Chapter 14: Can We Share the Bed?

She still remembered what Huo Beiqing said yesterday—he had trouble sleeping, so if she wanted to shower, she should do it now.

Without hesitation, Xia Ruanruan slipped into the bathroom. Huo Beiqing had no reaction.

Unlike yesterday, he didn’t stay by the bed drying his hair but went straight into the study.

He had slept well the previous night, so today he wasn’t as tired and didn’t need to rest immediately.

Since Xia Ruanruan washed her hair tonight, she took longer in the bathroom.

Before stepping out, she was already thinking about negotiating with Huo Beiqing—her hair wouldn’t dry quickly, and without a hairdryer, she definitely couldn’t sleep right away.

So she needed to wait for it to dry.

But she absolutely wouldn’t disturb Huo Beiqing’s sleep. She would turn off the lights and sit quietly in the dark.

However, she hadn’t expected…

Huh? When she came out, Huo Beiqing was nowhere to be seen.

Peeking her head out, she wondered where he could have gone at this hour, freshly showered and in pajamas. Then, she noticed the study door was slightly ajar, light seeping through the gap.

She looked again and confirmed he was in the study, so she didn’t think much of it. She obediently set up her floor bedding and sat down.

The floor was hard—not her preference—but at least she wouldn’t be an inconvenience to anyone.

If she dared to sit on his bed and he came out to see, what if he got annoyed?

Better to stick with the floor.

Sitting there, lost in thought, she kept drying her hair. By the time it was half-dry, Huo Beiqing came out of the study.

His hair was already completely dry, and he was ready to sleep.

The moment he stepped out, he saw Xia Ruanruan sitting on the floor with her damp hair.

Her long, dark hair, still wet, looked even softer, hanging loosely over her shoulders, giving her an unintentional air of languid charm.

Xia Ruanruan tilted her head and asked, “Are you going to sleep now?”

Before he could nod, she grinned sweetly and said, “Go ahead, I’ll just sit here quietly. I won’t make a sound.”

She even flicked her hair and added, “But I can’t sleep yet, my hair’s still wet!”

As she spoke, she blinked her eyes innocently, making it clear she was simply stating facts, not trying to act pitiful.

Huo Beiqing: “…”

At first, he had intended to nod, but now…

If he nodded now, wouldn’t that make him seem like some kind of control freak?

He cleared his throat. “I won’t be able to sleep right away either. When I start feeling sleepy, I’ll let you turn off the lights.”

Hearing this, Xia Ruanruan’s eyes lit up. “That’s great! Otherwise, I’d feel a little scared sitting here alone!”

If she let her hair hang down, she’d look just like Sadako sitting at someone’s bedside.

Huo Beiqing: Shouldn’t you be worrying about whether I’d be scared first?

Without another word, he lay down, turning his back to her. His eyes remained open, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Xia Ruanruan continued drying her hair, wishing it would hurry up and dry.

Life without a hairdryer was tough.

Life without a phone was even tougher.

“Sigh…” She couldn’t help but sigh.

Realizing something, she quickly turned around.

On the bed behind her, Huo Beiqing lay on his side, leaving plenty of space. There was more than enough room for two people.

Resting her chin on the bed, she touched her hard floor bedding and wondered—could she ask the great doctor if they could share the bed?

She slept quite well and wouldn’t disturb him.

More importantly, this bed was huge! It felt like such a waste for one person to sleep in it alone.

Huo Beiqing, still facing away from her, had been aware of her ever since she sighed.

He could feel her staring at his back but didn’t turn around.

He was curious—what was she planning?

But she didn’t do anything, just kept staring at his back, as if trying to burn a hole into it.

Just as he was about to turn over, he heard rustling sounds behind him. She had shifted her gaze away and seemed to be sitting there again.

To confirm his suspicion, he rolled over.

Sure enough, Xia Ruanruan was now facing away from him, vigorously rubbing her hair like she was possessed by a shaman.

Huo Beiqing’s lips curved up.

After tugging at her hair for a while, Xia Ruanruan felt that it was dry and got up to turn off the bedside lamp.

Seeing this, Huo Beiqing quickly flipped over again.

Sensing movement behind her, Xia Ruanruan swiftly turned to look, only to find Huo Beiqing still in the same position as before.

She paused, then turned off the light and immediately shrank into her blanket, wrapping herself tightly, leaving only her long hair exposed.

She thought, If there are ghosts, my hair is one of them, so they wouldn’t attack it.

Besides, ghosts don’t attack people hiding under blankets. So as long as I keep my head and feet covered, I’ll be fine.

She had originally planned to say goodnight to Huo Beiqing, but at the thought of ghosts, she decided against it—self-preservation was more important.

Ghosts don’t attack people in their blankets. She was already tightly wrapped up, whereas Huo Beiqing had most of his body exposed. So, naturally, the ghosts should attack him instead.

Yes, yes, go attack him, all of you!

Serves him right for hogging the big bed and not acting like a decent person.

With these thoughts swirling in her head, Xia Ruanruan fell asleep, still wrapped up in her blanket.

Her breathing was faint under the covers. In the darkness, Huo Beiqing waited for a while before shifting to the other side of the bed.

Leaning over the edge, he looked down and saw Xia Ruanruan wrapped up tightly.

Although it was autumn and not particularly hot, being wrapped up so tightly…

Concerned that she might have trouble breathing, Huo Beiqing, out of humanitarian instinct, reached out and tugged her blanket down slightly, revealing her face.

He also touched her hair—it was dry now, thankfully.

Lying back down, he listened to the steady rhythm of her breathing and gradually felt drowsy himself.

To his surprise, having someone beside him who slept well actually helped him fall asleep more easily.

The Next Morning

Unlike the previous day, Xia Ruanruan woke up earlier, but Huo Beiqing was already gone.

Downstairs, Lin Wei was still having breakfast.

Seeing Xia Ruanruan, she smiled and called out, “Ruanruan, there’s porridge, eggs, and pancakes in the kitchen. What would you like to eat?”

After asking, Lin Wei glanced at Xia Ruanruan’s outfit and complimented, “That looks really nice on you.”

Xia Ruanruan was wearing the clothes she had bought the day before at the department store—
a warm yellow lightweight sweater and black, slim-fit pants that she had altered herself.

Though she still wore cloth shoes, the overall look was completely different from before.

Hearing Lin Wei’s praise, Xia Ruanruan wasn’t shy. Instead, she spun around and said, “Hearing Mom say that, I feel relieved!” She lifted the hem of her pants. “I had them altered by a tailor—I was worried they wouldn’t turn out well.”

Lin Wei’s eyes lit up. “You had them altered yourself?”

“I thought they were a new design.”