Wei Xiaochi’s lips were briefly touched by another pair, a light, fleeting contact like a dragonfly skimming the surface of water, before pulling away.

His eyes widened in shock, staring at the alpha in front of him. His fingers trembled as they touched his own lips.

Jiang Zhan took a sharp breath, then grabbed Wei Xiaochi’s hand, which was still resting on his lips, and pressed it against his own, rubbing it heavily across his own mouth.

“Next time, if you don’t wake me up, I… I’ll just put lipstick on you like this.”

Jiang Zhan said it in a threatening manner, but his ears were flushed, and the redness seemed to be spreading down to his neck.

Wei Xiaochi, flustered, dared not look at him. He lowered his eyes, his heart racing wildly in his chest.

Jiang Zhan rolled off Wei Xiaochi and sat at the foot of the bed, silently gripping the sheets.

Wei Xiaochi’s mind was in a state of chaos as he slowly sat up.

They were both positioned far apart, one at the foot of the bed, the other at the head, each with their back turned to the other. Neither of them looked back, and no words were spoken.

The room was deathly silent.

Jiang Zhan was the first to break the silence. “What time is it?”

Clearly, all he had to do was turn his head to see the electronic clock on the nightstand, but he still asked Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi’s brain felt foggy, so he just answered whatever came to mind. “Ten twenty-seven.”

Jiang Zhan dug into the sheets harder. “Have you ever liked someone… besides me?”

Wei Xiaochi’s blood surged, and his lips opened and closed in a futile attempt to speak. In the end, all he could say was, “N-no.”

Jiang Zhan’s lips involuntarily curved upward, and his long fingers tapped the sheets, as if poking at a pink bubble that had popped up. A light, indescribable joy filled his heart.

“I haven’t either,” he said.

Then, realizing something, Jiang Zhan corrected himself, “I mean, I haven’t liked anyone.”

After a pause, he poked the sheets again and added, “I haven’t, ever.”

Wei Xiaochi didn’t know why the conversation had gone this way. His mind was in complete disarray, and he couldn’t sit still. His thoughts were all over the place, and he was completely unable to think.

Jiang Zhan asked again, “Have you… kissed anyone?”

He immediately blushed deeply.

Wei Xiaochi’s ears felt like they were on fire, almost burning him. He waved his hand twice in a daze and instinctively shook his head.

After shaking his head twice, Wei Xiaochi quickly stopped himself. He didn’t answer Jiang Zhan’s question.

But whether Jiang Zhan had seen him shake his head or just assumed he hadn’t, he mumbled softly, “I haven’t either.”

And so, Wei Xiaochi’s mind became even more scrambled, now filled with the three big questions of life:

“Who am I?”

“Where am I?”

“What am I doing?”

As Wei Xiaochi spiraled into confusion, he suddenly heard Jiang Zhan say, “So you got a big bargain.”

“…”

“???”

“!!!”

Wei Xiaochi couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

Wei Xiaochi and Jiang Zhan sat in silence from ten twenty-seven until eleven o’clock, the awkwardness between them only slightly fading.

Jiang Zhan got up to look for Song Langlang, but the little kid had run back to her room and locked the door.

Jiang Zhan opened the door with a key and found her already asleep, lying in a rather unflattering position.

She had probably snuck under the covers to hide and had fallen asleep without realizing it, resulting in a rather creative sleeping posture.

Jiang Zhan adjusted Song Langlang’s body, carefully placing her small hands and feet back under the covers, before turning off the light and leaving the room.

When he came back, Wei Xiaochi had already gone to bed. The pillow that Song Langlang had pushed aside was now properly placed in the center. The omega’s back was turned to him, so his expression was unclear.

Jiang Zhan, dissatisfied, fiddled with the pillow and climbed back into bed.

The room was once again plunged into darkness. The night seemed like Wei Xiaochi’s protective color, allowing him to breathe a little easier.

Today had been so awkward. Although it didn’t top the last time when he was snapped in the hospital bathroom, it certainly ranked as the second most embarrassing moment of the year for Wei Xiaochi.

