He tilted his head towards her with a smile, "Is Baobao inviting me?"
She paused, then stiffly turned over, her back facing him. Liang Zhichen shook his head helplessly.
Soon after, a small hand pushed a pillow towards him.
Liang Zhichen glanced at her, then chuckled softly.
"No need, my arm will do just fine."
Having said that, he placed his arm under his head, but the little lady was stubborn.
He had no choice but to sit up.
As he did so, her body stiffened.
Holding the pillow, he moved closer to her, gently touched her cheek, then carefully lifted her head and placed the pillow under her neck.
Her cheeks were slightly red; she blinked at him only to see him gently covering her eyes.
"Sleep now, don’t think too much."
It seemed she blinked, her curled lashes gently brushing the palm of his hand, causing a ticklish sensation in his palm.
Liang Zhichen returned to the edge of the bed and, resting his arm as a pillow, lay on his side, gazing at her.
Her eyes were closed, but her eyelashes fluttered; he knew she wasn’t asleep.
The oil in the lamp was used up; the dim light flickered, then the room was filled with darkness.
The night grew deeper, all was silent.
After a long while, hearing her breathing become steady and rhythmic, a smile formed on his lips.
He carefully lifted the blanket; in the dimness, he moved closer to her.
Moonlight streamed through the window panes, casting mottled patterns on the floor.
Using this faint light, he gazed at her face, then cautiously lay down beside her.
He didn’t touch her but slightly lifted his arm, making a mock-embrace gesture over her waist, and then, he regretfully withdrew his hand.
She truly was a treasure, the treasure on the tip of his heart.
She was his treasure, and also the master of his future life...
When Dong Huiying woke up, she was alone in the room.
She climbed out of the bed, sitting on the kang, dazed.
This room, her first time here, yet the sense of familiarity felt as if she had truly lived here for many years.
She turned to look towards the end of the kang, only to see a neatly folded thin mattress, and the man who had been sleeping there was gone.
"Hey, brother-in-law!"
Outside the house, Dong Xinyuan’s annoyed voice could be heard, "Why are you taking over my job again? It’s usually me who does the water carrying!"
Dong Huiying put on her shoes and walked outside, only to see Liang Zhichen carrying a shoulder pole with two buckets of water, while the plump Dong Xinyuan, like a bristled-up little cat, had his chubby face all scrunched up.
Dong Xinyuan, seeing his elder sister, seemed to have found a savior and dashed over.
"Big sister, please manage brother-in-law! I was planning to fill up the water jars when I woke up today, but he took over my job. He’s a man, and he’s practically our guest—it’s one thing for him to do heavy work, but he’s here as a visitor, how can we have a guest doing chores? If mom finds out, I’m sure she’ll scold me."
Liang Zhichen took the wooden shoulder pole off his shoulders, looking helplessly at Dong Xinyuan: "We’re all family; are you treating me as an outsider, Er Yuan?"
Dong Xinyuan was dumbfounded at once.
That seemed, well, right!
Indeed, we’re family, but why did it feel as if things were the other way around?