54: Chapter 54 The Cat's Tears in the Dead of Night

The room finally fell silent.

The eardrum-throbbing clamor receded like a tide, leaving only the faint hum of the computer case fan.

Huang Mao slumped in his ergonomic gaming chair.

His body leaned back against the chair's spine, his entire person assuming a 'Ge You Slouch' useless-loser posture.

He stared at the computer screen in front of him, which was still on the desktop.

On it was a default system landscape wallpaper with blue sky and white clouds; it looked quite stress-relieving.

But he didn't feel relaxed at all right now.

Recalling that 'flesh tank' impact from just now still made his heart skip a beat.

Especially that suffocating feeling that almost smothered him to death.

And that lingering milky fragrance around the tip of his nose.

"Tsk."

Huang Mao raised a hand to rub his brow and let out a long sigh.

What kind of mess was this?

He had originally moved into this small villa with a courtyard for the sake of peace and quiet.

He thought he'd play games when he had nothing to do, cook some meals, and be a happy shut-in bachelor living alone.

The result? How many days had it been?

His home was like a freaking female character encyclopedia exhibition hall.

A jealous jar of a childhood sweetheart.

A cold, shut-in Iceberg Campus Belle.

And now, an extreme maid ready to sacrifice herself at any moment.

This lineup would be a winning hand in any harem novel.

But in real life, this was called a 'survival crisis caused by being too much of a normie.'

Huang Mao felt that his originally abundant alone time was shrinking at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Like a popsicle left under the scorching summer sun.

Gradually melting until not even a scrap was left.

"Should I consider installing a fingerprint lock on my bedroom door..."

Huang Mao muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.

Just as he was about to sink into some sort of contemplation regarding a 'High-Quality Human Male's Guide to Living Alone'...

*Buzz—*

The phone on the desk lit up without warning.

The screen's light appeared exceptionally piercing in the dim room.

Huang Mao's eyelid twitched violently.

A premonition named 'trouble is coming' instantly enveloped his whole body.

He didn't pick up the phone immediately.

Instead, he stared warily at the screen as if looking at a time bomb about to explode.

The bouncing avatar was a minimalist black-and-white sketch.

The contact name was just three characters: Leng Qingxuan.

The corner of Huang Mao's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

It's the middle of the night; are these ancestors not planning to let anyone sleep?

Didn't they all just get sent back? Why is there still after-sales service?

He really didn't want to reply.

Right now, he just wanted to turn off the phone and dive into his blankets to play dead.

But logic told him he couldn't do that.

Leng Qingxuan was a woman whose brain circuits differed from normal people.

On the surface, she looked cold and rational, but in reality, her inner monologues were rich enough to film an eighty-episode TV series.

If he didn't reply.

She might imagine some ridiculous plot like 'another woman has secretly come to Huang Mao's room' or 'Huang Mao is so "busy" he can't reply.'

"Sigh..."

Life is hard; Huang Mao sighed.

Resigning himself to his fate, he reached out and picked up the phone.

He unlocked it and tapped the green social media app icon.

In the chat box, there were only two simple words.

[Leng Qingxuan: You there?]

Looking at these two words, Huang Mao's temples throbbed.

This was simply the most terrifying opening line in contemporary social etiquette.

You never know what's going to follow those two words.

Huang Mao hesitated for two seconds.

His fingers quickly tapped on the keyboard.

[Huang Mao: Still alive for now. Something up?]

Within seconds of the message being sent, the reply from the other side arrived.

This hand speed; she truly was an internet-addicted girl.

[Leng Qingxuan: You must be... feeling very uncomfortable right now, right?]

Looking at this sentence, Huang Mao froze for a moment.

Uncomfortable?

What uncomfortable?

He subconsciously touched his own neck.

Su Muxue's massage earlier was indeed quite comfortable, although that final 'Mt. Tai Press' was a bit hard on his neck.

But it wouldn't be uncomfortable to this extent even now, right?

Could she mean psychologically?

That makes sense.

Anyone who got tossed around like that in the middle of the night, with a jealousy battlefield and then the 'milk cleanser,' would be affected.

And he still had to be responsible for coaxing them to leave.

It really was mentally exhausting.

When did School Beauty Leng become so understanding?

She actually cares about someone's mental state now?

Huang Mao felt a trace of inexplicable gratification in his heart.

It seemed their time together these past few days had an effect; even the iceberg knew how to care for people.

So he didn't think much of it and clattered away at the keyboard to reply.

[Huang Mao: It's alright, just a bit mentally tired. I want to sleep; can we talk tomorrow?]

He thought this would end the conversation.

After all, according to common sense, upon hearing the other party say they 'want to sleep,' a normal person would tactfully say goodnight.

But Leng Qingxuan was clearly not a normal person.

[Leng Qingxuan: I know you want to sleep, but in that state, can you really fall asleep?]

[Leng Qingxuan: I mean... the feeling of being interrupted in the middle of doing that kind of thing. I've had similar experiences, so I can empathize.]

[Leng Qingxuan: That feeling of being stuck in the middle, it's like fighting a boss and having the internet cut out when it only has a sliver of health left... it makes one go crazy, doesn't it?]

"???"

Huang Mao stared at the screen, his pupils instantly quaking.

Wait.

This vibe seems a bit off?

What do you mean 'that state'? What do you mean 'interrupted in the middle'?

And what the hell is this 'similar experience'?

You're a grand Campus Belle; where did you get this kind of strange experience?

Huang Mao felt like his CPU was overloading.

