For a few seconds, the air was thick with tension. Shen Xingruo lowered her gaze to the empty bowl. Her ears, hidden beneath her hair, were burning, but she maintained her composure. Except for a fleeting moment of stiffness, there was no sign of embarrassment or annoyance on her face.
Lu Xingyan, who had been on the receiving end of her reactions often enough, knew her well. If there was one thing about Shen Xingruo, it was that she never admitted to being wrong. Even when she was wrong, she would reverse the situation with sheer determination, as she was trying to do now. She raised her arm slightly and rotated her wrist, clearly intending to smack the bowl into his face.
Lu Xingyan quickly grabbed her wrist, “No, no, no, don’t be so violent.”
He took the bowl and spoon from her, barely holding back his laughter.
Shen Xingruo felt the room was uncomfortably warm—perhaps the air conditioning was broken. She stood up and started to walk out, maintaining her calm demeanor.
But she had barely taken two steps when Lu Xingyan grabbed her hand from behind. The next moment, he pulled her back, and they both fell onto the bed.
Holding down the “violent assailant,” Lu Xingyan laughed uncontrollably, even reaching to touch her burning ear.
Shen Xingruo had never felt so embarrassed. She turned her back to him, trying to remain aloof. “What’s so funny? Let go of me.”
“No, it’s very funny, and I won’t let go!”
Thinking back to the awkward stiffness on her face, Lu Xingyan felt a mixture of amusement and tenderness. He couldn’t understand how his girlfriend could be so adorably serious.
He turned her over, pinning her beneath him, and cupped her face with both hands. After staring at her for a moment, he kissed her, once, twice, three times.
“Shen Xingruo, how can you be so cute?”
His voice was filled with affectionate indulgence. He kissed her again, but this time the kiss was not just playful—it started tenderly, then grew deeper and more passionate, turning increasingly intense.
Shen Xingruo gradually stopped resisting.
Her ears were hot, her face was hot, and her neck was hot. The air conditioner must be broken because everything felt hot.
In reality, it’s quite normal for young couples to maintain a platonic relationship for over a year. After all, intimacy progresses gradually: holding hands for a week, kissing for a month, and maintaining that level of affection for a while before moving to more intimate contact.
But from the beginning of their relationship, Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo had been sharing a bed, often sleeping in each other’s arms. Despite being together for over a year, it was hard to believe that Lu Xingyan was still as pure as a virgin.
There had been moments of spontaneous passion before, usually cooled off with a cold shower or Shen Xingruo’s intervention. But today, the kiss had a different intensity, and the room’s atmosphere grew increasingly charged with intimacy. Shen Xingruo’s lack of resistance seemed to be signaling something.
Lu Xingyan sensed the shift in Shen Xingruo’s demeanor. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Is it okay?”
“…”
“There are people at home.”
Lu Xingyan chuckled softly, “There aren’t.”
Just after his shower, he checked his phone and saw a message from Pei Yue. She and Lu Shan had gone to Nancheng for an opening ceremony, and Aunt Zhou was on holiday. They’d advised him and Shen Xingruo not to come home for the weekend, as there would be no one to cook.
Seeing the message, Shen Xingruo remained silent.
Lu Xingyan knew this was her way of consenting.
“Are you sure?” He restrained his excitement and asked again in her ear.
Shen Xingruo lowered her lashes, grabbed his collar, and whispered, “Reward.”
Shen Xingruo was only wearing a smoky blue camisole nightgown after her shower. As they tumbled on the bed, it had become quite disheveled, making the situation even more enticing for Lu Xingyan.
He was on the verge of bursting, his eyes tinged with red. His mind raced, determined to make the experience perfect and memorable for Shen Xingruo. He clumsily attempted to set the mood, thinking he had done enough preparation, and then he opened the bedside drawer, retrieving a condom he had bought some time ago.
…
Three minutes later.
Before Shen Xingruo’s pain had fully subsided, it was all over.
Shen Xingruo: “…”
Lu Xingyan: “…”
Both fell into silence.
Shen Xingruo pulled the blanket over her body, curling up like a shrimp, pondering life.
Lu Xingyan sat bare-chested on the bed, his mind blank. As his thoughts returned, he began to replay the nightmare of self-embarrassment that had just transpired.
“You were right. The sensation and duration are different,” Shen Xingruo said flatly after regaining her composure.
“No, no, it was a mistake,” Lu Xingyan blurted out. “I was worried about hurting you, you know. Wait, let me gather myself. We can try again.”
Shen Xingruo didn’t enjoy any part of the experience besides the pain, so the idea of going through it again was out of the question for her. She wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, remaining silent, thinking that discussing Platonic love in relationships might be a better option.
But Lu Xingyan was different. Despite having his male dignity thoroughly humiliated by himself, he had enjoyed the experience just now. Although he felt a bit down for a while, he soon regained his confidence and slipped under Shen Xingruo’s covers, eager to redeem himself.
…
Practice makes perfect.
Lu Xingyan seemed to apply all his learning abilities to the task of teasing Shen Xingruo.
That night, the porcelain bowl and spoon remained quietly on the bedside table, reflecting the subtle movements of light in the room.
The next morning.
“Darling, are you hungry? What would you like to eat? I’ll get it for you.”
No response.
“Is your body uncomfortable? Shall I carry you to take a shower?”
