Chapter 207: Three People Sleeping Together
Evan Shaw escorted the girls all the way to the ground floor of Chloe York’s apartment building.
“Do you want to come up for a glass of water?” Chloe asked. After all, he had walked quite a distance with them, and she figured he had to be thirsty.
Had it just been the two of them, Evan would have agreed in a heartbeat. But with Zoe Roland and Wendy Winters tagging along, going upstairs felt a bit awkward.
“No, thank you. Now that I’ve seen you home, I should be heading back. Let’s hang out again when we have time!”
Chloe didn’t press him. “Alright, see you next time!”
Evan nodded and turned to leave.
“Goodbye, Campus Prince Shaw!” Wendy waved, still using the nickname.
Hearing the title, Evan stumbled mid-stride, nearly tripping over his own feet. It was one thing for strangers to call him that—it was a bit cheesy, but at least they meant it as a compliment on his looks. Coming from Wendy, however, it was completely unnecessary.
But it didn’t end there. Seeing Wendy do it, Zoe followed suit, calling out, “Goodbye, Campus Prince Shaw!”
At this point, even Chloe noticed Evan’s walking speed increase dramatically. He looked like he was trying to flee as fast as possible, as if some terrifying monster were chasing him.
“Let’s go. We can head upstairs now,” Chloe said.
“Okay!”
The three of them made their way up to Chloe’s rented apartment.
“This is my room. You guys can—”
“I’ll take this one.” Before Chloe could finish, Wendy pointed to the room right next door. It was the only door immediately adjacent to Chloe’s.
Chloe was actually quite surprised. That specific room was the one she had set aside for Stella Winters. She wondered how Wendy managed to pick the exact room she had reserved for Stella. Not only did the two share the same personality and surname, but they even shared this inexplicable cosmic connection.
After claiming the room, Wendy shot Zoe a rather smug look. She figured Zoe had definitely wanted the same room but was beaten to the punch. Then she turned back to Chloe, only to find that Chloe hadn’t agreed yet. Instead, Chloe was just staring at her with bright, sparkling eyes. Wendy wondered if the room was off-limits.
“Chloe, why aren’t you saying anything? Is this room not okay?” Wendy asked.
“No, it’s totally fine. It’s just… I have another friend who also has the last name Winters. The two of you are remarkably similar in personality and everything else. I have to introduce you guys when there’s time. You’d definitely hit it off.”
Chloe had simply been too stunned by Wendy’s room choice to react immediately. So, when Wendy prompted her, she quickly brought up Stella. She had always planned to introduce them, figuring they could even meet over a video call in the future.
“Really?”
“Of course it’s true! Actually, you can ask Zoe—Zoe knows her too. Stella Winters. Right, Zoe? Don’t you think they’re super alike?”
Hearing Chloe address her, Zoe nodded, albeit with extreme reluctance. Of course they were alike. After all, this Wendy was just as obnoxious as Stella. How could they not be alike? Chloe hadn’t even finished speaking or officially let them pick a room, yet Wendy had brazenly claimed one. And to top it off, she had picked the room closest to Chloe’s—the room that rightfully should have been hers!
An idea struck her, and Zoe immediately put on a pitiful expression. “Wendy, could you let me have the room you just picked?”
“Why should I?” Hearing that Zoe wanted to snatch her room, Wendy instantly bristled like a kitten bearing its claws, ready to defend her territory.
“Because I’m new in town and don’t know anyone. I feel really insecure in a strange city. The only person I’m familiar with is Chloe, since we’re from the same place, so I just want to stay close to her.”
The explanation was incredibly persuasive. Not to mention Chloe, even Wendy couldn’t find much fault with her logic. But because the words came from Zoe’s mouth, they felt entirely flawed. Wendy simply didn’t want Zoe getting too close to Chloe. Sure, they were both girls, so there was no risk of some pervert sneaking into bed in the middle of the night, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Zoe was dangerous for Chloe.
It was a difficult situation for Chloe to mediate. Although she was the one renting the apartment, both girls were her friends. Wendy had picked the room first, but Zoe’s reasoning was also perfectly sound.
“How about… the three of us squeeze in and share one bed?” Seeing the standoff, Chloe could only come up with a compromise.
“Deal!” both girls agreed in unison.
Hearing their agreement, Chloe breathed a happy sigh of relief, thinking she was getting smarter by the minute.
However, when night fell, Chloe thoroughly regretted her decision. Even though her bed was king-sized, it was still incredibly cramped with three people sharing it. She had expected it to be a little tight and inconvenient, but she hadn’t anticipated being so squished that she couldn’t even roll over. She was completely wedged between Wendy and Zoe, unable to move a muscle.
She barely slept a wink all night, only drifting off into a hazy slumber as dawn approached. When she woke up again, she found that Wendy was already out of bed, while Zoe was clinging to her in her sleep like an octopus.
The feeling was far too weird.
Chloe tried to peel Zoe’s arms and legs off, but just as she moved, Zoe woke up.
Looking a bit groggy, she murmured, “Chloe, you’re awake?”
“Yeah! You’re up too.”
Zoe nodded and quite naturally untangled her limbs from Chloe’s body.
“Smells so good!” The moment Chloe sat up, she caught a distinct savory aroma. It smelled like someone was cooking.
“I smell it too,” Zoe said.
“Looks like a culinary fairy named Wendy is making us some delicious food.”
A flash of annoyance crossed Zoe’s face upon hearing this. She wished she had just slept in a bit longer. In truth, she had been awake when Wendy got up. At the time, she was thrilled, thinking that with Wendy gone, she could have Chloe all to herself. So, as soon as Wendy left the room, she had immediately clung to Chloe like an octopus. Little did she expect Wendy to play the domestic goddess card.
The two of them got up to wash their faces. Chloe’s rented apartment featured en-suite bathrooms in the bedrooms. She found a new toothbrush for Zoe, and noticing that one of the spare toothbrushes she had bought was missing, she knew Wendy had already rummaged through here.
As they opened the bedroom door, the mouth-watering scent grew even stronger, emanating directly from the kitchen.
“Wendy.”
“You’re up. Breakfast is almost ready. Go take a seat outside and wait.”
“Will do!”
Soon enough, breakfast was laid out on the table: century egg and lean pork congee, plain congee, deep-fried dough sticks, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, and boiled eggs. It was as lavish a spread as could be, looking like a meticulously prepared feast.
“When you have the congee—whether it’s the plain one or the century egg one—you can pair it with the dough sticks, corn, sweet potatoes, and eggs. It won’t be quite as dry that way,” Wendy explained casually, offering a quick tip on how to eat the meal.
“Wendy, you’re amazing!” Staring at the table full of breakfast, Chloe was genuinely astounded.