After dinner, Yu Qian originally wanted to go home and sleep, but it was simply too cold there.

Houses were strange things. No matter how often they were cleaned and aired out, as long as no one lived in them, they would quickly exude a kind of aging chill that could never truly be dispelled.

This was especially true in the south, where the indoor temperature was often lower than outside. Even with the heater or air conditioning on, warmth didn’t come easily.

If she were alone, she could crash at any of her friends’ places. But now, there were four of them.

So, Yu Qian decided that it was best for everyone to stay at a hotel.

Then……

A disagreement arose over how many rooms to book. Naturally, the ones at odds were Jiang Zheng and Lin Niannian.

Lin Niannian had always stayed in single rooms when traveling, but since Yu Qian was there this time, she was eager to experience what it was like to share a room with another girl and have late-night chats. She strongly insisted on bunking with Yu Qian.

Jiang Zheng was immediately displeased.

His girlfriend— whom even he hadn’t slept with yet— why should she share a room with Lin Niannian?

If they really ended up in the same room, he wouldn’t even have the chance to sneak over and do something.

So, he firmly stated that either everyone got their own room, or he and Yu Qian should share one.

Yu Qian, caught between the two as they argued, turned red from Jiang Zheng’s blatant remarks.

Bai Qiming, watching coldly from the side, finally lost patience. Without a word, he went straight to the front desk and booked four separate rooms, deliberately choosing two rooms on the fifth floor and two on the sixth.

When they received their room keys, Lin Niannian shot Jiang Zheng an angry glare before dragging Yu Qian upstairs to the sixth floor without looking back.

Even when they reached their room, Lin Niannian wasn’t ready to give up. She pulled Yu Qian inside with her.

Yu Qian didn’t mind sleeping with another girl. She had often shared beds with Qi Yu and the others before.

But Lin Niannian wasn’t used to it. In the dorm, she always slept with earplugs and an eye mask. Now, after her initial excitement over chatting with Yu Qian faded, sleepiness hit her, yet she found herself unable to sleep soundly.

Yu Qian chuckled helplessly, said goodnight, and went to the room next door.

The moment she entered, she checked her phone. There were over a dozen messages from Jiang Zheng, sent intermittently over the past hour and a half, all asking what she was doing and whether she was sharing a room with Lin Niannian.

Just as she was scrolling through them, another message popped up.

【Asleep?】

Yu Qian pursed her lips slightly and replied with amusement, 【Nope, just left Niannian’s room.】

Seeing her finally respond, Jiang Zheng perked up. But as soon as he read her message, he felt a pang of jealousy.

His girlfriend was spending time with someone else instead of him.

Jiang-Jealous-Zheng was just about to initiate a video call when he caught sight of himself in the mirror.

He had just taken a shower, and his hair was still damp.

Since he disliked using hotel towels, he was currently wearing his own white T-shirt and a pair of black shorts. The room’s air conditioning was on full blast, so he didn’t feel cold.

Jiang Zheng stood in front of the mirror, a sly smile forming on his lips.

He put down his phone, grabbed the hem of his T-shirt, and pulled it over his head in one smooth motion. He was confident in his physique.

Then, just like that, he called her— shirtless.

Yu Qian saw the video call and answered without thinking.

“Jiang— W-where’s your shirt?!” Yu Qian stammered, staring at the glaring expanse of bare skin in the video.

“I just showered. Didn’t feel like wearing one.” Jiang Zheng spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Then, with deliberate intent, he tilted his phone slightly downward— just enough for her to see more.

“Gulp.” Yu Qian swallowed involuntarily. She felt like she was about to get a nosebleed.

Why was he doing this to her so late at night?!

Her gaze trailed down along Jiang Zheng’s toned torso, stopping at his abs.

Hmm. She had already confirmed this in photos before. Jiang Zheng did have abs. Not an eight-pack, but six solid ones. And they looked particularly enticing.

She wondered if they felt firm to the touch.

“Little Fish, do you want to know if I’m wearing pants?” Jiang Zheng’s voice was like a siren’s call, luring her in.

She did!

Yu Qian blinked at the screen, silent for a long moment before she forced herself to say, “It’s cold. Put your shirt on, or you’ll catch a cold.”

“You really don’t want to see?” Jiang Zheng teased again.

Yu Qian felt herself wavering.

To prevent herself from actually running downstairs to see for herself, she hastily ended the call with trembling fingers.

Seeing the call cut off, the screen returning to the chat interface, Jiang Zheng sighed in disappointment. He hadn’t expected Yu Qian to hold out so well against temptation.

Unlike him, Yu Qian didn’t even have to reveal anything, and he already wanted to cling to her.

Jiang Zheng shook his head, feeling unwilling to give up. He sent her another message.

【Jiang Zheng: I heard a guy’s bed is naturally thirty degrees warm.】

【Yu Qian: ?】

【Jiang Zheng: So, do you want to come warm up in mine?】

Ahhhhhh!!!, Yu Qian shrieked internally and threw her phone away like it was burning her fingers.

Jiang Zheng was a devil— always trying to drag her down with him.

And the worst part? She totally fell for it.

Mom, I’m sorry. At this rate, I might not be able to hold out much longer.
It wasn’t that her willpower was weak. It was just that Jiang Zheng was way too tempting.

Burying her face in the blankets, Yu Qian groaned. Her mind was full of Jiang Zheng’s words and the image of what she had just seen.

Honestly…… she really wanted to reach out and touch him.

But she was afraid of the consequences.

Jiang Zheng, seeing no response from Yu Qian, sighed regretfully.

Should he go upstairs to find her?

He thought about it but ultimately decided against it. After all, they still had three days of alone time ahead. No rush.

With that in mind, Jiang Zheng finally picked up his shirt, put it back on, and turned on the hairdryer.

He had a date with Yu Qian. He couldn’t afford to catch a cold. Otherwise, all these days of good springtime^[1]a sight of something sexy or erotic; an indication of a love affair fun would be wasted.

────ρя


That night, under Jiang Zheng’s influence, Yu Qian had a rather indescribable dream.

In it, Jiang Zheng lay on a bed looking utterly vulnerable, letting her do whatever she wanted. The two of them tangled together, and in the end, Jiang Zheng even took her hand and guided it downward……

Of course, she never actually saw anything in the dream.

After all, she had never seen ‘that’ in real life before. How could her imagination conjure up what it should look like?

Jolting awake from the dream, Yu Qian lay in bed, completely done with life.

She wasn’t sure whether she felt unsatisfied or if she just wanted to escape from her shameful thoughts.

So, she pulled out her phone and quietly played the heart-cleansing mantra.

Even though deep down, she had a feeling she wouldn’t last until marriage, she still wanted to hold out for as long as she could.

At least then, she could tell herself she had ‘tried’ to resist.

Yu Qian’s approach to life was always so lazy and self-deceptive.