I rejected your confession, but you took my best friend home?

Chapter 53: It's unknown how long this kind of life can last.

"There's actually a second way to solve this problem, but just in case, I'll teach you..."

Yin Mengran pointed to the questions on the test paper and patiently explained them.

But before she could even begin, she heard soft breathing. When she turned around, she found Zhou Heng slumped over the table, eyes closed, having fallen asleep sometime earlier.

Yin Mengran's lips curled slightly, a gentle tenderness appearing in her eyes as she looked at Zhou Heng sleeping, which reminded her of the experiences of the past few days.

She had seen Zhou Heng's efforts and progress.

Yin Mengran also felt his hard work. Zhou Heng had put in several times more effort than others for this exam.

"Zhou Heng...go back to your room and sleep..."

She gently patted Zhou Heng's shoulder and whispered in his ear,

But Zhou Heng seemed to be in a deep sleep, and gently patting him wouldn't wake him at all.

Yin Mengran hoped that Zhou Heng could get some rest, since he needed to be well-rested before the exam; otherwise, he would be sleepy the next day, and all his hard work would be wasted.

So she doesn't dare to wake Zhou Heng now; knowing his temperament, he'll probably continue studying after waking up.

So how do I move him to the bedroom...?

"Um..."

After thinking for a long time, Yin Mengran still couldn't come up with a solution.

She couldn't even move Zhou Heng's body in the first place, let alone now that she couldn't muster any strength.

After a day, I felt much better, but my body still aches a lot.

Therefore, she could only let Zhou Heng continue sleeping there.

She took one of her coats and gently draped it over Zhou Heng's shoulders.

"Good night..."

Yin Mengran sat next to Zhou Heng, her hands also resting on the table, her face turned to the side as she looked at Zhou Heng's sleeping face.

She seemed lost in thought, but she could just stare at things all night long.

"I don't know how long this kind of life can last."

The night was very quiet. Some people were already fast asleep, while others were still working hard with their nightlights on, striving for their dreams.

Time passed slowly, and the night quietly slipped away.

Around 4 a.m., there was already a faint light outside.

Zhou Heng slowly opened his eyes. The first sensations he felt were numbness in his arms and soreness in his lower back.

"Um..."

He sat up straight, stretched, and cracking sounds came from all over his body.

"Thud."

Zhou Heng's coat fell off, and when he looked down at it, he was stunned.

He recalled that he seemed to have fallen asleep without realizing it last night. He only felt his head was heavy and he couldn't open his eyes. He just lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

"Um?"

Zhou Heng looked to the side and found Yin Mengran sleeping peacefully beside him, her eyes closed, her long eyelashes visible.

He hadn't expected Yin Mengran to be here with him; she could have easily gone back to her bedroom to sleep.

I think I'm wearing her coat, but she's not covered up in anything.

It's still quite cold sleeping in the living room; I might catch a cold if I sleep like this all night.

Zhou Heng saw that Yin Mengran was almost curled up in a ball, with both hands hidden under her arms, which showed that she must have been very cold.

"Yin Mengran..."

Zhou Heng softly called Yin Mengran's name, trying to wake her.

At least let her go to her room and continue sleeping.

But after calling her several times, Yin Mengran did not wake up; she remained fast asleep.

Zhou Heng knew he had been studying day and night and was physically exhausted, but he forgot that Yin Mengran was in the same boat.

She always stayed by my side, tutoring me while I studied. Neither of us slept.

Therefore, Yin Mengran's exhaustion was actually comparable to her own, and with the added pressure and worries, she was probably more mentally fatigued than physically.

"Um..."

Zhou Heng really wanted Yin Mengran to continue sleeping, since there was still time, but he definitely couldn't let her continue sleeping in the living room.

Since he couldn't wake her up, Zhou Heng decided to just carry her to the bedroom.

As long as I'm gentle enough, I shouldn't wake her up, right?

Zhou Heng stood up, looked at Yin Mengran in front of him, adjusted his breathing, and calmed himself down.

Then, he bent down and gently picked up Yin Mengran.

However, he didn't use his hands at all, but rather his arms; his palms didn't touch Yin Mengran's body.

Yin Mengran kept her eyes closed, which showed how exhausted she was. A sense of guilt welled up in Zhou Heng's heart.

It seems I'll have to let Yin Mengran sleep more from now on. She's already exhausted from school, and then she has to tutor me when she gets home, so she doesn't get enough rest.

Unlike me, who could sleep in class whenever I wanted and the teacher didn't care...

Zhou Heng stepped forward and walked towards the bedroom. His steps were light and his arms were steady, so that Yin Mengran hardly felt any bumps.

As he entered the bedroom, walked to the bedside, and prepared to put Yin Mengran down,

She suddenly rolled over in Zhou Heng's arms, pressed herself close to his body, and reached out to hug his shoulders.

"..."

Zhou Heng stopped in his tracks, his body seemingly petrified in an instant, turning into a statue, completely still.

His eyes looked down and saw Yin Mengran in his arms, who didn't seem to be awake...

These all seem to be unconscious behaviors she exhibited while asleep.

What should I do now?

Now that Yin Mengran is holding her shoulders, there's no way to put her on the bed.

Should we wake Yin Mengran up now?

I'm afraid there's no other way...

Just then, Zhou Heng heard Yin Mengran's faint voice coming from his arms:

"Mother..."

Immediately afterwards, he felt Yin Mengran tighten her grip on him, as if afraid of being separated from her.

Her body was trembling slightly; you could sense her fear and unease...

Zhou Heng's throat tightened, and the thought of waking Yin Mengran vanished from his mind.

He forgot that although Yin Mengran appeared strong and open-minded on the outside, at the end of the day, she was still just an immature girl in her parents' eyes.

Zhou Heng's biggest wish right now is that Yin Mengran won't wake up, and that she can sleep a little longer.

Perhaps in her dreams, she and her mother could stay together a little longer.

Zhou Heng sat steadily on the bed, motionless, serving as both Yin Mengran's bed and a pillow.

He let her sleep peacefully in his arms.

After about half an hour, Zhou Heng's body was very stiff, his arms were sore, and he was about to give up, but he still dared not move.

There's still about half an hour until their normal wake-up time, so Yin Mengran needs to sleep for at least another half hour.

Ten minutes later, Yin Mengran opened her blurry eyes; tiny teardrops seemed to still cling to the corners of her eyes.

Before she could even realize where she was, she heard Zhou Heng's voice:

"Good morning..."