The next day, Lin Xi woke up early. She couldn’t sleep when she had something on her mind. Last night, she hadn’t bothered Xue Yang much because she was worried he wouldn’t get enough sleep. But now... hehehe.
She peeked over at Xue Yang, who was deep in slumber. He was a peaceful sleeper, his long eyelashes trembling gently with each breath. He seemed different asleep than he did awake. When he was awake, there was always a slight smile on his lips, and he looked at her as if she were a little kid.
Hmph, I’m not a kid! I’ll be eighteen after the New Year. Eighteen means I’ll be an adult, and I can do a lot of things. By comparison, Xue Yang looks so much easier to tease while he’s sleeping. If I wasn’t afraid of waking him, I’d totally pinch his cheek to see what it feels like. I bet it feels really nice. There’ll be another chance.
After admiring him for a while, Lin Xi decided to get up to some mischief. However, just as she slid under the covers to make her move, a hoarse voice sounded from above her head.
"What are you doing?"
I can’t believe he suddenly woke up! Lin Xi panicked. "I-I-I... I didn’t... I wasn’t doing anything..."
In her haste, her small hand brushed against something sensitive. They were both startled, and Xue Yang’s body went rigid.
Lin Xi didn’t dare stay under the covers a moment longer. She threw them open to scramble out. It would have been better if she hadn’t; as soon as she pulled back the covers, Xue Yang was completely exposed right in front of her. Lin Xi shrieked and quickly covered her face, not daring to meet his gaze.
Sob... What do I do? I’ve been caught red-handed!
Xue Yang simply lay there, not even bothering to pull the covers back over himself. He remained completely exposed.
"Xue Yang, do... do you... do you think I’m... too forward?" she stammered. I only wanted a tiny peek. How was I supposed to know he’d wake up so early! I’d even timed it perfectly...
Xue Yang adjusted his tone, feigning a casual air. "Everyone gets curious. You’re young, so it’s normal to be curious about the opposite sex."
"Thank you for trying to make me feel better," she mumbled, still unable to look him in the eye.
"Don’t mention it. I’m your boyfriend, after all. It’s my duty to comfort my girlfriend. Do you want to keep looking?"
"No, I’m done looking! I’m done!" Despite her words, she secretly peeked through a tiny gap between her fingers, her actions comically betraying her denial.
After a moment of silence, she asked, "Xue Yang, were you ever this curious?"
He didn’t respond.
"Why aren’t you answering me?"
"...No."
"Oh."
Xue Yang rolled out of bed to find his clothes. "You should get some more sleep," he said. "I’m going to grab breakfast and then head straight to campus. Today’s the last day of the break, so I won’t be back for lunch. You can just stay here at the hotel, or go explore the neighborhood."
"Okay."
Only after she heard the room door click shut did Lin Xi belatedly realize something. "He didn’t give me a goodbye kiss! He must think I’m so forward! WAAAH!"
「」
Xue Yang stood just outside the door, his breathing still ragged. He took deep gulps of fresh air. Note to self: a guy has to protect himself when he’s away from home. Try not to get a hotel room with your girlfriend.
Once his breathing evened out, Xue Yang went to the hotel restaurant, had a quick breakfast, and headed to the university. All I have to do today is organize the data and hand it over to Teacher Gong. After working so hard for so long, I can finally relax a little.
He had just reached the university gate when he ran into Cui Hao, who was also just returning.
"Bro, give me a hand," Cui Hao groaned.
Unlike the energetic Xue Yang, Cui Hao’s steps were unsteady and the bags under his eyes were badly swollen. Judging by his appearance, no one would believe he hadn’t just spent the night with a woman.
"You look... completely drained?" Xue Yang asked.
"Don’t even ask," Cui Hao said. "I got a room with a girl, and you’ll never guess what happened."
"What happened?"
"She used me as a freaking punching bag all night. You heard me, a punching bag! I swear, I’m never casually getting a hotel room with a girl again. You never know when she’ll take off her clothes and turn out to have bigger muscles than you do."
Thinking about last night sent a shiver down Cui Hao’s spine. It was a nightmare. He never would have dreamed that the seemingly delicate Sun Yufei was actually a taekwondo expert. She had an eight-pack, and the muscles on her arms were nearly as thick as his. Damn it! When she said she wanted to go to the hotel to ’play,’ this is what she meant. If he had known, he wouldn’t have gone even if it killed him.
Hearing that, Xue Yang suddenly felt that Lin Xi was incredibly gentle by comparison. She was just curious and wanted a little peek. And when she got caught red-handed, she froze up and didn’t even dare to look at me. The memory of Lin Xi’s flustered state made him chuckle. The little thing is all bark and no bite. She almost dug a pit for herself and fell right in. How can she be so cute?
「」
Meanwhile, Lin Xi lay on the hotel bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind was completely filled with the image she’d seen after pulling back the covers. She felt as if she’d been poisoned, unable to shake the image from her thoughts.
At noon, Auntie Shen brought over a home-cooked lunch. Seeing Lin Xi still lying in bed, she walked over and asked curiously, "Young Miss, how did it go?"
Despite her age, Auntie Shen had cared for Lin Xi for so long that the two of them were on a similar wavelength about some things.
Lin Xi’s eyes swiveled to look at her. "Auntie Shen, I’ve been poisoned! What do I do? WAAAH..."
Hearing this, Auntie Shen grew frantic. "What? Young Miss, you’ve been poisoned? How do you feel? I’ll call 911, don’t you panic! No, wait, *I* need to not panic."
"Not that kind of poison! I’ve been poisoned by Xue Yang! It’s all your fault for making me go through with it. Now he’s all I can think about. What am I going to do?"
For a moment, Auntie Shen was utterly speechless. "Young Miss, why don’t you get up and eat first? We can talk about it after you’ve had your meal."
"But there’s no time to take it slow! I have to go home in two days. Once I leave, who knows how long it’ll be before I see Xue Yang again."
"Young Miss, I understand how you feel, but you have to let these things take their natural course."
The Young Miss has already tried so hard, yet Xue Yang still didn’t cross the line. That’s enough to prove he’s a truly rare and decent man. Forget about the Young Miss’s family background for a moment; based on this point alone, he is someone worthy of entrusting her life to.
"New Year’s Day is almost here, and there are many family matters you need to go back home to handle. For these next two days, just enjoy yourselves and don’t think about anything else. I believe you two are fated to be together."