If you don't do anything wrong in life, you won't be scared when someone knocks on your door at midnight.

At this moment, Li Yan and Yue Yao really hadn't done anything wrong, but they couldn't help being frightened. Running to a wife's best friend's room for a meeting in the middle of the night was already an unbelievable story. Lying together in bed for a meeting was even less believable.

Both of them couldn't help but smile wryly. It's true that when you fear something, it comes to you. Speak of Cao Cao and he appears. Cao Aman's lightweight skill is truly the best in the world.

This was not the time for lamentation or helpless smiles, they had to think of a solution immediately.

"Yue Yao, are you asleep? I can't sleep and want to talk..." Zhang Yurong's voice was already coming through, not very loud, just like her knocking.

She was already outside, and it wasn't convenient for the two of them to talk. With the lights off, not even gestures could be made. Yue Yao hurriedly reached out to turn on the light, but instead of the main light, she turned on the bedside lamp.

"Yurong, I'm still awake, I'll open the door for you."

Li Yan frowned. He originally wanted her to keep silent. That way, Zhang Yurong, who couldn't find her, would likely return, allowing him to leave safely.

Yue Yao shook her head, gestured with her hands, and used eye contact to communicate that since Zhang Yurong couldn't sleep, she likely wouldn't return to her room right away. She might sit in the living room or on the balcony, or even go to Li Yan's room, which would be more troublesome. It was better to keep her close by.

Li Yan pointed at the closet and then at the bathroom. But both doors were closed, and opening them suddenly might be heard. Unlike last time, it was the dead of night now!

At this moment, Yue Yao quickly pulled the quilt over and signaled Li Yan to keep lying flat on the bed, just close to one side.

Li Yan was a bit confused. What kind of trick is this at such a time? But he trusted that Yue Yao wouldn't do so without reason, so he lay flat as she instructed.

Yue Yao pulled the quilt over him, then quickly folded and layered it in three long strips over him. This way, Li Yan's body was completely covered, and even with several layers, it wouldn't raise suspicion being a bit high. Plus, it left two-thirds of the bed free, enough for Yue Yao and Zhang Yurong to sit and chat. Although it would make breathing difficult for Li Yan, Yue Yao had already considered this. With a pillow next to Li Yan's head, he had room to breathe.

Actually, this wasn't something she came up with on the spot. After the first day's situation, she realized that with the two of them under one roof, similar situations were bound to happen again. To avoid panic, she thought of many ways, and this was the method for nighttime adaptation.

Clearly, her quilt-folding skill was well-practiced, done swiftly. She then got off the bed to check that nothing seemed out of place, adjusted the lamp's brightness a bit, and quickly went to open the door.

"Yurong, is it because of tonight's incident? It's been keeping me up too. Want me to join you for a sit on the balcony?" Yue Yao welcomed her in and asked.

The room was dimly lit, and Zhang Yurong, preoccupied with her thoughts, didn't notice anything unusual with the quilt. She only observed that before opening the door, Yue Yao took the time to neatly fold the quilt, admiring her for her good upbringing.

"So dim, trying to save electricity for me?" Zhang Yurong chuckled.

Yue Yao sat down on the bed with her. "No way, I had already laid down. Too much light keeps me awake. Should I turn on the main light?"

"No need, I was just saying." Zhang Yurong hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yue Yao, can I sleep here tonight? We can chat better... Are you okay with that?"

"Uh... well..." Hearing this, both Yue Yao and Li Yan groaned inwardly. If she had questions, answering them would send her off. But if she slept here, there was a greater chance of being found out.

Seeing Yue Yao's hesitant demeanor, Zhang Yurong quickly realized something, laughed, and said, "Yue Yao, you don't think I like women, right? Haha, even though I got on well with you quickly, I don't have that inclination. In fact, I'm not used to sleeping with others… It's just that the questions I need to ask are quite private, and I can't bring myself to ask out loud."

Hearing this, Yue Yao could only laugh along. "Haha, if that was what you liked, you'd drive my brother-in-law Li Yan crazy with anger, wouldn't you?"

Then she lay down on the edge of the quilt, patting the other pillow. "Yurong, let's lie here and talk."

"Okay." Zhang Yurong lay down on the bed beside her. "Let me turn off the light then. With it on... I'm really embarrassed to ask some questions."

"Sure." Both Yue Yao and Li Yan were in no position to be curious about her questions; they were relieved when the light went off.

...

After Zhang Yurong turned off the lamp, the room was pitch dark. Yue Yao quickly pulled the quilt open and covered both her and Zhang Yurong's legs.

The air conditioning was a bit chilly, and now that the lights were off, the two of them were half-lying down, so they didn't feel awkward anymore. They simply lay down and pulled up the quilt. This allowed Li Yan to stick his head out to breathe. What was presented was a situation of three people sharing the quilt.

