Chapter 56

It's past midnight, a new day has begun, and the recommendation votes have refreshed. Keep voting for me! Before you give your votes to others, Old Qiu is here. Brothers and sisters, show some enthusiasm!

Yesterday was good, with over a hundred more votes. But it's still far from enough; we have 4,500 brothers!

The gap is getting wider, and our ranking has dropped from 8th to 16th. This truly illustrates the saying "if you don't advance, you retreat," but this isn't a Chinese idiom class! We need to get on the list!

Even someone with a thousand followers can surpass me. This isn't just a slap in the face for Old Qiu; it's a mockery of all of us! This should be our glory, let's take it back!

Brothers, fight with me on the new author's list! Your recommendation votes are your weapons, use them! Give Old Qiu the power to burst forth!

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Opening the door, the living room was empty.

Turning on the light, there was still no movement.

Zhang Qiu guessed that the tough girl was probably asleep.

Perhaps feeling guilty, or not wanting to wake her, he didn't make a sound.

He quietly closed the door and tiptoed to the sofa.

Sitting silently on the sofa, Zhang Qiu suddenly noticed something odd. A faint light was seeping through the crack under the door of the room where the tough girl was.

Because of the windows, Ye Zhuyun and Xiang Yufei's room doors were sealed and had no air vents, so they almost didn't let any light through.

Even in the dark living room, this faint light was hard to notice. With the light on, it would have been completely overshadowed.

If not for Zhang Qiu's provincial-level insight, which allowed him to observe the tiniest details, he wouldn't have noticed this almost mystical light.

With the light, her lamp was still on, and she was likely not asleep.

He had heard that girls often go naked at home. Would Xiang Yufei also be naked because she was alone?

This could be true! If she had this habit, then it would be easy for him to see her.

But seeing her was a small matter; comforting her was the bigger issue.

How to comfort a girl is a challenge for every otaku and virgin. Zhang Qiu was already hesitating before he even faced it.

If it was just about being a pervert, he could have toughed it out, like when he activated the system!

However, this task required him to comfort her after being a pervert. That was a real killer!

If it was just about seeing her, he could deny it or avoid it, and the matter would fade with time.

But comforting her would mean admitting the mistake and facing her anger head-on!

From Xiang Yufei's past behavior, she was outgoing, bold, and had a strong presence. She was a tomboy, just with a soft girl's face.

Faced with such a person, Zhang Qiu was genuinely hesitant and unsure.

Moreover, this task was worse than peeping at Su Yun's underwear, more immoral.

Although he was tempted, another voice was criticizing the idea.

In an instant, Zhang Qiu's heart had gone through three autumns. This was more complicated and more painful than a drama's love story.

A clash between morality and desire, a battle between conscience and temptation!

Zhang Qiu slapped his forehead, his face full of worry.

At that moment, he heard the sound of the lock turning. Instinctively, he turned around, and the door opened, revealing a white, flawless figure.

Silence!

Stillness!

Stunned!

The two of them just stared at each other, forgetting to think.

A perfect body with flawless curves, as white as snow, like a lamb, pure and tender, completely defenseless, completely exposed.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut.

No scream, no cry, truly a tough girl.

But from the force of the door and the sound of the frame, Zhang Qiu felt a wave of anger that filled the space, as if it would consume him.

This was a speechless scene!

At that moment, all the complications were gone.

So easily, Zhang Qiu had really seen the tough girl naked.

It turned out that what he had casually thought about had become reality. This Xiang Yufei, this beautiful woman, really had the habit of going naked at home.

Zhang Qiu held his head and covered his eyes, not knowing what to do.

Explain? She didn't give him the chance!

Apologize? She didn't come to question him!

Ignore it? But what about her anger?

Now, Zhang Qiu understood why Xiang Yufei had hesitated so long, even with Ye Zhuyun's permission for him to stay.

Clearly, Xiang Yufei, with this habit, was not suitable for living with a man unless he was her boyfriend.

Sigh! Does he have to become her boyfriend to comfort her?

This is a bit too much pressure!

System, system! Give me some task hints!

Unfortunately, the task hint feature was only in simple mode, barely able to indicate the difficulty of a task.

Sigh, apologize! This was the only way Zhang Qiu could think of to comfort her.

