Chi Yao stood at the door, lowering his eyes without speaking, and stepped aside to make way for her.

Lin Zhexia’s hair was continually dripping water.

She hurriedly said, “Thank you.”

Due to Lin He’s teachings, she remembered to be polite to her boyfriend even in this situation.

Chi Yao had just finished showering and was wearing a very thin sweater, but he didn’t look any softer because of it. His eyes were deep, and his entire posture was straight and tall. In front of Lin Zhexia, he lowered that innate arrogance, looked down at her, and called out to her: “Lin Zhexia.”

“Next time, don’t be so polite,” he said slowly. “…I’d even be fine with helping you wash.”

“…”

Lin Zhexia couldn’t argue with him and fled into the bathroom with her towel.

Chi Yao had just left the bathroom not long ago, so there was still residual warmth from his shower.

Lin Zhexia opened the door and had just entered when a faint scent of shower gel mixed with the lingering warmth wafted out.

It was the same scent she had smelled when Chi Yao stood at the door opening it for her.

Just as she was suppressing a strange feeling, someone knocked on the bathroom door twice: “Did you bring clothes?”

Lin Zhexia said, “Yes, I did.”

Perhaps afraid she might be nervous, the person outside said: “I’ll go out for a bit.”

After a while, there was no sound from outside.

Lin Zhexia exhaled and turned on the shower.

By the time she finished showering and half-dried her hair, the hotel maintenance staff had arrived.

“We apologize, there was an issue with the water heater.”

“Would you like us to change rooms for you?”

She thought for a moment: “That works.”

But this hotel wasn’t very reliable. After a while, they told her: “We’re sorry, the front desk says there are no other rooms available for exchange. Would you accept a discount when you check out?”

“…”

Lin Zhexia was momentarily speechless: “Then I won’t change rooms. If I need anything, I can go to my friend’s room.”

The hotel staff repeatedly apologized.

After they left, Lin Zhexia stood in the hotel corridor, looking a bit awkwardly toward Chi Yao: “I’ll go back to my room to sleep now. You should sleep early, too. Good night.”

Chi Yao didn’t speak, but as she turned to leave, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

The corridor was very quiet, with hardly anyone around.

Lin Zhexia had a premonition and could probably guess his meaning, but still asked softly: “Why are you holding me?”

Chi Yao tightened his grip on her wrist, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and said: “My nicotine cravings are acting up. I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Someone needs to take responsibility for me.”

Lin Zhexia thought his excuse was very unconvincing: “You’ve quit smoking for so long, how could you still have nicotine cravings?”

“They act up periodically.”

“…”

Seeing her not respond, Chi Yao added, “Are you planning to go back on your word?”

Lin Zhexia: “If you can make excuses, why can’t I back out?”

Chi Yao made an “oh” sound, then turned around to close the door and pretended to walk toward the elevator: “Then I’ll go down to buy a pack of cigarettes.”

This time, it was Lin Zhexia who grabbed him.

She hurriedly ran a few steps forward and grabbed his hand: “Fine, I’ll take responsibility.”

“You… don’t smoke,” as she spoke, her voice softened. “Smoking is bad.”-

Half an hour later.

Lin Zhexia lay stiffly next to Chi Yao, not understanding how the situation had suddenly become like this.

She had only come to borrow the bathroom.

…

The single bed wasn’t large. She tried very hard to squeeze toward the edge, but still occasionally touched the person beside her.

With the lights off, the entire room was pitch black.

The mattress and comforter were very soft.

Both she and Chi Yao had used the hotel’s shower gel, so the comforter was also infused with this scent, though it was impossible to tell which of them it came from.

It’s just sleeping together for one night.

When they were young, she had slept with him before.

Lin Zhexia forcibly tried to brainwash herself, attempting to recall how she felt back then.

But at that time, she had no gender awareness and didn’t see Chi Yao as a boy at all. Besides, Chi Yao was much shorter than, and he had drawn a line between them, with a blanket separating them in the middle. Chi Yao had coldly told her to behave and not cross the line.

The Lin Zhexia of that time had been so angry that she wanted to kick him off the bed.

The current situation is different from back then.

Both she and Chi Yao had grown up.

Even if the person behind her wasn’t doing anything, he still unintentionally created a certain pressure unique to the opposite sex.

Lin Zhexia buried her face in the pillow, trying to fall asleep quickly.

Under these circumstances, falling asleep was truly difficult.

She opened her eyes and carefully moved a little further to the side.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind: “If you move one more time, you’ll fall off the bed.”

Lin Zhexia stopped moving: “…You’re not asleep?”

Chi Yao opened his eyes in the darkness, his voice a bit lazy: “I can’t sleep with you like this.”

This accusation came out of nowhere.

She retorted: “You can’t sleep, and you’re blaming me? I didn’t do anything.”

However, Chi Yao’s next words were:

“You’re too far away from me.”

“…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Yao’s hand came around from behind, passing over her waist, then precisely gripping the young woman’s slender waist, pulling her entire body into his embrace. All the effort Lin Zhexia had made to quietly move outward was wasted.

