Guan Yue was very, very close, close enough that their noses were touching.

The little capybara lowered his eyes, his slightly upturned eyelashes exposed to the air. Perhaps the feeling of guilt was too strong; even his eyelashes trembled slightly. The movement was small, but Guan Yue saw it.

The man’s lips curled up slightly more; his gaze didn’t move an inch, forcefully pressing down on the little capybara’s face.

Pei Qi instinctively wanted to dodge but didn’t dare make much noise. He couldn’t be sure if Guan Yue was telling the truth, but… what if… they were really on?

He didn’t dare take the risk.

His chin was suddenly hooked. The moment the young man didn’t actively look up, the man naturally pressed down the corners of his lips. He’d figured out that the little capybara was spacing out again. Even at this moment, he could still think of other things.

With his chin captured, his lips were fixed in a very accessible position. The man leaned in, pressing against the young man’s lips again. This kiss wasn’t as hurried; it had a more teasing quality.

Pei Qi grabbed the man’s shirt, slightly breathless. His mind went blank, his legs went weak. He heard the voices from the computer again.

“Doctor Guan, please report on this case…”

The little capybara suddenly opened his hazy eyes, his nerves instantly taut. The pressure on his lips suddenly disappeared, and the restraint around his waist loosened. The little capybara slid down the wall.

Guan Yue’s arm hadn’t completely left the little capybara’s waist. Seeing this, he suddenly exerted force, supporting the young man.

“Doctor Guan, are you there?” The voice from the computer was slightly questioning and urging.

Guan Yue adjusted his slightly slipped half-rimmed glasses, one arm tightly around the little capybara’s soft waist. Effortlessly, he lifted his long legs and moved Pei Qi to the small sofa next to the desk.

Only when his bottom touched the sofa did the lost-souled Pei Qi realize he’d just passed the computer’s camera. His ears were so red they seemed about to emit a sharp, piercing sound.

“It wasn’t on, but it is now.” Guan Yue guessed what he was thinking; he didn’t hide it, the corners of his lips curving without disguise.

Pei Qi: “You…”

Guan Yue: “Shh.”

The man turned sideways, sat back down at the computer, and turned on the camera and microphone. In less than a second, the face that had just been tinged with lust and playfulness instantly returned to its usual appearance.

What kind of appearance? Pei Qi thought it was a kind of emotionally detached look—cold and serious.

“Sorry, there was a slight network problem just now,” the man said, unblushingly offering a cliché excuse. “This patient was diagnosed with COPD years ago; his lung function isn’t optimistic. If during the surgery…”

Pei Qi couldn’t focus on the rest; his mind was a mess, his cheeks and ears were burning uncomfortably. He wanted to immediately run to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. His mouth was still a little sore, a shameful kind of sore.

After an unknown amount of time “cooling” on the sofa, his legs finally regained their strength. He immediately got up, leaving his slippers behind at the scene of the “battle.” He didn’t care; barefoot, he tiptoed along the wall towards the bathroom. His toes tapped lightly on the cool floor, making a soft “tap tap” sound.

The man facing the camera seemed to casually raise a hand, his knuckles against his lips, as if trying to hide something. The smile in the corner of his eyes, however, was hard to conceal.

Pei Qi rushed into the bathroom and stood under the shower, rinsing himself with cold water for a long time, finally washing away some of the heat on his face. He kept replaying the way the appendicitis doctor had spoken. He said he’d turned on the camera, but then he hadn’t. And when he said it wasn’t on, his expression was…

Pei Qi searched for a long time for the right word, finally finding it: mischievous! Was he teasing him?

Um. He was a little angry.

The little capybara turned off the shower, coming out of the cubicle. Standing by the sink, the mirror was covered in condensation, but even through the blurry surface, Pei Qi could see his mouth. It was very red and a little swollen.

“…”

Luckily, he’d already prepared his pajamas on the bathroom shelf. After changing, he lingered for a while before finally opening the bathroom door with a “click.”

Guan Yue had finished the meeting and just closed his laptop. The young man was wearing a set of vertical-striped cotton pajamas. He’d probably just dried his hair; it looked particularly fluffy. Even though they weren’t close, a faint plum fragrance seemed to have wafted into his nostrils.

