Uchiha in Zenless Zone Zero

Upon learning that Zhong Yan was coming over, Belle had already prepared herself for the possibility of him staying the night.

Before thinking up any excuses, her first priority was to tidy up her room.

She really had no choice—Belle had never developed the habit of cleaning her room, which was the complete opposite of her brother Wise. Only when Zhong Yan was coming over would she do a bit of cleaning, just enough to make her room look at least somewhat like a girl's room.

Not long after, Zhong Yan arrived at the video store, bundled up in a thick cotton coat.

The store had the heater and air conditioning running, creating a very comfortable temperature, so Zhong Yan quickly took off his coat and skillfully hung it on the rack nearby.

Today, the video store had no customers, only No.18 Bangboo standing behind the counter.

When Zhong Yan entered, No.18 enthusiastically greeted him—after all, he was a regular here, and calling their relationship friends wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"Zhong Yan!" Just as he was about to head upstairs, Belle came running down after hearing the noise.

The cozy temperature indoors allowed her to wear nothing but a thin nightgown. Judging from the looks of it, she probably hadn't left the house all day.

Seeing her like this, Zhong Yan couldn't help but tease, "If a customer showed up looking like that, how would you entertain them?"

"Aiya, we've got my brother and No.18 around, right? I'm just responsible for lazing around in my room—why worry so much?" Belle smiled slightly, her mood looking particularly cheerful.

Zhong Yan wasn't sure why she seemed so excited, but he could only sigh helplessly and say, "At least pretend to know your role as the assistant manager."

With that, Zhong Yan walked up to her and, before Belle could react, leaned in and gently kissed her neck—just like a couple deeply in love.

The sudden gesture made Belle's cheeks flush red instantly. But being the elder sister, she refused to be outdone and tiptoed up to kiss Zhong Yan's cheek in return.

Her every move carried the sweet scent unique to a young girl, so intoxicating it could make someone drunk.

Unfortunately, Zhong Yan wasn't here today to deepen their relationship. What he was about to say would likely hurt Belle. Before that, he hoped to stabilize her emotions a little.

"Geez... If someone outside saw that, I'd die of embarrassment," Belle muttered, lowering her head and lightly pounding Zhong Yan's chest with her fists, as if trying to vent her dissatisfaction.

Someone outside? The store was empty today—where would any outsiders come from?

Wait, there actually was one... but he probably didn't count as an outsider, right?

At that moment, Wise, who was cooking in the kitchen, seemed to feel a chill and sneezed loudly.

"Looks like the weather's getting colder. I should put on more layers to avoid catching a cold. I'll have to remind Belle later too," Wise mused, scrunching up his nose, completely unaware that he had already been mentally excluded by the two.

Meanwhile, under Belle's enthusiastic invitation, Zhong Yan entered her room.

To be honest, this wasn't his first time visiting, but no matter how many times he came, he couldn't help but marvel at how clean a girl's room could be—unlike his own. If not for Pei helping him with chores, his room would have been a complete mess.

Little did he know, just half an hour ago, Belle's room had been just as messy as his usually was after a month without cleaning.

"My brother's cooking might take a while. Zhong Yan, you can sit here for now. If you're bored, we can chat—or..." Belle's cheeks suddenly turned inexplicably red.

She shifted her body closer, sat right next to Zhong Yan, and whispered into his ear, "If it's with me, you can do anything."

In truth, Belle had already made up her mind before Zhong Yan even arrived—today, she was going to take that final step with him.

Unfortunately, Zhong Yan hadn't come here for that. Despite the incredible temptation right before him, he forcibly suppressed his inner turmoil and kept himself clear-headed.

"Um, Belle... there's something I have to talk to you about," Zhong Yan said, reaching out to put some distance between them. His tone was complex and heavy.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Belle couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion. "You seem kinda off today... is it too warm in here? Should I go adjust the heater or the AC?"

As she spoke, Belle got up, preparing to adjust the temperature.

Seeing this, Zhong Yan quickly reached out to grab her wrist. After a moment of silence, he finally said slowly, "Belle, you know about my relationship with Anby and Ellen, right?"

Hearing those words, Belle's cheerful expression froze instantly.

Of course she knew about Anby and Ellen's connections to Zhong Yan. Everything she had been doing recently was to surpass those two.

Even if it meant sharing Zhong Yan with them, Belle wanted to secure more of his attention for herself.

She thought she had already made great sacrifices.

But the moment Zhong Yan personally brought them up, a wave of unease surged in her heart.

"I have children with both of them," Zhong Yan finally confessed.

The moment those words fell, Belle felt as if thunder boomed in her ears. She stood there in a daze, unable to believe what she was hearing.

Children? How was that possible? Zhong Yan had only just reached adulthood. Even if things had progressed quickly, it shouldn't have reached that point yet!

Although she tried to comfort herself with that thought, Belle knew deep down that Zhong Yan wasn't the type to joke about something like this—especially not with her.

It wasn't like him. Or maybe... she just didn't want to accept the reality.

After a long silence, Belle weakly asked, "You... you're joking, right? There's no way you guys moved that fast. I mean, you and I... we only just..."

Mid-sentence, Belle realized just how far behind she had fallen compared to the others, and at last, she broke down into helpless tears.

She had believed that the sacrifices she made were already enough. She never expected that the others had moved so much faster.

Belle could accept that Zhong Yan had children with others—but she couldn't accept being kept in the dark. Even less could she accept how far behind she had fallen.