Chapter 23: Living Together, Sharing the Same Bed

"Ah! Fang Yinnian, hurry, help me! Save me!"

Fang Yinnian was cleaning the kitchen and bathroom when he heard the shouts. Thinking something had happened to Mu Wanguan, he rushed out, still clutching the toilet brush.

"What's wrong?" Fang Yinnian yanked back the curtain separating the living room from the bedroom, shouting in a panic, "Wanguan, you—"

But Mu Wanguan, the one in need of rescue, had managed to stuff herself inside a duvet cover. She had originally intended to help put the quilt inside—after organizing her clothes, she had found herself with nothing to do and thought she would lend a hand. She hadn't expected that the quilts of the ancient Blue Star humans would be so difficult to manage. She would tuck in two corners, but as she moved to the third and fourth, the duvet would slide away as if it had a mind of its own; the cover simply wouldn't stay on.

After several failed attempts, a clever idea struck her: if she climbed into the cover along with the quilt, she could hold it in place from the inside, and then it wouldn't be able to run away.

And thus, this was the scene that greeted Fang Yinnian when he pulled back the curtain: someone buried head-to-toe inside a duvet cover and quilt, with only a small head sticking out, struggling in vain.

The room was warm; the renovated farm staff quarters had hot water circulating for heating in every room. Between the warmth and her own frantic movements, she had managed to bind herself up like a cocoon, her little face flushed red. She looked exactly like a disobedient child who, instead of helping while the adults were busy, had only managed to get herself dirty and add to their burden.

Fang Yinnian: "..."

"Mu Wanguan," Fang Yinnian took a deep breath. If he weren't still holding the toilet brush, he might have given this 'troublemaker' a lesson. "Exactly how did you manage to turn yourself into a steamed bun?"

"I am not a steamed bun!" Mu Wanguan’s eyes widened. "Hurry up and save me!"

"No." Fang Yinnian turned away, afraid that if he kept looking at this 'troublemaker,' he would actually lose his temper. He had never seen such a restless girl. How had he ever thought she was quiet and sensible?

"...??? You heartless person!" Suddenly, Mu Wanguan used her core strength to bounce into a sitting position. Though her hands and feet were bound, her spirit remained undaunted. She lifted her chin, looking even more arrogant than the standing Fang Yinnian. "If I hadn't been trying to help you and lighten your load, I wouldn't have ended up like this!"

"Hmph, I'm not talking to you anymore," she tilted her head away. "I'm not helping you ever again. I'm going to tell Grandma!"

Fang Yinnian's departing figure stiffened, and his raised foot slowly set back down. He turned around, his eyes sweeping across the room. He realized that the once-messy bedroom had been cleaned up. The clothes they brought were all in the wardrobe, and the floor had been mopped—it was still damp. Most surprisingly, the layout of the partitioned room had changed.

The room they had been assigned was a small single unit, but the previous occupant had used a curtain to divide it into a living space and a bedroom. It had always felt cramped and cluttered. But now, after Mu Wanguan’s touch, the six-foot bed was pushed against the left wall, the wardrobe was in the right corner, and the desk was tucked against the wardrobe, leaving a spacious walkway between the wall and the furniture.

The end of that walkway was the room's only window. Although it was pitch black outside, making it impossible to see the sun, it would surely be the brightest and most charming spot during the day. Furthermore, with the window unobstructed, if they drew back the curtain between the bedroom and living area during the day, the living room wouldn't feel dark, stifling, or oppressive.

Thinking of this, the frustration in Fang Yinnian’s heart vanished. His ears began to burn, and he walked over to Mu Wanguan. Mu Wanguan’s ears twitched, but she refused to look at him, keeping her proud little chin held high to show her displeasure.

Yes, Mu Wanguan was angry. This dog of a man was completely ungrateful. Back in the interstellar era, who wouldn't have vied for her favor and help? Yet here was Fang Yinnian—she had helped him organize his clothes, cleaned the room, and even tried to help him with the bedding, and this was the thanks she got! He was ungrateful, unappreciative, and cold-blooded...

"Alright, alright, stop scolding me." Fang Yinnian wanted to laugh but didn't dare, his eyes filled with a tenderness he didn't even realize he was showing. "If you keep scolding me, I'll cease to be human."

It turned out Mu Wanguan had accidentally voiced her internal monologue aloud.

"Hmph!" Mu Wanguan remained haughty, looking down her nose at him. "Apologize."

"I was wrong."

"Where were you wrong?"

"I was... I was wrong to be unappreciative and ungrateful, and to let our Wanguan suffer."

The corners of Mu Wanguan’s mouth twitched upward against her will. She realized Fang Yinnian had one redeeming quality: he had a good temper, spoke nicely, and knew how to coax people.

"Cough. W-well, since you know you were wrong, hurry up and save me!" Mu Wanguan turned her head sharply to glare at him. "I can't move!"

"Pfft! Ahem, alright, I... wait for me to wash my hands first. You wouldn't want me to untie you with hands that just cleaned the toilet, would you?"

It was only then that Mu Wanguan noticed the toilet brush in his hand. She recoiled. "Ah, go away, go away! Hurry up and wash them before you come back."

Fang Yinnian: "..." He shouldn't have felt soft-hearted toward this girl.

Despite his thoughts, he hurried back to the bathroom. After washing his hands, he still felt they weren't clean enough, so he changed his clothes entirely before returning to rescue her.

"You're so slow," Mu Wanguan complained.

Fang Yinnian reached out, pressed his index finger to her brow, and pushed her over.

***

The night grew deep. Once they were both washed up and settled, they were too tired to move.

"Fang Yinnian," Mu Wanguan called out from the far side of the big bed. The lights were off, and the only illumination came from the moonlight filtering through the window.

Fang Yinnian lay with his eyes closed, but he wasn't asleep. He was exhausted, but sleep wouldn't come. The air was filled with the familiar, fresh scent of the young woman beside him, which kept him wide awake. He felt a headache coming on, wondering distractedly if he should just find someone to build another bed tomorrow.

"What is it?" he asked, not opening his eyes.

"Will you change in the future?"

"What?" Fang Yinnian didn't understand. He opened his eyes and turned toward her. As he turned, the scent grew stronger—not a floral scent or any perfume, but something fresh and intoxicating that he couldn't quite describe.

"I mean, will you become gloomy, cold, violent, or look down on people later?"

Fang Yinnian: "..."

"Exactly how many comic books have you been reading behind my back? Do they really have that many... adjectives in them?"

Fang Yinnian rubbed his brow, forcing himself to look at the ceiling instead. In the darkness, Mu Wanguan pouted. It wasn't from a comic book—it was the description of him in the book after he moved to the countryside. The book said he became gloomy, cold, and violent... nothing like the 'annoying' person he was now. It wasn't until the female lead warmed his heart that he became human again.

Thinking of this, she pouted again. She didn't like the female lead in the book, and she liked the idea of Fang Yinnian becoming that version of himself even less. She felt the Fang Yinnian in the book wasn't the Fang Yinnian she knew.

Mu Wanguan suddenly turned over, propping herself up on one arm to look at him, and commanded with absolute conviction: "You are not allowed to change."