118: living in the same room

An Lan took the honey locust and brought it close to her nose to sniff it gently; a faint, elegant fragrance slowly wafted out, lingering at the tip of her nose.

“Mm, then I'll be troubling you.” She said with her eyes curved into crescents, her face brimming with smiles.

“Then take your time washing, I'm going out.” After saying that, Lu Fan turned and slowly walked out of the room.

Standing outside the Shelter, Lu Fan heard the faint, subtle sound of water coming from the room, and his mind couldn't help but start to wander.

He suddenly realized his lapse in composure and couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

He raised his hand to scratch his head and muttered to himself, “Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it. Any more and it'll get weird.”

But that gurgling sound of water seemed to possess an invisible magic, making his heartbeat quicken uncontrollably; the thumping sound was exceptionally clear in the silent night.

To dispel this awkwardness and tension, Lu Fan decided to go for a walk to soothe his emotions.

He called over Da Hei and paced slowly along the winding path around the Shelter.

The forest at night was like a mysterious music hall, with the chirping of various insects rising and falling, interweaving into a harmonious and beautiful natural symphony.

Although Da Hei didn't know why Lu Fan had dragged it out of its kennel so late at night, it was still very happy, frolicking and running alongside him, occasionally chasing a flashing firefly with excitement, playing until it lost itself in the fun.

Lu Fan looked up at the vast, boundless starry sky; the stars twinkled like countless curious eyes silently watching over all things in the world.

He took a deep breath, fully feeling the caress of the cool night breeze, and the tension in his heart gradually dissipated with the gentle wind.

“This night in the wilderness is truly charming,” he couldn't help but sigh softly.

Lu Fan strolled leisurely outside like this for nearly half an hour.

“I wonder if An Lan has finished washing,” he thought to himself, then quickened his pace and returned toward the Shelter.

Returning to the Shelter, the sound of water in the room had already stopped.

Lu Fan approached quietly and called out softly, “An Lan, are you finished washing?”

An Lan's crisp and pleasant response soon came from the room: “I'm finished, you can come in.”

Lu Fan gently lifted the curtain, and a fresh scent wafted toward him—it was the fragrance of honey locust after bathing mixed with the coolness of the night.

An Lan was sitting by the bed, her wet hair draped casually over her shoulders, with a few strands still dripping water; her face was filled with a satisfied and cozy smile.

Her skin had a faint blush from having just bathed, looking like peach blossoms in full bloom in spring, delicate and moving.

At this moment, An Lan was wearing Lu Fan's oversized shirt, which was loose and baggy; the hem of the shirt slipped slightly, revealing her slender collarbones, and the outline of her chest was faintly visible, constantly drawing Lu Fan's gaze.

Lu Fan suddenly snapped back to his senses, quickly averted his gaze, and asked, feigning composure, “Was it comfortable?”

An Lan nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling and full of joy: “It was so comfortable, I feel like a whole new person. Thank you for helping me get the water.”

Lu Fan waved his hand, a warm smile on his face: “Why are you being so polite with me? As long as you're comfortable.”

The two of them chatted excitedly for a while longer, sharing the novel sights and interesting experiences they had at the seaside today; cheerful laughter echoed from the Shelter from time to time, traveling far in the quiet night.

Gradually, sleepiness hit An Lan like a tide; she couldn't help but yawn, quickly covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes full of weariness.

Seeing An Lan's sleepy appearance, Lu Fan said softly, “It's getting late, you should rest early.”

An Lan nodded, her gaze inadvertently lingering on Lu Fan's room for a moment.

His room was extremely simple, with only a crude bamboo bed, while her own room not only had a table and a fan but also the red coral and a large pile of pearls that Lu Fan had moved in.

Recalling the past few nights, Lu Fan had always thoughtfully prepared ice water and placed it in the room to cool it down.

As she thought, one warm little thing after another that Lu Fan had done for her surfaced in An Lan's mind.

From when he saved her life like a god descending from the heavens, to today when he unhesitatingly shielded her behind him when they encountered the Cheetah; from specially installing a fan because he was afraid she would be hot, to subconsciously holding her tightly in his arms every time they encountered danger.

These warm moments kept replaying in her mind, causing a shy blush to gradually spread across her cheeks.

