2: Chapter 2 Pink Misunderstanding

The moment Su Bai pushed open the door.

The first thing that caught his eye was a hazy, warm pink light, starkly different from the bright incandescent light of the living room.

The air was permeated with a faint, cloying scent.

Immediately after, Su Bai's gaze locked onto the center of the room, on the large bed covered with soft, sky-blue sheets.

There was... someone on the bed!

A girl, who looked slightly smaller in build than Luo Ying, was half-leaning against the headboard.

She had long, slightly wavy flaxen hair, and her skin was so fair it was almost translucent. On her petite, doll-like face, her almond-shaped eyes were wide open in shock, her pupils trembling!

She was wearing only a loosely fitting white T-shirt, which revealed one shoulder and her delicate collarbone at the neckline.

What baffled Su Bai the most was that the girl's posture was somewhat strange.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Su Bai froze at the doorway.

The girl on the bed froze on the bed as well.

The two stared at each other, eyes wide.

Even their breathing seemed to have stopped.

A full two or three seconds passed.

"Ahhh!!!"

"Who are you!"

A shriek of shamed rage, loud enough to blow the roof off, erupted from the girl's throat!

"Get out! Hurry up and get out!!!"

The girl's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, almost as if they were about to bleed.

Su Bai was also startled by the scream and instantly snapped out of his petrified state.

He subconsciously raised his hands to cover his eyes, then peeked through his fingers.

"I'm sorry! I went to the wrong room! I'll leave immediately!"

He apologized rapidly, scrambling backward in a hurry.

However, the trash bag he had wrapped around his foot was too slippery, and he tripped immediately!

Su Bai instantly lost his balance, let out a cry of alarm, and stumbled uncontrollably toward the large bed in the room!

"What are you doing?! Don't come over!!"

The girl on the bed was terrified out of her wits; thinking the strange man was lunging at her, she screamed and grabbed a pillow, throwing it forward.

Su Bai, in a panic, tried to grab something to steady himself. In his flailing, his hand accidentally snatched a piece of white cotton fabric!

"Rip!"

Su Bai landed hard on the carpet by the bedside.

"Pervert! Creep! Get out!!"

The girl grabbed a mug from the nightstand, acting as if she were about to throw it, her voice laced with tears.

Su Bai, no longer caring about anything else, scrambled up from the floor, dashed out of the room at top speed, and slammed the door shut with a loud "bang"!

Leaning against the cold door, Su Bai's heart was still pounding wildly, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead.

Didn't Luo Ying say there was no one home?!!

What is going on here?!!

Just then, the kitchen door was yanked open, and Luo Ying, still holding a spatula, rushed out with a panicked expression.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? What happened?"

Su Bai pointed at the door behind him with a strange expression.

Luo Ying vaguely heard stifled sobs and the rustling sounds of someone getting dressed coming from the room, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Su Bai, you..." Luo Ying's expression changed.

"You were the one who said there was no one else at home..."

"Oh no!"

She seemed to realize something, hurried over to Su Bai's side, glared at him first, and whispered,

"You wait here. Don't run around, and don't go near it again!"

After saying that, she put down the spatula and knocked gently on the bedroom door,

"Qiaoyou, is that you in there?"

The room was quiet for a few seconds, then a muffled voice came from inside,

"Yeah, wait... wait a moment."

There was another rustling sound.

Luo Ying's expression changed instantly.

Did this little girl skip class again today?

And she happened to get caught by Su Bai walking into the wrong room!

She was truly speechless!

After quite a while, the door was carefully opened a crack, revealing Lin Qiaoyou's eyes, which were red from crying, looking a bit like a little rabbit's.

She had already changed into a conservative pink long-sleeved, long-legged loungewear set, and her hair was tied up messily, but the blush on her face hadn't completely faded.

After confirming that only Luo Ying was at the door, she opened it, but she still hid behind the door, glaring vigilantly and indignantly at Su Bai, who was standing a little further away.

Luo Ying slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

Su Bai stood alone in the living room, rubbing his nose with a helpless expression.

What a mess, hehehe~

Vague, lowered voices of the two girls could be heard from the room. It was mainly Luo Ying explaining, while Lin Qiaoyou occasionally let out a cry of grievance or disbelief.

About five or six minutes later, the door opened again.

Luo Ying walked out, pulling Lin Qiaoyou, whose cheeks were still flushed crimson.

Luo Ying cleared her throat and, with an awkward but polite smile, introduced them,

"Um... Su Bai, let me officially introduce you. This is my roommate, Lin Qiaoyou."

