Qingran smiled faintly at Lingquan's indignant tone. Despite everything—despite the looming threat, the infection's quiet spread, the creeping dread that tomorrow might be the turning point, his presence still grounded her.
Snark and all.
"Suit yourself," she murmured, voice trailing into a yawn. "But don't complain if your system space starts feeling cramped."
[Cramped? Please. It's cleaner and more peaceful than this hotel room.]
She laughed under her breath. "You really are petty."
Lingquan didn't answer that. She imagined him sulking somewhere in the corner of his virtual domain, arms crossed, nose in the air.
The thought made her grin as she rolled onto her side and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
The hum from the city outside had quieted to something distant and eerie, too quiet for a city of Guyoung's size.
Her hand tightened slightly around the edge of the blanket.
