However, looking into Li Sili's innocent eyes, she couldn't bear it.

Is it okay for the three of us to keep this from her? Should we tell her the truth? Thinking of the dramatic fallout that would follow the confession, Yun Yuqing shuddered. No, better not. We'll just have to keep this a secret for as long as we can.

The sounds of the "workout" in the living room lasted a bit longer this time. Yun Yuqing lost more than a dozen games in a row to Li Sili before the noise finally subsided. Thankfully, because they kept losing, the competitive Li Sili remained completely focused on the game. Otherwise, she definitely would have noticed something was wrong.

That shameless Fang Sihan, wasn't she being a little too loud? Was she afraid Li Sili couldn't hear her from the bedroom? That wretched girl. I'm definitely going to teach her a lesson later.

"I finally won a game! I'm done playing. I'm a little hungry, I want to get a late-night snack," Li Sili said, rubbing her flat stomach.

Yun Yuqing waved her phone, showing she was one step ahead. "I already ordered something during a break in our game. It'll be here soon."

Li Sili threw herself onto Yun Yuqing and planted a kiss on her cheek. "I knew you were the best, Yuqing!"

"What did you order?" she asked, reaching for the phone to look.

"All your favorites," Yun Yuqing said, quickly snatching her phone back. It contained tons of secret photos. Although Li Sili already knew that she "liked older men," she had no idea that she and Sun Dasheng were already involved. Yun Yuqing didn't dare to imagine the consequences if Li Sili saw the private photos on her phone.

"Hehe... do you have some secrets on your phone?" The more Yun Yuqing refused to show her, the more interested Li Sili became. Since her friend wouldn't give her the phone, she couldn't very well snatch it. She was just teasing her a little.

Not long after, the bedroom door opened. A flushed Fang Sihan walked in. "Who ordered takeout? It's here. Let's go eat."

"Our gorgeous and wise Yuqing, of course!" Li Sili praised lavishly, happy to be fed by her friend.

"Oh, really? Thanks, Yuqing. Shall we go eat then?"

"Yeah! Hey, Sihan, what's that smell on you?" Li Sili seemed to have caught a whiff of something and leaned in for a closer sniff.

But Yun Yuqing, who was right beside her, quickly pulled her back while frantically signaling to Fang Sihan with her eyes.

So typical of a coarse northerner! Why didn't she rinse off after they were done? Just pulling on her pants and coming over like this... isn't she just asking to get caught?

Thankfully, Yun Yuqing's quick intervention saved them. When Fang Sihan realized what was happening, her heart leaped into her throat.

"Oh, I just finished working out and haven't had a chance to shower yet, so of course I smell a little weird. I didn't even notice until you mentioned it. You guys go ahead and eat; I'm going to go wash up."

With that, Fang Sihan hurried back to her room to take a shower.

"Oh, really?" Li Sili asked.

"Of course!" Yun Yuqing said firmly.

「After their late-night snack.」

The four of them sat on the balcony, letting their food digest.

Looking at the star-filled sky, Li Sili took out her phone to capture it. "It's been so long since I've seen a sky this bright and clear."

Hearing this, Sun Dasheng looked up and uncrossed his legs, as if to show respect for the beautiful starscape. Just as the young woman said, such a bright, starry sky was indeed a rare sight for city dwellers.

It reminded him of his childhood, of evenings spent playing with a group of friends in the open fields. For city folk nowadays, playing in the fields late at night would sound like something out of a fairy tale. How could the faint village lights possibly illuminate the paths at night? Let alone playing in the fields.

What they wouldn't know is that in Sun Dasheng's childhood, the countryside was actually quite bright under the light of the moon and stars. It wasn't the brightness of the sun, but the cool, clear luminescence of the moon and stars. Anyone who has never lived in the countryside could not possibly imagine such a scene.

It was just like the line from the movie *The Dream Factory*: "1997 has passed, and I miss it dearly!"

Sun Dasheng wanted to say, "The days of my youth have passed, and I long for them."

"Uncle."

"Yes?"

Sun Dasheng didn't need to look; he knew it was the young Li Sili who had spoken.

"Why do so many people lose their minds over fame and fortune? Fame is like the distant stars in the sky—you can see them, but you can't reach them. So why do people tirelessly pursue those ephemeral things?"

What the hell? Is this the same Li Sili I know? Sun Dasheng looked up at her, sizing her up anew. To have such a terrifying level of insight at such a young age... Truly frightening! My apologies for underestimating you.

"Uncle, why aren't you answering me?" Li Sili asked, her eyes blinking playfully at him.

"That question is too profound. I don't know the answer either," Sun Dasheng said, shaking his head. If I could comprehend that kind of question, I'd probably achieve enlightenment and ascend to the heavens.

"There are questions even you don't know the answer to, Uncle?" Li Sili giggled, covering her mouth.

"What made you think to ask a question like that?" Sun Dasheng asked, curious.

The other two women also looked at her curiously. Did our little sister achieve Buddhahood after that late-night snack?

Seeing their expressions, Li Sili burst out laughing. She took out her phone with a triumphant "Haha!" and showed it to them. "I saw a bunch of classic quotes from the 'Moron Forum' online, so I went to check it out. This question is from a post there."

The other three were speechless. Li Sili, however, was laughing uncontrollably.

"You guys didn't really think I'd become like that, did you? Geez, I was just teasing you a little. Why are you all staring at me like that? Can't you take a joke?"

Li Sili looped her arm through Sun Dasheng's, swaying it back and forth playfully.

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