Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

The chat ended around midnight, and the six of them yawned as they went upstairs to sleep.

"When you sleep at night, be careful not to press on Wanning's feet," Xu Qingfan said after placing Lin Wanning back on the bed to the four girls beside him.

"Wanning sleeps between Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao, so no worries," Zhang Yiyi thought for a moment and said.

"You all handle it, I'm going back to sleep. Help prepare my mom and aunt's pajamas," Xu Qingfan yawned, rubbed Lin Wanning's head, and left.

"Okay, good night, Brother Qingfan!" Lin Wanning put on the pajama hood, and as she tugged it, two fluffy bunny ears immediately stood erect.

Xu Qingfan smiled knowingly, exchanged good nights with everyone, and left the room.

.....

Wu Lingyu found three sets of pajamas from the wardrobe and placed them in the room next door. By the time she returned, the four girls had already finished washing up and gotten into bed.

She turned off the lights and quickly snuggled under the covers.

Maybe because a lot had happened tonight, but lying in bed, none of them felt sleepy.

"Tomorrow's the start of the holiday; this week went by so fast," Xiao Ruawen said, staring at the dark ceiling, starting a random topic.

"This whole year went by quickly; in a blink of an eye, it's over," Wu Lingyu moved in a bit, covering herself with more of the blanket.

"What year is it going to be next year, huh?"

"Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon... Next year is the Year of the Dragon," Zhang Yiyi answered.

"What sound does a dragon make?"

"Wuhu~ Wuhu~"

Xiao Ruawen asked and answered herself, and everyone burst into laughter immediately, "Hahaha..."

Once, while browsing in the library, they saw wallpaper that mimicked animal sounds. Press the corresponding animal, and the wallpaper would emit the matching sound.

The cat, dog, and cow sounds were just fine, but when it was the dragon's turn, it made the sound "Wuhu~ Wuhu~."

"Cough, cough... During the evening performance, the spotlights in the audience almost startled me," Xiao Ruawen said after stopping her laughter.

Dormitory night talks are like this, say whatever comes to mind, freely and casually.

"I thought I was seeing things at first when Ruawen's mom came on stage to give flowers, but it was real," Lin Wanning said softly.

"It's all Brother Chou Fan's fault! My mom and aunt were coming, but he didn't tell me in advance, really scared me!" Xiao Ruawen said with a smile but sounded like she was reprimanding.

"Brother Fan wanted to surprise Ruawen; when Aunt arrived, it was right before your performance," Wu Lingyu explained.

"More like a fright than a surprise," Xiao Ruawen muttered softly.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Ruawen spoke again, "By the way, Brother Fan said you made a deal that if he went on stage to give flowers, Xiao Xiao would kiss him. Is it true?"

Everyone instantly held their breath, waiting for Xia Xiaoxiao's answer.

After a brief silence, Xia Xiaoxiao answered, "There was no agreement."

"?"

Including Xiao Ruawen, four people slowly drew a question mark—it wasn't very sisterly to be so honest, was it?

The room fell silent again, Xia Xiaoxiao didn't continue explaining, and the others momentarily forgot to pursue the question, and thus the standoff continued.

Not sure how much time passed, but Lin Wanning, unable to contain her curiosity, asked, "Then why did you kiss Brother Qingfan in the evening, Xia Xiaoxiao? Aren't you afraid of being misunderstood?"

Like digging to the roots, her heart was racing as she spoke.

Everyone anticipated Xia Xiaoxiao's response, but...

After organizing her thoughts, Xia Xiaoxiao merely said one word, "It's okay."

"..."

Damn, just "it's okay"? The last time they were this speechless was... the last time.

"Haha, when we go back to school tomorrow, everyone will probably think you're dating Brother Fan, Xia Xiaoxiao," Xiao Ruawen joked, still not particularly speechless.

"Mhm," Xia Xiaoxiao nonchalantly hummed, as if she really didn't care.

In the darkness, the few of them exchanged glances—silent, silent, and still silent.

They all understood each other's thoughts but feared damaging their friendship, so they kept sensitive topics buried.

But always suppressing it isn't right; it's like a game of cards, Xia Xiaoxiao has played her hand, and if they don't play, it'll be a "spring" victory for Xia Xiaoxiao.

"Xia Xiaoxiao, you like Brother, don't you?" Zhang Yiyi said what everyone else hesitated to say.

In the pitch-black room, a few sighs, long and short, were heard.

Are they finally diving into sensitive topics?

So exciting!

This time, Xia Xiaoxiao almost immediately responded with candor, "Yes."

Still a two-word answer, but this time the certainty was 100%.

"I also like Brother, I've liked him since first grade," Zhang Yiyi said, her tone relaxed, as if sharing her favorite anime character with a friend.

"Me too, I've liked Brother Qingfan since kindergarten!" Lin Wanning quickly added.

Another moment passed.

Wu Lingyu also spoke, "I also like Brother Fan, I secretly liked him even before knowing him."

"Hmm?"

Only Xiao Ruawen hadn't spoken yet, and since it was a sisterhood night chat, no one held back any truths.

Even in the darkness, Xiao Ruawen felt the gaze of four pairs of eyes on her.

"Why... why are you all looking at me? Brother Fan isn't a $100 bill; who... who said everyone has to like Brother Fan?" she stammered nervously.

"Hehehe..."

The four of them also didn't utter a word, just lying there, stifling their laughter, causing Xiao Ruawen to feel highly embarrassed.

"What are you laughing at? Stop laughing!"

"At most, compared to other guys, I have a tiny bit of a good impression of Brother Fan, but that's just because we grew up together, which counts for something!"