Chapter 57: Handsome sleeping deer
The next morning, Lin Huahua woke up slowly and at first she did not even open her eyes fully, because the bedding was warm, the furs were soft, and for one peaceful little moment her sleepy brain almost forgot that she was still trapped in a primitive beast world where people heated bath water by hand and every male around her looked unfairly handsome.
But then she felt it.
A strong arm was still wrapped around her waist.
Lin Huahua’s whole body instantly stiffened.
Her eyes opened at once, and the moment she looked down and saw Mu Qingyi’s arm resting around her so naturally, her pale face turned red so fast that even the tips of her white rat ears began to heat up.
Last night!
How could she forget last night?
The moment the memory returned, Lin Huahua felt her heart start beating faster. She remembered how flustered she had been, how close they had been, how gently he had spoken to her, and how she had eventually fallen asleep beside him without even realizing when her eyes had closed.
At that time she had been too tired, too confused, and too sleepy to think clearly, but now that it was morning and the light from outside was softer and calmer, everything suddenly felt much more real.
Lin Huahua slowly turned her head and looked at Mu Qingyi’s face.
To be honest, this really could not be blamed on her.
He was too good-looking.
The deer beastman looked even softer when he was sleeping. His face had lost its usual careful alertness, and now he looked calm and handsome in a way that made him seem almost harmless, even though his tall body and broad chest said otherwise.
His antlers looked beautiful in the morning light, and his long lashes cast faint shadows near his eyes. Even his breathing was gentle and steady, and because he always carried that calm nurturing feeling around him, the whole sight made Lin Huahua’s heart feel strangely warm.
Then she began thinking nonsense.
What if she leaned forward just a little?
What if she kissed him?
Just one little kiss.
A very small one.
A harmless one.
The more she thought about it, the hotter her face became, and her little white rat tail, which had been resting quietly behind her, gave a nervous curl. At the same time, another thought rose in her chest and immediately ruined her mood.
Sooner or later she would leave this world.
That was the truth.
Her brothers in the sci-fi world would definitely keep trying to convince their father, and once the simulation ended, she would return home.
When that happened, Mu Qingyi would no longer be her male, and maybe he really would end up with another female one day. The moment that thought crossed her mind, Lin Huahua felt a small sting in her chest, and she did not like it at all.
How annoying.
Why was life being like this?
She was still staring at Mu Qingyi’s face while thinking all these messy things in her little head, and because she was so lost in them, she did not realize that at some point his eyes had already opened.
Mu Qingyi woke up slowly and the first thing he saw was Lin Huahua’s face very close to his, her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes fixed on him, and her soft white rat ears slightly lowered in a shy way that made her look too cute for a man to wake up to peacefully.
For one second, Mu Qingyi simply looked at her.
Then a gentle smile appeared on his face.
He had noticed.
He had noticed that she had been staring.
He had noticed the blush too.
Lin Huahua, however, was still lost in her own thoughts, so it took her another breath before she realized that the handsome deer beastman in front of her was no longer sleeping.
The moment their eyes met, her whole body jumped.
"Aah!" Lin Huahua let out a tiny startled yelp and pulled away from him so quickly that she nearly tangled herself in the fur bedding. Then she sat up straight at once, fixed her clothes with both hands, and tried her very best to look like a person who had not just been caught staring shamelessly at a sleeping beastman first thing in the morning.
Her face was still burning.
Very badly too.
Mu Qingyi sat up more slowly, and although his smile had already become gentler and calmer, the warmth in his eyes remained. Seeing her blush and panic like this made his chest feel light, because to him it was proof that she did not hate being near him anymore.
"How was your sleep?" Mu Qingyi asked softly.
Lin Huahua’s eyes widened a little at such a normal question, because right now she was too embarrassed to deal with anything normal at all.
"Fine," she said quickly. "Fine. Why would it not be fine?"
Her answer came out so fast and stiff that even she herself felt it sounded suspicious, but what else was she supposed to say? That she had woken up with his arm around her and then lay there thinking about kissing him like some romance novel fool?
Impossible.
So Lin Huahua only kept her little face serious and looked anywhere but directly at him.
Mu Qingyi saw all of this clearly, and because he understood that she was embarrassed, he did not tease her. Instead he only nodded and stood up from the bedding.
"I will go heat water for you to wash up," he said.
Lin Huahua immediately nodded too quickly. "Mm. Mm, yes. You’re right. Do that."
Mu Qingyi almost smiled again at the way she was trying so hard to act calm, but he held it back and left the room quietly, giving her space.
The moment he was gone, Lin Huahua let out a breath and touched her own face.
Still hot.
Still very hot.
She sat there on the bedding for a moment and tried to think about what her next step should be, because no matter how warm and comfortable things felt in that room, the truth remained that she was still stuck in the simulation, and she could not simply keep blushing at beastmen all day and forget the bigger problem.
At that exact moment, a familiar light suddenly appeared in front of her.
Lin Huahua’s eyes widened.
Then the hologram from the sci-fi world flickered into view, and the moment she saw her father’s face appear again, her whole body perked up with excitement so fast that she nearly bounced off the bedding.