Still no response.
“Well, if you don’t speak, I’ll take it as your consent?”
Lu Xingyan boldly reached out to hug her, his mind wandering to thoughts of sharing a bath for a good three seconds. But as soon as his hand touched her soft and smooth skin around her waist, Shen Xingruo promptly pushed his hand away, saying, “Are you annoying on purpose? Get out quickly.”
Her voice was cold, with a hint of hoarseness that was unlike her usual tone, losing much of its impact.
Lu Xingyan wasn’t deterred. Despite forcing her to beg for mercy last night, he didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing. He stubbornly pulled her into his arms from behind and half-heartedly apologized in her ear.
But Shen Xingruo remained unmoved. She felt like she had been run over by a grinding stone, with her whole body aching. Her throat felt like it was emitting smoke, and her lower body was even worse – a complete mess and burning hot. Even closing her legs was difficult.
She seriously doubted that Lu Xingyan had deliberately sought revenge in bed because she often bullied him. Fortunately, Lu Xingyan still had some conscience left. Sensing her discomfort, he didn’t pester her much, just cuddled her for a while, drew the blackout curtains, and coaxed her to sleep.
When Shen Xingruo fell asleep, Lu Xingyan quietly got up and went out to buy medicine. As he wandered around the pharmacy, he suddenly remembered a question: what was the name of the medicine he needed, and what category did it belong to?
“Hey, young man, what medicine do you need? I’ll get it for you,” the auntie behind the counter said, glancing up from her game of phone mahjong.
Lu Xingyan rubbed his nose, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Um, it’s, uh, that one…”
The auntie seemed to understand immediately. “Contraceptives? Are you about to do it or have you already done it? How many hours has it been since?”
Lu Xingyan froze. “No, it’s not contraceptives.”
“Oh, a pregnancy test then?”
“No, it’s not that either,” Lu Xingyan scratched the back of his head. “It’s, um, swollen, down there.”
“For a woman?”
Could it be for a man? Wouldn’t men and women need different kinds of medicine?
Lu Xingyan stiffened for a moment before nodding, feeling embarrassed to the point of suffocation.
The auntie set her phone aside and got up to fetch the medicine for him, chattering away. “You’re causing trouble, you know? As a grown man, you should be gentle. Girls are delicate, you can’t just think about your happiness.”
Lu Xingyan just stood there, speechless.
After numbly paying for the medicine, he endured another three minutes of the auntie’s detailed instructions on how to use it.
As he stepped out of the pharmacy, breathing in the dusty air mixed with relief, he felt an overwhelming sense of liberation.
Meanwhile, Shen Xingruo was fast asleep, completely exhausted. When Lu Xingyan returned with the medicine, she was curled up in bed, her face no larger than a palm, her hair disheveled. Perhaps due to discomfort, her delicate brows were furrowed.
Lu Xingyan took a shower and then brought a basin of warm water to her bedside. He gently wiped her body and then helped her apply the medicine, parting her legs carefully.
In reality, when Lu Xingyan applied the medicine, Shen Xingruo was already awake. However, no matter how strong her heart was, it didn’t mean she could face such a shameful scene without flinching. So she simply closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, not moving a muscle.
During the weekend, Shen Xingruo didn’t recover much. Because Lu Xingyan enjoyed it, he found her feeling better on Sunday night and shamelessly indulged in another round. He progressed quickly; within just three encounters, he returned to his previous speed of forty minutes, seemingly taking longer each time.
When Shen Xingruo couldn’t take it anymore, she would lie in bed and repeatedly demand to break up with him. But every time she did, Lu Xingyan would intensify his actions, successfully silencing her.
On Monday, when they returned to school, Shen Xingruo’s first action was to blacklist Lu Xingyan. She refused to sit with him in class, no matter how much he apologized.
After class, when she returned to her dorm, she didn’t even go to see Professor Pan, opting to crawl into bed for a nap. Her phone was on airplane mode on the desk, clearly indicating she had no intention of answering any calls.
Unfortunately, the school leaders needed to speak with her urgently but couldn’t find her. So, they passed the message to her roommate, Li Ting.
This message required an immediate response. Li Ting and another girl stood by Shen Xingruo’s bed calling her name. But Shen Xingruo had earplugs in and didn’t seem to hear anything.
After hesitating for a while, Li Ting raised her voice. “Shen… Shen Xingruo, wake up! The school leaders are looking for you to participate in a competition!”
After several attempts, Shen Xingruo showed no signs of waking up.
The other girl stepped forward and nudged her shoulder, but she still didn’t wake up, only rolling over to her side.
Li Ting was about to shout again when the other girl suddenly grabbed her, blushing intensely. She pointed at the slender neck and shoulder exposed by Shen Xingruo’s movement, stuttering, “Is that… a kiss mark?”
Li Ting was stunned for a few seconds.
She leaned in closer.
Then, she stood there as if frozen.
The other girl didn’t know if she had made a mistake. If she hadn’t, the situation was indeed too intense.
After imagining the scenario herself, feeling both embarrassed and curious, she tugged on Li Ting’s sleeve and repeated, “Is it a kiss mark?”
“It… it seems so. You could call it a strawberry mark, a love bite… whatever…”
Li Ting couldn’t snap out of it.
In her mind, the two people who had been mixed doubles partners in her dreams seemed to have ended up together.