CHAPTER 261: CHAPTER 261: LET’S SEE HOW LONG SHE HIDES IN THERE.

Her system interface bloomed into view. Panels of data hovered in her consciousness like transparent windows, glowing with soft blue light.

The screen flooded with data from the last night and even the bestest tide; her inventory was almost filled with all the rewards she gained. So she immediately startss shorting them.

Liora’s consciousness moved quickly now, fluidly sorting through items. With a few mental commands, the item startss disappearing from her inventory.

Half of the food rations—dried meats, canned goods,energy bars,, and manyy other items—were routed to the base canteen, where daily nutrition plans were already struggling. The rest, she sent to the convenience store section for purchasing.

The non-food supplies came next, all daily necessitieses that she got,, like cloth, towels,s, and shampoo. Alll of them were sent to the supplypply store.

She also got the notification of "Itemslots expanded. New categories unlocked."

Good. That would make things easier next time.

She kept going, eyes fluttering faintly under closed lids while her real body stayed still beneath the blanket. Xu Kai, sitting in the chair nearby, watched her with guarded eyes. He thought she was resting. But she wasn’t.

Next she came to seeds. There were more than she expected, mostly ordinary types, but in large quantities. She bundled the entire collection and transferred them to the farmhouse’s seed storage, where the agricultural AI would log and begin preparing for the next planting window.

And the potions and medicine—she smiled faintly as she saw the haul. Basic healing kits, stamina boosters, detox injections, and even a rare tier-2 regenerative salve. All of it was sent directly to the clinic, where Mei, her head medic, would already be prepping care packs for the wounded.

They’ll have what they need, she thought. Even if I’m not there.

Finally, she opened her character panel.

Her experience bar was filled nearly halfway to Level 20. She was close. A handful of major fights or one more Tide, and she’d hit the threshold. That was critical.

At Level 20, the next memory seal would unlock. And with it, hopefully,y, answers.

With that,, soon her eyelids fell heavy,, and she drifted into sleep. It seems her body was really tired,, and it is still recovering; maybe Xu Kai was right,, she needed rest.

"Lioar didn’t know how much time had passed or how long she had slept. The first thing she noticed was the warmth.

Not the kind that came from sunlight or a blanket, but the kind that came from something—or someone. Something firm and solid beneath her cheek. Something that rose and fell gently with each breath.

Her eyes fluttered open.

And then she froze.

Oh no. She wasn’t just in bed.

She was on top of something. As in—her entire body had somehow migrated during the night and ended up sprawled on top of him like a sleepy cat. Her leg was casually draped over his waist. Her arm lay across his chest. And her face? Resting embarrassingly close to his neck, just under his jaw.

She blinked rapidly.

This was fine.

Totally fine.

Except it absolutely wasn’t.

Because when she looked down, she saw that her nightshirt—already a little loose to begin with—had slipped halfway off one shoulder, exposing the pale curve of her collarbone. And her hair was a complete disaster, half tangled across his chest like a curtain of chaos.

And worst of all?

He was still asleep.

Or so she hoped.

Her entire face lit up red like someone had slapped her. A hundred thoughts flooded her mind at once.

Did I drool?

How long have I been like this?

Why is he so warm?

Do I move? Do I pretend to sleep?

She peeked up at his face.

He looked so peaceful it was unfair. Eyes closed, mouth relaxed, hair slightly tousled against the pillow. The usual sharp lines of his face had softened in sleep, making him look... young.

And way too good-looking this early in the morning.

She squeezed her eyes shut in sheer embarrassment.

Abort mission.

Without another second of thought, she bolted upright, heart pounding.

"Ah—!" She muffled her scream so asas not to wake him up.

She grabbed the nearest towel from the side table like a lifeline, clutching it against her chest, and scrambled off the bed in the most ungraceful tangle of limbs imaginable. Her foot caught in the blanket. Her knee bumped the edge of the bedframe. And with one last panicked glance over her shoulder, she dashed straight to the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Silence. A long moment passed.

Then, back in the bedroom, Xu Kai slowly cracked one eye open.

A soft, resigned sigh escaped him as he stared up at the ceiling.

"I was awake the whole time," he muttered under his breath, his his voice still low and husky from sleep.

He reached up and rubbed his forehead, as if trying to calm the faint heat rising to his cheeks now.

"She didn’t have to run like that..."

He sat up slowly, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms above his head. The warmth on his chest still lingered from where she’d been lying, and his body remembered every place her weight had rested.

His jaw clenched lightly, and he ran a hand through his hair with a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

He wasn’t going to lie—he could’ve stayed in that moment for a while longer.

But clearly, Liora didn’t agree. Not that he blamed her.

After all, she was waking up half on top of a guy with no memory of how it happened. Anyone would panic.

Even if it had been... kind of nice.

Still grinning to himself, Xu Kai got out of bed and walked over to the window, letting the sunlight hit his face, even though the air was not fresh,his mood was. He wished that he could wake up like this every day..

"Alright," he said softly to the empty room. "Let’s see how long she hides in there."