CS - 70

Chi Yao stood at the doorway, lowered his eyes without speaking, and stepped aside to let her pass.

Lin Zhe Xia’s hair was dripping water continuously.

She hurriedly said: “Thank you.”

Thanks to Lin He’s teachings, she remembered to be polite to her boyfriend even in such situations.

Chi Yao had just finished showering and was wearing a thin sweater, but it didn’t soften his appearance. His deep-set eyes and tall, straight posture exuded strength. In front of Lin Zhe Xia, he subdued his innate arrogance, lowered his head to look at her, and called her name: “Lin Zhe Xia.”

“Next time, don’t be so polite,” he said slowly. “…Even if you asked me to help wash you, I’d do it.”

“…”

Unable to argue with him, Lin Zhe Xia escaped into the bathroom with her towel.

Chi Yao had just come out of the shower, so the bathroom still retained some warmth from when he had used it.

As Lin Zhe Xia opened the door and entered, a faint scent of shower gel mixed with the lingering warmth wafted out.

The same scent she had smelled when Chi Yao opened the door for her earlier.

Just as she suppressed a strange illusion, there were two knocks on the bathroom door: “Did you bring clothes?”

Lin Zhe Xia replied: “Yes.”

Probably to ease her nerves, the person outside added: “I’ll go out for a bit.”

After a while, there was no sound outside.

Lin Zhe Xia exhaled, turned on the shower.

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

“Sorry, there’s an issue with the water heater.”

“How about we change your room?”

She thought for a moment: “That works.”

But this hotel wasn’t very reliable. After a while, they informed her again: “Sorry, the front desk says there are no other rooms available for exchange. How about giving you a discount when you check out?”

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia was momentarily speechless: “Then forget it. If necessary, I can go to my friend’s room.”

The hotel staff apologized repeatedly.

After they left, Lin Zhe Xia stood in the hotel corridor, feeling a bit awkward as she looked at Chi Yao: “I’ll go back to sleep now. You should rest early too. Goodnight.”

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

The corridor was quiet, with almost no one around.

Lin Zhe Xia had a premonition and roughly guessed his intention, but still lightly asked: “Why are you pulling me?”

Chi Yao tightened his grip on her wrist and smirked, saying: “I’m having nicotine withdrawal. I can’t sleep tonight; someone has to take responsibility.”

Lin Zhe Xia found his excuse unconvincing: “You’ve been smoke-free for so long, how could you still have cravings?”

“It happens occasionally.”

“…”

Seeing her silent, Chi Yao added: “Are you planning to default on this?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “If you can play tricks, why can’t I default?”

Chi Yao hummed an acknowledgment and then closed the door behind him, pretending to head toward the elevator: “Then I’ll go downstairs and buy a pack of cigarettes.”

This time, it was Lin Zhe Xia who pulled him back.

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

“You… don’t smoke,” she said, her voice fading. “Smoking is bad.”

Half an hour later.

Lin Zhe Xia lay stiffly next to Chi Yao, unsure how the situation had suddenly turned into this.

She had only come to borrow the bathroom…

…

The single room bed wasn’t large. She tried hard to squeeze toward the edge but still occasionally brushed against the person beside her.

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

The mattress and blankets were soft.

Both she and Chi Yao had used the hotel’s shower gel, so the scent lingered on the sheets, though it was impossible to tell whose body it came from.

It’s just sleeping together, isn’t it?

When she was younger, she had slept with him before.

Lin Zhe Xia forcibly brainwashed herself, trying to summon her feelings from back then.

But back then, she hadn’t developed much awareness of gender differences and didn’t see Chi Yao as male at all. Plus, Chi Yao was shorter back then and drew a line between them. There was a blanket separating them, and Chi Yao coldly told her to behave and not cross the line.

Which made young Lin Zhe Xia want to kick him off the bed.

Clearly, the situation now was different.

Both she and Chi Yao had grown up.

Even if the person behind her did nothing, there was an inexplicable sense of pressure unique to the opposite sex.

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

In this situation, falling asleep was quite difficult.

She opened her eyes and carefully shifted a little more toward the edge.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind: “Move again, and you’ll fall off the bed.”

Lin Zhe Xia froze: “…You’re not asleep?”

Chi Yao opened his eyes in the dark, his voice tinged with laziness: “You’re making it hard for me to sleep.”

This accusation came unexpectedly.

She retorted: “You can’t blame me for keeping you awake—I haven’t done anything.”

But Chi Yao’s next words were:

“You’re too far away.”

