Chapter 65: Rights

Ming Can fell completely silent, not daring to move anymore.

The room instantly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The sound of their breathing, in this vast and silent space, rose and fell like waves crashing against hidden reefs.

The swing’s sway gradually lessened, and the heart-pounding creaking noises slowly subsided.

Ming Can could roughly guess what she had just sat on.

Through the fabric, there hadn’t been much sensation at first.

After all, every part of this man’s body was as hard as stone. Having slept on his chest for so long, she had already grown accustomed to the feel of his firm muscles.

But just now, in her haste to climb down, her movements had been a bit too forceful, inevitably causing some friction. Then, as the swing swayed, she had to sit back down to stabilize herself.

In the midst of the rising and falling motion, a certain part of the seat had lifted, pressing against her so firmly that it felt like it might leave an indentation.

Ming Can remained in her position, hands braced against his chest, her head lowered, her cheeks so red it seemed like they might drip blood.

Chi Xiao, pinned beneath her, had one hand supporting her waist while the other rubbed his forehead. Then, palm facing upward, he slowly covered his eyes.

His half-lidded gaze was hidden in the shadow of his hand, and he remained silent for a long time.

Finally, when the swing stopped moving, Chi Xiao’s hand on Ming Can’s waist gave her a light pinch, and he said, “You can get up now.”

Ming Can was currently sitting on his abdomen.

Because of what had just happened, her sense of touch had become particularly sensitive. She could clearly feel the defined, block-like muscles of his abdomen, taut and hard as iron.

Ming Can’s knees were on the sofa, but when Chi Xiao told her to get up, her legs refused to cooperate. They felt as heavy and numb as if they were filled with lead.

“Wait a second,” she said, now knowing to take things slowly. She was afraid her legs would be too weak to support her, and she might accidentally sit back down, leading to an even bigger mistake.

Chi Xiao, seeing her serious expression, finally moved his hand away from her waist. His thin lips parted slightly as he explained in a low voice, “What happened just now… was a normal physiological reaction.”

“Mm,” Ming Can pursed her lips, forcing herself to remain calm. She spoke as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, “I know you guys are like this every morning.”

It definitely wasn’t because of her that he had reacted.

It had nothing to do with her.

Chi Xiao moved his hand away from his forehead, his amber eyes glancing at her coolly. Suddenly, he smiled faintly. “It’s not like this every day.”

Ming Can: “…”

Chi Xiao: “At least today, it’s entirely your fault. Understand?”

Ming Can: “…”

Ming Can was extremely rare at a loss for words to retort. She had never encountered such a situation before, she hadn’t even properly held a boy’s hand before (except for Miaomiao). And now, on a swaying swing, she had somehow caused someone to… well, react. It was a blatant, outright violation, and if she had to stretch to find fault with Chi Xiao, the only thing she could possibly criticize was… maybe he was just too easily… aroused?

Finally, when Ming Can’s feet left the swing sofa and firmly touched the ground, it felt like she had climbed out of a swamp of ambiguity. She felt as if she had come back to life.

The sun had yet to rise, and layers of thin clouds glowed with the faint light of dawn, brightening the sky a little more.

Behind her, Chi Xiao slowly sat up, still leaning lazily against the sofa. The blanket covered his lower abdomen, and he raised his stiff left arm to stretch.

The sofa was narrow, and last night, Ming Can had slept squeezed against him. He had been constantly worried she might fall off.

Chi Xiao wasn’t used to sleeping so close to someone in the first place, and with Ming Chen clinging to him—her legs and arms wrapped tightly around him, her long hair like feathers brushing against his neck, her warm breath spraying over him—he had barely slept at all. At most, he had dozed lightly for an hour or two. When Ming Can woke up, he had been roused almost immediately by the slight flutter of her eyelashes.

Chi Xiao raised his hand to rub the bridge of his nose, then lifted his eyelids to gaze at the girl standing in front of the swing, stretching lazily.

Ming Can stretched lazily and turned around, noticing his tired appearance. Feeling a bit guilty, she asked, “Did you not sleep well last night?”

Chi Xiao: “It was alright.”

“If you didn’t sleep well, go back downstairs and rest some more,” Ming Can said. “The sun hasn’t risen yet, and I need to go back to catch up on sleep too.”

She wasn’t sure if her dad or the household staff were up yet, so she needed to sneak back before anyone noticed.

Seeing her in such a hurry to leave, Chi Xiao casually threw off the blanket and stood up, his figure silhouetted against the dim, hazy morning light. His shadow stretched long and slanted across the floor as he called out to her in a calm voice, “Why are you running?”

Ming Can stopped in her tracks and turned back: “I’m not running! I’m just walking.”

Though she was walking a bit fast.

“Fine,” Chi Xiao said. “But don’t leave yet.”

Ming Can: “I… I stayed out all night. It’ll be hard to explain if I’m caught.”

“Just say you slept at your aunt’s place,” Chi Xiao said, glancing at her. “What’s so hard to explain about that?”

Ming Can looked up at him, her heartbeat, which had just settled, starting to race again.

With her aunt covering for her, there really wasn’t much to explain.

The real issue was.

How she had spent the night, and how she had slept.

What truly made Ming Can nervous wasn’t the elders, but the person standing right in front of her.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that the way he was looking down at her at this moment was both hard to deceive and somewhat mischievous.

It seemed like he was about to settle some kind of score with her.

Sure enough, in the next moment, she heard him speak in a casual, almost lazy tone: “You slept with me, and now you’re just going to walk away like it’s nothing?”

