In the days that followed, Xiao Chen would obediently refrain from touching her every night.
But he was no match for Yu Na's enthusiasm.
Every night, this girl would complain of feeling cold and burrow into his embrace without fail, not only that, she would hug and kiss him at every turn.
Though Xiao Chen appeared calm on the surface, he was suffering unspeakably on the inside.
Seeing him endure like this broke Yu Na's heart, so naturally she would help relieve his tension.
Yu Na liked drinking iced water, but Xiao Chen didn't let her drink any during those days.
She protested, "I used to always drink iced water before, I've never had hot water!"
"You said it yourself, that was before."
Xiao Chen didn't reason with her and simply handed her a cup of hot water in a blunt, rough manner. Then he twisted open a bottle of iced water and started gulping it down greedily right in front of her, without any attempt to hide his actions.
His shameless appearance was extremely irritating. After finishing the iced water, he heaved a long satisfied sigh and lazily exclaimed, "Refreshing!"
Yu Na: "......"
This guy was definitely doing it on purpose.
She complained, "What kind of boyfriend are you!"
Xiao Chen: "If you're not convinced, come bite me."
"......"
...
Qiao Rui was also not around during the holiday.
Xiao Chen and Yu Na lived without worries at Huating One.
In the days before New Year's, Xiao Chen was very busy while Yu Na didn't have much to do. Every morning, he would make breakfast for her, and before leaving, plant a kiss on her forehead.
Yu Na spent her holiday very leisurely, sleeping in till she naturally woke up in the mornings, then eating the breakfast Xiao Chen made for her.
Sometimes she would do a thorough cleaning around the house.
Usually around noon, Xiao Chen would give her advance notice that someone was coming to deliver her lunch, so she just needed to open the door.
The lunch delivered every day was very delicate and clean. He already understood his girlfriend's tastes very well.
In the afternoons, she would either lounge around at home, do some yoga, or sometimes go shopping with Lin Shuan.
Xiao Chen had given her a credit card for her to freely use when going out shopping; she could just swipe the card directly.
As for evenings, Xiao Chen would usually come home early to accompany her. Sometimes they would cook dinner together, sometimes eat out together.
Whenever they had free time, they would joke and whisper sweet nothings while snuggling up close, then fall asleep in each other's arms at night.
She was like a bee immersed in honey, with endless sweetness every day.
Sometimes when Xiao Chen saw how blissful she looked, his heart would swell with a sense of accomplishment.
He not only ensured Yu Na could maintain the same affluent lifestyle as before, but also did his utmost to satisfy her emotionally.
...
That afternoon, Yu Na had plans to go shopping with Lin Shuan and buy some travel items.
Xiao Chen happened to have some free time in the afternoon, so he drove Yu Na to the meeting spot.
Lin Shuan hadn't arrived yet.
Yu Na and Xiao Chen waited in the car. Yu Na asked, "Do you need me to buy anything for you?"
"I don't need anything," he lazily replied. "I'll just use yours."
"You!"
Xiao Chen narcissistically ran his hand through his hair. "How's that, pretty domineering right?"
"What domineering, your mouth is so annoying!"
"Even domineering guys have complex personalities. If I put on a cold face and don't talk all day, I'd worry you'd get sick from the stress."
The two continued their back and forth verbal sparring when the passenger window was tapped three times.
They turned around to see Lin Shuan smiling brightly.
Yu Na hurriedly opened the door. The two beauties walking together in the crowd were like a stunning scenic line.
Xiao Chen also exited the car and bid Lin Shuan hello before leaving.
The young ladies linked arms affectionately. Lin Shuan teased her, "Look how rosy your complexion is now, tut tut tut."
"Is it?" Yu Na touched her own cheek.
"It is! Who knew that obtuse Xiao Chen would be so good at romance after getting a girlfriend?"
Yu Na smiled shyly. "But chatting with this obtuse guy before was really infuriating!"