An Lan stole a glance at Lu Fan and saw that he was preparing to go to his bamboo bed to rest; a sudden impulse welled up in her heart.

She bit her lip, mustered her courage, and suppressing her shyness, said softly, “Lu Fan, you... there's nothing in your room, it'll definitely be uncomfortable to sleep at night. Why don't you... come sleep in my room?”

After saying this, An Lan felt her heartbeat accelerate sharply as if it were about to jump out of her throat; she lowered her head in a panic, not daring to look at Lu Fan's expression.

Hearing this, Lu Fan stood frozen in place, completely stunned.

He never expected An Lan to suddenly make such an invitation; his mind went blank for a moment, and he was both pleasantly surprised and a bit at a loss.

Seeing that he didn't speak, An Lan hurriedly added an explanation: “I don't mean we'll sleep together, just each in our own bed. The weather is hot, and your wound might easily get inflamed... my room is a bit cooler.”

Lu Fan scratched his head and stammered, “Is... is this appropriate?”

Seeing him hesitate, An Lan felt a bit disappointed, but she still mustered her courage and said, “What's inappropriate about it? There aren't that many rules in the wilderness, and besides, we don't have any other choice.”

Lu Fan was conflicted; he knew well that An Lan was acting out of kindness, and his room was indeed crude and stifling, but sharing a room still made him feel uneasy all over.

But undeniably, a hint of anticipation was also quietly surging in the depths of his heart.

After a period of intense mental struggle, he finally nodded, feigning composure, and said, “Then... alright then.”

Thus, Lu Fan carefully picked up his bamboo bed and walked into An Lan's room with stiff and slow movements.

He tried his best to make his movements appear natural and smooth, but every action revealed an undeniable tension and awkwardness.

Watching Lu Fan's cramped appearance, An Lan couldn't help but let out a “pfft” and laughed; the shyness that had been lingering in her heart lightened a bit.

“Don't be so nervous, it's not like I'm going to eat you.” She teased half-jokingly.

Lu Fan smiled awkwardly and placed the bamboo bed steadily in a corner of the room, deliberately keeping a distance from An Lan's bed.

Fortunately, when building An Lan's house, considering she was a girl, the room space was specially designed to be relatively large; now, placing two beds didn't feel crowded at all.

He lay down on the bamboo bed with his hands behind his head, staring straight at the ceiling, not daring to move an inch or even take a deep breath, his whole body's muscles tense.

An Lan looked at him, stiff like a wooden man, and found it both funny and cute.

She rolled over to face Lu Fan and said softly, “Goodnight, Lu Fan.”

Hearing An Lan's voice, Lu Fan finally snapped back to his senses and quickly responded, “Goodnight, An Lan.”

After saying that, the two of them fell into silence; the room was so quiet that only their even breathing and the rising and falling chirps of insects outside could be heard.

Lu Fan lay on the bed, but his thoughts drifted far, far away.

His gaze occasionally drifted toward An Lan's direction; although he could only see a blurry outline, his heartbeat uncontrollably quickened again.

He forced himself to focus his attention on the ceiling, and gradually, sleepiness submerged him like a tide.

At this moment in the livestream room, the barrage comments were rolling frantically like snowflakes.

“???”

“Ah??”

“What's the situation? How did they end up sleeping together!!!”

“Aaaaaah, my Goddess An Lan, waaaaaah~”

“Ah, I ship them so much; the way they look at each other is so intense.”

“This kind of top-tier ambiguity is the sweetest.”

“My male god no longer belongs to me.”

“Wake up, the male god never belonged to you in the first place.”

“Isn't it just sleeping in the same room? They're not sleeping together. What are you guys shipping?”

“Dammit, the person upstairs is a killjoy, confirmed.”

Yu Rui, who was hosting the evening session, saw this scene and couldn't help but squeeze the plushie in her arms tightly, her eyes shining as if they were about to sprout little stars: “They're finally sleeping together! Aaaaaah!”

Then, her face turned slightly red, and she took a deep breath with excitement, slowly reaching her hand down... to pick up the milk tea hidden on the floor, took a heavy gulp, and let out a satisfied sound: “Mm, I got a pearl on the first sip~~”