A Night Under the Same Roof

The rain transitioned from a heavy downpour to a steady drizzle, gradually weakening. The lingering summer heat in the air was completely dispelled by this autumn rain, replaced by bursts of coolness. The ink-colored sky offered not a single glimmer of starlight.

This was the scene Ye Nanzhi saw when she opened her eyes.

Her vision focused on the water droplets on the glass, and she sat up with a start. “Huanhuan is still waiting for me!”

The moment her hand touched the car door, she froze. Dense greenery, sophisticated landscaping—where on earth was the school gate of Shen University?

This was clearly a residential complex, and a high-end, expensive one at that.

Ye Nanzhi turned around. Chu Ran was sitting calmly in the driver’s seat, watching her quietly.

“I have already notified Student Li Huan and told her to go back first. Don’t worry, she didn’t get caught in the rain.”

“Then why didn’t you wake me up?”

Chu Ran’s eyes flickered, and the corners of her lips curled into a smug arc. “I forgot.”

“…”

After delivering a nonsensical answer with a straight face, Chu Ran saw Ye Nanzhi’s resentful expression and added a bit of justification: “I saw you were exhausted and your leg was injured, so I couldn’t bear to wake you.”

The look of a successful scheme was undisguised, fully captured by Ye Nanzhi’s eyes. “Fine. Now that I’m awake, take me back.”

“It’s too late.” Chu Ran lifted her arm to check her watch. “Shen University locks its gates at ten. It’s definitely too late to make it back now.”

Ye Nanzhi: …

“Besides, even if I were willing to take you back, it wouldn’t matter. Your cousin and her class are leaving for an outdoor sketching trip the day after tomorrow. It would have been like this sooner or later anyway.” As Chu Ran spoke, she draped the coat over Ye Nanzhi’s shoulders again.

Ye Nanzhi remembered clearly that the scent on Chu Ran’s body used to be very elegant, without any complex layers—just the faint smell of jasmine from laundry detergent.

Now, the scent on this coat smelled expensive at first sniff. The top notes were lavender and grapefruit, appearing sweet and light, but slowly, the middle and base notes of cedar emerged, turning all the initial gentleness into a cold, crisp aura.

This scent was precisely the part of Chu Ran that Ye Nanzhi was unfamiliar with.

Chu Ran walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. She then extended her hand, making an inviting gesture toward Ye Nanzhi. “Professor Song has entrusted you to me. In every sense, I should be the one taking care of you, shouldn’t I?”

Seeing Ye Nanzhi hesitate to move, Chu Ran lifted her eyelids, her gaze sweeping over Ye Nanzhi’s right foot in its cast. “Don’t worry, I never take advantage of a patient.”

After thinking it over for a long time, Ye Nanzhi finally placed her hand carefully into Chu Ran’s open palm. “Then… I will only disturb you for this one night.”

“It’s my honor, Student Ye.”

In the living room, Ye Nanzhi sat on the sofa with her back straight, looking around the environment with nervous eyes.

If the rental house from four years ago didn’t count as Chu Ran’s real home, then now, she had truly entered Chu Ran’s domain. Every detail here showcased Chu Ran’s extreme yet minimalist aesthetic.

The overall lines of the house were simple and smooth. The color palette was also straightforward, dominated by wood-grained brown and pearl white. Yet, the simplicity did not lack sophistication; different spaces were accented with vibrant small ornaments. Viewed as a whole, the style was unified, but the details held their own unique charms. It was clearly Chu Ran’s handiwork.

If there was one flaw, it was likely the vase on the coffee table.

The crystal-clear glass vase was empty, standing lonely in the very center of the living room. Compared to the surrounding decor, it looked somewhat isolated.

Sitting on the sofa across from the vase, Ye Nanzhi slowly withdrew her gaze.

From what she could observe, this apartment had two bedrooms. Compared to the south-facing master bedroom, the small room to the north was a bit darker, but it shouldn’t matter.

The sky outside was still overcast, but luckily the rain had stopped. It shouldn’t feel cold at night.

As a guest, she naturally couldn’t snatch the bedroom from the host. In a moment, she would proactively speak up to claim the small room.

While she was deep in thought, a plate of sliced apples was handed to her. “What would you like to drink?”

“Milk tea?” The answer slipped out of Ye Nanzhi’s mouth. After meeting Chu Ran’s expression, she cautiously added: “Is that okay?”