Apologize first, start a conversation, then there's a chance to comfort her!

Otherwise, a cold war would likely end their friendship before it even began.

No! This absolutely can't happen!

Although the tough girl had a strong presence and sometimes a sharp tongue, she could still be a good friend.

So Zhang Qiu went to knock on the door.

"Yufei, Yufei, are you okay?"

Zhang Qiu kept knocking and asking.

Suddenly, the door opened, and an impatient voice said, "Knock, knock! I'm not dead yet!"

Unlike her usual sharp but smiling tone, her face was now dark, like a character in an anime who had gone dark.

Her presence became unpredictable, like a wave crashing against Zhang Qiu's heart, threatening to consume him.

"Um... Yufei, I'm sorry!" Zhang Qiu said weakly.

Xiang Yufei stepped out of the room and closed the door. She was now wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, still very white, but the white was from the clothes. The long clothes covered her completely, a stark contrast to before.

Xiang Yufei asked, "What did you do to say sorry?" Though it was a light question, it carried a weight that was hard to resist.

"Um, just now..." Zhang Qiu stammered, realizing that saying it might make things worse.

Xiang Yufei said sternly, "You didn't see anything, right?"

"Yes, yes! I didn't see anything!" Zhang Qiu nodded quickly, suddenly understanding. In such situations, even if you saw something, you should say you didn't, or you'd be asking for trouble. Girls' hearts are truly mysterious. Zhang Qiu had felt this again in just a few hours.

"What's wrong with you! You came back without saying a word? Do you even want to live here?" Xiang Yufei's anger escalated, her tone becoming harsher, clearly carrying a hint of resentment.

"I didn't want to wake you if you were sleeping," Zhang Qiu explained, thinking that although he felt guilty, it wasn't really his fault. You walked out naked, and I accidentally saw you. Is this really necessary?

Although I did have this idea before, you were so cooperative, it wasn't like I forced you.

Thinking this, Zhang Qiu straightened his chest, facing Xiang Yufei's strong presence without backing down.

Xiang Yufei felt Zhang Qiu's presence change, as if he had suddenly come out of his guilty state. What he thought was wrong now seemed justified.

Xiang Yufei was a bit amused. If Zhang Qiu had stayed weak, apologized, and admitted his mistake, she wouldn't have pursued it. But now he was suddenly defiant, as if seeing her naked was justified.

While she was at fault, Zhang Qiu's silence was a bigger mistake. She even suspected that Ye Zhuyun had accidentally let it slip, and Zhang Qiu had waited for this opportunity.

Thinking this, Xiang Yufei's anger grew.

The innocent boy in her mind had suddenly turned into a pervert. This transformation was a complete disillusionment, a disappointment. She had let such a dirty person live here. Could she still live a normal life?

"You're supposed to be in school. Why are you back now?" Xiang Yufei's tone became even harsher, her questions like picking at a scab.

Ye Zhuyun's schedule was to return to the dorm on Sunday night and come back on Saturday morning, staying only on Saturday night.

This meant that for six nights a week, she lived alone. This was why her habit of going naked was maintained.

She thought Zhang Qiu's schedule would be the same as Ye Zhuyun's, and Zhang Qiu had implied as much.

But now, Zhang Qiu, who should have been in the dorm, suddenly appeared, making her suspect the worst.

As the saying goes, "You can know a person's face but not their heart." She used to tease Zhang Qiu because he was young, looked innocent, and had a pure, virgin aura. Though a bit of a shut-in, he wasn't perverted, more of a fresh otaku.

Such a boy was easy to tease, and she had done so the first time they met.

But now, the pure, innocent boy had a perverted heart, and she couldn't accept it.

Zhang Qiu had no idea about Xiang Yufei's inner turmoil. He didn't know how intense her thoughts were in such a short time.

Feeling he had done nothing wrong, he was annoyed by Xiang Yufei's accusatory tone, as if he shouldn't be in the house.

So Zhang Qiu answered a bit rudely, "This isn't just your rented place, it's mine too! Whether I'm in class or not, I have the right to be here! I already apologized and said I didn't see anything. What's your problem? What do you want, just say it!"

Zhang Qiu became more agitated, ready to face whatever she threw at him. This outburst was because he had been suppressed by Xiang Yufei's presence, and he didn't want to feel that way again.