“How happy are you?” Bai Ying asked him nonchalantly.

Jiang Mocheng didn’t answer the question, instead, he kissed her hair and said vaguely, “It’s high up here, aren’t you cold?”

Without waiting for her to speak, he gently turned her around with one arm and walked her back into the room.

He closed the glass door of the balcony behind them, shutting out all the noise from outside.

Bai Ying didn’t bring much luggage, not even filling one luggage bag.  It was just a few sets of clothes, which were gifts from Jiang Mocheng.

She didn’t take any of the gifts Shen Jin had given her, only the money that was agreed upon in the contract.

With the room’s heating on full, Bai Ying felt drowsy after eating and drinking her fill. She took off her coat, threw it onto the sofa, changed into the hotel’s disposable slippers, and headed towards the bathroom.

Listening to the sound of water, Jiang Mocheng picked up her coat to hang it properly and took off his own clothes as well.

Her clothes were pure white, while his were a deep, ink-like gray, creating a stark visual contrast when hung together.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Bai Ying came out of the bathroom to find Jiang Mocheng sitting leisurely on the bed watching TV.

She paused, then asked him, “Why are you still here?”

“What time is it now?” Jiang Mocheng lazily lifted his chin, gesturing for her to check the time, “It’s not even ten o’clock, I can go out in the afternoon.”

It was strange. He used to be all business on trips, not wasting a minute, always quick and decisive. But this time was different; he wouldn’t meet in the morning if he could meet in the afternoon.

Bai Ying casually tied her smooth, long hair with a hair tie, her face still dotted with water droplets.

She looked at Jiang Mocheng thoughtfully and asked meaningfully, “I mean, why haven’t you gone back to your room?”

She didn’t mind getting closer to him, but if he seemed too eager, it would indeed be a bit off-putting.

In fact, Jiang Mocheng hadn’t thought about that at all—no, that’s not true, he had thought about it when kissing his girlfriend, but it was just a fleeting thought that he hadn’t grasped and scheduled.

However, he really hadn’t planned on booking another room. Clearly not thinking about that at the moment, he felt uncomfortable under her gaze, “Next door.”

He added, “I won’t sleep here tonight, so you don’t need to rush me out now.”

“Pah,” Bai Ying rolled her eyes at him and threw a towel at his face in annoyance, “Don’t lie on the bed with your clothes on, it’s dirty, I still have to sleep there tonight!”

Jiang Mocheng took the towel off his face, “Talk is talk, don’t throw things.”

“Don’t laze about, get up.”

Jiang Mocheng was sent abroad for studies by his family at an early age, and he got used to being sloppy alone. He wasn’t particular about his lifestyle.

During the busy shipping season, he traveled all over the place, falling asleep as soon as he got back to the hotel, only showering when he woke up.

He frowned as he was forced to get up from the bed.

With his past bad temper, he would have walked away without saying a word, but now he approached Bai Ying with a stern face.

“I’ve been sitting in a taxi for so long today!”

Bai Ying was still frustrated, pointing to the bathroom and commanding him, “Go wash up quickly, change into clean clothes, or you’ll have to sit on the sofa.”

“……”

He took a few steps and entered the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror in surprise; he had clearly intended to leave the room.

He turned on the faucet with a deep look in his eyes, he began to brush his teeth and wash his face.

From outside the door, her voice came again, “There’s aftershave inside, shave your beard a bit.”

When he emerged from the bathroom, feeling very refreshed with a hint of mint, Bai Ying was finally satisfied.

A few minutes later, Bai Ying found a comfortable position in his arms, hugging him like a kitten. The tension in his heart dissipated. He pulled the curtains, blocking the bright light outside, making the room as dark as night.

“Remember to wake me up for dinner,” Bai Ying murmured before drifting off to sleep.

After saying this, she nestled into his arms, using him as a pillow. He smelled the faint and refreshing scent on her and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Jiang Mocheng, however, felt uneasy.

They had been close before, but this was the first time they had lain together on a bed. Unsure of where to place his hands and trying to regulate his breathing, it took him a while before his stiff body began to relax.

He cautiously reached out and touched her shoulder.

She was in a deep sleep.

He gently lowered his head, feeling her even breathing, and kissed her forehead and cheek. Drawing her closer, they resembled two kittens tightly clinging to each other.

As they hugged, Jiang Mocheng’s body stiffened again, even more so than before.

He wanted to push her away but couldn’t.

When he finally managed to create some distance, she snuggled up to him again, pressing herself against him.

Jiang Mocheng was perplexed.

Sweat started to bead on his forehead. One of his hands, which had escaped from the blanket, clenched tightly. Clearly, he was at his limit, but even at his limit, he had to endure.

Bai Ying slept soundly. In the short two hours, Jiang Mocheng was tossed and turned several times. When she woke up refreshed, she pulled back the curtains to find the man on the bed looking rather exhausted, as if he had endured quite a lot.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Ying asked.

Jiang Mocheng, his voice slightly hoarse, replied, “Nothing.”

“You didn’t sleep?”

Bai Ying wanted to praise him for being a dedicated bodyguard, staying up almost all night without sleep. Even after getting into bed, he still didn’t sleep.

“Couldn’t sleep? Not used to the bed?”

Seeing her innocently asking him, Jiang Mocheng took a deep breath.

Unable to endure any longer, he pulled her towards him, silencing her with a forceful kiss.

…

As he had work to attend to in the afternoon, they only had a simple lunch in the restaurant and parted ways in the elevator lobby. Jiang Mocheng noticed that Bai Ying seemed a bit awkward and was trying to control her expression.

Only after entering the elevator lobby did she burst into laughter. She finally understood why he looked so aggrieved after waking up.

Bai Ying tidied up, grabbed her bag, and left.

Since she was staying in Ning City for a few days, she decided to settle the lawyer issue.

She had considered hiring a local lawyer, but decided to hire a reputable local firm and chose a young but competent lawyer.

Leaving the law firm in the evening, Bai Ying took out her phone from her bag.

While discussing the contract details with Chang Xiao Yue, her phone had rung several times, all from Jiang Mocheng. Annoyed, she silenced her phone. When she looked again, there were several missed calls and a message.

“I won’t be able to come back for dinner. What should we do?”

Bai Ying thought that when it came to their relationship, she was the more considerate one.

She could have just called him directly, but instead, she patiently texted back, “I’ll eat on my own.”

She hailed a taxi and received another call from him.

“Still haven’t eaten?” He asked in a low voice.

“Aren’t you annoying?” She complained softly, “I’ll eat on my own if I’m hungry.”

Jiang Mocheng was silent for a moment and then sincerely apologized.

“I’m really tied up here. I might not be able to come back till late. I can’t even have dinner with you.”

Bai Ying understood what he meant. He probably felt bad for leaving her at the hotel alone for dinner. She chuckled.

He had his ways. Whenever she got annoyed with him, he would do something to make her feel better.

She replied, “Then focus on your work and come back early.”

“If I come back early, maybe we can have a late-night snack together,” he suggested.

…

People from the construction company couldn’t find Jiang Mocheng and came out to look for him.

They found him leaning against the wall, talking on the phone in a tone quite different from his usual cold demeanor. 

When he hung up the phone and stood up, he still had a faint smile on his face.

The construction company’s people were shocked. They never expected their usually stern boss to be like this in private.

Back at the hotel, Bai Ying ordered a bowl of noodles. The hotel’s service was good, and so was the food. She wasn’t very hungry but found herself finishing most of the noodles.

After washing up, she lay on the bed and flipped through the TV channels. Tired from the day’s events, she fell asleep early.

Then, she began to dream.