Chapter 21

Xu Duanyi stood outside the bright red silk curtains for a long time before finally pulling the curtain aside and stepping in.

Inside the room, only a pair of dragon and phoenix candles remained lit, their glow dimmer than the brightness outside.

Since Xu Duanyi hadn’t entered yet, the canopy on the bed had not been drawn down.

From Xu Duanyi’s angle, she could see Xie Qingya already lying on the bed, on the inner side, asleep under the covers.

His hairpin had been removed, and he had changed into a simple white nightshirt.

Xie Qingya was known for his fondness for bold colors like red and for his rebellious personality, but at this moment, as he lay quietly with his eyes closed, his usual wild and unruly nature was absent, revealing a vulnerability that was rarely seen.

Perhaps it was because he had drunk too much tonight.

Even though he was asleep, his brows remained furrowed.

Xu Duanyi was drawn to the sight and, without realizing it, slowly walked toward him.

She reached the bedside. Looking at Xie Qingya’s furrowed brows, Xu Duanyi instinctively leaned forward and extended her hand, intending to smooth out the crease in his forehead. However, as her fingertips reached out, she suddenly became fully aware of her actions.

All the movements stopped at that moment.

She stood there outside the bed, her gaze still on Xie Qingya.

But her body, which was halfway leaned forward towards him, slowly straightened again.

Even though Xie Qingya was now in a deep sleep, she couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t wake up halfway.

If he woke up…

Xu Duanyi found it hard to explain, and she was even more afraid of seeing disgust on his face.

Just thinking about that disgust on his face made the fingers she had curled up uncontrollably tremble slightly.

Her breath was held without her realizing.

—-

In the end, she didn’t do anything.

She only moved quietly, took a step back, and gently lowered the curtains to block the light from the dragon and phoenix candles outside that might disturb him.

Afterward, Xu Duanyi went to find the calming incense she brought from the palace, lit it, and placed it in the incense burner.

She also poured a bowl of tea for Xie Qingya, placing it on a small table outside the bed.

After drinking, the throat often becomes dry.

If he woke up in the night and needed a drink, he wouldn’t have to get up and bother.

All these tasks took quite a while.

Now the dilemma was…

Where should she sleep?

It was out of the question to sleep on the same bed as Xie Qingya.

She didn’t even dare to touch him.

How could she sleep on the same bed?

The outside couch was large, originally meant for afternoon naps, but it was outside. If someone saw her sleeping out there tomorrow, it wouldn’t be good.

Bixi and Shiyu didn’t mind, they were just worried about others seeing.

Xu Duanyi hesitated for a long time.

Sleeping on the floor was too much trouble, too noisy.

Moreover, it was still March, and the ground was cold. If she caught a cold and had to go back to the palace, her aunt would surely be angry.

In the end, Xu Duanyi’s gaze fell on the chaise lounge in the room.

It should be the one Xie Qingya used for reading and resting, located by the desk.

Though the chaise lounge was small, it would suffice for one night.

Having found a place, Xu Duanyi stopped worrying and quietly went to the inner room to find a quilt.

She moved cautiously.

She didn’t want to disturb Xie Qingya.

But her movements wouldn’t have disturbed someone in a deep sleep, yet Xie Qingya wasn’t asleep.

How could he not have noticed?

With the curtains drawn, he couldn’t see what Xu Duanyi was doing outside.

Though Xu Duanyi had tried to be as quiet as possible, the faint rustling sound still reached him.

With something blocking the way…

Xie Qingya simply opened his eyes.

He didn’t make a sound or look, just lay there with his eyes wide open, silently staring at the dim ceiling.

He didn’t know what was going through his mind.

There he was, hands crossed on the quilt, lying silently with his eyes open.

The bed curtains were very thick.

Even though the dragon and phoenix candles outside were still burning, the room inside was very dim.

He couldn’t even make out the pattern on the ceiling.

They both lay there, one outside and one inside.

It was hard to tell how much time passed.

When the room fell completely silent, the only sound left was the even rhythm of breathing.

At that moment, Xie Qingya finally sat up.

He lifted the curtain with one hand.

Adjusting to the darkness, he was suddenly hit by the candlelight from the dragon and phoenix candles outside, and he frowned.

The candlelight shone on his face.

He turned his face away, not quite used to it.

Once he got used to the light, he turned back.

Following the sound of breathing, Xie Qingya finally saw Xu Duanyi curled up on the chaise lounge by the desk.

She was wrapped in the quilt, curled up on the small chair.

Although she was smaller than Xie Qingya, lying on the small chair with the thick quilt still seemed too cramped.

