Five in the morning.
Li Yedao helplessly opened his eyes in the middle of what felt like a battle between ice and fire.
The left side was cold.
Jingliu’s body temperature carried an inexplicable chill.
But the right side was hot.
Firefly was curled against his shoulder, her breathing slow and warm.
So cold…
So hot…
Wait?!
I’m not playing Fireboy and Watergirl here!
Li Yedao was trapped right in the middle.
Half of his body was chilly.
The other half was covered in sweat.
The instant he woke up, he started questioning his life choices.
Either sensation by itself would have been comfortable.
Experiencing both at the same time was an entirely different matter.
“Jingliu, can you stop sticking so close to me?”
Li Yedao lowered his voice and turned slightly toward his left.
Firefly was sleeping deeply.
If he woke her up, he would probably spend ages coaxing her back to sleep.
So his only possible target for negotiation was Jingliu.
Jingliu didn’t answer.
She merely opened her eyes slowly.
Then she flashed those signature little fangs at him and smiled.
Li Yedao: “…”
Fine!
I’ll endure it.
It’ll pass eventually.
Li Yedao closed his eyes and used every ounce of willpower he possessed to ignore the temperature difference on either side of him.
Then he forced himself back toward sleep.
An hour later—
Click.
The bedroom door quietly opened.
A purple figure slipped inside without making a sound and stopped at the foot of the bed.
She didn’t take another step forward.
Nor did she leave.
She simply stood there silently.
Li Yedao still couldn’t sleep.
Jingliu was awake too.
The two of them simultaneously looked toward the sound.
Acheron stood at the foot of the bed with something in her hands, staring at the three people on the bed from some strangely precise angle.
Her expression remained perfectly calm.
She didn’t seem surprised by Li Yedao’s current situation in the slightest.
…Though it was also possible that she simply didn’t understand what she was looking at.
Jingliu lightly jabbed Li Yedao in the waist with her elbow.
Her lips barely moved as she squeezed out a whisper.
“She does this every morning?”
Because of her work schedule, Jingliu’s daily routine was almost the complete opposite of Li Yedao’s.
By the time he woke up, she had usually only been asleep for a short while.
So today was the first time she had personally witnessed Acheron’s morning routine.
Li Yedao glanced toward the motionless purple-haired statue at the foot of the bed.
Then he answered uncertainly,
“I think so…”
He had always assumed that Acheron coming to feed him peaches every morning was simply some ordinary part of living together.
It wasn’t until Jingliu asked that question that he finally realized—
Maybe he was the only person receiving this special treatment.
“Heh.”
Jingliu’s gaze cooled slightly, though the corner of her mouth curved upward.
“You really do have ridiculous luck with women.”
Li Yedao had no idea how to respond.
If his luck with women were bad, would he have ended up surrounded by people like them?
He rubbed his temples and lowered his voice further.
“Forget about that.
I’ve got something to do outside today.”
“Tell Kafka for me.”
Jingliu frowned.
“What?”
“Meeting the family.”
Li Yedao sighed.
His tone became complicated.
“You know what the people in my family are like.”
Jingliu didn’t answer.
Li Yedao had only been able to move into this villa in the first place because of her introduction.
Of everyone present, she was probably the one who understood that history best.
She had more or less guessed why Li Yedao had originally left home.
So she said nothing.
Several more seconds passed.
Then Jingliu rolled out of bed.
Barefoot, she walked over to Acheron and stopped in front of her.
“What are you doing here?”
Acheron glanced at her.
Then, as though Jingliu didn’t exist, simply stepped around her and walked straight toward Li Yedao.
She pulled out a peach that had already been cut into pieces and offered it to him.
“For you.”
Jingliu stood behind her.
Her brows drew together slightly as she stared at Acheron’s back.
She was clearly annoyed.
But this time, she didn’t say anything.
Instead, she quietly left the room and even closed the door behind her.
Li Yedao stared at the doorway after Jingliu disappeared.
For a moment, his mind went blank.
Jingliu, aren’t you usually insanely possessive?
Why did you leave so easily today?
Before he could figure it out—
The peach moved another centimeter closer to his mouth.
“Eat.”
Li Yedao was silent for a moment.
Then he asked in the tone of someone who had already lost a negotiation, “Do I absolutely have to eat this peach today?”
