Chapter 103: Taking the Initiative

Cheng Luyun is truly so good to me. Huang Wei narrowed her eyes, thinking this.

She was afraid she might catch a cold, which was why she did this. Huang Wei was an ordinary person; she couldn’t leave her hair wet. Damp hair on the pillow could easily lead to a cold by nighttime.

Cheng Luyun clearly didn’t want her to catch a cold, which was why she’d done this.

After the hair was dry, Cheng Luyun put away the hairdryer, changed Huang Wei’s pillow, left the bedroom, and returned shortly.

This time, she had a cup of water in her hand, still steaming. Huang Wei took it. The cup wasn’t too hot. She blew on it lightly and drank it down. The temperature was somewhere between hot and warm, not scalding, but once it went down, her whole stomach felt warm.

She placed the empty cup on the nightstand. Only then did Cheng Luyun get into bed from the other side. The gloomy sky outside was slowly clearing, just like Cheng Luyun’s heart. But the curtains hadn’t been opened, so the faint sunlight didn’t shine into the room, leaving it still somewhat dim.

Cheng Luyun sat leaning against the headboard, while Huang Wei lay down. She looked up at Cheng Luyun and found her staring at her unwaveringly. Huang Wei blinked. “What’s wrong?”

“…” Cheng Luyun turned her head away. After a long while, she finally spoke: “Thank you.”

Huang Wei chuckled softly. “What’s there to thank? Chengcheng is my daughter too.”

Silence fell again. Huang Wei gently patted Huang Chengcheng’s little belly. The child had gradually grown bolder. Probably aware that both her moms were by her side, her nature loosened up, and she no longer clung tightly. Instead, she sprawled out right in the middle, her little belly rising and falling steadily with her breathing.

Seeing that Cheng Luyun didn’t seem ready to say anything else, Huang Wei lowered her head to watch Huang Chengcheng. But after a moment, she sensed Cheng Luyun bending down.

She looked up to see Cheng Luyun close her eyes and lean in toward her. As she leaned down, strands of hair from her temples fell forward. Cheng Luyun raised a hand and tucked the loose strands behind her ear. Her lips were pressed together but trembling slightly. Even her eyelashes quivered, like a butterfly about to spread its wings and take flight.

While Huang Wei was still stunned, Cheng Luyun’s lips landed on hers. The strands of hair on either side of her face naturally brushed against Huang Wei’s cheek.

Cheng Luyun’s hair was slightly curly, causing a faint itch on her skin. Outside, the sun had grown strong, so much that even the curtains couldn’t fully block it, and light streamed into the room.

The air after the rain was especially fresh. Huang Wei also caught a faint fragrance from Cheng Luyun.

But everything combined paled in comparison to this kiss.

This was a kiss initiated by Cheng Luyun!

Huang Wei’s eyes widened in disbelief. Perhaps this look on her was too annoying, because Cheng Luyun, who had been holding her hair back, let her hand drop, and more strands fell onto Huang Wei’s face and sides. Then, Cheng Luyun’s other hand reached over and covered her eyes.

As darkness fell over her eyes, Huang Wei instinctively closed them.

When sight fell into darkness, touch became more acute. She could feel the pressure and softness of Cheng Luyun’s lips on hers. Huang Wei devoted her whole attention to savoring the kiss. Finally, she reached out, wrapped her arms around Cheng Luyun’s neck, and deepened the kiss.

Being pulled closer like this, Cheng Luyun had to use her other hand to brace herself, barely managing not to collapse onto Huang Chengcheng between them.

A long while later, Huang Wei finally let her go.

Cheng Luyun’s face flushed from her own initiative, but what she hadn’t expected was that the blush on Huang Wei’s face was no less. Huang Wei’s face was bright red, like a boiled shrimp—red with a hint of white showing through.

She noticed Cheng Luyun looking at her and couldn’t help raising a hand to cover her mouth, then turned over, facing away from Cheng Luyun.

Cheng Luyun returned to her position sitting against the headboard and turned her face to the other side.

The room, aside from the breathing of Huang Wei and Huang Chengcheng, fell back into silence. After a long time, Cheng Luyun said, “Thank you… for liking me and Chengcheng.” This time, it wasn’t to thank Huang Wei for rescuing their daughter, but for being able to like both of them.

“Then… I also thank you and Chengcheng for liking me.”

If it were any normal time, Cheng Luyun would have definitely muttered “How shameless.” But the atmosphere was just right, and she had witnessed what Huang Wei had done for them. She didn’t want to ruin such a nice mood. She merely nodded and gently hummed in agreement.

Rarely overcoming her shyness, Cheng Luyun glanced toward Huang Wei and found her with her back turned, curled up like a little shrimp. One ear, hidden among her hair, had a small pointed tip peeking out. And it was that eartip that let Cheng Luyun discover something.

Huang Wei’s eartip was so red, especially vivid against her black hair.

Cheng Luyun couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile: So Huang Wei can also be shy.

Usually, she was always saying and doing such brazen things. Yet today, just because she’d taken the initiative to kiss her, she was blushing to this degree. Cheng Luyun truly hadn’t expected it. But the moment she realized Huang Wei was so shy because she had initiated the kiss, Cheng Luyun couldn’t help thinking: This person really, really likes me.