Ming Can stiffened, feeling as if her brain had just exploded, a constant buzzing filling her ears.

What did he mean by… slept with him?

Wasn’t his choice of words a bit too intense?

“Don’t say things like that,” Ming Can said, trying her best to stay calm. “I just… hugged you while I slept, that’s all.”

Chi Xiao’s lips curled slightly as he took two slow steps closer.

He was wearing a loose blue hoodie. The fabric, which had been smooth and clean last night, was now wrinkled from shoulder to abdomen, especially around the chest, where the faint imprints of fingers could almost be seen, as if someone had clung to him for a long time.

“Just?” Chi Xiao latched onto her choice of word. “I’ve never been hugged while sleeping before. This is the first time.”

Ming Can retorted, “That’s not true. Doesn’t Miaomiao hug you when you sleep?”

“He’s much better behaved than you when he sleeps,” Chi Xiao said. “Even if he does hug me, it’s never this tight or this long.”

Ming Can: “…”

His tone was drawn out, each word enunciated clearly, with certain syllables emphasized in a way that made Ming Can’s heart tremble.

His expression looked cold, yet there was an air of someone who had been injured on the job and was now here to collect compensation.

Ming Can instinctively took half a step back with her heel: “Then what do you want me to do? Should I pay you?”

Chi Xiao smiled: “Have you forgotten that you still owe me eight million?”

“…I haven’t forgotten.”

Ming Can averted her gaze, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught the faint curve of his lips, like a crescent moon.

It was strangely captivating.

Just then, thin rays of light began to pierce through the clouds, and the surroundings grew brighter. The blue hour before sunrise was coming to an end.

The hazy filter slowly faded away.

Dawn was about to break.

Chi Xiao slid one hand into his pocket and took a measured step back, maintaining a comfortable and safe distance to avoid pushing this already volatile volcano over the edge.

“No need to pay me,” Chi Xiao said. “Just take responsibility for me.”

Ming Can: “I won’t take responsibility.”

The smile on Chi Xiao’s lips faded slightly. “Heartless, huh?”

“Yep, that’s just how I am,” Ming Can said, her confidence seemingly restored as she lifted her chin, her clear black-and-white eyes staring directly at him. “Why should I take responsibility?”

Chi Xiao looked at her for a moment, then gave a slight nod. “Alright.”

Ming Can: “I just… exercised a part of my future rights in advance. Is there a problem with that?”

Chi Xiao was taken aback. “What rights?”

Ming Can’s hands hung at her sides, clutching the hem of her clothes.

The sun hadn’t even risen yet, but her face was as red as if it had been bathed in sunlight. Her fair chin lifted slightly, as though she was extremely reluctant to explain but forced herself to answer his question:

“The right to hug you while sleeping.”

After saying this, her cheeks turned even redder, but her sharp, dark eyes grew more resolute, staring straight at Chi Xiao as she repeated, “Do you have a problem with that?”

Chi Xiao opened his mouth, first taking a sip of the cold morning air, then, with the corners of his eyes curving, replied, “No.”

“Good,” Ming Can said, turning around. “I’m going back to sleep.”

She walked out of the glass room without looking back, her back straight, her steps hurried. She didn’t take the elevator, instead heading straight for the stairs.

Chi Xiao stood in place for a while.

The morning light shone from behind him. Even in the depths of winter, the thin rays of sunlight made his back feel warm.

This morning was truly unbelievable.

He bent down to collect the items on the small round table, then carried them downstairs, placing the wine and glasses in the kitchen.

As he walked to the bedroom door and stepped inside, he ran into Ming Can, who was coming out.

“I wanted to check on Miaomiao,” Ming Can said quickly. “He’s still asleep, sleeping soundly.”

Chi Xiao raised an eyebrow. “Like me.”

Ming Can glared at him.

Although she had just said something incredibly bold to him, she was still nervous facing this person. Instinctively, she tried to create distance, wanting to quickly step past him and leave.

They stood in the doorway, just a few steps away from exiting the room.

Ming Can turned slightly, brushing past Chi Xiao.

In the next moment, an arm casually stretched out in front of her, holding a laptop. He placed it on the sideboard in the hallway with an air of nonchalance.

At the same time, he blocked her path.

Ming Can stared at his long arm, which seemed to be teasing her. His movements were deliberately slow, like a scene in slow motion. After placing the laptop on the sideboard, he carefully aligned it so that its edges were parallel with the cabinet.

Ming Can’s patience quickly wore thin.

This time, instead of confronting him head-on, she turned to go around him, planning to pass by his other side.

Just as she turned her back, her wrist was caught.

Miaomiao was still asleep, so Ming Can stifled the sound in her throat. With almost no effort, Chi Xiao flipped her around, and they were face to face, their breaths mingling, their chests nearly touching.

In the next moment, the arm that had grabbed her wrist slid around her waist, pulling her back, step by step, until they both tumbled onto the soft bed.

Their positions reversed, Ming Can let out a tiny gasp as the world seemed to spin around her. The tall man above her pressed her down, his overwhelming masculine scent and the soft, fluffy bedding enveloping her completely.

Her senses were instantly dominated by Chi Xiao. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, so loud it felt like it might shake her entire body.

“Returning the favor,” Chi Xiao murmured, his arm wrapped around her slender waist. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice hoarse as he said, “I’m just exercising my rights in advance too.”

“The right to hug you while sleeping.”