C84 They Could Not Sleep at Night, so Why Did They Break into the Night?(2)

Qin Mengli closed her eyes, listening intently. She sensed Sun Meng making her way to Tang Bing's room across the hall and gently tapping on the door.

"Bing, Bing..." Sun Meng whispered to Tang Bing, but received no reply.

She had knocked on her own door earlier, and now she was at Tang Bing's. What was she up to? Qin Mengli's confusion deepened, and she found herself increasingly concerned.

Sun Meng knocked several times, calling out to Tang Bing only twice before the sound of the door creaking open reached her ears.

Had Tang Bing woken up? Did he open the door for Sun Meng? Alone together in the dead of night—what were they planning?

Qin Mengli closed her eyes, trying to dismiss the thoughts. What business was it of hers? If they were up to something, wasn't that their prerogative? She should just go back to sleep.

Yet, she couldn't shake her curiosity. After a moment's hesitation, she sat up, intending to grab a candle.

Her hand reached out but then withdrew. Instead, she rose and felt her way to the door in the darkness, pressing her ear against it.

"Bing, are you awake? I'm coming in!" Sun Meng's hushed voice filtered through, leaving Qin Mengli momentarily taken aback. So it wasn't Tang Bing who had opened the door; he hadn't locked it, and Sun Meng had slipped inside!

This was outrageous! How could a girl be so reckless with her reputation? Sneaking into Tang Bing's room in the middle of the night—was she offering herself to him?

It seemed likely. Her behavior towards Tang Bing had grown increasingly forward, suggesting she might harbor such intentions.

Was she so smitten with Tang Bing that she was throwing herself at him?

Qin Mengli shook her head at the thought. Impossible.

Tang Bing was so average, neither tall nor particularly handsome; he'd be lost in a crowd. And Sun Meng? She was quite the catch, surely sought after. Why would she fall for someone like Tang Bing?

No, it simply couldn't be. Qin Mengli was convinced.

If it wasn't affection driving Sun Meng to Tang Bing's room at this ungodly hour, there was only one other explanation—Tang Bing was the linchpin of their group, the one they all depended on. So even if she didn't harbor feelings for him, Sun Meng might still be planning to use her charms to seduce him into becoming her devoted protector.

Qin Mengli was convinced she had Tang Bing's character down pat. If he had indeed been intimate with Sun Meng, he would surely see it through, possibly even becoming a man under her thumb.

Much to her surprise, Sun Meng, who seemed so naive and bubbly on the outside, turned out to be quite the opposite behind closed doors. Qin Mengli was in disbelief, nearly letting slip a few choice expletives.

But she quickly checked herself. What did Sun Meng's actions matter to her, anyway?

In this harrowing, perilous world, doing whatever it took to survive was par for the course. If she disdained Sun Meng, the simple solution was not to stoop to her level. Better yet, to feign ignorance...

Despite her resolve, Qin Mengli felt an unexplained heaviness in her chest. She pressed her ear against the door, eyes shut, straining to listen, wishing her own heartbeat would quiet down for just a moment.

The door, however, was shut tight, with a hallway stretching between them, muffling any sounds from within.

Time to sleep! Qin Mengli exhaled a weary sigh, rising to head back to her bed. She couldn't make out anything, and really, why should she care?

Yet, inexplicably, her feet wouldn't budge, as if glued to the spot.

Compelled by some unseen force, she crept open her door with painstaking slowness, silent as a specter, and glided over to Tang Bing's door. Crouching down, she pressed her ear against it.

Fear gripped her. The thought of being discovered by Tang Bing and Sun Meng inside sent her heart racing, throwing her into turmoil.

But her feet were rooted to the spot, and she found herself listening intently, beyond her control.

True to Qin Mengli's suspicions, Sun Meng had tossed and turned in her own room, unable to sleep, until she found herself slipping into Tang Bing's room in the dead of night.

Once inside, the darkness overwhelmed her, and she turned to leave.

