105: Touch the muffled

Saturday afternoon, at the school's West Gate.

About ten people had already gathered by now.

Besides a few familiar faces, there were other members; Yu Heng and his roommates had all come together.

Ning Yutong and Shen Yueling had already arrived. Bai Xinran stood off to the side looking at her phone, her legs shaking slightly, though not from the cold.

"The Counselor isn't here yet?" Hao Junran asked, shrinking his neck into his collar; it was getting colder by the day.

"Wait a bit," Yu Heng glanced around, "She should be here soon."

"Where is the place?" Hao Junran asked.

"It's in the same neighborhood where I'm renting, quite close," Yu Heng said. "It's only about a ten-minute walk."

"In the neighborhood where you're renting?" Zhou Mengqi leaned in when she heard this. "President, can we go visit your place then?"

"Hmm?" Yu Heng narrowed his eyes. "I haven't tidied up, it's a mess. I won't be inviting you guys over."

Zhou Mengqi pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.

After waiting for a while, Qin Lu arrived by car.

The mother and daughter got out of the car, and the students greeted them one after another.

"Hello, Teacher." Ning Yutong was the first to react.

The others followed suit, offering their greetings in a chorus of voices.

Qin Lu nodded, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.

Her eyes met Yu Heng's, but she immediately looked away.

"Is everyone here?" she asked Ning Yutong.

"Yes, all fifteen people who signed up are here."

"Alright, let's head out then." Qin Lu's tone was businesslike. She glanced at Yu Heng. "Yu Heng, you lead the way."

"Sure thing," Yu Heng replied. "The place isn't far, let's just stroll over."

The group walked toward the Villa area. Qin Lu intentionally stayed at the back of the line, keeping a slight distance from the students.

Yu Heng, however, slowed his pace, waiting for her to catch up before walking leisurely side-by-side with her.

"Don't be nervous," Yu Heng's voice was very low, audible only to the two of them. "Relax a bit."

Qin Lu looked straight ahead without turning. "Stay away from me."

As she spoke, she sped up her pace, widening the gap.

Yu Heng smiled and moved next to Bai Xinran. "Hang in there!"

After walking for about ten minutes, they reached the entrance of the Villa area.

"Damn, this place is nice!" Hao Junran raised an eyebrow. "Only fifteen hundred for a night?"

"How is it? Not bad, right? It averages out to only a hundred yuan per person, and we're having hotpot tonight," Yu Heng said with a laugh.

The group entered the house, and the living room soon became noisy.

Hao Junran pulled out a few boxes of board games from a cabinet. "What should we play?"

"Let's play Werewolf," Liu Tianqi said. "It's more fun with more people."

"Sure," Chen Yuqiang came over and said.

Yu Heng didn't join in; he leaned against the kitchen doorframe, checking his phone.

The eight-person meal set that was delivered was clearly not enough for fifteen people.

Yu Heng ordered more delivery from the supermarket, and two large bags of items arrived.

The items were placed on the edge of the counter, and the girls had already started tidying up.

Qin Lu was washing vegetables at the sink, the water splashing loudly.

Shen Yueling was cutting potatoes on the other side, the knife thudding rhythmically on the cutting board.

"Teacher, let me help," Ning Yutong's voice suddenly came from behind.

Qin Lu's movements paused. "No need, you guys go play."

"It's fine, I already played a round," Ning Yutong walked to the sink. "Yu Heng, don't just stand there."

Yu Heng stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "Aren't I supervising here?"

"What supervision?" Shen Yueling didn't even look up. "You cut! Don't you know how to cook now?"

"Fine, I'll cut then," Yu Heng walked over and took the knife from her hand.

The potato slices were uneven, and one piece even flew off and landed on the floor.

"You'd better put it down." Shen Yueling took the knife back, bumping him lightly with her shoulder.

Ning Yutong glanced over and continued plucking bean sprouts.

Yu Heng smiled. He had learned this trick from He Mengyao: if you don't want to do chores, you can't do absolutely nothing, as that seems lazy.

You have to pretend to be proactive and rush to do it, but then do a bad job and cause trouble; that way, the person who actually knows how to do it will tell you to stay out of the way.

When they first got married, He Mengyao used this trick all the time, and the key was that it actually worked on him.

But later, after she became a housewife, she couldn't pretend anymore, and he realized she had been acting all along.

Bai Xinran had been sitting on the single sofa in the corner of the living room, trying to focus her attention elsewhere.

Watching Hao Junran play Werewolf, watching Liu Hewei and the others play Arcade Games, and listening to Zhou Mengqi and the others sing.

This state continued until dinner.

During the meal, she picked up a slice of potato, but her hand shook, and the potato fell back into the bowl.

Next to her, Zhou Mengqi nudged her arm. "Why are you only eating rice?"

"Ah?" Bai Xinran snapped out of it and picked up a rib. "I'm a bit tired."

"Your complexion isn't great," Zhou Mengqi said. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No..." Bai Xinran's voice grew quieter. "I've just been sitting for too long."

Yu Heng, sitting across the table, heard this and glanced over.

The meal left her feeling restless and uneasy.

It was almost seven o'clock after dinner. Qin Lu stood up to clear the dishes, and several girls followed suit.

Hao Junran shouted from the living room, "Yu Heng, what's the plan for later?"

"Group activity at eight," Yu Heng thought for a moment. "Let's play Truth or Dare!"

"Whoa," a chorus of cheers erupted in the living room. "That works!"

...There were two knocks on the bedroom door.

"Who is it?" She subconsciously covered it with a pillow.

"Me," Yu Heng said from outside.

While the two were talking, Shen Yueling came up and stood at the door, asking, "What are you two doing here?"

Bai Xinran was a bit flustered and quickly glanced at the pillow, while Yu Heng remained quite calm.

"Just chatting about some livestream stuff," Yu Heng asked. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Shen Yueling walked in. "The downstairs is mostly tidied up, and I didn't see you two."

"A Ling, you go down first," Yu Heng said, looking at Bai Xinran. "I have something to talk to her about."

Bai Xinran nodded upon hearing this. "Then I'll head down first."

Watching her leave, Shen Yueling narrowed her eyes. "A Ling? Isn't her name Bai Xinran?"

"Her livestream name is Night Lingyuan," Yu Heng explained with a smile. "People in the stream call her that. I usually handle her operations, so I got used to calling her that."

After Yu Heng finished speaking, he walked to the door, closed it, and locked it.

"Why are you closing the door?" Shen Yueling asked, clicking her tongue. "There are so many people downstairs, don't do anything reckless!"

"Hehe," Yu Heng smiled and walked over, pulling her into his arms and taking a deep breath at the crook of her neck. "It's been a while since I held you."

"What are you doing!" Shen Yueling pouted. "Yu Heng!"

"Don't move, just for a bit, and then..." Yu Heng soothed her softly, using a dialect phrase. "I want a little affection."