“Afraid of the dark?” Kuang Xingran repeated Kuang Ye’s question and then laughed. “Of course not. Back during summer camp, she was the one who accompanied me to the bathroom at night.”

Kuang Ye’s heart sank instantly. “Did she ever have the habit of sleeping with a nightlight on?”

Not long after moving into the apartment, Kuang Ye had noticed that Mu Wan preferred sleeping with a nightlight. If he turned it off, she wouldn’t say anything, but she would unconsciously cling to his arm, as if seeking some form of security.

Kuang Xingran had often visited Mu Wan’s house as a child, sometimes staying overnight when they played too late. Naturally, she knew Mu Wan’s sleeping habits.

“Nope. Her ceiling had a starry-sky design. Turning on a nightlight would ruin the effect.”

“Why are you asking this, Gege? Don’t tell me you haven’t even shared a bed with Wan wan yet. Are you… incapable—”

Beep, beep, beep!

Kuang Ye immediately hung up the call. He had no interest in discussing private topics with his biological sister.

However, Xingran’s answers only deepened the mysteries in his heart.

Could Mu Wan’s sudden change in attitude toward him have something to do with her newfound fear of the dark and the strange words she had murmured in her sleep?

—

Mu Wan woke up to the enticing aroma of food.

The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup, which had been simmering for four to five hours, exuded a rich fragrance. Mu Wan swallowed her saliva unconsciously as her stomach growled.

Stretching lazily, she got out of bed and noticed her pajamas had been placed near the air conditioner vent, making them warm and cozy to wear.

She lifted the blanket, put on her clothes, and muttered under her breath, “So thoughtful during the day, but always up to no good at night.”

She had made up her mind. She was going to be a bad Sadist^[1]Someone who enjoys inflicting pain on others, sometimes in a sexual sense.—the kind that makes an Masochist^[2]A sexual masochist experiences sexual pleasure in response to pain, denial, or humiliation. beg for mercy.

When she went downstairs, Kuang Ye pulled out her chair for her. With a spatula in one hand and a ladle in the other, he smiled brightly.

“Good morning, Jiejie! Would you like to start with Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, ejiao soup, or your fiancé—me?”

Mu Wan sat down with a sore waist, glaring at him like a picky restaurant customer. She retorted, “Bring me both the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and the ejiao soup. As for my fiancé? Forget it. Disobedient, talking-back, and making nonsense promises—sending gifts that somehow end up on the bed? Ha!”

She picked up a piece of abalone that had been stewed until tender and bit into it hard, venting her lingering annoyance.

Kuang Ye brought the rest of the dishes to the table and sat across from her, blinking innocently. “But it was Jiejie who hid things from me first—like with Tang Ce.”

Mu Wan pointed at the flip-book-style refrigerator magnet stuck to the fridge door. At first glance, it looked like an artistic magnet, but inside was Kuang Ye’s 10,000-word self-reflection essay.

“You’ve kept so many things from me. What’s wrong with me hiding just one thing from you?”

Kuang Ye: “…”

He couldn’t argue.

A flicker of thought crossed his eyes as he casually asked, “So, is that really the only thing you’ve hidden from me? Nothing else?”

Mu Wan quickly reviewed her thoughts. Aside from the fact that she had been reincarnated, she didn’t think she had hidden anything else from Kuang Ye. She nodded firmly. “Nothing else.”

Kuang Ye’s gaze darkened slightly.

Wan wan sounded so confident, which left two possibilities.

The first was that she truly had nothing to hide, and all the oddities were just his overthinking and wild imagination.

The second was that she had no intention of ever telling him and that this secret was so well-kept that only she knew it, leaving her unafraid of being exposed.

“Jiejie, do you like starry ceilings? Xingran mentioned your old room had one. If you like it, I could set one up in our bedroom too.”

Mu Wan paused mid-bite.

Although Kuang Ye’s presence had significantly eased her fear of the dark, she still preferred to sleep with warm yellow lighting at night.

“There’s no need. Starry ceilings are too dim. I prefer warm yellow lights now.”

“Alright.”

Kuang Ye didn’t miss the slight stiffness in her movement. He instantly understood—it was the second possibility.

But what kind of secret could Mu Wan be hiding so tightly?

“Wan wan, are you free tomorrow?”

“I need to handle some work at the company in the morning, but I’m free in the afternoon. Why?”

“I bought tickets to the zoo. They have pandas and peacocks. Interested?”

Mu Wan’s eyes lit up immediately. “Yes!”

The last time she had seen pandas was back in high school. She still remembered how adorably fluffy they were.

Seeing the radiant and animated smile on Mu Wan’s face, Kuang Ye couldn’t help but smile as well.

Whatever Wan wan was hiding didn’t matter to him, as long as it wouldn’t harm her.

After all, they had a lifetime together. Perhaps one day, on a whim, Wan wan would share her secret with him.