Plant a small strawberry

Lin Yuxuan felt helpless at Wenwen’s “straight” girl answer.

I wanted you to go along with me—then I’d have a reason to hold you every day!

Sigh… Silly Wenwen…

Tang Yawen sensed… Xuanxuan didn’t seem happy with her answer…

“Xuanxuan… I’m not lying. I do have a little sister.
She’s very talented—she’s studying in Japan now.
We used to live together, but Mom took her away.”

Lin Yuxuan: …

Was I asking for an explanation?
Is that why I’m upset?
Ugh… I’m tired… Just destroy everything…

“So… you’re from a single-parent family now?”

“Mm-hmm. I had a father, but he remarried and stopped caring about me.
He only sends me living expenses every month.
Neither Mom nor Dad pays attention to me anymore.
So I don’t even know if I am from a single-parent home.”

“Huh? Your parents don’t care about you?”

“Mm… That’s why I have to work part-time drawing doujin.
My dad will probably stop supporting me after I turn eighteen…”

“Hug… Wenwen…”

Lin Yuxuan felt that this “child with two parents”
was, in a way, more pitiful than an orphan like her.

At least she had no illusions…
But Wenwen? This was despair.

Parents who ignored her—
they might as well not exist.

“Xuanxuan…”

Tang Yawen held back her tears.
She didn’t want to spread her sadness to others.
No one had to be her emotional trash can.
She didn’t want Xuanxuan to hate her for this.

But Lin Yuxuan wouldn’t hate her—
she truly understood.

In both her past life and this one,
Lin Yuxuan had no parents.

In her past life, her grandmother raised her alone.
When she finally started working,
ready to give her a comfortable retirement—
the old woman passed away.
Left alone.

Now, in this life—
again, she was alone.

No family to rely on.
No girlfriend.

In both lives, she’d always been alone.

“Waaah… Wenwen… waaah…”
Lin Yuxuan hugged Tang Yawen—
and cried louder than Wenwen did.

Tang Yawen: ?

Why do you sound more heartbroken than me?

Maybe Xuanxuan was just as unfortunate…

Lin Yuxuan finally understood why Tang Yawen was so withdrawn.
With parents who abandoned her,
how could she be sunshine?

Now, the scenes from the simulator made sense.

In the simulation, when she “cheated” on Wenwen,
Wenwen didn’t get angry or break up.
Instead, she endured the pain to stay with her.

The simulator wasn’t multiplayer—
it didn’t affect reality.
But its characters were built on realistic choices.

In reality, Wenwen was that lonely, love-starved child…

“Wenwen… Why didn’t you tell me sooner…?
I’m just like you. I have no family. I’m alone too.”

“Xuanxuan, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said this.”

“No… I’m the one who should be sorry…
I shouldn’t have brought it up… waaah…”

On this peaceful night,
the two girls shared their hearts for the first time—
and found identical souls,
with identical gaps in the same places.

Love you because you’re just like me—
our missing pieces are the same.

They shifted from Xuanxuan hugging Wenwen from behind,
to embracing each other as they slept.

Lin Yuxuan placed Wenwen’s small face against her chest.
Wenwen’s head sank into the softness.

Lin Yuxuan wrapped her smooth, warm body around Tang Yawen’s thin, fragile frame—
and they slept.

That night, Lin Yuxuan dreamed she was eating duck neck from the school cafeteria.
The taste was okay.
The cafeteria wasn’t clean,
but sometimes, only unhygienic restaurants could offer certain dishes a “unique and distinctive flavor.”

But why was this duck neck suddenly growing fur?

Furry…

And the fur was long…

Lin Yuxuan suddenly realized—
she wasn’t eating duck neck.
It was some strange shape… definitely not duck neck…

She woke up in shock.

“Holy crap…”

When Lin Yuxuan opened her eyes, she was stunned.

The “duck neck” she’d been chewing in her dream…
was Tang Yawen’s neck!
And the “furry” thing she felt?
Tang Yawen’s golden hair…

“Pfft— Sorry, Wenwen! Are you hurt?”

“Xuanxuan… waaah…”
Wenwen’s neck was swollen—
a red mark from Xuanxuan’s biting and sucking.

Earlier, Wenwen had covered her mouth to avoid waking Xuanxuan—
even when she was bitten.

But that made it worse for her.
A little “strawberry” had formed on her neck.

This was a mechanical purpura—a hickey.
It happened when suction created negative pressure,
rupturing tiny blood vessels under the skin.

“Ah, Wenwen, your neck is all swollen… I’m so sorry…”

“It’s… okay… Getting a hickey… is nice…”
Tang Yawen never thought her first hickey would come like this…

The only downside?
Xuanxuan had a strong mouth… so painful…

“What did you say?”

“N-nothing… Xuanxuan, can you get me a Band-Aid…?
I can’t go to school like this.”

“Mm-hmm. I keep emergency supplies at home—
there should be Band-Aids.
Stay here, I’ll get some.”

Tang Yawen: (￣▽￣)

After the incident with the fever medicine,
Lin Yuxuan had started paying attention to this.
Now, she kept emergency supplies in her bag and home.

Since the red mark was large,
Lin Yuxuan covered it with two Band-Aids and a square gauze pad.

“There! Now no one can see it~
This is the first time I’ve seen a hickey like this.”

The term “strawberry” came from the mark’s appearance—
a red bump, with pores that looked like the seeds on a strawberry.

Breakfast time.

Tang Yawen sat at the table while Lin Yuxuan, wearing an apron, cooked for her.
Wenwen had wanted to help,
but Xuanxuan gently pushed her back to her seat.

Since Wenwen was “injured,”
Lin Yuxuan naturally had to spoil her.

Today’s breakfast was luxurious—
partly because Wenwen was a guest.

Bacon and eggs,
a Smith’s Wilderness-style ham sandwich,
freshly made soy milk,
and even a pan-seared pre-packaged steak.

After watching Mu Yue cook steak,
Lin Yuxuan had picked up some techniques.
But without time to prepare,
she used store-bought steak.

Even so, this meal gave Tang Yawen the taste of home.

“Xuanxuan, your cooking is amazing~”

Tang Yawen felt like a little girlfriend after her first time—
a bit pitiful,
while Xuanxuan was the gentle, caring, perfect wife who made breakfast the next morning.

Xuanxuan… could be the mistress of my home… waaah… This steak is too good…