The door to Ju Lanlan's home was buried under snow. Jiang Ye first dug for half a day with his hands before finding the doorbell and pressing it repeatedly.
"Who is it?" Ju Lanlan's voice came through the intercom.
"It's me, Jiang Ye," Jiang Ye said.
With a click, the door opened.
Jiang Ye shook the snow off his body and pushed the door open.
The lights were brilliant, and the room was quite warm. The air was dry, clearly heated by several air conditioners working overtime. This kind of heating would cost hundreds of yuan in electricity for a single night, but for a rich woman, this amount was practically zero.
Ju Lanlan walked down the stairs, wearing slippers, a thick plush pajama set, revealing her legs and chest, her cleavage unfathomably deep.
She looked surprised, "You... why are you here so late at night?"
"Just to crash for the night, do you have a spare room?" Jiang Ye sighed wearily. "I'll just sleep for a little while, I have to get up at seven to direct disaster relief."
"I thought it was something important, come on in," Ju Lanlan smiled.
Jiang Ye followed her, going up to the top floor and into a large bedroom.
Ju Lanlan pressed the switch on the wall, and the light dispelled the darkness in the room.
The bedding was a pale pink, like peach blossoms. By the bed were several pairs of white rabbit-shaped slippers, the same style as the ones Ju Lanlan was wearing. The shoes were labeled "Monday," "Tuesday," "Wednesday"…
On the clothes rack hung several lace lingerie items, black and nude stockings like shed snake skins. On the bedside table were several bags of snacks that had been ripped open, and a novel, "The Game of Loneliness." On the vanity table lay golden-tubed lipstick, highlighter, and a roll filled with small brushes. In the trash can were two used face masks, still damp.
Jiang Ye scratched his head, "This is... your room, right?"
"Yes, the other bedrooms are either storage rooms or only have beds without mattresses. The bed boards are harder than the concrete floor," Ju Lanlan picked up the remote and turned up the air conditioning. "I'm too lazy to tidy up a new room for you, and you're very tired, right? Just make do with sleeping here."
Jiang Ye felt awkward, "If I sleep here, where will you sleep? I can sleep on the sofa."
Ju Lanlan pointed to the windowsill, "I actually like sleeping there at night. I can see the sea and the starry sky when I open my eyes. I only sleep in a bed for naps."
On the spacious windowsill were a wool mat, a thin white blanket and pillow, and a two-meter-long giraffe plush toy, clearly indicating frequent use.
Jiang Ye scratched his head, "Then... then that's fine."
"Don't get on the bed yet, change your clothes," Ju Lanlan opened the wardrobe, took out a pink plush pajama set, and handed it to Jiang Ye.
Ten minutes later, Jiang Ye, wrapped in the pink pajamas, curled up in the soft white quilt. He had the entire large bed to himself, which was quite comfortable.
On the windowsill less than a meter away, Ju Lanlan was lying down, hugging the giraffe plush toy. A thin blanket covered her, and her figure was still discernible as quite good.
"Turn off the light, the switch is above your head," Ju Lanlan looked at him.
Jiang Ye reached out and turned off the light. The bedroom was immediately enveloped in darkness.
Some light filtered in from outside, and he could still vaguely see some things.
Ju Lanlan's face was still in the darkness, but there was a slight reflection. Jiang Ye knew she was still awake.
Jiang Ye didn't close his eyes either, quietly gazing at her.
After a moment, Ju Lanlan's voice suddenly rang out, "Are you staring with your eyes wide open?"
"Yes."
"Why aren't you sleeping? Didn't you come here to sleep?"
"I'm wondering why you aren't sleeping, because you're also staring with your eyes wide open," Jiang Ye said.
Ju Lanlan chuckled, then fell silent. This time, she closed her eyes.
Jiang Ye also closed his eyes.
But after a few seconds, Jiang Ye had a strange feeling, as if he was being watched.
So Jiang Ye opened his eyes and indeed saw Ju Lanlan staring at him with wide-open eyes.
"You opened your eyes again," Ju Lanlan said softly. "You've been looking at me, do you have some dirty thoughts?"
"Impossible, I'm a gentleman. Even rabbits don't eat grass near their dens. How can you question my noble character?"