Chu Ran glanced at the clock on the wall. “Drinking milk tea at this hour—do you not plan on sleeping tonight?”

“Or rather, besides sleeping, do you have other plans for tonight?”

Ye Nanzhi: … A fragment of apple accidentally slid down her throat. Her face instantly flushed red as she began to cough repeatedly.

Chu Ran quickly patted her back. Seeing she was okay, she handed her a glass of warm water. “Why are you so agitated? I didn’t say what you were planning to do by staying up late.”

“Could it be… that you really want to do something?”

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Ye Nanzhi was choked by the water again.

As expected, in front of outsiders, Chu Ran was willing to wear the disguise of a “respectable teacher,” but now that only the two of them were left, that big gray wolf’s tail was no longer hidden at all.

She wanted to protest. But at this moment, her eyes were red, covered by a layer of misty vapor. Her pink lips were damp and shimmering, and water droplets trailed down her skin.

In Chu Ran’s eyes, this scene didn’t feel like a warning. On the contrary, this kind of allure was something Chu Ran was not unfamiliar with, yet seeing it again after such a long time made her heart skip a beat.

Thump, thump, thump… The “parasites” in her body seemed to wake up instantly under this fatal temptation.

The doorbell rang at just the right moment, pulling Chu Ran’s sanity back from the edge. It was very late when they got home; while Ye Nanzhi was asleep, Chu Ran had already ordered takeout.

The timing of the delivery was perfect.

“If I cooked, you would have to wait a long time. Let’s just make do with some takeout tonight, and I’ll cook for you tomorrow.” As she spoke, Chu Ran opened the delivery bag and took out the containers one by one.

Ye Nanzhi stared at the words “Shi Jin Ji” on the bag—Chu Ran called this “making do”?

This was one of the most famous old establishments in Shen City, with a history of over a hundred years. They specialized in Cantonese congee and dim sum. Naturally, the price matched its status; it was said a simple char siu bun cost three figures.

Looking at the various containers—seafood congee, crystal shrimp dumplings, blanched heart of romaine, satay beef, and many dishes Ye Nanzhi couldn’t even name…

Ye Nanzhi looked at the coffee table being filled up. This spread definitely cost more than three figures.

“This…”

“What’s wrong?” Chu Ran pushed the last dish—pumpkin-infused mashed taro—in front of Ye Nanzhi. “It’s late. Besides, you’ve had an empty stomach for so long; it’s not good to eat anything too greasy. Just make do with something light for now.”

Ye Nanzhi held her chopsticks to her mouth and ultimately swallowed the words she was about to say. Forget it, it couldn’t be returned anyway, and wasting it would be bad.

However, this solidified a thought in her mind: she really couldn’t stay at Chu Ran’s place for long.

If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to pay Chu Ran back even if she sold herself.

The moment the congee entered her mouth, all complex thoughts were silenced by the flavor.

No wonder Shi Jin Ji could stay in business for so long despite such exorbitant prices—it was truly delicious.

Seeing Ye Nanzhi start eating, Chu Ran seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, opening her own bowl of bamboo shoot soup.

Ye Nanzhi caught a glimpse of the bland soup in Chu Ran’s bowl and couldn’t help but shake her head. Using a pair of fresh chopsticks she hadn’t used yet, she picked up a shrimp dumpling and placed it on Chu Ran’s plate. “Don’t just drink that. You ordered so much, I can’t finish it all. Here, have a shrimp dumpling.”

Chu Ran stared at the shrimp dumpling for a long while before carefully putting it into her mouth.

Ye Nanzhi rested her cheek on her hand, watching the way Chu Ran chewed slowly. She didn’t remember Chu Ran being this fond of shrimp. Why was she eating so happily? She simply pushed the entire box of shrimp dumplings over.

But Chu Ran didn’t reach for a second one. She just focused on that bland soup in front of her.

After the meal, Ye Nanzhi watched as Chu Ran organized the leftovers and put them in the fridge. As a “disabled” person, she could only sit on the sofa and give Chu Ran encouraging looks.

Chu Ran looked at the bathroom. “The bathwater is ready. You go first.”

“With a cast… can I take a bath?”

Chu Ran took a new roll of plastic wrap from the kitchen cabinet. “The doctor said it’s fine as long as you make it waterproof.”

After that fall, Ye Nanzhi was covered in dirt. If she didn’t bathe, she really wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Chu Ran tore open the plastic wrap packaging and walked over to Ye Nanzhi. Ye Nanzhi was about to reach out to take it, but Chu Ran sat directly on the sofa.