But on this bed, under the quilt, there were three people, only two were aware, Zhang Yurong didn't know. The bed was big enough, and her sleeping on half naturally didn't feel excessive. Yue Yao, on the other hand, had no choice; she couldn't get too close to Zhang Yurong, as even if there were no suspicious touches, it would make Zhang Yurong uneasy. Helplessly, she could only snuggle closer to Li Yan at the back, the two of them squeezing on half of the bed.

The bed wasn't small. One-third each was no problem, but squeezing two people onto half was a bit cramped. In the darkness, Yue Yao could only pat Li Yan's body from behind, signaling for him to turn over with her to a side-lying position for comfort and to avoid making noise that might alert Zhang Yurong.

With years of tacit understanding, just one action in the dark was enough for Li Yan to understand. He immediately reached out to hold her waist, turning with her at the same time to prevent any disharmony.

Zhang Yurong didn't notice this at all. When they turned towards her, she also turned towards Yue Yao. In the darkness, they couldn't see each other's expressions, but they knew the other was not far away. She broke the silence, "Yue Yao… I want to ask you a question. If you don't want to answer, you can refuse."

"It's okay, ask away." Yue Yao softly replied.

"You…" Even though they were both girls, asking such a private question made Zhang Yurong a bit embarrassed.

"This…" Yue Yao felt a bit embarrassed, realizing that's what she was feeling embarrassed to ask! It was difficult to answer. If it were just the two of them, she could answer by telling a fabricated story and say no, but now Li Yan was right behind her. If she said that, what would he think?

Her hesitation made Zhang Yurong feel like she already knew the answer. She didn't press further and answered herself, "I understand. You said that man hurt you so deeply… He really didn't cherish you, such a good girl, and he still doesn't want you."

Li Yan's body was basically pressed against Yue Yao's, spooning together. Any movement from one would be felt by the other. Yue Yao noticed that after Zhang Yurong said those words, Li Yan's body moved slightly.

What made her even more helpless was that she couldn't refute Zhang Yurong's words because they were intertwined with the lies she had previously woven about her background and painful experiences.

What gave her a little relief was that Li Yan had a reaction to hearing her fake news, which showed… that he was also affected by this matter, that he cared about her, right? Just not sure to what extent…

"It's okay, I've already moved on. Coming here to your place… was just to relax. Yurong sis, meeting you is my good fortune. Your care and companionship over the past days have made me very happy," Yue Yao said softly.

Hearing her so calmly, Zhang Yurong became a bit worried, "Little Yue Yao, why are you being so polite? Are you planning to leave? Stay longer."

Their conversation left Li Yan a bit confused, unsure if what Yue Yao said was true or false. He thought about how she volunteered to come here to protect Zhang Yurong, yet didn't seem aware of Liu Yunqing's movements. Could it really be because of emotional issues? A broken heart?

Over the past two years, he maintained contact with Queen, but only when necessary. During times of nothing special, they'd check in on each other now and then, like ensuring each other's safety. Queen took all the responsibility, always saying she was fine. So, he didn't know if Yue Yao had truly gone through such an emotional experience, but hearing her say something about moving on made it seem quite real.

It caused a pang in his heart, and his body, already close to hers, gently hugged her waist in a half-embrace to offer comfort.

The half-embrace initiated by him made Yue Yao's body tremble slightly. Could this be a blessing in disguise? She hadn't expected to be consoled by him, fearing she'd be seen as less, yet receiving his comfort was unexpected. She had never wished to completely own him, and knowing Zhang Yurong was his wife, she never thought of replacing her. Just being by his side made her content. Even if it was just a comforting half-embrace, it brought her a sense of happiness!

"I… actually have a job, writing online. If I get a chance to sign and get the readers' support, I might earn a bit of income. Haha, some say that's a struggling grind, but if I can earn enough to support myself, that would be great. I was thinking of renting a place…"

She hadn't finished speaking when Zhang Yurong interrupted, "Nonsense! I don't know the specifics, but I'm aware that the income in this industry is not as good as my salary and benefits. Only those at the top earn a bit. As a girl, how can you endure it? It's okay to have an interest, to earn some pocket money. My place has empty rooms; you can stay here and consider this home. If you really want to work, I can arrange a job for you."

"But…"

"You don't need to feel guilty about accepting it. Apart from considering you as a sister, right now, I'm asking for your advice, aren't you repaying me by helping?" Zhang Yurong reassured.

(Three updates in three days! The third update today is here! Any brother with a Monthly Pass please lend a hand. With these few books, Old Lai has had great support from the best readers, moving through the ranks of the new book Monthly Pass list, having hit sixth, fifth, fourth, third, and even first place. Only second place is missing for a straight flush, please help, guys. Thanks a lot) (To be continued, for more, please log in to www.qidian.com, chapters are more, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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