Acheron didn’t answer.
She merely looked at him calmly.
Those bottomless eyes seemed almost empty of thought.
Li Yedao resigned himself to fate.
He took the peach and bit into it.
Sweetness spread across his tongue.
He chewed twice, swallowed, and looked back up at Acheron.
“Is that enough?”
Acheron still didn’t speak.
She just kept calmly staring at him.
“…Fine.
You win.”
Following his personal principle of yielding for the sake of everyone’s happiness, Li Yedao ate the entire peach one bite at a time.
Finally, he tossed the pit into the trash and looked up again.
Acheron still said nothing.
But the corner of her mouth curved upward ever so slightly.
The movement was tiny.
If Li Yedao hadn’t spent every day being stared at by her, he probably wouldn’t even have noticed it.
…
…
“Mm…
huh?!”
Only after Acheron’s footsteps had completely disappeared down the hallway did Firefly realize that the human body pillow she had been hugging was gone.
Her eyes snapped open.
She shot upright in bed.
The moment she saw Li Yedao sitting perfectly fine in front of the computer desk, the panic on her face slowly faded.
What replaced it was lingering drowsiness.
Firefly rubbed her eyes.
Her voice was sticky with sleep.
“You’re writing this early?”
“No.
I’m preparing for something else.”
Li Yedao stood, walked over to the bed, and sat beside her.
He gently brushed her messy hair behind her ear.
“Firefly, are you free today?”
“I am.
Why?”
Firefly rubbed her eyes again, trying to wake herself up.
“Come home with me.”
“Home?
But isn’t this already—”
Firefly stopped halfway through the sentence.
Her pupils suddenly widened.
The last traces of sleep vanished instantly.
“You mean…”
“The home where your family lives?”
Li Yedao nodded.
“What?!”
Firefly sprang straight out of bed.
Barefoot on the floor, she grabbed both sides of her face.
All control over her expression disappeared.
“That means I’m meeting your family!”
“But I haven’t prepared anything!”
“What do I do?
What do I do?
What do I do…?!”
Firefly spun around twice in place.
She was completely overwhelmed by the panic of suddenly facing the ultimate evaluation.
She had imagined reaching the “meeting the family” stage someday.
She had absolutely never imagined it would happen today.
And definitely not at this exact moment, when she had just woken up with her hair looking like a bird’s nest!
Li Yedao stood and walked over.
He pulled her into his arms.
His voice was quiet and steady.
“Don’t worry.”
“Just follow my lead when we get there.”
“You don’t need to think about anything else.”
Firefly buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath.
Then she nodded.
Her voice came out muffled.
“Mm.
I trust you.”
At nine in the morning—
The Golden Courtyard.
Li Yedao’s face worked better than any access card.
He passed through every checkpoint without obstruction until he finally stopped in front of a large estate.
Firefly tightened her grip on his hand.
“Are we not bringing Jingliu?”
“My family knows Jingliu.”
Li Yedao shook his head.
“And this time, I can only bring one person.”
Firefly didn’t ask anything else.
She merely tightened her hand around his.
Li Yedao stood before the entrance and hesitated for one second.
His face alone could have unlocked the security system.
But in the end, he still raised his hand and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong!
“Coming, coming!”
A cheerful voice sounded from inside.
Footsteps approached from farther within the house.
The door opened.
A flash of pink entered their vision.
But the smile on the person who opened the door froze.
“Yedao?”
Li Yedao gave a slight nod.
His expression became extraordinarily complicated in that instant.
“Sis Elysia.”
“Long time no see.”
“Yedao…”
Elysia’s eyes turned red almost immediately.
Tears filled her lower lashes, blurring her view of him.
Yet her gaze never left his face for even a second.
Her hands fumbled with the lock.
Then she pulled the door wide open.
Standing there at the entrance, she finally burst into tears.
“W-Waaah…
“You actually remembered how to come home!”
Her voice broke apart beneath the tears.
Every word trembled wetly.
“Don’t leave again, okay?
I…”
Li Yedao pressed his lips together.
Then he raised one hand.
His index finger gently touched Elysia’s lips, stopping everything she was about to say.
He took a deep breath.
His expression was complicated.
“…Sis Elysia.”
“Don’t say any more.”
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