I caught a Pokémon

"Yes," Xia You said, "You know him too."

Xiao Guang blinked, about to ask another question, when Xia You stopped in front of an iron gate.

The door wasn't closed completely, and you could faintly hear voices coming from inside. Xia You gently pushed it open a crack and peeked inside—

In the courtyard, Zhu Lan was squatting by the flower bed, holding a small shovel in her hand, with an unknown seedling buried in the soil in front of her. She was dressed casually today, in a white T-shirt and jeans, her blonde hair tied back with a rubber band, a few strands of hair blowing in the sea breeze onto her face. She raised her hand to brush them away, getting mud on her hands, which she then rubbed onto her cheek, completely unaware of it.

Caldelia sat on a wicker chair on the veranda, holding a cup of black tea in her hand. Her long, pinkish-purple hair was draped over her shoulders as she looked down at a book. Sunlight streamed through the grape trellis overhead, casting dappled shadows on her.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the sea breeze and the occasional sound of turning pages.

Xia You didn't say anything, she just leaned against the door and watched.

A few seconds later, Zhu Lan seemed to sense something, raised her head, and met his gaze.

She was stunned.

The small shovel in her hand fell into the flower bed with a dull thud. Cattleya looked up from between the pages of her book, followed her gaze, and then froze.

"How come you..." Zhu Lan opened her mouth, but swallowed the words halfway through. She stood up, patted the dirt off her knees, and tried to make her expression look normal. "Why are you here?"

Chapter 1406 The Matter of Having One More Pillow

"I have a surprise for you."

Xia You pushed open the door and went in, followed by Ya Mi, Xiao Guang, and Zhen Gu.

This was indeed a pleasant surprise.

Zhu Lan and Jia Deliya never expected Xia You to come.

Although they had predicted Xia You's route, they didn't expect him to be so fast, and without even giving them a heads-up.

Zhu Lan glanced at him, seemingly a little uncomfortable showing affection in front of so many people, especially in front of Ya Mi and Jia Deliya.

She glanced at the people behind Xia You, her ears turning slightly red. She turned her face away, pretending to pick up a small shovel that had fallen into the flowerbed, muttering something under her breath. Her voice was so soft that no one could hear her.

The arrival of Xia You naturally made Zhu Lan pay special attention to her.

They welcomed the group into the villa and then began making arrangements.

The housekeeper prepared dinner, and the guest rooms were tidied up. In short, everything was arranged in an orderly manner, and it was not the kind of care that one would show to an ordinary friend.

Xia You needs no further explanation. In Zhu Lan's eyes, he has now become her man. Since he is here, it is no different from coming home.

The same principle applies to Yami, who is both her friend and Xia You's woman.

As for Xiaoguang and Zhengu, they also hold a certain weight in Zhulan's eyes because of Xiayou.

Just as Zhu Lan was making arrangements, Xia You and the others, led by Jia Deliya, also visited the villa.

However, although it was called a visit, it really just involved walking around the area.

The villa is a three-story building with a small but well-maintained yard. The flower seedlings in the flowerbed have just been planted, and there are several neatly trimmed potted plants on the stone path next to it. There is an open book and a cup of unfinished black tea next to the rattan chair under the porch.

Overall, the layout here gives people a very warm feeling, and it really does feel like a champion's resting haven.

Dinner was plentiful, mainly seafood due to the proximity to the sea, along with some local specialties. The group sat around the restaurant, and Xiao Guang ate with greasy mouth, telling Zhu Lan about his experiences over the past few days—the underwater tunnel, the roadblocks on the village bridge, the dojo battle in Shuanglong City, and the old lady in the Dragon Village.

Zhu Lan listened, glancing at Xia You every now and then, a faint smile on her lips.

Cattleya ate her meal quietly, occasionally interjecting with questions about details.

Makomo, unusually talkative, discussed with Takeran what kind of civilization the writing on the underwater ruins might belong to.

After dinner, Hikaru and Makomo went back to their guest room to rest, and Yami also said she was tired and got up to leave. Only Natsumi, Takeran, and Gadria remained in the restaurant.

Cattleya put down her teacup, took one last look at the two of them, and then stood up.

"I'm going to rest now, you guys chat."

Zhu Lan nodded, and only after Jia Deli's footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor did she turn to look at Xia You.

"What's wrong?" She could tell that Xia You had something to say.

Xia You leaned back in her chair and looked at her: "Didn't you say that you would separate from her after we parted last time? Why are you still together?"

Zhu Lan paused for a moment, then sighed.

"This is what I was planning to do." She paused, a hint of helplessness in her voice, "But since our villas are next to each other, we can see each other every day, so what difference does it make whether we live together or not? So we're living together again. Besides, the Youth Cup is getting closer and closer, so it's more convenient for us to be together."

Xia You understood.

Zhu Lan glanced at him and lowered her voice: "Besides... we've only been here a few days, there has to be a separation process, right?"

Her ears turned red again as she said this.

Xia You didn't press further, he simply nodded. He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

The sea breeze blew in from outside, carrying the coolness of the night and the sound of distant waves.

Zhu Lan walked to his side and stood next to him.

She wanted to express her longing over the past few days, but looking at the younger man beside her, and having never experienced anything like this before, she opened her mouth but didn't know how to start.

In her heart, she secretly complained about how she had suddenly become so clumsy.

After all, it's just the two of them left, so what can't they say to each other?

Even the simplest love words are fine.

However, she didn't need to think about these things, because Xia You had already pulled her into his arms.

Xia You rested his chin on her head, inhaling the fragrance of her hair. He then lifted Zhu Lan's face, and Zhu Lan closed her eyes after seeing his gentle gaze.