"Han Chengxun can be like that sometimes too, he's especially bad at talking and can really make you choke with anger," Lin Shuan complained then praised, "But those two are both men of action, still better than guys who only know how to sweet talk."
Yu Na nodded in agreement, "Hehe, right."
The two bought a lot of things: power plug adapters, sunscreen, swimsuits, cosmetics, skincare products, and vacation outfits.
...
A few days before New Year's, the four flew to a certain island nation together.
After landing, it was already dusk.
Braving the sea breeze, the four arrived on the island as the sky spread above them like a boundless scroll painted in pink and purple hues, melting softly into the horizon.
By chance, one of the clouds that day happened to be heart-shaped, the perfect adornment to this picturesque scene.
With its tail dragging behind, the glass-like translucent blue sea, waterslide villas...The refreshing tropical sea breeze all around carried sounds of joy and laughter. Gentle and romantic, it was as if they had arrived at the edge of the earth.
The four people took two villas.
Going from winter straight into summer, after arriving at the villas, they washed up, changed clothes, rested briefly, then went to a barbecue restaurant at the hotel.
Lin Shuan excitedly said, "I heard there are tennis courts here, let's go tomorrow!"
Xiao Chen was completely uninterested: "What's the point of coming to an island and playing tennis instead of scuba diving?"
Han Chengxun defended his wife, "Got a problem with that?"
Xiao Chen: "Bro, this is an island."
Yu Na took a sip of wine. "Um..." She hesitated, "I'm also a bit scared of scuba diving."
Xiao Chen: ?
He swiftly changed his rhetoric, "But that said, there's no rule you have to go diving."
Han Chengxun: ?
Lin Shuan: ?
Xiao Chen slammed the table rather cowardly. "Playing tennis on an island is also a novel experience!"
"......"
Han Chengxun leisurely leaned back in his chair. "Just look at yourself, no backbone at all."
Lin Shuan echoed with tuts of agreement.
Only Yu Na at the side nearly grinned from ear to ear.
None of them had much appetite, so they didn't eat a lot, mainly drinking and chatting.
With no need to worry about driving, the four could drink freely.
After chatting for a bit, they felt just drinking was boring, so Han Chengxun suggested the most childish game—rolling dice.
Lacking physical dice, they actually used the dice emoticon stickers from WeChat, sending them in the group chat between the four.
Xiao Chen clamored about it being lame but ended up being the most enthusiastic.
Because he had the best luck, continuously scoring the highest numbers.
Just like last time playing Fight the Landlord, Xiao Chen had the best luck followed by Lin Shuan.
Han Chengxun and Yu Na lost constantly as the least fortunate.
But Yu Na still vividly remembered embarrassing herself from getting drunk last time, so she didn't dare drink recklessly like before, afraid of causing a ruckus even in a foreign country.
Yet she lost the most. And all the drinks she forfeited were downed by Xiao Chen.
Even someone with good alcohol tolerance would be hard pressed under these circumstances, so Xiao Chen successfully got drunk that day.
But he still retained a shred of sobriety.
The four bid their farewells. Yu Na supported him back to their room and helped wash up.
Even when drunk Xiao Chen didn't speak nonsense or have outbursts. He sprawled limply on the bed with his arm draped over his forehead, lying perfectly quiet and well-behaved.
After washing up herself, Yu Na returned to the bedside and moved his arm aside. "Do you feel awful?"
Xiao Chen let out a low chuckle. "Underestimated me?"
"......"
He gazed at Yu Na hazily for a long while. "Come here."
Yu Na obediently climbed onto the bed.
Xiao Chen reached out and gathered her into his embrace. "Na Na."
Yu Na pressed her hand to his chest. "Hm?"
"I drank so much today—" A wicked smile spread across his face, "Wasn't it for you?"
Yu Na: ?
She had a feeling he was about to start acting naughty.
Sure enough.
Xiao Chen drew close till she could feel his breath fanning her, the sensation like feathers endlessly scratching her skin, making her heart tingle and itch unbearably.
He whispered next to her ear—
"So you have to take responsibility."