◎Excessive Sugar Intake◎
What was the daily limit for human smiles? Chun Zao felt she could break the Guinness World Record today. She was smiling while brushing her teeth, smiling while splashing water to wash her face, and looking at herself in the mirror, she was still smiling.
She patted her cheeks a few times, desperately trying to arrange her facial expression properly before she could pretend to be calm and return to her room.
But as soon as she sat down and opened her textbook, her lips couldn’t help but curve upward again.
Focus! Focus! Chun Zao silently urged herself, turning to a new page in her notebook to write from memory the text recitation that their homeroom teacher would randomly check tomorrow. Fortunately, she remembered everything—her brain could still function normally and hadn’t been soaked soft by the pink tide.
But… there wasn’t anything else to do tonight anyway…
She glanced at her half-closed door. The sound of Chun Chuzhen washing clothes was coming from outside. She walked over and poked her head out to call: “Mom, I have a bit of a headache today. I’m going to sleep early.”
The woman on the low stool looked up, shaking the soap suds from her hands, concerned: “Why do you have a headache? Did you catch cold?”
Chun Zao went along with her words and touched her forehead: “No, maybe I’m just a bit tired.”
“Then rest quickly.”
“Mm.” Chun Zao responded and closed her door.
Taking off her fleece sweater, she quickly buried herself in the airtight covers, opened her phone, and went straight to QQ without putting on headphones to listen to music, guarding against her mom’s sudden appearance.
As if they shared a telepathic connection, the boy’s concerned message popped up the moment it appeared on the interface.
Yuan Ye: You’re not feeling well?
Chun Zao: How are you eavesdropping on people’s conversations?
Yuan Ye:? You know the sound insulation in this house isn’t good.
Chun Zao confessed: I’m not unwell, I was lying to my mom.
Yuan Ye: Oh.
Yuan Ye: Why?
He was doing this on purpose, wasn’t he?
Chun Zao refused to take his bait: No particular reason, just wanted to sleep early.
Yuan Ye: Okay, I want to sleep early today too.
Chun Zao: What time do you usually sleep?
Yuan Ye: Around twelve to twelve-thirty.
Chun Zao: So late, what do you do?
Yuan Ye: If you’re chatting with me, I focus on chatting; if you’re not paying attention to me, I play a couple of games.
Chun Zao: That’s a boy’s nightlife?
Yuan Ye: Pretty much.
Chun Zao bit her lip for a while and asked: So are you going to play games now?
Yuan Ye replied: No.
He asked again: Are you going to sleep now?
Chun Zao curved her eyes: No, either.
Yuan Ye: [Image]
Yuan Ye: 23:20, isn’t it almost your bedtime?
Chun Zao opened the screenshot he sent—it was a lock screen wallpaper. She noticed the vertically arranged lines of text inside, turned her phone around, and studied the content, nearly crying out in delighted surprise: Where did you get this?
She barely remembered it herself.
But he had happened to see it, found it so fitting, and treasured it like a precious gem.
Yuan Ye: What do you think?
Yuan Ye: Helping you generate income, collecting a little tip privately isn’t too much, right?
Chun Zao pretended to be magnanimous: Take all you want.
Yuan Ye: This section is fine, I’m very content.
Yuan Ye: But seriously, shouldn’t you sleep early?
Chun Zao: Are you eager to go play games?
Yuan Ye:?
Yuan Ye: Just don’t want this thing to affect your normal sleep schedule.
“This thing”—what thing? Chun Zao didn’t ask in detail, but anyway… both people chatting knew perfectly well what it was.
Chun Zao thought for a moment: If I sleep now, will you sleep too?
Yuan Ye: Of course.
Chun Zao: Wouldn’t that disturb your normal schedule?
Yuan Ye: Indeed, I’ve only slept for half an hour since last night until now.