Yet, after a long internal struggle, she paused, her heart pounding as she blindly inched closer to the bed.

"Bing?" Her voice was a hushed whisper, calling out to Tang Bing, yet met with silence.

She moved closer, then faltered, the urge to retreat washing over her. After a moment's hesitation, she steeled herself and turned back again.

After several hesitant approaches, she finally bit her lip and bent down to reach for Tang Bing's bed.

Fumbling in the dark, she could see nothing as she touched the bed gently.

Her delicate fingers brushed across the warm comforter, accidentally grazing Tang Bing's arm. Startled, she quickly withdrew her hand, frozen in place for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually, she gathered her courage and resumed her tentative search, this time aiming for the head of the bed.

It seemed she wasn't looking for Tang Bing, but for something else.

Blind in the pitch black, she had to trust her intuition to guide her. With each cautious touch, she edged closer to the side of the bed, her heartbeat racing.

Suddenly, there was a stir from the bed.

Sun Meng gasped, attempting to pull her hands back, but to her shock, her wrist was seized in a firm grip. A powerful force yanked her onto the bed.

The heat from the body beneath her made her realize she was now face-to-face with Tang Bing! Her heart threatened to leap from her chest, her mind a blank slate.

"Ms. Meng, what brings you to my room at this ungodly hour?" Tang Bing's deep voice cut through the darkness, close to her ear.

"I... I didn't..." Sun Meng's body shook with fear.

"You didn't?" Tang Bing's tone was soft yet probing. "Not looking for something, then perhaps you had another reason?"

"I... No! I mean... not that..." Sun Meng stammered in confusion, her words jumbled.

"So which is it?" Tang Bing's grip on her wrist was unyielding, keeping her from moving away.

"I... I was just going to the bathroom and got the wrong room!" Sun Meng managed to articulate, despite her trembling.

"Really?" Tang Bing's voice was gentle but skeptical. "I could find my way blindfolded, and besides, can't you light a candle? Tell me the truth, what are you really here for?"

Sun Meng frantically shook her head, "I wasn't looking for anything, I truly just entered the wrong room... Bing, you have to believe me!"

Outside, Qin Mengli pressed her ear to the door, straining to hear the muffled conversation. Tang Bing and Sun Meng's whispers were too soft for her to discern. Knowing they were talking but unable to catch the words only fueled her imagination.

The instant Sun Meng stepped into the room, Tang Bing, who had been in a deep sleep, was jolted awake by his heightened senses. Despite the darkness enveloping them, so thick that Sun Meng's face was obscured even at close range, his keen perception allowed him to "see" every move she made with clarity—including her initial hesitation and her subsequent fumbling around the bed.

Tang Bing was certain she was searching for something, though he had no clue what could be so important that it warranted her prowling through the room in such inky darkness.

And it wasn't just Sun Meng; Qin Mengli was also within his "visual" range, lurking just outside the door. He was acutely aware of her presence there, eavesdropping.

His mind was already in turmoil, puzzling over the intentions of the two women around him.

Why hadn't Qin Mengli seized her chance to kill him when she could? What was she doing eavesdropping now? Was she planning a surprise attack in the dead of night?

And what about Sun Meng sneaking into his room at this late hour? She clearly wasn't there to throw herself at him; otherwise, she would have gone straight for his bed. What was she so desperately looking for? Why couldn't she just be upfront with him instead of moving about so stealthily? Was she, like Qin Mengli, harboring intentions to harm him?

Especially since, back at the hospital, it seemed like he had killed her admirer!

With his guard up, Tang Bing's mood grew heavier. "What are you really after? Spit it out!"

Startled by Tang Bing's tone, Sun Meng's voice shook as she replied, "I'm so sorry, Bing! I made a mistake..." Her words quivered with fear. "Bing, I swear I had no bad intentions! It was just curiosity, that's all! Please forgive me!"

"What are you looking for?" Tang Bing pressed, his voice low and stern. "Don't push my patience to the limit!"