Chapter 136: Sleeping Together?

After dinner, Bai Muqing helped Grandma clear away the bowls and chopsticks. Once finished, she said her goodbyes, preparing to leave. "Grandma, it's getting late, so I should be going."

Hearing that she was leaving, Grandma quickly stopped her. "Child, where are you staying tonight?"

Bai Muqing replied, "I'll just find a hotel nearby to stay for the night."

"That simply won't do!" Grandma objected strongly. "It's much too dangerous for such a pretty young lady to stay in a hotel. Tonight, you'll stay in Mingyang's room."

"Huh?"

Both Zhang Mingyang and Bai Muqing were stunned upon hearing this.

"Grandma, this—!"

"Ah!"

Realizing she hadn't made herself clear, Grandma corrected herself, "What I mean is, you sleep in Mingyang's room, and as for Mingyang, he can sleep on the sofa."

"Oh! Huh?"

"Grandma, I'm sleeping on the sofa?"

Grandma took Bai Muqing's small hand and said, "What? Are you two planning to move in together before you're even married?"

"No, that's not—"

Faced with Grandma's remark, Zhang Mingyang was left speechless. "Fine! I'll sleep on the sofa."

With that, he walked into his bedroom and moved his bedding out to the sofa.

Grandma also fetched a fresh set of bedding from her own room and led Bai Muqing inside.

"Grandma, really, it's fine for me to just go get a hotel room."

Of course, Grandma wouldn't hear of it. "It's fine, child. We rarely have guests over, and the only other empty room is the shrine for Mingyang's parents. Mingyang is a very clean boy, so you'll be fine sleeping here."

As she spoke, Grandma smoothed out the bedsheets and put on a fresh pillowcase and quilt.

"Child, did you bring your toiletries?"

"I brought them, Grandma."

Bai Muqing took her toiletries and a change of clothes out of her suitcase.

Looking at the suitcase full of clothes, Grandma smiled faintly. "Well, child, get some rest early, and tomorrow I'll have Mingyang take you out to look around."

"Thank you, Grandma."

Grandma walked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

"Grandma! Come here!"

Zhang Mingyang waved his hand to summon Grandma over.

"What is it?"

Zhang Mingyang glanced back at his room and asked, "Grandma, if she's sleeping in my room, where am I supposed to wash up?"

"Can't you use my room?"

"Mingyang!" Grandma took his hand and said with a smile, "I've taken a liking to this girl. As far as having her as your girlfriend goes, Grandma has no objections whatsoever."

"Huh?"

Zhang Mingyang was left speechless. "Grandma, no... we're not boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Nonsense!"

Grandma glared at him and said, "The girl is pretty, well-mannered, and most importantly, her family background matches ours. She spent the whole afternoon chatting with me and didn't stop talking about you for a single second. I can tell she genuinely cares about you. You're going to turn down a girl like this? What, are you hoping to bring home some little seductress instead?"

"No!"

Zhang Mingyang scratched his head, never expecting things to develop this way. "Grandma, it's not that I think she's a bad person, it's that I'm not good enough for her!"

"Nonsense!"

Hearing that, Grandma became displeased. "How are you not good enough for her? You have a steady job, and as for a place to live, I've already set aside the money for you to buy a house—we can buy one anytime. We'll get a car too once you two get married. How do these conditions make you unworthy of her?"

"That's not what I mean!"

Zhang Mingyang raised his right arm, making his meaning abundantly clear. "Grandma, I'm disabled now. How could a girl like her possibly want to be with me?"

Grandma looked at his severed arm, and her expression dimmed as well. "It's all my fault. If I had known, I wouldn't have let you go."

With that, Grandma looked like she was about to cry again.

Seeing this, Zhang Mingyang hastily comforted her. "Grandma, I... why did I have to bring that up again?"

"Grandma, I'll ask her! I'll ask her, okay? If she's willing to be with me, then that would certainly be a wonderful thing."

Upon hearing this, Grandma smiled slyly. "Good! You ask her tomorrow. Who knows how many days she'll stay? I've already arranged it with her; you just take her out for a stroll tomorrow, and on the way, you must get a clear answer out of her."

"Alright, alright... I promise you!"

Grandma insisted on making a pinky promise with him. "Tomorrow, you must tell me the answer!"

"Fine!"

Grandma left with a smile on her face.

Lying on the sofa, Zhang Mingyang wondered what he should do tomorrow. Should he actually ask her? Or should he just give Grandma a fabricated answer?

"Grandpa, your grandson has sent you a text message."

His phone chimed with a text, and Zhang Mingyang quickly picked it up to read it. It was from Xu Yuqing: "Little brother, don't forget to meet me at the entrance of the residential complex tomorrow at eight in the morning."

"Oh, crap! How did I forget about this?"

It's over! It's over! It's completely over!

Zhang Mingyang sat up straight from the sofa. How could I have forgotten about this? If I take Sister Xu out to play tomorrow, Xu Zihan will definitely want to come along, and Bai Muqing will undoubtedly tag along as well. What am I supposed to do?

"Aargh!"

Zhang Mingyang thrashed around on the sofa. Taking three women out tomorrow was bound to turn the world upside down! What's more, two of those women had complicated entanglements with him. What was he supposed to do?

"I'm doomed! I'm going to suffer tomorrow!"

"Beep, beep!"

His communicator chimed with another text message, this one from Bai Muqing: "Goodnight, and thank you for your hard work tomorrow."

"I...!"

"God, why are you doing this to me?!"

...

Early the next morning, Zhang Mingyang was awakened by the sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering.

He crawled up from the sofa, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and asked Grandma, "Grandma, what time is it?"

Grandma and Bai Muqing were in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Hearing her grandson's question, she replied, "Get up quickly, Mingyang. It's past seven already. The girl has been helping me bustle about all morning."

"Oh, past seven."

"Huh?"

Realizing that Bai Muqing was already up, Zhang Mingyang scrambled up, pulling the quilt over his lower body. "Grandma, why didn't you wake me?"

Grandma replied, "The girl wouldn't let me wake you. She said your injuries haven't fully healed and you need more rest."

Just then, Bai Muqing walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate. Looking at Zhang Mingyang on the sofa, she smiled and said, "Go wash up quickly. Once we finish eating, we have to head out."

With that, she even gave him a playful wink.

"Good grief!"

A shudder ran through Zhang Mingyang's entire body, raising a wave of goosebumps. Bai Muqing's glance just then had been entirely too enchanting, stirring up physical reactions in him bright and early in the morning.

Seeing that Bai Muqing had retreated back into the kitchen, he hurriedly wrapped himself in the quilt and bolted into his bedroom.

As soon as he stepped inside, a faint, delicate fragrance drew Zhang Mingyang toward the bed.

"Damn it! Am I some kind of pervert?"

Recognizing the source of the lovely scent, he knew it had to be Bai Muqing's natural body fragrance.

"Slap!"

He struck his own cheek to snap himself out of it, silently scolding himself in his mind: "Zhang Mingyang, even if