40: Chapter 40 Such Soft Tires

"Uh, it's nothing, just hotel room service."

"Miaomiao, did no one knock on your door?"

An Miaomiao shook her little head and said, "No, there wasn't~"

Damn it, they must have leaked the guest information when I registered my ID.

Precision delivery of special services, huh? Do I look that desperate?

Besides, they didn't even send anyone decent.

Yang Shiguang cursed silently in his heart.

"What's wrong, Miaomiao? Can't sleep?"

An Miaomiao stepped forward and took Yang Shiguang's large hand in both of hers.

"Mm... It's my first time staying out alone, and Miaomiao is a little scared."

"Can I sleep here?"

Yang Shiguang froze, feeling slightly troubled.

"Miaomiao, you're all grown up now; it might not be appropriate for a man and a woman to share a room."

Seeing that Yang Shiguang hadn't explicitly refused, An Miaomiao felt a surge of joy.

Hehe, a weak refusal is just a firm acceptance.

She then deliberately hugged Yang Shiguang's arm, burying his limb between her soft breasts, putting on a pitiful expression. Her peach-blossom eyes were filled with grievance and veiled in a layer of mist.

"I'm scared, Shiguang-ge. Isn't this a twin room? We can just sleep in separate beds, right?"

"Besides, we used to sleep together all the time when we were kids. It's not strange for a brother and sister to sleep in the same room."

Bewitched by the softness against his arm and her pitiful appearance, Yang Shiguang failed to correct An Miaomiao's logical fallacy and her attempt to blur the lines.

Of course, it was also possible that he didn't want to refuse at all.

He could only pretend to be helpless and agree.

Deep in the night, the room was quiet, save for the non-intrusive sound of the air conditioner.

A soft, sweet voice from the next bed broke the silence.

"Shiguang-ge..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Can you come over and sleep with me..."

"Of course not. Go to sleep, be a good girl."

"Oh..."

The room returned to silence, but it was soon broken again.

"Shiguang-ge..."

"Hm."

"Are you going to look for Zhang Zishan when school starts?"

The voice was calm, with no detectable emotional fluctuation.

Yang Shiguang hadn't figured out the answer to this question himself.

Should he go? He had to see her at least once.

Having been a simp for two lifetimes, even though he already knew the outcome, he needed to put a period on their relationship, whether to end the entanglement or to have a big showdown.

She owed Yang Shiguang an explanation.

Yang Shiguang also needed an explanation for himself.

If he kept avoiding it, how would he be any different from a tortoise?

"Yeah, I will."

After a brief silence, the soft, sweet voice sounded again.

"Shiguang-ge... do you... love her very much?"

The voice was still calm, but the slight tremor beneath the forced composure laid bare the immense emotional turmoil within her.

However, Yang Shiguang, lost in thought and memories, failed to notice.

Did he love her? If it were this time in his past life, Yang Shiguang would have given an affirmative answer without hesitation.

But what about this life? There was probably still love; after all, 13 years in the past life and 3 years in this one—a 16-year-long "white moonlight" wasn't that easy to let go of.

However, through the endless cycle of disappointment, picking himself up, and disappointment again, the love had been worn down to almost nothing.

And what about hate? Of course, that existed too. She was the one who betrayed him, and she was the one who broke her vows.

Could he forgive her? In fact, he had already forgiven her, because she only owed him; in the eyes of anyone else, she had done nothing wrong.

So, Yang Shiguang let everyone else off the hook, but he never let himself go.

Getting used to avoidance and truly letting go were two different concepts.

He had tried countless times to prove to himself that he had moved on, but the more he tried to prove it, didn't that just prove he hadn't let go?

So, it was just avoidance.

"Love? I don't know. Maybe it's just an obsession..."

After thinking for a long time, Yang Shiguang could only give such an ambiguous answer.

Because he knew his thoughts couldn't be told to his sister. And it was even more impossible to tell her that he already knew the outcome.

So, Yang Shiguang could only silently bear the unspeakable suffering and the recurring cycle of self-torment.

It's a pity that human suffering is sometimes so similar.

This was true; he failed to notice that An Miaomiao, who was facing away from him, had a pillow soaked with tears, and he failed to notice the sorrow in her lusterless eyes.

Although the answer wasn't as cruel as she had imagined.

But hearing the object of her affection admit to an obsession with another girl made it hard for this 18-year-old girl to control her sadness.

The feeling of being unable to leave yet unable to get closer left her in agony.

Wasn't she also trapped in the self-torment of suppressing her increasingly intense feelings?

With the mental age of over thirty, Yang Shiguang could fall asleep peacefully by temporarily shutting off his worries, or rather, by avoiding them.

Not long after, he fell into a deep sleep.

As for An Miaomiao? Tired from crying, she naturally fell asleep too.

...

Yang Shiguang had a dream.

He dreamed of his past life, the scene of his final moments fleeing for his life.

But he didn't manage to escape into the cabin; he fell to the ground.

A jeep rolled over him, its front right tire pressing straight onto his chest, feeling as if his internal organs were crushed.

He could clearly see the anti-skid treads on the tire, but he didn't die; the sense of pressure was just too real.

He reached out his hands, trying to grab the tire to see if he could lift it slightly to escape.

However, when he grabbed the tire, a sense of dissonance washed over him.

"Why the hell is this rubber so soft?"

To confirm, he grabbed it again. It was indeed very soft.

"Mm~"

However, the soft, sweet murmur that followed jolted him awake.

His first reaction upon waking was that he couldn't breathe; something was pressing on his chest. His second reaction was an itch on his face.

Looking down, a snow-white, delicate body was pressed tightly against him in a prone position.

His own hands had reached into her camisole nightgown from above, cupping her two breasts, his ten fingers sinking deep into them.

Holy crap, what's going on?

Yang Shiguang quickly turned his head; An Miaomiao's sleeping face was less than ten centimeters away.

As he turned, their noses almost touched.

Did this girl run over in the middle of the night?

Yang Shiguang lamented that his alertness had regressed in his peaceful life. In those years abroad in his past life, no matter how soundly he slept, he would wake up immediately if there was any movement around him.

But soon, he was attracted by An Miaomiao's sleeping face again.

Her features were exquisite and sweet, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her long eyelashes on her peach-blossom eyes fluttered slightly with her rhythmic breathing, looking very peaceful.

It was just the abrupt tear stains at the corners of her eyes that told the story of her crying.

Did this girl have a nightmare?

Yang Shiguang admired this peerless beauty for a long time before An Miaomiao gradually woke up.

An Miaomiao rubbed her sleepy eyes with her small hands, and after staring at Yang Shiguang for a few seconds, she gave him a sweet smile.

"Morning, Shiguang-gege..."

Her voice was soft, sweet, and lazy, like cotton candy.

"Good morning, Miaomiao. Did you have a nightmare?"

Yang Shiguang returned the smile and asked:

"Mm..."

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm always here."

"Mm, Shiguang-ge. It's okay now..."

"Are you hungry? Let's get up and have breakfast."

An Miaomiao nodded and prepared to get up.

Yang Shiguang felt the delicate body on him move a few times before stopping, and her pretty face, inches away, turned crimson instantly.

"What's wrong, Miaomiao? Are you uncomfortable?"

Seeing An Miaomiao avoid his gaze, biting her lip, she said shyly:

"No... it's just..."

"Shiguang-ge... can you... let go of your hand? I... I can't get up."