Then, she took Ye Nanzhi’s injured right leg and placed it on her own lap.

“No need, I can do it myself…” Being injured in such a place, Ye Nanzhi was still embarrassed to be served like this. But Chu Ran didn’t react at all, only frowning as she said: “Don’t move.”

She then meticulously “packaged” the cast. Chu Ran’s movements were very gentle; one hand lightly supported Ye Nanzhi’s calf while the other wrapped the plastic wrap round and round the cast, sealing the edges properly afterward.

Watching Chu Ran’s serious expression, Ye Nanzhi felt like a lifetime had passed.

Sometimes people are truly mysterious, like Chu Ran.

You say she hasn’t changed? Her short hair has grown long. The once arrogant person now uses tactics to bring her back and is willing to serve her here.

You say she has changed… She’s still the same as before, only eating bland soup made of green leaves at night.

Even now, whenever Chu Ran focused seriously on something, her gaze would be fixed on the goal. At the same time, her thin lips would part slightly as she breathed shallowly.

This profile was exactly like the expression Chu Ran had when she was carefully teaching her to draw. Back then, Ye Nanzhi thought Chu Ran’s serious profile was particularly attractive—and it was the same now.

Especially the moment she suddenly turned her head to meet her gaze; it always made Ye Nanzhi instinctively look away as her cheeks burned with heat.

“Finished.”

Ye Nanzhi sheepishly withdrew her leg. After her fingertips traced countless circles on the sofa, she carefully called out: “Chu Ran.”

“?”

As if she had made up her mind, Ye Nanzhi still didn’t dare look up at her, so she asked with her head tilted: “You always ask if I’ve been with anyone these past few years. What about you?”

“During your time abroad, did you… meet anyone?”

Chu Ran gave a silent laugh in her heart. This little rabbit hadn’t even confessed her own history yet, and now she was interrogating her!

The moment she found a trace of the girl, she had rushed over to chase her. And the girl actually asked if there was someone else?

Truly a stupid rabbit.

“All right.” Chu Ran lowered Ye Nanzhi’s leg and helped her to the bathroom door. “If you have time to think about such nonsense, you’d better hurry up and bathe before the water gets cold. I’ve left clothes for you at the door; they’re all new, you can wear them directly.”

When Ye Nanzhi emerged from the bathtub, she saw the pile of clean clothes on the rack outside the bathroom door.

They were all brand new, even showing the creases from the original packaging. But the size… like the shoes from earlier, they were all in Ye Nanzhi’s size.

Outside the door, Chu Ran seemed prepared. Seeing Ye Nanzhi come out, she beckoned her over to sit down, intending to dry her hair.

“This…” Ye Nanzhi handed out the bag containing the underwear. “I can’t fit into this.”

The size Chu Ran had prepared was too small; she couldn’t hook it. Fortunately, the pajamas were loose enough to hide her body well.

Chu Ran gave her a meaningful look. It seemed the girl had developed during the days she was away. Recalling the lively rabbit on her chest from last time, and looking now at the hidden “snowy peaks” beneath the fabric…

“It seems our Zhizhi is a big girl now. Last time in the school bathroom, you…”

Before she could finish, Ye Nanzhi covered Chu Ran’s mouth. “We agreed not to mention that again!” Ye Nanzhi looked down at herself. “Besides, I wasn’t an A-cup back then either, okay!”

Chu Ran didn’t argue with her. She helped her sit down and gestured to the bottles and jars on the vanity. “Take this time to do your skincare. I don’t know what you usually like, so just make do with mine for today. If it’s not suitable, I’ll buy you a set you like tomorrow.”

As Chu Ran spoke, she meticulously used a towel to press the water out of Ye Nanzhi’s hair.

Ye Nanzhi could hear the underlying meaning in those words. However, after her gaze swept over the skincare products on the table, she became even more determined to leave tomorrow.

Seeing Ye Nanzhi hesitate, Chu Ran thought she didn’t recognize the German text on the bottles. She explained: “Start with the one on the left. That slender bottle is the base, then…”

“I recognize this! Its ads are all over the streets of Germany.” Ye Nanzhi picked up the leftmost bottle, pressed a pump into her palm, and applied it evenly to her cheeks.

After the whole routine, her skin—which was slightly flushed from the bath—was now clear and radiant. Ye Nanzhi looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction.

