My girlfriend isn't as cute as me.

"Alright, I brought you what you wanted." Ye Yue pointed to the bag on the table, put one hand on her hip, leaned forward slightly, and reminded him, "If you're not feeling well, go to sleep. I'll play some games at your place before I go back."

"It's Valentine's Day today, your store must be very busy, right?"

Wang Yuting had no strength, so she could only lie on the sofa like Ge You, looking like a salted fish, exuding an air of utter debauchery.

“I heard from Jiu’er that your store’s main workforce has taken a long leave to go home and take care of their wives. Now the store is short-staffed, and you still have the leisure to play games here? Aren’t you afraid Ying Yu will beat you up?”

"It's precisely because the store is so busy right now that I'm here to slack off! There's a cause for every effect. If it weren't so busy, I could slack off anywhere," Ye Yue said smugly. Then, ignoring Wang Yuting's opinion, she turned on the TV and pressed the switch on the game console.

"Don't overwrite my save file."

Wang Yuting didn't have the strength to urge Ye Yue to leave. She sat on the sofa and slowly closed her eyes; she was truly exhausted. This wasn't the fatigue from doing so much, nor the mental exhaustion from working long hours, but rather the physical exertion from nurturing life.

Hazuki silently lowered her voice, gripping the game controller, the only sound in the living room being the clicking of the controller buttons.

Hearing the familiar voice, Wang Yuting suddenly felt relaxed. She hadn't played games for quite some time. Since her pregnancy symptoms intensified, even scrolling through videos on her phone felt exhausting. What's a relaxing form of entertainment for most young people had unexpectedly become such a heavy mental burden when she was feeling unwell. The worst part was that when watching videos, the mind becomes highly active, ignoring the body's distress signals, and before you know it, it's dawn. Putting down the phone then brings a flood of fatigue, leaving her feeling listless, yet still having to get up for school or work. The exhaustion just builds up deep within her, offering no relief.

Listening to her friend's even breathing, Hazuki silently turned the TV volume down to the lowest setting and placed the game controller on the table. The TV screen displayed scenery worthy of being used as computer wallpaper; the graphics of games these days were becoming increasingly exquisite, almost blurring the line between fantasy and reality.

What would it be like if one day the boundaries between fantasy and reality were completely blurred?

That certainly... can't be all sunshine and rainbows.

Hazuki looked down at her hands, feeling the viscous liquid gradually drying between her fingers, leaving behind almost blackish red marks.

She fell silent, slowly hugging her knees, burying her face in them, and hiding her sigh.

The sunlight of the setting sun shone through the window, falling on her and casting her shadow.

"Beep!"

Hazuki's pocket twitched.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes lifeless.

The game console, having been inactive for a long time, automatically entered sleep mode, and the television, like a dusty mirror, reflected her current expression on the screen. Fortunately, Wang Yuting was fast asleep on the sofa; otherwise, seeing Ye Yue's expression, she would definitely have asked Ye Yue a lot of questions. It was a look Wang Yuting had never seen on Ye Yue's face before—like the sun had dimmed, as cold as the moon.

Hazuki took her vibrating phone out of her pocket, and a familiar name appeared in her dim eyes, causing her to pause in surprise.

"Hey……"

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?! How long are you planning to keep fooling around outside? Don't you know how busy the shop is right now?! Ling Lin is crying and saying she's quitting, and everyone in the kitchen is going to be fired too. Why don't you come back and help out?!"

Tong Yingyu's angry roar exploded in Ye Yue's ears, making her head buzz and dispelling all the bad memories and chaotic thoughts. Holding her phone, she stammered, forgetting how to organize her thoughts, and stood there dumbfounded for a long time, not knowing how to start speaking.

"……How are you?"

Perhaps because she hadn't heard a response after waiting for a long time, Tong Yingyu's voice softened.

Hazuki remained silent for a long time, then a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"I'm in stealth mode and it's inconvenient for me to speak."

"What stealth?"

Tong Yingyu asked nervously.

"I'm playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain."

"If you don't come back to work soon, I'll beat you into having phantom pain."

"hiss……"

Hazuki gasped.

"Wow, such a great reward! I won't go back! I absolutely won't go back!" Ye Yue hadn't expected such a good thing and immediately expressed her determination to continue being lazy. Just thinking about it made her mouth water.

"Anyway, get back here right now!"

Tong Yingyu snorted coldly and hung up the phone.

Hazuki scratched her head, holding her phone, and unconsciously laughed.

It's incredible.

All those worries and troubles vanished simply upon hearing the voice of the beloved.

Ye Yue turned her head and found Wang Yuting staring at her.

"You have time to show off your love here, why don't you hurry up and go back to work?"

"I'm not going back, I'm going to play games."

Ye Yue hummed, picked up the controller to wake up the game console from sleep mode, paused for a moment, and turned to look towards the door. A slight smile played on her lips as she lazily stretched, her beautiful curves barely concealed by her thick clothing.

"Forget it, I'd better go back, lest Ling Lin really resigns and there's no one left in the front row."

"That's right, that's right, hurry back and don't cause trouble for Yingyu."