“…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Yao’s hand reached around from behind, across her waist, and precisely clasped the delicate curve of her waist, pulling her entire body into his embrace. All of Lin Zhe Xia’s previous efforts to subtly move away were undone.

There was no longer any distance between them.

It seemed like he had wanted to do this for a long time—next, he adjusted his position, treating her like a human-shaped body pillow, burying his face into her neck.

“Can you sleep like this?” Lin Zhe Xia asked.

The response was a muffled “Mm” from her neck.

Late night. Hotel. Same bed. Sleeping together.

For the first time, she connected these words.

Lin Zhe Xia remained stiff for a long time, unsure where to put her hands and feet.

The room was especially quiet at night.

The breathing sounds buried in her neck were amplified mysteriously. She felt his warm breath and the fine strands of hair brushing against her neck.

He was much taller than her, and being pressed into his embrace gave her the feeling of being completely controlled and surrounded by him.

She recalled earlier: “Actually, I could tell you a story or count rabbits. Didn’t you…” get lulled to sleep by her counting rabbits before?

But before Lin Zhe Xia could finish, Chi Yao interrupted: “I’ve wanted to sleep with you in my arms for a long time.”

Lin Zhe Xia was left speechless.

Chi Yao added: “Who wants to listen to you count rabbits.”

…

This person actually complained about her.

On that day, he fell asleep pretty quickly while she counted rabbits.

Lin Zhe Xia’s memory briefly returned to that day in Haicheng. She sat cross-legged on the sofa, and Chi Yao slept on the bed, maintaining a respectful distance between friends.

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

Since she couldn’t sleep, the instigator shouldn’t have it easy either.

“Chi Yao.”

“What.”

“Nothing, just calling your name.”

A while later, she called again: “Chi Yao.”

The head buried in her neck moved slightly in response.

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

Ten minutes passed.

Lin Zhe Xia called him: “Chi Yao.”

This time, Chi Yao didn’t respond.

She tentatively asked: “Are you asleep?”

“What a pity, I was going to discuss with you why one plus one equals two.”

After Lin Zhe Xia spoke, the supposedly “asleep” person suddenly opened his eyes without her noticing.

And the next second—

He loosened the hand holding her waist, placed a hand beside her neck, applied force, flipped over, and supported himself above her with his arms.

Even though this position looked like he was pressing down on her, only Lin Zhe Xia knew he was still maintaining some distance.

But this distance was exquisitely subtle.

She had no doubt that the itchiness on her cheeks was due to Chi Yao being too close, his hair brushing against her.

“If you can’t sleep,” he said, “let’s talk about something else.”

Lin Zhe Xia’s throat moved as she carefully swallowed. Then she quickly said: “I’m sleepy. Give me three seconds, and I’ll fall asleep immediately.”

His response was a kiss that landed on her lips.

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

They had kissed many times since getting together.

But never like this, on a bed.

Lin Zhe Xia was tenser than on the day of their first kiss. Her vision was pitch black, as if she were entirely under his control.

His kisses weren’t confined to her lips alone.

Gradually, from a certain moment, this kiss spiraled out of control.

Lin Zhe Xia, sensitive and dazed, forgot exactly when it began.

Perhaps it was when his kiss landed on her collarbone.

The scorching, nearly burning kiss continued downward.

Lin Zhe Xia snapped awake when Chi Yao’s fingers hooked onto her bra strap again. She didn’t resist contact with Chi Yao, but due to unfamiliarity and shyness, her subconscious told her she wasn’t ready yet. Her actions reacted faster than her mind, and she raised her hand to gently push Chi Yao’s wrist.

A light push. No threat at all.

In fact, if he insisted on continuing, she might not stop him.

But Chi Yao was halted by this gentle push. He sensed the tension and stiffness of the person beneath him and clearly knew that the location wasn’t appropriate.

So he released the hand hooked onto her bra strap and instead clasped her hand, bringing the kiss back to her lips.

After this kiss, he released her and got out of bed.

Lin Zhe Xia, still dazed, asked: “Where are you going?”

Chi Yao: “To shower.”

“…”

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

Chi Yao stayed in the bathroom for a long time.

The sound of running water drowned out other noises. After a while, the water stopped.

This period allowed her to calm down, the heat on her cheeks slowly subsided, and gradually, sleepiness crept in.

When Chi Yao lifted the blanket and got back into bed, she was half-asleep and unconsciously rolled over to hug his waist.

“Sleepy?” he asked.

Lin Zhe Xia responded a beat later: “Mm.”

Then, a chaste, light kiss landed on her forehead.

“A goodnight kiss.”

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