Xia You kissed her, and Zhu Lan responded passionately.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

After her mind cleared for a while, she realized that Xia You's hand had somehow slipped inside her clothes.

"Why are you so dishonest?"

"There are even more unruly ones!" Xia You smiled mischievously, picked up Zhu Lan in her arms, and carried her to her room.

……

Zhu Lan finally spoke her love words.

And it happened when she was at her most vulnerable and emotional.

Her longing and love, mixed with that voice, ignited a fire in Xia You's heart and gave him inexhaustible energy.

The two lingered for a long time, until after 2 a.m., before finally falling asleep in each other's arms. Zhu Lan also fell into a deep sleep with a satisfied smile on her face.

Even so, Zhu Lan fought off her sleepiness and got up very early.

As the hostess here, she naturally had to treat her sister, Yami, and guests like Hikari and Makomo well.

Most importantly, she didn't want to be laughed at by Cattleya.

In fact, after parting ways with Xia You last time, the two had already laid their cards on the table on their way out. Jia Deliya directly asked if Zhu Lan had become Xia You's woman.

After a moment of surprise, Zhu Lan gave her a firm and resolute answer.

After all, there's really no point in hiding this kind of thing.

Besides, in the end, Gadriya would find out eventually anyway, so rather than hiding it and becoming a coward who dared not admit it and was indecisive, she openly admitted it and directly took the initiative to ask Gadriya if she also liked Xia You.

Cattleya also admitted it, which silenced Orchid.

Although Zhu Lan had moved into her house to prevent Jia Deliya and Xia You from developing anything, in an attempt to stop them, she put the matter aside when it was actually brought up in front of her.

after all…

If Xia You is a devoted man and only has her as his woman, then she has nothing to say and must defend their relationship.

嗏

Sigh, what can you do when Xia You is such a womanizer?

That's why she decided to leave it to Cattleya to decide.

If she really wanted to get involved in this mess, no one could stop her. For Zhu Lan, it would just be another pillow to lean on.

Who can blame her... she already has enough pillows around her.

Chapter 1407 Self-Recommendation

Zhu Lan was awakened by the birdsong outside the window.

She opened her eyes and found the bed beside her empty. The blankets were neatly folded, and only the pillow still retained a faint warmth.

She stared at the empty seat for a few seconds, her lips unconsciously curving into a smile, then turned over and buried her face in the still-warm pillow.

A few seconds later, she suddenly sat up again.

Don't stay in bed too long.

Yami was there, as were Hikari and Makomo, and also Gadriya. Especially Gadriya, she didn't want to be stared at by that woman with that half-smiling look all day!

Zhu Lan quickly rolled off the bed, but as soon as she put her foot down, her brows furrowed.

She was exhausted last night. Xia You was as strong as a Tauros, and now the aftereffects are showing, making it almost impossible for her to get out of bed.

Despite her trembling legs, she quickly washed up and changed. When she came downstairs, Yami was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

She was wearing an apron and was scooping fried eggs out of the pan with gentle and composed movements. When she saw Zhulan come down, she looked up and smiled.

Good morning, did you sleep well?

Zhu Lan's ears turned slightly red, and she mumbled a "It's okay" before quickly walking to the dining table.

Caldelia was already seated at the dining table, wearing a light purple loungewear dress, her long hair loosely draped over her shoulders. She held a cup of black tea in her hand and was looking down at her phone. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and her gaze lingered on Zhu Lan's face for a moment.

"You look good," she said, her tone as flat as if she were simply saying the weather was nice.

Zhu Lan sat down opposite her, pretending not to understand the meaning behind her words: "You got up early."

"I'm used to it."

The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked away.

Xia You walked into the courtyard, her body carrying the coolness of the morning and the scent of sunshine.

He had just done his morning exercise with his Pokémon and also took a stroll around the yard. When he saw that Cynthia was already up, he nodded.

"Is breakfast ready?"

"Mm," Zhu Lan responded, her gaze lingering on him for a moment before shifting away.

Breakfast was plentiful, including fried eggs, toast, milk, fruit salad, and several dishes of local specialties.

Several people sat around the dining table. Xiao Guang yawned while eating, and Makomo teased him for going to bed too early last night and still being so sleepy. Yami smiled gently and poured everyone a glass of hot milk.

Xia You ate quickly. After finishing the last bite of bread, he put down his fork and looked up.

"We'll be leaving in a bit."

The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly became quiet for a moment.

Zhu Lan's fork hovered in mid-air for two seconds before she put it down. She looked at Xia You, wanting to say something, but then swallowed her words.

Cattleya put down her teacup, her voice a few decibels faster than usual: "So fast?"

"Okay." Xia You nodded. "There's only one gym left. I'll come back to find you guys after we beat the Raven Gym."

Raven Dojo.

Upon hearing the name, both Zhu Lan and Jia Deliya's eyes flickered simultaneously.

Zhu Lan lowered her head and pretended to reach for the fruit on the table. Her expression didn't change, but her mind was racing.

It goes without saying who the leader of Raven Dojo is—Little Chrysanthemum.

A model with outstanding looks and a tall figure, she is extremely popular in the Unova region. She had challenged herself twice before, and although she lost both times, her indomitable spirit and...

Zhu Lan gently poked at the fried egg on the plate with her fork.

As far as she was concerned, she could accept what happened to Cattleya.

After all, the two have been friends for many years and are of equal status. Moreover, with a personality like Cattleya's, even if they became sisters, she wouldn't cause too much trouble. But Xiaoju'er is different; that woman is too flamboyant and too dazzling, making her difficult to control.

and--