Jiang Zhan had kissed him. It was such an unbelievable, fantastical thing.

Even though the kiss had been somewhat threatening and didn’t really count as a kiss, Wei Xiaochi had never experienced such intimacy with anyone. His heart was still racing uncontrollably.

Wei Xiaochi couldn’t fall asleep, but he didn’t dare move either. He just stayed in one position.

He didn’t know how much time passed, but the person beside him moved, seemingly brushing against him unintentionally. Wei Xiaochi’s temples throbbed.

His heart, which had just calmed down, was in chaos again, but he ignored Jiang Zhan and pretended to be asleep with his eyes closed.

The conversation with Jiang Zhan earlier had been unbearably awkward. He was afraid that if they continued talking, the young master might say something even more shocking.

His hand was brushed against again, but Wei Xiaochi didn’t respond.

Jiang Zhan seemed to want to confirm whether he was asleep. He suddenly leaned in, almost face to face with him, staring at him.

Wei Xiaochi used all his acting skills, keeping his eyes shut and his breathing steady. Eventually, he managed to fool the alpha, and Jiang Zhan lay back down.

Before Wei Xiaochi could relax, Jiang Zhan suddenly tossed the pillow to the floor and grabbed the silk blanket beneath him, slowly pulling it toward himself.

The distance between them grew smaller, the sheet tilting along with it.

“…”

Just when it seemed like he would press up against Jiang Zhan, the alpha stopped, watching Wei Xiaochi for a while.

Seeing that Wei Xiaochi hadn’t woken up, Jiang Zhan seemed to relax. He got out of bed, moved to Wei Xiaochi’s side, and straightened the sheet.

Wei Xiaochi, sensing the shift, began to move back toward the center. Jiang Zhan paused, furrowed his brow, and yanked the blanket, pulling Wei Xiaochi back to his side. He then went to the other side to straighten the sheet, erasing any evidence of what had happened.

Back and forth, Jiang Zhan continued his efforts, and Wei Xiaochi was shuffled around, first to the left with the sheet, then to the right with the blanket.

A few times, Wei Xiaochi felt like he couldn’t keep up the act anymore, but every time that thought crossed his mind, Jiang Zhan would lean over to check on him.

Wei Xiaochi could only keep his eyes shut and pretend to sleep.

He didn’t know how long Jiang Zhan had been messing with the sheets, but seeing his persistence, Wei Xiaochi started to feel a little guilty.

When Jiang Zhan was straightening the sheet again, Wei Xiaochi cooperated by shifting slightly, allowing him to finally smooth it out.

Jiang Zhan climbed back into bed, pulling Wei Xiaochi’s blanket tighter around himself. He seemed satisfied, hugging the omega and rubbing his face against his shoulder before moving up to his chin.

Wei Xiaochi felt like a fresh fish being sniffed by a greedy, proud cat.

At this point, he couldn’t bear to “wake up,” keeping his body stiff as Jiang Zhan nuzzled against him.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhan didn’t do anything too excessive and eventually found a comfortable spot, staying still.

Once Jiang Zhan settled, Wei Xiaochi still couldn’t sleep. He lay there in a daze until about one or two in the morning before finally drifting off.

The next morning, when Wei Xiaochi woke up, he was still in Jiang Zhan’s arms, the position just as intimate as when they had slept together the first night.

Soon after, Jiang Zhan slowly woke up, quickly letting go of Wei Xiaochi, and, like last time, preemptively accused him.

“What are you looking at? It’s not like you were the one lying here…”

Wei Xiaochi interrupted him, whispering, “I wasn’t looking.”

Jiang Zhan looked at him, seeing that he was still keeping his head down. He swallowed his words and awkwardly asked, “Why weren’t you looking?”

“…”

Maybe because I know it was you who dragged me here?

But Wei Xiaochi couldn’t bring himself to say such a blunt truth, especially since Jiang Zhan was the type to claim the cat was the one bothering him when he pet it.

After everything—Jiang Zhan kissing him, then sneaking into his bed in the middle of the night—Wei Xiaochi couldn’t help but wonder in his mind.

Could Jiang Zhan…?