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (Completed.)
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 170
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 135
Supernatural Multiverse 210
My Harem Is Indescribable 120
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 120
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 130 Still playing traditional Honk 105 The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120 What Should I Do After Switchi 85 Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80 Transmigrated as Sukuna 165 Checking In in Demon Slayer 105 The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 120 I Refuse to Become a Heroic 115 My Best Friend Into a Slime?
90
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (Completed)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero?
105
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 115
Why did they assign me to Uma 100
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 110
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 160
Honkai’s Otherworld?
Wait—Who Are You People?!
150
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 75 The Uma Musume Who Became 80 I’m Definitely Not the King of 160 After Maxing Out Every Class 170 Honkai: World Modulation Mode 150 I, the Elden Sword Saint 80 Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 115 No One Knows Pokémon Better 75 From Trilobites to Titans 70 Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 130 DanMachi: My Party Members Are 150 An Anime Heroine Darkened 70 Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 100 Honkai: The Fire Devil 145 Honkai Transformation Cards Volume3/15 Age of Heroes, I’m Just a Back 120 Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 100 At age 8, she co-starred with 80 Honkai: Schicksal Media 105 An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 85 Chainsaw Man, but I’m Aatrox 75 Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60 Morgan Shirou’s Journey in Dan 43 DanMachi: Get to Work, Dimensi 95 Honkai: Star Rail—Kiana Cried!
63
Sakiko Togawa: A Blood-Soaked Cards Volume2/32 Detective Conan: My Whole 65 Honkai: Star Rail:Reincarnated 92 In the Nasuverse, but I Practice Scientific Cultivation 53 Honkai: Starting Out as a God of Luoxing 65 Honkai: I Really Never Intended to Start a Harem!
33 join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178) Zenless Zone Zero: I’m a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 230)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 ) Yu-Gi-Oh!
— Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 355 “Is this chat group even serious?” (Completed) I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal!
(Completed) Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77 From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa (Completed) Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 265 From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20 Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 377 Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (Completed.) I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8 The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135 Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67 Uma Musume: From Beginner 170 Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85 Uma Musume: I Want All 120 I Can Copy Unique Skills 135 Supernatural Multiverse 210 My Harem Is Indescribable 120 Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 120 Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 130 Still playing traditional Honk 105 The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120 What Should I Do After Switchi 85 Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80 Transmigrated as Sukuna 165 Checking In in Demon Slayer 105 The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 120 I Refuse to Become a Heroic 115 My Best Friend Into a Slime?
90 A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (Completed) What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero?
105 Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 115 Why did they assign me to Uma 100 DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 110 The Gacha Merchant Who Started 160 Honkai’s Otherworld?
Wait—Who Are You People?!
150 Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 75 The Uma Musume Who Became 80 I’m Definitely Not the King of 160 After Maxing Out Every Class 170 Honkai: World Modulation Mode 150 I, the Elden Sword Saint 80 Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 115 No One Knows Pokémon Better 75 From Trilobites to Titans 70 Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 130 DanMachi: My Party Members Are 150 An Anime Heroine Darkened 70 Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 100 Honkai: The Fire Devil 145 Honkai Transformation Cards Volume3/15 Age of Heroes, I’m Just a Back 120 Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 100 At age 8, she co-starred with 80 Honkai: Schicksal Media 105 An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 85 Chainsaw Man, but I’m Aatrox 75 Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60 Morgan Shirou’s Journey in Dan 43 DanMachi: Get to Work, Dimensi 95 Honkai: Star Rail—Kiana Cried!
63 Sakiko Togawa: A Blood-Soaked Cards Volume2/32 Detective Conan: My Whole 65 Honkai: Star Rail:Reincarnated 92 In the Nasuverse, but I Practice Scientific Cultivation 53 Honkai: Starting Out as a God of Luoxing 65 Honkai: I Really Never Intended to Start a Harem!
33