There was suddenly no distance between them.

He seemed to have wanted to do this for a long time—the next moment, he adjusted his position, using her as a human pillow, burying his entire face in the crook of her neck.

“Can you sleep like this?” Lin Zhexia asked.

The response she received was a muffled “mm” from the crook of her neck.

Late night. Hotel. Same bed. Sleeping in an embrace.

It was the first time she had connected these concepts.

Lin Zhexia remained stiff for a long time, not knowing where to put her hands and feet.

The room was especially quiet at night.

The sound of breathing buried in the crook of her neck was invisibly amplified. She could also feel the other person’s warm breath, as well as the fine hair hanging over her neck.

He was much taller than her, and when pulled into his arms, she had the feeling of being completely controlled and surrounded by him.

She thought of before: “Actually, I could tell you stories, or count sheep. Didn’t you previously…” Hadn’t he fallen asleep that way before?

But before Lin Zhexia could finish, Chi Yao interrupted: “I’ve been wanting to sleep holding you for a while now.”

Lin Zhexia was speechless.

Chi Yao added, “Who wants to hear you count sheep?”

…

This person was complaining about her.

That day, when she was counting sheep, he had fallen asleep quite quickly.

Lin Zhexia’s memory was briefly pulled back to that day in Haicheng City, when she sat cross-legged on the sofa, Chi Yao slept on the bed, and they maintained the distance appropriate for friends.

She didn’t know if Chi Yao could fall asleep, but she certainly couldn’t.

Since she couldn’t sleep, she decided that the culprit shouldn’t have it too easy either.

“Chi Yao.”

“What?”

“Nothing, I’m just calling you.”

After a while, she called again: “Chi Yao.”

The head at her neck moved slightly in response.

“Nothing, just checking on you, seeing if you’re asleep yet.”

Another ten minutes passed.

Lin Zhexia called him: “Chi Yao.”

This time, Chi Yao didn’t respond.

She tentatively asked: “Are you asleep?”

“Too bad, I was going to discuss with you why one plus one equals two.”

After Lin Zhexia spoke, without her knowledge, the “sleeping” person suddenly opened his eyes.

Then, the next second—

He released his grip on her waist, supported himself with one hand beside her neck, exerted force, and flipped his body, using his arm for support as he hovered directly above her.

Even though this position looked like he was pressing down on her, only Lin Zhexia knew that he was still controlling some distance.

But this distance was controlled very subtly.

She did not doubt that the tickle on her cheek was due to Chi Yao being too close, with his hair hanging down, causing a faint itch.

“If you can’t sleep,” he said, “why don’t we discuss something else?”

Lin Zhexia’s throat moved as she carefully swallowed, then quickly said: “I’m tired. Give me three seconds, and I’ll fall asleep right away.”

The response she got was Chi Yao’s descending kiss.

And two words that escaped from between his lips: “Too late.”

Since they’d been together, they had kissed many times.

But never like this, on a bed.

Lin Zhexia was even more nervous than on the day of their first kiss. Before her eyes was darkness, as if her entire being was under his control.

His kisses were not just landing on her lips.

Gradually, from a certain moment, the kiss began to spiral out of control.

Lin Zhexia, sensitive and confused, couldn’t remember exactly which moment it started.

Perhaps it was from the moment his kiss landed on her collarbone.

The passionate, almost scalding kisses continued.

Lin Zhexia was jolted awake when Chi Yao’s fingers once again hooked her shoulder strap. She wasn’t opposed to physical contact with Chi Yao, but due to unfamiliarity and shyness, her subconscious told her she wasn’t ready yet. Her body reacted faster than her mind, and she raised her hand, giving Chi Yao’s wrist a gentle push.

It was very light. Without any deterrent effect.

If he had insisted on continuing, she might not have stopped him again.

Chi Yao was still halted by this very light push. He noticed the tension and stiffness of the person beneath him and knew that the current location was not appropriate.

So he released the hand that was hooked on her bra strap, instead gripping her hand, and returning his kiss to the corner of her lips.

After this kiss, he let go of her and got up from the bed.

Lin Zhexia asked in confusion: “Where are you going?”

Chi Yao: “To shower.”

“…”

She probably knew what he was going to do. She pulled the comforter up to cover her nose: “Oh, go ahead then.”

Chi Yao stayed in the bathroom for a long time.

The sound of water covered other noises. After a while, the water stopped too.

This period allowed her to calm down, the heat on her cheeks gradually subsiding, and slowly, drowsiness overtook her.

When Chi Yao lifted the comforter and got back into bed, she was half-asleep, and in her drowsy state, she turned over and actively hugged his waist.

“Sleepy?” he asked.

Lin Zhexia’s response was delayed: “Mm.”

Then, a kiss without desire, very light, landed on her forehead.

“A goodnight kiss.”

Before she fell completely asleep, she seemed to hear Chi Yao mutter to himself: “…Next time, it won’t be so easy to stop.”