He suddenly realized.

This woman couldn't possibly think that he and Su Muxue were really... doing that just now, right?

And she thinks he's currently in a state of 'unsatisfied desire' because his 'spellcasting' was interrupted?

This misunderstanding is huge!

[Huang Mao: Stop right there! What kind of messy things are you thinking?]

[Huang Mao: It really was just a simple massage! Proper! For therapeutic purposes!]

[Huang Mao: It was to relieve neck and shoulder fatigue and leg muscle soreness! There's none of that colored trash you're thinking of!]

[Huang Mao: I just want to simply sleep right now! Sleep as a noun, not a verb!]

This string of exclamation marks fully expressed the breakdown in Huang Mao's heart at this moment.

He felt like a cat wrongly accused of stealing canned food.

Even though there was no taste of it in his mouth, someone was pointing at his nose and saying, "You definitely didn't get to eat your fill."

However.

[Leng Qingxuan: The process isn't important; what's important is the result.]

[Leng Qingxuan: No matter what the cause was, Su Muxue's actions just now have objectively caused a certain 'ignition' effect.]

[Leng Qingxuan: And in this process, you didn't get a release; that is the result.]

[Leng Qingxuan: As an adult male with normal physiological functions, this state of being forcibly suppressed is bad for the body.]

Looking at these logical and evidence-based analyses, Huang Mao didn't know what to say.

He felt that if he kept debating with her, he'd eventually be led into a ditch.

He took a deep breath and decided to give up on trying to fix this.

[Huang Mao: Fine, fine, fine, you're right, you're the master of theory.]

[Huang Mao: So? You sent a message in the middle of the night just to give me a science lecture on male physiological health?]

[Huang Mao: If that's the case, thanks for the concern, bye-bye.]

After sending this message, Huang Mao made a move to lock the screen.

But he underestimated Leng Qingxuan's initiative.

Or rather, he underestimated the explosive power of a Leng Qingxuan who had been stimulated by Su Muxue.

The next second.

A new message jumped out.

This time, it was no longer a long-winded theoretical analysis.

It was straight to the point.

[Leng Qingxuan: Anyway, if you don't plan on sleeping yet... can you unlock the door?]

[Leng Qingxuan: I want to come over for a bit.]

Looking at these two lines.

Huang Mao's finger froze in mid-air.

The air in the room seemed to freeze instantly.

Come over for a bit?

Where to?

Here?

The suggestive meaning in these words was way too strong!

In the middle of the night, a lone man and woman.

He had just sent away a succubus wearing lace pajamas.

And now an iceberg whose head was full of 'yellow trash' was coming?

Was his room being used as some kind of late-night emotional exchange center?

Huang Mao instinctively felt a trace of danger.

A premonition that he was about to step into some kind of irredeemable abyss.

Before he could think of how to refuse.

Leng Qingxuan seemed to have sensed his hesitation and added another message.

[Leng Qingxuan: I'm coming alone.]

[Leng Qingxuan: I definitely won't bring An Ran this time; I didn't tell her anything.]

[Leng Qingxuan: I won't let Su Muxue notice either.]

[Leng Qingxuan: After I get in, you just have to lock the door behind me. Once I'm inside, I'll be very quiet too.]

"..."

Huang Mao looked at the screen and felt his blood pressure rising in a straight line.

The way she said it.

No matter how you heard it, it sounded like some underground secret meeting.

Or some kind of illicit affair scene.

Especially that sentence, "I'll be very quiet too."

This was simply dragging a person down a crooked path by force!

What on earth do you want to do, big sister!

Huang Mao took a deep breath, trying hard to keep his fingers from trembling.

[Huang Mao: No, can you speak properly?]

[Huang Mao: What you're saying is way too easy to misunderstand! What exactly do you want to do?]

The other side of the screen was silent for a while.

She seemed to be thinking about how to answer this question.

Or perhaps she felt that words could no longer express her determination.

A few seconds later, Huang Mao's phone vibrated.

No text.

Just an emoji.

It was a cat.

A kitten that looked like it had just been born.

It was huddled in a corner, its two front paws clutching its head, its large eyes filled with tears.

Its whole body was shivering.

A tearful cat head.

...

Huang Mao felt his defenses drop to zero in this instant.

He was the typical type who could be persuaded by soft words but not by force.

If Leng Qingxuan tried to reason with him or put on airs.

He had a hundred ways to snap back.

But this... this aggrieved, 'begging for a hug' posture.

He really couldn't withstand it.

In his mind, he couldn't help but picture Leng Qingxuan's current appearance.

Wearing pajamas, clutching her phone, hiding under the covers.

Biting her lip, waiting for a reply with a face full of anxiety.

That cautious appearance was exactly the same as this poor little cat.

"Sigh..."

Huang Mao sighed once more.

This time, it was a complete compromise.

He knew he was finished.

In this battle called 'Late Night Raid,' he had lost miserably.

He clearly knew this was a trap.

He clearly knew that letting her in might lead to even more serious consequences.

But he just couldn't find the heart to refuse.

"Sooner or later, I'm going to suffer a big loss..."

Huang Mao shook his head helplessly and tapped out a character on the screen.

[Huang Mao: ...Fine.]

After sending the message, he threw his phone on the desk and stood up.

Dragging his somewhat heavy footsteps, he walked to the door.

His hand gripped the cold metal doorknob.

He hesitated for one last 0.01 seconds.

Then.

*Click.*

The locked bolt was gently turned open.