Chu Ran watched every step of Ye Nanzhi’s routine closely. When the last step was finished and Ye Nanzhi’s hair was mostly dry, Chu Ran didn’t rush to leave. Instead, she placed both hands on Ye Nanzhi’s shoulders. “How do you know its ads are all over the streets of Germany?”

She stared intently into the mirror at every expression on Ye Nanzhi’s face, as if trying to see through her, waiting for an answer.

“I saw it online!”

“You searched for Germany? When?” Chu Ran suddenly bent down, her face close to the side of the girl’s face, feeling the moist heat of her skin. “Why search for Germany? Was it… for me?”

Ye Nanzhi pretended to casually brush her hair over her shoulder and turned around. “A beauty blogger I follow posted a video related to Germany, that’s all.”

The once-sparkling eyes dimmed. The hope that had just risen was ruthlessly popped like a balloon. Chu Ran only lowered her head and murmured: “Oh, I see.”

Ye Nanzhi looked at the pajamas on her reflection—the size was a bit too large—and pinched the bridge of her nose. The words at the tip of her tongue were ultimately swallowed.

Forget it, it was just staying for one night. As soon as dawn broke, they would return to being student and teacher. All this messy business would become a thing of the past, like turning a page in a book.

When Chu Ran emerged from the bathroom, Ye Nanzhi was leaning by the window. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by the rumble of thunder.

“It seems a heavy rain is destined for tonight,” Ye Nanzhi said to herself.

Chu Ran took a quilt from the closet. “It’s cold at night when it rains. Don’t kick off the covers.”

Ye Nanzhi moved her right foot, which was wrapped like a zongzi. “Even if I wanted to kick, it wouldn’t be easy, right?”

Chu Ran didn’t answer. She took a blanket from the closet and then grabbed a pillow from the bed.

“Is that all you’re using tonight?” Ye Nanzhi looked at the thin blanket in Chu Ran’s arms and asked: “It’s quite cold tonight. You should change to a quilt.”

Chu Ran picked up the pillow. “No need, I get hot easily at night.” She then left the room.

The rain outside was pitter-pattering, making it impossible to find peace.

Ye Nanzhi tossed and turned in bed, pulling the covers over her face and then ducking out again. She blamed her insomnia entirely on the annoying rain outside—and these unfamiliar pajamas.

There was such a height difference between her and Chu Ran; clearly, these things weren’t prepared for Chu Ran herself. Her injury was an accident, so the items certainly weren’t prepared for Ye Nanzhi either.

So the question remained: who did Chu Ran buy these shoes, clothes, and even intimate pajamas for?

Thinking of this, Ye Nanzhi felt even more uncomfortable, as if she were awkwardly wearing someone else’s clothes.

The rain grew heavier, and Ye Nanzhi’s irritability intensified. Finally, she decided to buy the same brand and style of clothes to return to Chu Ran. That way, the things on her body could be considered her own purchase.

Ye Nanzhi’s hand habitually reached under the pillow, only then remembering she had left her phone in the living room to charge before bathing. She forgot to bring it in, so she got up to go get it.

Supporting herself against the wall, she used her healthy leg to move forward bit by bit. She finally managed to reach the door. A flash of white light streaked outside the window. Seizing the moment, Ye Nanzhi used the rumble of thunder to mask the sound of the door opening.

The phone was on the cabinet by the door; she could reach it with one hand. Before she could turn around, her eyes caught a huddled figure on the sofa.

Chu Ran was right; it was raining, and the night was very cold. She only had a thin blanket, huddled alone in the darkness of the living room.

From time to time, she suppressed a sound, coughing twice in a tiny volume.

It’s clearly so cold, why on earth… Then, a thought instantly flashed into Ye Nanzhi’s mind.

Perhaps Chu Ran didn’t choose the blanket because she was “hot,” but because she had given the quilt to her.

True, setting aside that Chu Ran hadn’t been back for long, she usually lived alone and likely didn’t need two quilts. After all, who would buy a bunch of things they don’t need just to let them sit idle at home?

A wave of guilt suddenly rose.

Ye Nanzhi stood at the door, clutching her phone.

Finally, at the third rumble of thunder, Ye Nanzhi gathered her courage and reached for the light switch on the wall.

The sudden brightness startled the person on the sofa. She looked up at her in surprise.

After hesitating again and again, Ye Nanzhi finally spoke: “Chu Ran, come in and sleep.”