Matsushima Kui had already thought it through; she answered very calmly and peacefully, "That's right, you guessed it. Our relationship with Li Yan is quite intimate, similar to yours!"

Huang Ying was astonished, not expecting her to admit it so directly. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

If it were a Western girl, it might be a bit more understandable. In everyone's impression, the people from the Celestial Continent are more open, their views differ greatly from ours, but Beihai people still belong to the East Continent, sharing many of the same views as Yun Country people.

However, after thinking about it, she didn't find it so strange. It was originally Matsushima Kui who brought up the topic, giving her no room to evade it. If it were a matter to be kept subtle, it would have been tacitly understood. Since she asked, she wasn't afraid to admit it.

Silence!

All four of them were silent at this moment.

Unlike when they first sat down, this silence was because Matsushima Kui had clarified everyone's relationship. Compared to a tacitly understood atmosphere, there was more of a sense of bare openness, making everyone feel slightly embarrassed.

But after this embarrassment, everyone felt a sense of relief.

This was originally a relationship frowned upon by societal eyes, with pressure in everyone's hearts. Now the veil has been completely torn, and to use a metaphor, everyone is like people on the same boat now. There might be internal competition or balancing pressures, but the biggest societal pressure on their minds can be temporarily set aside, and there are others to share it, so it can be much easier in the future.

Once again, it was Matsushima Kui who broke the silence!

"You don't need to be surprised or think of us as competitors. Actually..." Matsushima Kui glanced at Li Yan, then grabbed the hand of Shinohara Mirai beside her, and said with a smile, "Actually, we and Li Yan just hit it off when we met, but in the end, we are not from the same country, living in different social environments. Basically, we wouldn't consider long-term issues; we are just... friends on normal days, and lovers when we have the chance to be together."

Her words contained a subtext: You don't need to see us as rivals; just now, it was Yu Xiaodi who would be your rival!

Huang Ying also came around, looked at Li Yan beside her, then at the two of them, and said with a slight bitter smile, "I'm the same, my relationship with him is similar to yours, and I haven't considered those issues. So I wouldn't have any grudges against you..."

As a result, both of their gazes turned to Li Yan. Could it be that in his heart, Yu Xiaodi is the real girlfriend, while Huang Ying is just a clandestine lover?

But the two of them, due to the special circumstances, had long thought this through - they came with the expectation of once having it, not with extravagant hopes for eternal love. Perhaps... precisely because of this situation, everyone could leave a better impression, without having to see the bad sides. When meeting, they just led happy days, free from the petty problems of disputes and conflicts, making this fleeting romance even more desirable.

"In that case, we have the same kind of relationship, don't we? So..." Matsushima Kui looked at Li Yan, who had been silent, and continued to voice his suggestion of 'what he wanted': "So why don't you stay the night with us too!"

"What?" Huang Ying widened her eyes.

Even though she could guess the ambiguous relationship the two had with Li Yan, she didn't expect that they would live together with Li Yan at the same time. Even more, she didn't expect Matsushima Kui to naturally invite her to stay, as if she were asking her to stay for dinner.

"Cough... cough..." Li Yan, who had just lit a cigarette while they were talking, was also choked by Kui's words. Her suggestion was something he thought could be implied without saying it. He didn't expect that she would voice it for him!

Matsushima Kui thought it was her use of Yun Country language that wasn't idiomatic enough, causing Huang Ying not to understand her meaning, so she explained in more detail, "I'm saying... we haven't seen Li Yan for a long time; since he just arrived today, naturally we want him to stay overnight here. And Yu Xiaodi has already gone back, so you don't need to worry about it being inappropriate. Since we've clarified everyone's identity and relationship, there's no need for you to go back, you can stay and we can all..."

"This... this..."

Huang Ying's face had turned completely red. She didn't expect them to be so open. Even if both of them had a relationship with Li Yan, shouldn't it be separate? And yet to stay together overnight? And what's more, they invited her to stay overnight too?

Three people?

Four people?

Isn't this too outrageous and decadent?!

Huang Ying felt ashamed for having such an outrageous thought; she must have misunderstood!

"Miss Matsushima, you mean... you haven't seen each other for a long time, and you're catching up and chatting, right? It's okay, he and I... see each other often, so I don't need to catch up. Staying here would interrupt your chat, so I should head back first!"

"Chat?" Matsushima Kui smiled wryly. "What I'm actually saying is..."

Shinohara Mirai also lowered her head in embarrassment.

Li Yan waved his hand and finally spoke, "Alright, Huang Ying is very innocent, Kui, don't scare her."

Then he patted Huang Ying on the back, comforting and explaining, "Yes, she means catching up and chatting. Because in Beihai Country, they have their own lives, I'm also busy usually, and we don't keep in touch much. Now it has been several months since we last met, so we have quite a lot to say. She thought if you were to go back, I would certainly have to see you off, so she invited you to stay. Here..."