"Qiaoyou, this is the younger brother I mentioned to you yesterday, Su Bai. He just arrived in Jingzhou and will be staying with us for a while."

Su Bai immediately stood up, putting on a smile that was as sincere and harmless as possible, tinged with apology,

"Hello, Sister Lin. I am truly very sorry about just now. It was reckless of me. I really apologize."

His attitude was sincere, his tone solemn, and combined with that devastatingly handsome face, which was currently filled with apology and awkwardness, it was quite lethal.

Lin Qiaoyou's initial shame, indignation, and grievance inexplicably dissipated somewhat when she met Su Bai's clear eyes, which were filled with genuine apology.

Hearing him call her "Sister Lin" in such a clear, pleasant voice made her feel a little less angry.

Besides... he was really good-looking!

He was more than a grade above those so-called campus heartthrobs at their school.

His temperament was good too; although things were awkward just now, he didn't seem sleazy at all.

Lin Qiaoyou's inner monologue was spinning wildly, but she tried hard to maintain a calm expression on her face, though the blush on her ears betrayed her.

She lowered her head slightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz,

"It... it's okay. Sister Luo Ying already told me. It was a misunderstanding. I... I forgive you."

Although she said that, the thought of her most private and embarrassing side being seen by this "younger brother" she was meeting for the first time made her toes curl, and she wished she could dig a hole and hide in it.

Oh God, I can't face anyone!

And... we'll be living under the same roof for a while?!!

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two had eased, Luo Ying quickly smoothed things over,

"Alright, alright, it's good that the misunderstanding is cleared up."

"Su Bai, remember, the room on the right is your room. From now on, you must knock before entering someone else's room!"

"Got it," Su Bai agreed obediently.

"Then... I'll go back to the kitchen to continue cooking. You two... chat?"

Luo Ying asked tentatively, trying to let them resolve the remaining awkwardness themselves.

"Ah, let me help you, Sister Luo Ying!" Lin Qiaoyou immediately grabbed onto the lifeline, wanting to follow Luo Ying to the kitchen.

"No, no need. The food will be ready soon. You play on your phone, or chat with Su Bai to get to know each other."

After saying this, Luo Ying didn't give Lin Qiaoyou a chance to refuse and ducked back into the kitchen.

Leaving the space to the two people in the living room, which was still permeated with subtle awkwardness.

The living room quieted down.

Su Bai sat back down, picked up his phone, and pretended to look at it.

Lin Qiaoyou slowly walked to the other end of the sofa, sat down on the single sofa farthest from Su Bai, and hugged a throw pillow, spacing out.

The air went quiet.

After quite a while, Lin Qiaoyou finally seemed unable to hold it in anymore.

She stole a glance at Su Bai, looking at his perfect side profile, bit her lip, and said in an extremely low voice,

"Hey..."

Su Bai looked up at her, his eyes questioning.

Lin Qiaoyou's face turned red again. She averted her gaze, not daring to look at Su Bai, and stammered:

"Um... just now... the thing in the room... can you... can you just pretend you didn't see it? Please don't... don't tell anyone..."

Her voice got quieter as she spoke, until it was almost inaudible by the end, her fingers gripping the pillow tightly.

Su Bai immediately understood what she meant, nodded solemnly, and replied in a low voice,

"Don't worry, Sister Lin, I understand."

"I didn't see anything just now, and I don't know anything!"

"I will never say a word about it to anyone. This is my personal integrity. Please trust me."

His tone was serious and earnest, giving off the feeling of a reliable young man.

Lin Qiaoyou quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the heavy stone pressing on her heart lighten a little.

She sneaked another look at Su Bai and found his eyes clear and his attitude composed, which dissipated the awkwardness in her heart a bit more.

However, just as she relaxed slightly, Su Bai suddenly leaned forward a little, a hint of just the right amount of curiosity on his face, and muttered in a low voice,

"But... Sister Lin..."

Lin Qiaoyou's heart tightened, and she looked at him guardedly.

Su Bai blinked, his face full of an "eager-to-learn" expression, and lowered his voice: "Is that thing... really... that fun?"

"..."

Lin Qiaoyou froze for two seconds. Once she realized what Su Bai was asking about, her pretty face instantly exploded into a deep red, from her cheeks all the way down to the roots of her neck,

"You!!!"

Shamed and angry, she grabbed the pillow in her arms and threw it at Su Bai!

"Go to hell!! You jerk!! You dirty pervert!!"