"Bullshit, all men are the same. I have a good relationship with Tian Rao Isabelle, and I know about your unspeakable private dealings with them. Some men burn women's love letters to make coffee or tea, that's the type you are?" Ju Lanlan paused. "If you want to eat the grass near your den, hurry up and eat it, then go to sleep. Don't stare at me with those dirty thoughts."
Jiang Ye swallowed, somewhat surprised. He really didn't have any thoughts about Ju Lanlan, but with her saying that, his inner beast was indeed stirring a little.
"I thought we were just simple good friends," Jiang Ye said.
"Yes, just simple good friends."
"Simple good friends, how can they sleep together?" Jiang Ye asked, confused.
"Good friends can't sleep together?" Ju Lanlan countered.
"This... of course not!" Jiang Ye was shocked. "You can only sleep together after getting a marriage license. Everything else is hooliganism!"
Ju Lanlan's tone was casual, "I don't take these things too seriously. We're all adults. If you want to, come over. If not, that's fine too. I understand that people from Old Earth are very conservative. I'm not from Old Earth, I'm a modern cosmic person."
Jiang Ye was bewildered. He had encountered similar situations more than once.
"Let me ask you, tell me the truth," Ju Lanlan suddenly asked. "What do you think I am to you?"
Jiang Ye pondered for a moment, "Officially, we're business partners. But in my heart, I consider you a good friend."
"Have you ever thought of me as your wife?" Ju Lanlan's question was extremely direct.
"No," Jiang Ye blushed, telling the truth. "Although I haven't thought about it. But in every way, you are the ultimate wife that men dream of: beautiful, good figure, rich, and no flaws."
"Then I see you the same way you see me," Ju Lanlan smiled, revealing a row of white teeth in the darkness.
"To be honest, Jiang Ye, you're good in every aspect, and it's fun to be with you. But for some reason, I don't have the idea of developing you into a husband. Perhaps you're not my type," Ju Lanlan paused, then added, "You're a very special person to me. I can't quite explain my feelings for you. It's definitely not love, and calling it friendship is too shallow. It's definitely deeper than ordinary good friends."
"Deeper?" Jiang Ye frowned, pondering.
"Not deeper, it should be much deeper. For example, if..." Ju Lanlan shook her head. "Never mind, I won't say it."
"Say it! Leaving things half-said is the most annoying!" Jiang Ye was getting impatient. You're not writing a novel, why are you being so coy?
"For example, if I get married in the future, have a bunch of kids, have a harmonious relationship with my husband, and live a simple and happy life. If at that time you owe a lot of debt and come to me for money, I will not hesitate to lend you all my assets," Ju Lanlan smiled gently. "Do you understand? It's still very deep. Ordinary friends wouldn't lend all their family savings."
"I'm very touched. But if I get married, my assets are shared between husband and wife. If you're willing to give all your money to me, your husband definitely won't be happy," Jiang Ye chuckled.
"I will get a divorce," Ju Lanlan said immediately, calmly and seriously.
Her voice wasn't loud, but Jiang Ye was stunned, deeply shocked.
"Di... divorce..." Jiang Ye's mind went blank.
"Yes, divorce immediately, go through the lawsuit, make my husband leave with nothing. Then I'll give you all the money," Ju Lanlan explained.
Jiang Ye was almost moved to tears. He could feel that Ju Lanlan was telling the truth. But he couldn't understand Ju Lanlan's actions. So-called cosmic people truly had different values from Old Earth people.
The two fell silent again, staring at each other in the darkness, like two small animals that wouldn't harm each other meeting at night.
"But if I get married in the future, my wife will definitely come first," Jiang Ye said honestly. "I'm definitely willing to lend you money, but not to the extent of giving you my entire life's fortune."
"I know," Ju Lanlan remained calm.
Jiang Ye looked at her with complex eyes. His brain simply couldn't comprehend it. Ju Lanlan's words left him quite confused, yet he was genuinely touched, unsure of what to say.
After a long silence, Ju Lanlan yawned, "I'm going to sleep. I've set an alarm for seven o'clock, and I'll wake you up then."
"Okay," Jiang Ye also closed his eyes.
This time, they both truly fell asleep, neither opening their eyes again. In the darkness, only the light sound of snow powder hitting the windowpane could be heard, like something quietly breaking through the earth.