Although they’d been living together for a while, they didn’t share a room, and Pei Qi had rarely been with Guan Yue while wearing pajamas. He felt a little uncomfortable and touched his neck.

His nose suddenly itched, and he sneezed.

Guan Yue asked: “Got a cold?”

The little capybara shook his head. He didn’t think so; his throat probably just itched.

The young man’s lips were strikingly red, his round eyes watery. The man couldn’t help but lower his gaze. Perhaps it wasn’t just his gaze that lowered. Perhaps the word should be read as “xiang” (to yearn/long for).

“I’m going to bed,” the little capybara said slowly, his tone flat.

Guan Yue: “Mm, me too.”

Pei Qi pursed his still-sore lips: “Um, there’s only one bed…”

“I know,” the man walked over from the desk. “I’m just nearsighted, not blind, Teacher Pei.”

“Shall we… sleep together?” Pei Qi knew he’d just been rambling, mainly to set the stage. Since that was the case, he might as well be direct.

“I don’t really want to.”

Guan Yue: “Why? Because of your habit of sleeping with the lights on?”

“Mm.” The young man nodded.

“But even if you sleep on the sofa, that won’t solve the problem,” the man stopped in front of the young man. The plum fragrance from his nose was perfectly timed. Indeed, because the sofa and bed were in the same space.

“Or, I’ll call the front desk and ask if there are any more rooms.” This was the only solution Pei Qi could think of.

“No need. Sleep with the lights on.” Leaving those five words, the man walked past the young man and went straight to the bathroom.

Pei Qi turned his head: “Can Doctor Guan sleep like that?”

“Mm.”

He got a definite answer, but he couldn’t be sure if Guan Yue was being polite or if he’d called the front desk. The front desk said there weren’t any rooms left.

Oh well.

Pei Qi went back to bed from the window, snuggling into the comfortable duvet. He only left a small bedside lamp on; the light wasn’t strong enough to affect anyone else.

The man came out of the bathroom, wearing a plain set of home clothes. He’d just washed his hair; it was smooth Guan Yue. His hair covered a bit of his ear and forehead, softening his sharp features and making him seem unexpectedly approachable.

Pei Qi couldn’t help but look at him a few more times, but quickly felt like he’d been caught, so he quickly looked away, lying down and burying himself in the covers.

He heard the sound of the covers being lifted. He felt the bed shake slightly, and the mattress sank a few centimeters next to him. The bed was large, and Pei Qi was close to the edge, so he wasn’t very close to Guan Yue.

The man said, “Aren’t you afraid you’ll fall off?”

Pei Qi thought… Doctor Guan had a point. He really wasn’t even a hand’s width from the edge.

“Move closer.”

A slightly serious command.

The little capybara heard but didn’t comply.

Guan Yue frowned slightly: “I’m not going to eat you.”

Pei Qi pouted, vaguely retorting: “You will kiss me.”

Guan Yue: “What did you say?”

He’d already heard it anyway. Pei Qi simply said: “Doctor Guan kissed me just now.”

“Why did you kiss me?” When he asked the latter half of the sentence, his momentum gradually weakened.

Guan Yue didn’t speak this time. In the large space, only their breaths could be heard.

“You didn’t like it?” After many seconds, the man replied softly. “But just now, Teacher Pei proactively hooked my neck), I thought you liked it.”

That was just because his legs were weak, and he was using him for support.

Pei Qi bit his lip but didn’t say it. After all… it was a little embarrassing.

“…”

Pei Qi didn’t speak, staring at the antique pendant lamp on the ceiling to distract himself, then glancing out the window. There seemed to be a breeze blowing; the shadows of the trees outside the window swayed gently in the hazy moonlight.

“Does your mouth hurt?” Guan Yue asked, in a normal tone. “It looks a little swollen.”

Of course, a swollen mouth would hurt. Pei Qi silently complained, saying, “It’s okay.” Sometimes, life was just a physical manifestation of “enduring.”

Guan Yue: “Oh.”

“I’m going to sleep,” Pei Qi decided to sleep first.

Guan Yue continued the previous topic: “Move closer.”

It did seem necessary to move closer; he tossed and turned in his sleep, and he might roll off the bed.