Mo Xiangwen had no idea what the other three had chatted about with Bai Shishi after he left.
When he returned, however, he found her fully reclined on the sofa at his usual spot. She was playing on her phone while occasionally exchanging a few words with the others.
He had half a mind to sneak up and surprise her, but he worried that her delicate health might not handle the shock.
After some deliberation, he decided to just walk over normally.
Before that, though, he detoured to grab a chair—a small folding one—from nearby.
The two sofas by the coffee table sufficed for most situations, but just in case, they had bought a row of folding chairs for the studio.
He had just reached Yan Nuoya’s position when Bai Shishi noticed his footsteps. She twisted her head around, and upon seeing him, her face lit up with a bright smile.
“Xiao Yi, welcome back,” she said with a beaming grin, already starting to sit up and give him back the sofa.
Caught off guard by the warm welcome, Mo Xiangwen didn’t know quite how to respond at first. He simply mustered a smile of his own.
“You look pretty comfy there. Maybe next time I’ll prepare a blanket for you.” He waved her off to stay put, unfolded the chair, and sat down beside her with a playful grin. “If you get tired from gaming next time, you can just crash here.”
“Really?” Bai Shishi, ever the obedient one, had just settled back down when her eyes sparkled. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Xiao Yi!”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than she seemed to worry he was only joking. She quickly added, “I can bring my own little blanket… Ow!”
She had spoken too hastily and bitten her tongue. The cute smile on her face faltered, slowly morphing into a pitiful pout. Her little mouth hung slightly open as she hissed in air, taking a good while to recover.
Gritting through the sharp pain that nearly brought tears to her eyes, she pressed on. “I can totally bring my own little blanket.”
Her reaction caught him completely off guard.
Seeing the faint glimmer of tears in her eyes and that woefully adorable expression, Mo Xiangwen—who had no intention of refusing her in the first place—nodded without hesitation.
“It’s fine, but… would this sofa really be comfortable for sleeping?” he asked with some hesitation.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried sleeping on a sofa chair before. A short nap was okay, but anything longer, and the sleep quality suffered.
You couldn’t really roll over, after all, and the restricted movement made it hard to stay comfortable for long.
“I think it’d be fine,” Bai Shishi replied without a second thought. As if afraid he wouldn’t believe her, she hurriedly explained, “I often fall asleep on the sofa chair at home.”
That made sense… Mo Xiangwen subconsciously glanced at her petite frame.
Given Bai Shishi’s small build, the single-person sofa did leave her plenty of room to shift and turn over.
“Does Shishi get sleepy easily because of your health?” Mo Xiangwen asked softly.
It might be impolite to inquire directly about someone’s physical condition, but if her health wasn’t great, it was better to keep a close eye on it.
“Mm-hmm.” Bai Shishi had no qualms about it and answered honestly without reservation. “When we’re playing competitive esports games, I start getting drowsy after one or two hours. For survival crafting ones, I can usually manage about three.”
As she spoke, she counted on her fingers and flashed him a sneaky peace sign.
“Ah.” Su Mengyao, who had been sitting across from them with her ears perked, let out a small gasp. She promptly asked, “But on your first day at school, you played with us for half the day. Didn’t that wear you out?”
At the mention of that day, a faint blush colored Bai Shishi’s fair cheeks. She gently touched her ear.
“That day, I was just so excited to meet everyone for the first time… That’s why I conked out right after getting in the car.”
Mo Xiangwen fell silent for a moment before giving Bai Shishi a thumbs-up.
She blinked in slight surprise, then quickly caught on. Her eyebrows curved into a happy smile as she returned the gesture with her own thumbs-up.
“Next time you get tired, make sure to tell us, okay?” Su Mengli said with a wry smile. “We’re all worried about your health, you know.”
“Mm-hmm!” Bai Shishi raised her voice a bit to reply to Su Mengli. “I will. Thanks for caring, everyone.”
“Shishi, how come you’re just sitting here playing on your phone instead of gaming with everyone?” Mo Xiangwen asked, puzzled.
“Ah, I didn’t touch your computer without permission, okay?”
Bai Shishi shot upright, shaking her head furiously. Her two small hands waved rapidly in front of her.
“Really, I didn’t!”
“Then next time, I hope I catch you using this computer freely.” Mo Xiangwen chuckled lightly. “There’s nothing on here anyway…”
Halfway through, he suddenly remembered that he did his writing on this machine. He pivoted smoothly. “Even if there were secrets, I trust Shishi wouldn’t peek without asking.”
What a shame—she’d almost gotten personal permission from him.
Bai Shishi blinked, a touch of regret flickering in her mind.
Of course, she wouldn’t do anything Xiao Yi didn’t want her to.
Seeing the hint of disappointment on her face, Mo Xiangwen hesitated.
Had he been wrong to let her use his computer?
Noticing his reaction, Bai Shishi nodded vigorously.
“Of course! Haven’t I always been the most obedient?”
That was true enough, but he still felt a twinge of unease.
“Shishi, did the teacher say she’d have time to bring you over often?” Mo Xiangwen asked hesitantly. “How about we set up a spot for you here at the studio? You can sit next to Nuoya or Mengyao if you want.”
His and Su Mengli’s spots were closer to the wall. There was space, but just barely enough for passage.
Adding a desk would be a squeeze.
“Um…”
Bai Shishi looked genuinely torn. She glanced up at him, then twisted to look at Su Mengyao and Yan Nuoya.
“Come sit by me.” Su Mengyao grinned teasingly at the sight. “Though that means you won’t have an excuse to head straight for Xiangwen’s spot anymore.”
“Mom doesn’t seem to have much free time either,” Bai Shishi said, her little face set in what she tried to make a serious expression. “So… maybe not. We shouldn’t waste the money.”
Despite her best efforts to sound earnest and stern, the hint of guilt in her tone gave her away. A round of muffled laughter filled the room.
Her fair little face flushed even deeper. She pressed her lips together, looking neither convincing nor confident, yet she held her ground.
“Even with your own spot, you could still sit here whenever,” Mo Xiangwen said, half-laughing himself. “No need to ask—just plop down anytime you want.”
Bai Shishi’s eyes clearly lit up with temptation, her little mouth parting as if to agree, only for her to press it shut again.
“Still… maybe not,” she murmured softly.