From Xie Qingya’s viewpoint, she looked like a cat curled up.

Clearly uncomfortable.

Although Xu Duanyi wasn’t frowning, she was pursing her lips.

It was clear she wasn’t sleeping well.

Whether this was expected or not, Xie Qingya’s expression was indifferent, but his black eyes silently watched her.

After a while, without a word, he threw down the bed curtain.

He returned to his bed.

This was a bed he had slept on alone for many years, not knowing how many nights.

Xie Qingya thought that now, alone in the bed, he’d surely fall asleep quickly.

He had gotten up early this morning and had been busy all day; his body would naturally feel tired.

But whether it was because the quilt had changed or because there was an extra pillow beside him, Xie Qingya couldn’t fall asleep.

He furrowed his brow.

Xie Qingya picked up the pillow beside him, intending to throw it to the foot of the bed.

He thought that perhaps without it, he might fall asleep.

But just as he raised the pillow, thinking of Xu Duanyi, who had already fallen asleep outside, he suddenly stopped his movement.

Finally, he just set the pillow down with a grim expression.

He didn’t say a word, just placed the pillow beside him.

Now, it was just him, alone with his pillow.

He occupied the bed alone and placed the pillow back in its usual spot. Xie Qingya closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep.

But even the usual lull of the three-character classic didn’t work. He couldn’t fall asleep.

Turning his head, he could still faintly smell the scent that belonged to Xu Duanyi.

It was faint.

But not unpleasant.

But the scent, usually comforting and calming, seemed to confuse his senses in the dead of night, causing him to toss and turn, unable to sleep.

He knew the reason behind it.

In the end, it was as though all the energy had drained from him. His face darkened as he sat up.

In the dark of night, Xie Qingya closed his eyes, his breath a little labored.

Meanwhile, the other breath in the room was steady and even, clearly the person had long since fallen into a deep sleep.

She slept soundly.

This made Xie Qingya’s expression even darker.

Eventually, he lifted the blanket, parted the curtains, and got out of bed.

The dragon and phoenix candles were still burning.

Barefoot, Xie Qingya walked step by step to the reclining chair.

The light from the candles followed him.

His tall frame and long legs blocked all the light that had been shining on Xu Duanyi.

The sleeping figure seemed to stir slightly, hunching her shoulders before sinking deeper into the covers.

The chair rocked gently.

She was sound asleep, with no signs of waking.

Xie Qingya didn’t know how long he had been standing there, staring.

Barefoot, he didn’t feel cold.

He lowered his head, his brow furrowed as he gazed at Xu Duanyi, as if he intended to stare her awake.

But in the end—

Xie Qingya bent down and, with a gentle motion, lifted the person in the chair, along with the blanket, into his arms.

His movements were light.

He even wondered, if Xu Duanyi were to wake up suddenly, whether he should knock her out directly, so he wouldn’t have to explain himself.

Fortunately,

From the moment he lifted Xu Duanyi and walked toward the bed, she showed no signs of waking.

When he finally laid her down on the bed, Xie Qingya visibly relaxed.

He tucked her blanket in for her.

As he was about to grab his own blanket and return to his original place,

“Xie Qingya…”

A familiar female voice suddenly called out from behind, making Xie Qingya freeze in place.

The March air was no longer as cold as the winter.

Yet, upon hearing that voice, Xie Qingya felt cold sweat trickling down his back.

He stiffened, not daring to turn around.

His mind was racing, thinking about what he would say if Xu Duanyi asked him why he did this.

But the voice only came once.

Xie Qingya bit his lip, turning his head slightly to look behind him.

Xu Duanyi was still fast asleep, showing no signs of waking. That one word seemed to be just an unconscious murmur from her…

He didn’t have time to think about why she had called his name or what she wanted.

Xie Qingya let out a long breath.

His stiff body finally loosened up.

He looked at Xu Duanyi, just as she had looked at him earlier.

The curtain at the bed was gently lowered by Xie Qingya, slowly hiding Xu Duanyi’s face behind the embroidered fabric.

Xie Qingya, holding the blanket, returned to the reclining chair.

The chair was narrow.

Normally, it was just used for resting, certainly not for sleeping.

Lying there was uncomfortable, but there was no other choice.

He lay with his eyes open.

His expression was one of bemusement, not understanding why he had done what he did. Even the corners of his lips pulled into a self-mocking smile.

He thought this night would be sleepless.

But oddly enough, he fell asleep quickly.

No more tossing and turning, no more nightmares of things he couldn’t bear to dream of.

That night,

The frogs outside continued their calls.

Yet, Xie Qingya slept the best sleep he had had in years.