170: Pressing too hard

Yu Heng patted Bai Xinran on the waist.

Bai Xinran turned her head to look at him.

"It's more comfortable watching while lying down," Yu Heng said.

Bai Xinran hummed in agreement, placed the cushion on the carpet, and lay down on her side.

Her head rested near Yu Heng's leg, and she curled her legs up.

Yu Heng's hand naturally rested on her waist.

Ning Yutong stared at the screen, glancing at them from the corner of her eye.

Huh?

They... aren't even pretending anymore?

She was still here!!!

How could they be so brazen?

Ning Yutong looked at Shen Yueling. Shen Yueling tossed her cushion aside and stood up.

"I'm going to grab some snacks," she said. "Yu Tong, do you want some?"

She walked toward the kitchen, passing Yu Heng and Bai Xinran, acting as if she hadn't seen a thing.

If the sight and sounds weren't so real, she would have thought she was hallucinating.

Shen Yueling went to the dining area, making Yu Tong even less willing to stay. She stood up and said, "I'm going to the restroom!"

She stood up a little too quickly, hitting her knee on the corner of the coffee table.

Suppressing a sound, she hurried toward the restroom and closed the door behind her.

After washing her face, she bit her lip and looked into the mirror. How could they... do this?!

That was too embarrassing!

She took a breath, smoothed her hair, and opened the door.

In the living room, the movie was still playing.

Bai Xinran was sitting up now, leaning next to Yu Heng, holding a drink bottle.

"Why were you gone so long?" Yu Heng looked up at Ning Yutong, his tone normal. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No," Ning Yutong walked back to the sofa and sat down in her original spot. "I just washed my face."

Shen Yueling placed the snack bowl on the coffee table and sat down next to her.

"Here," she handed over a packet of tissues. "You still have water on your face."

Ning Yutong took the tissues and wiped her forehead.

The movie's sound effects were loud. She stared at the screen, trying hard to focus on the visuals.

But in her peripheral vision, Bai Xinran leaned closer to Yu Heng again.

She saw Yu Heng's hand rest on Bai Xinran's shoulder, tapping lightly, as if keeping time.

She picked up the drink bottle, twisted it open, and took a sip.

It was too sweet, sickeningly so.

"Yu Tong," Yu Heng suddenly spoke, "why is your face so red?"

Ning Yutong's hand trembled, and the drink nearly spilled.

"Is it?" She raised her hand to touch her face. "Maybe it's a bit warm."

This was clearly intentional provocation!

He was deliberately trying to embarrass her!

"The air conditioning is on," Yu Heng said. "Are you catching a cold?"

"No," Ning Yutong shook her head. "It's just a bit hot inside. The heating here is too strong."

Yu Heng didn't press the matter, just smiled.

The movie played for another ten minutes, but Ning Yutong had no idea what happened in it.

"I..." She finally couldn't sit still and suddenly stood up. "I just remembered I have something to do back at my dorm. I need to leave."

Shen Yueling looked up at her. "Now?"

"Yes," Ning Yutong nodded. "I'll take the pajamas back to wash them before returning them to you."

"No need," Shen Yueling said. "Just leave them here."

"I'll take them back anyway," Ning Yutong said, heading toward the stairs. "I'm going up to change."

When she came downstairs, all three people were looking at her.

"Should I walk you out?" Yu Heng asked.

"No, no need," Ning Yutong put on her shoes. "I can go by myself."

She pulled the door open, and the cold air rushed in.

"Be careful on the way," Shen Yueling said.

"Mhm," Ning Yutong replied, closing the door.

The sound of her footsteps faded in the hallway.

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

The movie was still playing, but no one was watching it.

"We scared her off," Bai Xinran said softly.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Yu Heng withdrew his hand and took a sip from his drink bottle.

"You pushed too hard," Shen Yueling said, giving him a look. "She wasn't ready yet."

Yu Heng shrugged. "Fine, let her cool down then."

Just as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang.

Bai Xinran stood up. "I'll get it."

She walked to the entryway, looked through the peephole, and turned back. "It's a delivery."

Yu Heng walked over and opened the door. It was a SF Express courier carrying a medium-sized cardboard box.

"Yu... Heng? Right? Please sign for it."

Yu Heng took the pen, signed his name, and carried the box inside.

The box wasn't heavy, but it was packaged very securely.

Shen Yueling leaned over from the sofa. "What did you buy?"

Yu Heng placed the box on the coffee table and checked the sender's information. "It was sent from the factory."

As he spoke, he took scissors from under the coffee table and cut the tape.

He opened the cardboard box, which contained foam packaging. Pushing it aside, he revealed several individually wrapped boxes.

The packaging design was simple, printed with the "Brand Name: Pleasing Oneself" logo.

Shen Yueling picked up a small box, flipped it over, and looked at the product diagram on the back.

Her fingers paused, and she looked at Yu Heng. "Is this... that thing?"

Yu Heng opened one box and took the item out to examine it.

The design was indeed unique, and the actual product looked quite good.

Shen Yueling put down the box in her hand. Her expression hadn't changed, but her ears felt hot.

She knew Yu Heng was starting an adult brand, but seeing the actual product laid out was still a bit shocking.

"This..." Shen Yueling was curious, looking up at Yu Heng. "What does it feel like to use?"

Yu Heng took the one she was holding and squeezed it. "You'll know if you try it."

Shen Yueling pursed her lips and glared at him.

She felt a little conflicted. On one hand, it felt strange having these items displayed on the coffee table at home.

On the other hand, she couldn't help but wonder if Yu Heng wanted her to test it out.

"There are several other models," Yu Heng continued to unpack the box, taking out a few more. "The sizes are different too."

Bai Xinran opened them one by one, picked one up, and compared it in her hand.

"This one should be suitable for beginners," she muttered to herself.

Shen Yueling glanced at her, thinking that A Ling was truly open-minded, immediately considering practicality.

"What do you two think?" Yu Heng asked. "Should they be quite popular?"

Bai Xinran smiled. "I like it, for sure. I think there should be plenty of people who like it too."

Shen Yueling's gaze swept over the row of items laid out on the coffee table.

"This kind is more normal," she said, pointing to the one in Bai Xinran's hand. "The acceptance level might be higher."

Yu Heng picked up the item she pointed to and looked at Shen Yueling. "Do you want to try it?"

Shen Yueling's eyelid twitched. "Try what?"

"Try the feel of it," Yu Heng said matter-of-factly. "User feedback is very important."

Bai Xinran nodded beside him. "That's right, Sister Yueling, you should offer some feedback too."

She sighed inwardly, reached out and took the item, and images flashed uncontrollably through her mind.

If Yu Heng used this thing... She quickly stopped the thought and put the item back on the coffee table.

"It's alright, I guess," Shen Yueling said blandly.

Yu Heng smiled. "Then this one is yours, and the slightly larger one is for A Ling."

Bai Xinran's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Pfft, wasn't this originally made for you?" Yu Heng said. "Try it out and tell me about your experience later."

"Okay!" Bai Xinran hugged the box to her chest.

"Where should we put the remaining samples?" she asked.

Yu Heng looked at the box. "Let's put them in the warehouse for now. They might be useful later for product photos."

As he spoke, he started tidying up, putting the opened samples back into their boxes.

Bai Xinran was still holding her model, lightly tapping the box with her fingers.

She was already planning to try it out when she showered that night.

Shen Yueling got up to help, stacking the boxes back into the cardboard container.

A thought suddenly struck Yu Heng: Should he mail one back to Zhou Wanyi?