After that, the family of three lay for a while. Huang Wei unknowingly fell asleep too. When she woke, Huang Chengcheng was already awake and sprawled in Cheng Luyun’s arms. Seeing Huang Wei awake, she immediately scrambled off her own mother and rolled into Huang Wei’s arms, whining coquettishly.

“Mommy… I want pickled cabbage fish. No cilantro.”

After just a little bit of acting cute, Huang Chengcheng revealed her true aim—she just wanted pickled cabbage fish.

The first part, making the pickled cabbage fish, Huang Wei could agree to. But that last part about no cilantro—she’d have to take that up with her mom.

Huang Wei looked toward Cheng Luyun. Cheng Luyun wore a gentle smile. Even hearing Huang Chengcheng didn’t want cilantro, her expression didn’t change. Instead, she gently nodded. Huang Wei understood. Today, Huang Chengcheng had suffered a great ordeal, so Cheng Luyun was naturally willing to indulge her a little.

A rare chance to skip the cilantro—of course Huang Wei wouldn’t refuse.

Her stomach also happened to growl. From early morning until now, she hadn’t eaten a thing. An ordinary person like Huang Wei couldn’t hold out for long. She rubbed her hair, got out of bed, changed, and took Huang Chengcheng downstairs. When she reached the main hall, she saw the electronic clock read 3:30 PM. No wonder she felt her stomach sticking to her back.

She first heated up the morning’s breakfast for a quick bite. But the mother-daughter duo Cheng Luyun and Huang Chengcheng wouldn’t skip a meal. Wherever there was food, they’d eat. So the family of three sat at the table and polished off the untouched breakfast first.

Huang Wei ate only a little, just enough to line her stomach; otherwise there’d be no room for the pickled cabbage fish later. But the mother-daughter pair were bottomless pits; they could always pack more away, including the portion originally prepared for the players.

After that, Huang Wei went to the kitchen. As expected, a big black fish was already on the table. She took it out to the well and began preparing it. Meanwhile, Cheng Luyun washed the dishes and also assigned Huang Chengcheng a task—washing her doll.

Earlier, the doll had fallen on the ground and gotten dirty. Huang Wei hadn’t expected Cheng Luyun to bring it back.

But Cheng Luyun didn’t want to wash it for Huang Chengcheng. Now that she’d recovered her energy, of course she had to wash it herself. Huang Chengcheng didn’t complain. She carried a small stool and sat between her mothers, beginning to wash her doll.

The small wellside gathered the family of three. For a time, the only sound was the splashing of water from washing, and nothing else.

Huang Wei finished preparing the pickled cabbage fish, washed the other necessary ingredients and vegetables, and returned to the kitchen. Today, she planned to add some side ingredients to the pickled cabbage fish—bean sprouts, enoki mushrooms, luncheon meat, and fish tofu were all good choices. After that, a cold cucumber salad and a simple tomato scrambled egg, and the meal would be complete.

When the pickled cabbage fish was brought to the table, Huang Chengcheng saw it was even more abundant than last time and couldn’t help grinning. Huang Wei didn’t suggest calling Sister Cui’s family over. Today, Huang Chengcheng had suffered; such an occasion wasn’t right to invite others.

Though young, Huang Chengcheng still had her pride. If Big Ya and Little Ya found out about this, there was no telling how embarrassed she’d be.

The family of three enjoyed this meal—was it lunch or dinner? Huang Chengcheng reached out with her chopsticks, and when she fished out a piece of fish tofu, she let out a little “Wow.” After that, it was like a treasure hunt. Every time she scooped up something different, her eyes sparkled as if she’d unearthed a treasure.

Both she and Cheng Luyun especially loved fish. The huge basin of pickled cabbage fish, weighing several jin, ended up entirely in the mother-daughter duo’s stomachs. By the time Huang Wei finished her one bowl of rice, the dishes on the table were nearly gone. Fortunately, Huang Wei’s appetite was only one bowl; she couldn’t eat more anyway.

For the next few days, Huang Wei and Cheng Luyun didn’t go anywhere. They stayed with Huang Chengcheng. Even Cheng Luyun, who normally looked down on playing house with the doll, spent a long time playing with her. With her two most beloved people by her side, the shadow of being locked up gradually lifted, and Huang Chengcheng’s usual cheerful smile returned.

By the morning of the 20th, Huang Chengcheng could even leave the house and go with Big Ya and Little Ya to drive the ducks and play by the pond. That morning, Cheng Luyun disappeared for a while. Huang Wei knew she must have gone to deal with Luo Chen. Today at noon was the end of the seven-day period. If they didn’t deal with him, he’d get a batch of points for free. Cheng Luyun certainly didn’t want him to have an easy time.

Huang Wei stayed in the courtyard, sitting on the rocking chair, leaning back against the chair and looking at the sky. The sky was a canvas of blue sky and white clouds. Warm sunlight fell on her, making her involuntarily want to sleep.

Nobody likes darkness. Since Luo Chen had the nerve to lock Huang Chengcheng in darkness, he should pay the same price. Over these past days, he must have been tormented by the loneliness of darkness, the panic of eventually being betrayed by players, and the fear of death.

Not afraid of death?

What joke was that? Nobody in this world isn’t afraid of death. Players could revive, but how could they not be afraid of death? As long as they were made to face the threat of death directly, they’d still be afraid.

If dying once wasn’t enough, then twice. Twice not enough, five times. Once points ran out, players would die.

The rocking chair swayed gently. Before long, Huang Wei sank into that familiar dimness.