"Hmph, what are you saying? Do I look like someone who would cause trouble!"

"You are."

Wang Yuting raised her eyebrows and looked at Ye Yue, seemingly wondering why this guy had no self-awareness at all.

"Well then, I'll be going now." Ye Yue saw Wang Yuting clutching her stomach and trying to get up from the sofa, so she quickly pressed her down. "Don't get up to see me off. Just stay here quietly. What are you trying to be brave for? I'll close the door properly. Don't see me off. Get some rest."

"alright."

Wang Yuting didn't stand on ceremony with Ye Yue, retreating back to the sofa to conserve her energy.

Hazuki smiled, turned off the game console and TV, and went to the entrance to change her shoes.

"I'm leaving now."

"Be careful on the road."

Wang Yuting waved from the sofa.

Hazuki closed the door, went to the elevator lobby, pressed the button, and stepped into the elevator on the left.

At the same time, the elevator door on the right opened, and Lin Jiu stepped out of the elevator.

"Ok?"

Lin Jiu glanced at the slowly closing elevator doors and seemed to see Ye Yue.

Lin Jiu scratched his head and walked hurriedly towards home.

"I am back."

Chapter 439 You've worked hard

"Yuting?"

Lin Jiu unlocked the door with her key, stepped inside, and smelled a scent that was different from usual.

He looked down at the entrance hall and compared it to the entrance hall he remembered leaving the house. Sure enough, there were traces of Hazuki's presence.

Honestly, Ye Yue wasn't even saying she was coming over, and he hadn't prepared any tea or snacks for her. Even if Wang Yuting doesn't care much about these things, Lin Jiu, as her future husband, has a responsibility and obligation to help her make up for her lack of etiquette.

Friendships also need to be maintained; there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Even the best of friends, if one party unconditionally gives what they have while the other greedily accepts without giving back, then this is not friendship. It is extortion disguised as lies, the most despicable act in the world, exploiting hard-won feelings.

Welcome back.

"Ah, no need to get up, I'll go over there."

Hearing the sound of Wang Yuting struggling to get up from the sofa, Lin Jiu quickly called out from the entryway. He deftly took off his shoes, ran to the bathroom to wash his hands, and then returned to the living room with the bag.

"You've sweated so much..."

Seeing Wang Yuting covered in sticky residue, Lin Jiu couldn't help but feel a surge of affection for her.

"Hehe, it's a bit hot."

Wang Yuting smiled awkwardly, but the smile looked very forced.

She didn't want Lin Jiu to worry too much, nor did she want Lin Jiu to feel guilty.

The burden of this family originally had to be borne by two people. It's true that she was feeling terrible, but Lin Jiu was also having a hard time!

Wang Yuting knew that it was not easy for Lin Jiu to balance his studies and housework, and that he had taken good care of her; he had already done a great job. If Lin Jiu felt guilty about this, she would also feel guilty, creating a vicious cycle of negative emotions.

Wang Yuting is a first-time mother, and Lin Jiu is a first-time father; both are feeling scared. That's precisely why they need to work together, trying to understand and be tolerant of each other's perspectives.

As Lin Jiu looked at Wang Yuting's defiant demeanor, his gaze gradually softened.

Wang Yuting is Lin Jiu's only supporter, and she can read his thoughts from his subtle expressions. In this respect, Lin Jiu is the same as Wang Yuting; he has always kept his eyes on her and never misses any details.

Wang Yuting's thoughts were completely transparent to Lin Jiu, and vice versa.

"Let me wipe your sweat."

Lin Jiu walked to the balcony and drew the curtains, then went to the entrance hall to confirm that the door was locked.

He went into the washroom, took out a basin, filled it with warm water, and then draped a towel over his shoulder.

After running back and forth between the living room and bedroom twice, Lin Jiu covered the sofa with a blanket and let Wang Yuting sit on it.

Lin Jiu wrung out the water from the towel, shook it, and first wiped Wang Yuting's face.

"Wash your hair later, let's clean your body first."

Lin Jiu's movements were very gentle, allowing Wang Yuting to relax her cheeks without worrying that Lin Jiu would hurt her too much.

After wiping the sweat from Wang Yuting's cheeks and neck, Lin Jiu put the towel in the basin, picked up a tissue, and held it close to Wang Yuting's nose, asking her to tilt her head slightly forward to blow her nose. Most people blow their nose forcefully with both nostrils, which is not good and can easily cause fluid to accumulate and block the nostrils. The best way is to press one side of the nose first, then the other, while tilting the body slightly forward.

Lin Jiu learned this little detail in a parenting class, but it also works for older kids like Wang Yuting.

"I always feel like my feminine side no longer exists."

Wang Yuting blushed slightly as she looked at the crumpled tissue in Lin Jiu's hand.

If I told Ye Yue and Tong Yingyu about how my boyfriend blew my nose, they would probably laugh me to death.

Lin Jiu looked at her quietly, then turned and pointed towards the kitchen.

Wang Yuting understood, and she stopped hoping for something that never existed in the first place.

Compared to something as trivial as having her nose blown, the real issue was the mess Wang Yuting made of her home.

"Raise your hands."

"it is good."