Chapter 9 – Good Night

Her heart was beating a little erratically. She quickly replied: “Just finished washing up—about to go to sleep!”

After sending it, she patted her flushed cheeks, trying to calm herself down.

Li Hanye glanced at her message, the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly.
She still knew to sleep early. Not bad.

His slender, well-defined fingers tapped the screen lightly, then pressed down on the voice message button.

[Good night~]

His deep, magnetic voice came through, deliberately slowed, with a trace of softness at the end and the faintest electric hum. It traveled through the airwaves to reach her.

Si Tiantian had just been about to set her phone down when the screen lit up with a 2-second voice message.

It was from Li Hanye.

Her heart skipped a beat. Curiously—and a little nervously—she tapped to play it. The moment the phone’s speaker touched her ear, his uniquely low, almost intoxicating voice slipped into her ear canal:
“Good night~”

Boom—

Si Tiantian felt like her brain was going to explode. A wave of heat surged from her ears, sweeping across her entire body in an instant.

This… this is cheating!
So this is what people meant when they said, “My ears are pregnant”? She finally understood!

That voice—low, sexy, and just the tiniest bit drawn out—brushed lightly against the tip of her heart like feathers.
It was like rich red wine—smooth, seductive, slightly intoxicating.

She yanked the blanket over her head, burying herself completely. Her cheeks were burning, and her heartbeat thudded wildly, as if trying to leap right out of her chest.

Is he some kind of demon?
How is even his voice this alluring?!

Several minutes passed before she finally poked her head out from under the covers, her face still flushed pink.

She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, picked up her phone, and with slightly trembling fingers, replied with two words:

[Good night!]

The moment it sent, she locked her phone, tossed it to the far end of the nightstand, closed her eyes, and forced herself to sleep.

Li Hanye looked at the message on the screen:
“Good night!”
A rare softness flickered in his gaze.

Good night?

Such a simple phrase—so long-lost and unfamiliar.

Ever since his parents passed and his grandfather grew old, no one had said those words to him anymore.
Or maybe… he never cared.

Until now.

She was the first.

He placed his phone aside and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The nighttime cityscape, once cold and hollow, seemed to hold a bit of warmth tonight.

His Tiantian had told him good night.

At that thought, the heart that had always been encased in ice softened—just a little.

---

Meanwhile, in bed, Si Tiantian tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Li Hanye’s voice—“Good night~”—looped like a spell in her mind.

His tone, the way he drew out the final syllable—every detail played on repeat.

This man is too dangerous.

They hadn’t known each other for long, yet he constantly stirred something inside her.

His dominance, his intensity, and now… this unexpected tenderness—it all made her feel both unfamiliar and…

…fluttery.

She clutched her still-racing heart, letting out a long sigh.

Tonight, she knew, she wouldn’t be sleeping easy.

And finally, without realizing it, wrapped in a tangle of sweet confusion, Si Tiantian drifted off into a deep slumber.

What she didn’t know was that even in her sleep, a faint smile lingered at the corners of her lips.

---

The next morning, before her alarm even went off, Si Tiantian woke up.

The moment she touched her face, she could feel the puffiness. She grabbed the mirror from her bedside table and took a look—good grief! Two huge dark circles hung under her eyes like a little panda who’d been tossed around all night.

She smacked her forehead in frustration.
This was all Li Hanye’s fault—she’d tossed and turned because of him for half the night!

Her phone lit up. A message from Li Hanye had come in thirty minutes earlier:

[Good morning, Tiantian]

Just four simple words, yet it was like his low, magnetic voice was sounding right in her ear again.

A small tingle ran across her skin. She hovered her fingers over the screen for a few seconds, then finally replied with just:
[Good morning]

She thought about adding an emoji—scrolled through for a while—but in the end, sent nothing else.

She climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
Facing the mirror, she carefully applied a light, natural “no makeup” look. She focused on covering up the dark circles, then picked a glossy rose-pink lip tint and gently dabbed it on.

The girl in the mirror had fair, delicate skin with a healthy, natural glow. Her long lashes framed a pair of bright, expressive eyes. She opened her closet and chose an off-white jacquard dress with subtle texture. The hemline fell just above her knees, perfectly showing off her long, slender legs.

Over it, she layered a soft blue knit cardigan.
Classic campus style—sweet, but still vibrant.

Satisfied, she did a little twirl. Her slim waist and elegant curves made it clear she was a natural-born beauty.

---

“Oh? Our little sleepy kitten’s finally willing to get out of bed?” Lin Wanyi walked out of the kitchen carrying a glass of milk and teased her daughter, who was yawning her way down the stairs.

Si Tiantian rubbed her eyes, voice still soft and a little raspy from sleep.
“Morning, Mommy.”

“Hurry and eat your breakfast. Your daddy had an early meeting, so he’s already left.”

Lin Wanyi pulled her over to sit at the dining table.
“Did you sleep well last night? You’ve got pretty heavy dark circles.”

“Mm… not bad,” Tiantian answered vaguely while nibbling on a slice of toast.
But in her mind, she was thinking: Not bad?
It was practically a sleepless, emotional rollercoaster.

Even though Si Zhenghong wasn’t home, breakfast was still generous.

As she sipped her warm milk, her mind drifted again—to Li Hanye.

---

After breakfast, the family driver was already waiting outside.
Jinghua University was a good 40-minute drive from the Si family estate.

Once she got in the car, Si Tiantian leaned against the window and quickly drifted off, her long lashes casting soft shadows beneath her eyes.

By the time she arrived at class, Gu Yazhi had already saved her a seat. As soon as she walked in, Yazhi waved excitedly.

“Tiantian! Over here!” she whispered, eyes sparkling with gossip.

“Are you okay from yesterday? That cold-faced Master Han… he didn’t do anything to you, right?”

“What could he possibly do?” Si Tiantian put down her bag and pulled out her course materials.
“He just gave me a ride home. You’re overthinking it.”

She didn’t dare mention how domineering Li Hanye had been—didn’t want Yazhi to worry, and honestly, she wasn’t sure how to explain it without getting more flustered.

“Just a ride?” Yazhi raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“I feel like it’s not that simple. You’ve never let a guy drive you home before.”

Si Tiantian shot her a glare, cheeks flushing.
“Class is starting!”

---

Although Jinghua University had dorms, the Si family still arranged for Tiantian to have one for convenience, despite living in the same city.

She had specially requested to room with Gu Yazhi. The two of them shared one of the best double dorms on campus—spacious, clean, and private. On days with no class or during lunch breaks, they often hung out in their room.

At noon, the girls ordered delivery instead of going out. After eating, Yazhi curled up on her bed watching a drama, while Tiantian sat at her desk pretending to read a textbook.

But her mind was clearly elsewhere. The pages hadn’t turned in a while.

Then suddenly—ding!
Her phone buzzed with a WeChat notification.