3.13

Feng Mian was promoted from base Z's prized experiment to Ye Junli's personal darling part-time research assistant in one night. Her trivial tasks include making sure all the apparatus that should be prepared is set up beforehand whenever boss Junli needs them and stored back after use, finishing up the scientific reports, and most importantly- making sure that the head researcher gets enough sleep.

If Feng Mian had not known any better, she would think that Ye Junli was an insomniac. But he wasn't. In other words, he was simply a workaholic whose clock ran on a seventy-two hour time frame. His sleeping schedule was out of whack - sleeping only for four hours every three days - and he settled for short naps instead to make up for the lost hours of sleep.

On the first night, they were both too busy settling in the new living space to be bothered to sleep. On the second night, Feng Mian slept in early figuring Ye Junli would soon follow suit afterwards. On the third night, she realised that this peculiar shard of Hao Junli's was not merely a night owl, but a laboratory bounded vampire that did not sleep at all. There were distinguishable eye bag lines gracing his puffy under eyes and he looked as lethargic as a bat out in the sun.

Feng Mian cornered him on the fourth night.

"Today you're going to sleep whether you like it or not." For his health, she was adamant on this issue.

Ye Junli's head turned, almost mechanically, to meet her obstinate eyes.

Tiredness seeped through his words, "Can't. Almost made a breakthrough."

"If you sleep you'll be able to concentrate more. Sleep ba."

"I'll sleep after I'm finished with this batch."

Feng Mian saw through this one line bluff immediately. Like hell will this workaholic sleep. She shot him with his weak point. "You look like a panda that could pass for a raccoon. Unbearably ugly."

Sure enough, the word ugly caught his attention. "Ugly? Who? Me?"

He lived his whole life with people telling him how exceptionally good looking he was, and that had not changed even after the apocalypse, this was the first time he had been called ugly. There was a foul taste of denial on the roof of his mouth.

"Yeah, you, Ye Junli. You're getting uglier by the day."

Ye Junli's entire face scrunched up, as he angled his face so that he could see his reflection from the cupboard mirrored panels. He wanted to see if he had truly lost a few points of handsomeness. His complexion really was bad and his eyes had already begun to swell. He pinched a few loose skins on his face. It also seems that he had lost a few pounds as well.

"No need to look anymore ah, the mirror isn't Cinderella's fairy godmother that can make you look handsome."

Ye Junli reluctantly peeled his eyes from his reflection. "Really ugly ba?"

Feng Mian knew best how her housemate treasured his own looks. "Only a bit. Nothing a good sleep can't fix. Wouldn't it be a waste for your mother to give birth to such a good looking face if you disregard it so carelessly?"

She wheedled him front and back before he agreed to hit the sack.

Ye Junli found a dilemma with their sleeping arrangement as both he and Feng Mian stood inside a storage space that became a makeshift sleeping area he used. And in that room was only a single bed with a small blanket folded next to the pillow. He faltered and said hesitantly, "There's only one bed."

System 555 came out after seeing that things were about to get spicy. "Aiyoo, daddy's Xiao Mian is all grown up. Two people, one bed, this scenario… tsk tsk. Don't forget to warn this baby beforehand if you're about to engage in adult activities ba, I'll pull up the mosaic scene."

Feng Mian didn't feel uncomfortable before with this arrangement, but after System 555's yellow-headed comment, it was hard to keep a straight face.

What adult activities? What mosaic? This was her housemate and friend Hao Junli ah. Tarnishing a pure relationship is really only something her system would do. With a mindset of preparing to go to battle, she steeled her heart to share half the side of the bed. Besides, they've already shared a bed in the last world, so there should be nothing too awkward. An innocent man does not fear rumours!

Feng Mian scurried to the inner side of the bed in bounds of steps and marked her side of territory by indenting the mattress a few inches deep with her buttcheeks.

She spoke, unruffled, like a martyr willing to die for her country. "I'll take this side, you take the other."

Ye Junli stared dumbfoundedly at this eccentric behaviour for a few seconds before he coughed into his fist.

Feng Mian patted the side of his bed confidently and insistently. "Sleep here."

Ye Junli was well aware that 119 was an experiment that had not been thought the difference between the male and female, let alone the boundaries of gender, but his heart could not help give a few nervous beats after the proactive gesture of invitation.

He did not think that he would be bringing a person over to the secret base so he consequently did not bother keeping extra mattresses or covers, so the only way they would both be able to somewhat comfortably sleep is by sharing the bed. Ye Junli took slow steps and arrived at the edge of the bed but did not slide in.

The dull Feng Mian thought that Ye Junli's indignation was caused by the cramped space and felt a bit bad that the host had to share his bed with the guest. She squeezed herself as close as she could to the wall in a side log position and considerately said, "I have a really good sleeping position and won't move around much. Really."

Ye Junli took a deep breath.

He lifted the covers and weaselled in gingerly. Feng Mian flapped the blanket a few times to stretch it out so that it could adequately cover both of them. She wiggled in place to find the cosiest position. The more she moved, the further Ye Junli shifted, and this went on until his shoulders have completely hanged from the bed's edge. Feng Mian felt a finger poking her.

"119, don't move," Ye Junli chided.

"Okay, okay. Not moving."

Ye Junli withdrew his fingers charily away from the restless 119. A few seconds passed.

"Junli ah?"

He hummed in response.

"Can you stop calling me 119? It sounds terrible." An emergency speed dial, who would like it?

Ye Junli stilled. He conscientiously asked, "You don't like it?"

"I'm not the fire department or an ambulance, why would I like it ba? 119 this, 119 that, so uncivilized."

Silence reigned for a moment as Ye Junli contemplated. "Then what do you want to be called?"

"Feng Mian. I think it has a nice ring to it."

Feng

Mian

Ye Junli felt hot blood rushing towards his brain in a sweep of powerful momentum. The name echoed in his head and made his senses tingle and goosebumps rose from his skin. Like a recollection of an old memory he failed to remember but was sure he had never experienced. His heart picked up speed.

His body turned to face hers all too abruptly, eyes gleaming in wordless prudence. The timbre in his voice inflected. "What did you say?"

"I said call me Feng Mian."

A pandora box creaked open by an inch and Ye Junli had a feeling of deja vu.

'I'm surnamed Feng, given name Mian. As in falling asleep in the woods as the breeze swishes through. I think my mum had the sleepy syndrome when she had me and decided to name me as such.'

Feng Mian saw that her partner was absentminded and clarified. "It means falling asleep in the woods as the breeze swishes through. Quite poetic right?"

The system detected his rising awakening values and let out a prompt.

[SYSTEM PROMPT: Soul fluctuation detected. Awakening revived by 70%.]

Ye Junli's head churned and turned as he looked sideways to the face that was serenely sleeping. However, days of being sleep deprived took a toll on him and he also ended up taking his woes into the realm of sweet dreams. Throughout the night, there was heat radiating from another person's body keeping him warm.