Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Sweetheart! Can I come in?”
Lin Ci lightly patted her cheeks twice, took a deep breath, and quickly smoothed the hem of her dress.
“Come in…”
The door opened, and a middle-aged man walked in carrying a plate of freshly cut fruit, his face full of warm affection. “I cut up some fruit for you.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
“Why is your face so red?”
“I just got out of the shower—it’s too warm in here~~”
Lin Ci shifted awkwardly, her thighs instinctively squeezing together—only to end up smothering Shen Xiyan’s head beneath the desk.
The inner thighs are a sensitive and private area, something only someone very close would dare to touch. And worse yet, Shen Xiyan’s hair was tickling her in a maddening way.
The prim and proper young girl was blushing furiously. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, her face was burning, and her heart was racing like never before.
So intense!
Her little face turned a deep crimson, even her earlobes were pink. She nervously gripped her pen like she was on the verge of tears.
The man looked concerned. He reached out and gently touched her forehead.
“Who turns this red just from a shower? You’re not running a fever, are you?”
“No, no! I’m fine! You should go, I have homework to finish!”
“No rush. Let me talk to you for a bit. You came home with that boy next door again today, didn’t you?”
He sighed, clearly trying to be patient. “At your age, being around boys all the time doesn’t look great. Even the security guard at the gate asked me if my daughter is dating early. How am I supposed to answer that?”
“Just tell him the truth!”
Realizing that Shen Xiyan was still under the desk listening in, Lin Ci flushed even redder and covered her face in mortification.
“We’re in the same class, we live next door—how could we not walk home together?”
“And all that playful shoving on the way back?”
“We’ve been friends for years—are we not allowed to even talk?”
“Girls need to be more reserved, especially at your age… And you know his situation. Even if you were dating, would choosing him really be doing yourself any favors?”
“I get it! You’re so annoying! I said I’m not dating anyone! Just go!”
Lin Ci usually liked reasoning things out with her parents—but not today.
Not when Shen Xiyan’s head under the desk was driving her absolutely crazy…
And besides, what on earth was her dad even saying?
Couldn’t he see there was a boy in the room?!
Didn’t boys have pride too?
“I’m just saying—be careful. That kid looks at you in a way I don’t like. You’re too nice to him. He might get the wrong idea. With your personality, that’ll make things worse.”
“If you agree, it’s young love. If you reject him, even your friendship might be ruined.”
“I got it!! Please just go already!!”
“Alright, alright. Just don’t stay up too late after finishing your homework. No playing on your phone!”
Her father finally turned and left—but something still felt off to him.
Usually, by this point, his daughter would’ve leapt up and physically shoved him out the door. Why was she just sitting there dumbly today?
Was she really not feeling well?
Only after she heard the door to the master bedroom shut did Lin Ci finally relax.
“You can come out now!”
“My dad’s just like that—he doesn’t mean anything bad by it, don’t take it the wrong way. He’s always telling me how hard your life has been and how I should learn from you.”
“It’s okay.”
“Really okay?”
Lin Ci didn’t quite believe him.
Shen Xiyan smiled and reassured her again, “Really. It’s fine.”
He hadn’t cared about such things ten years ago—why would he now?
But to Lin Ci, that smile felt forced. Like he was only pretending to be fine so she wouldn’t feel guilty.
Her big eyes glistened with emotion as she stared at him, lost in thought. “Xiyan…”
“…Yeah?”
He tensed slightly.
Had he been found out?
If she figured it out now… he might really be a dead man.
“Have you… ever been under another girl’s skirt before…?”
Shen Xiyan froze, staring at her in disbelief.
What kind of ridiculous question was that?!
“What?! Of course not!”
“No, wait, that’s not what I meant—what I’m saying is, other than me, you absolutely must not randomly crawl under anyone else’s skirt! You’ll get beaten to death!”
“Oh? But I crawled under yours—am I not getting beaten to death for that?”
“…Good point.”
Lin Ci mulled it over. That did make sense.
Even if Shen Xiyan had already been under her skirt, that was… a special situation. And if he wanted to do it again in the future…
No! No!
Lin Ci, what are you thinking?!
You’re being bad!
“If there’s nothing else… I’ll head back now. You should go to sleep early.”
Shen Xiyan thought to himself: Looks like she still hasn’t realized?
Time to run. Fast. Don’t look back.
“Keep quiet. Don’t let my dad hear.”
“Got it.”
He let out a breath of relief, but halfway through crawling out, he remembered something and turned back, looking slightly troubled.
“There’s one more thing…”
“What is it?”
“I want to reject Qin Sheng, but I’m afraid she won’t let it go… So can you pretend to be my girlfriend in front of her? Just for a bit?”
“…”
Lin Ci didn’t even know what she was thinking.
But the moment she heard that, her mouth moved before her brain could catch up.
“Okay.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem! It’s nothing.”
That’s what she said.
But after Shen Xiyan left, Lin Ci quickly cupped her face with both hands to cool herself down.
She had naturally fair skin, and even the slightest rush of blood made her blush intensely. It wasn’t like she wanted to turn this red!
That had to be the most embarrassing moment of her life.
She walked into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on her face to calm down.
The fine strands of hair on her forehead were damp. Droplets clung to her blushing cheeks. Her lips were a natural rosy red.
The once-fresh and pretty girl in the mirror now had an even more enchanting look about her—pure, yet tinged with allure.
Back in her room, she had no mood for homework. Her inner thighs still tingled slightly from where Shen Xiyan’s hair had brushed against her.
She flopped onto her bed, pulling the blanket tightly over her head. Her bare legs dangled off the edge, swinging back and forth.
After nearly suffocating herself under the covers, she finally threw them off and stared up at the ceiling…
Lying spread-eagle, a silly grin slowly crept up her face, and she rolled over in delight.
If Shen Xiyan—who knew her well—had seen her just then, he would’ve known: Lin Ci was basking in her own quiet happiness.
She peeled off her clothes with practiced ease, revealing a body that could only be described as flawless.
Time for bed.
No one actually sleeps in a nightgown, right? Of course you wear just your…
Suddenly, she paused mid-motion.
Staring at her bare body, she froze.
She remembered—when she came out of the bathroom earlier, she couldn’t get herself completely dry.
Her underwear felt uncomfortable. So she… hadn’t put any on.
And just now… Shen Xiyan had been under the desk…
Her eyes glazed over.
She was ruined.
Her blood surged straight to her head, and her brain went completely blank.
It’s over. She was done for.
She wasn’t pure anymore. She couldn’t get married!
The human brain has a natural defense mechanism in the face of deep sorrow.
Which is probably why Lin Ci began frantically trying to console herself.
It was dark under the desk—maybe he couldn’t see?
She had just showered. Being naked was understandable. Shen Xiyan might get it?
Everyone’s probably been naked at home at some point, right?
Wait, no no no…
When Shen Xiyan crawled out from under the desk, his face was so calm. Maybe he didn’t notice anything at all?!
Lin Ci rolled back and forth on the bed, going over every detail in her head.
She didn’t sleep a wink that night.