Lin Ting slept straight through until the afternoon of the next day, desperately making up for the sleep she lost last night.
Today happened to be a day with no classes, so there was no rush to get back to school.
When she woke up, Lin Ting found her body feeling dry and clean, without the slimy residue from last night—probably because Duan Ling had helped wipe her down.
On the bedside cabinet, there was a neatly folded clean white T-shirt—it was Duan Ling’s.
The weather had turned cold, but the room had heating, so wearing a T-shirt wasn’t uncomfortable.
Lin Ting reached out and slowly put on the white T-shirt. The shirt gradually covered her bare body, its length just reaching her thighs—no need for pants.
Although they had only just truly made love last night, Lin Ting had already stayed over at Duan Ling’s place many times after they confirmed their relationship.
They just slept in separate rooms.
Every time she stayed overnight, she wore Duan Ling’s clothes while waiting for her own to dry, never bringing an extra set to avoid leaving any intimate clothing behind that others might find—hard to explain.
After all, she wasn’t the only one who came to Duan Ling’s place; Jin Anazi and Xie Qinghe were also his friends and came over too.
Better safe than sorry.
There was still a lingering scent in the room, a mix of musk and sweetness. Lin Ting breathed it in and couldn’t help but recall last night—Duan Ling’s lips, tongue, and fingers were so skillful, teasing her nerves from below.
Lin Ting shook her head to stop thinking about it and decided to go brush her teeth and wash her face.
She got out of bed and took a few steps but felt a distinct bloated and tingling sensation in her lower abdomen, as if Duan Ling hadn’t quite left her yet.
Just as she reached the door, it was pushed open from outside. She looked up to see Duan Ling standing there, his slender, fair hand gripping the doorknob.
He curved his eyes in a smile: “You’re awake.”
Lin Ting yawned lazily: “Is there anything to eat? I’m hungry.” She didn’t mention last night’s events—she had long known about his high sex drive, but she just couldn’t keep up at the time, so she kicked him off the bed halfway through the night.
She couldn’t be blamed.
She was too tired, but Duan Ling kept moving, and she couldn’t fall asleep, so she had no choice but to kick him off.
Duan Ling didn’t bring up last night either. He gently brushed the stray hair off her cheek and tied it back with a hair tie, making it easier for her to go brush her teeth and wash up. “I made a few dishes you like, but they’ve gone cold. I’ll warm them up for you.”
She stretched lazily while heading out, the hem of the T-shirt lifting and revealing a few bite marks on the outside of her thigh.
“Alright, I’ll go brush my teeth and wash up first.”
It was a little past three in the afternoon when the “exhausted” Lin Ting finally ate her first meal of the day.
Duan Ling sat across from her, calmly ladling a bowl of lotus root pork rib soup: “Eat slowly. Eating too fast isn’t good for your stomach.”
Lin Ting looked at the soup he handed her and, unexpectedly, the word “model husband” popped into her mind.
She took a sip and was surprised to find the taste exactly the same as the lotus root pork rib soup Li Jingqiu used to make. “Hmm?”
He noticed her unspoken question: “I messaged Aunt Li to ask how to make the soup.”
“You actually asked my mom?”
Lin Ting had thought Duan Ling looked it up online, but on second thought, everyone’s soup cooking time, ingredients, and water amounts vary slightly, so it’s hard to get the exact same taste. The fact he could make this soup meant he had definitely asked Li Jingqiu for the recipe.
She hadn’t had lotus root pork rib soup for a while, so she drank several more sips, then picked up a braised chicken leg and asked, “Did my mom ask why you wanted to learn how to make lotus root pork rib soup?”
He skillfully pulled out some napkins and wiped the oil off the corner of her mouth: “She did.”
Lin Ting threw away the chicken bone, her stomach finally feeling a bit full, but she still finished the remaining chicken leg. “What did you say?”
Duan Ling put the napkins down on the table: “I said I just wanted to drink it. I haven’t told Aunt Li about us yet, so don’t worry.”
She gave him a thumbs-up.
He casually asked, “When do you plan to tell them about our relationship?”
Lin Ting thought seriously for a few seconds. They had been dating for several months, but not yet a year. She intended to wait until their one-year anniversary before telling her parents and friends, wanting to be fully prepared mentally: “I want to wait a little longer. Do you want to tell them soon?”
Duan Ling smiled faintly: “Not really. You tell them whenever you want; after all, we have plenty of time ahead.”
She continued sipping her soup.
He picked up the ladle and poured the remaining soup into her bowl: “Are you going back to school today?”
Lin Ting was fully stuffed and put down her bowl and chopsticks, wiping her mouth herself: “Yes, but I’ll go after dinner. I plan to study and review at the school library tomorrow. For some reason, I can’t focus on studying in the dormitory sometimes.”
“What time will you go to the library tomorrow?”
Lin Ting checked the time: “I’ll have breakfast at the Cafeteria at eight-thirty… probably go to the library around nine. If I don’t have an early eight o’clock class, I usually wake up at eight or nine.”
Duan Ling said casually, “I’ll go to the library to review tomorrow too. Together?”
“Sure.”
Suddenly, Lin Ting’s phone rang—Duan Xinning called her on WeChat video. Lin Ting instinctively wanted to answer but remembered she was not only at Duan Ling’s place but also wearing his T-shirt.
So Lin Ting hung up and messaged Xinning, saying she wasn’t convenient for a video call and asked her to send a text instead.
Xinning replied instantly, asking where she was and if she had gone to the library to study.
Lin Ting: I’m outside, what’s up?
Lin Ting didn’t want Xinning to know she often came alone to Duan Ling’s place, so she just said “outside.” Previously, when she went to Duan Ling’s, there were always others there. Now it was different.
Xinning: I bought some food for your dorm. Want to eat together? When will you be back? Attached a dog waiting emoji.
She showed Duan Ling her phone screen.
“Xinning’s at my dorm, I have to head back.” The plan had changed—she had intended to finish dinner here before returning to school.
Duan Ling walked toward the balcony.
“It’s cold now, and there’s not much sun, so your clothes probably aren’t dry yet.”
“Even if they’re not dry, it doesn’t matter. You have a dryer here, right? Just dry them. How long will it take?” Lin Ting replied to Xinning, “I’ll be back soon. Wait for me.”
Duan Ling realized Lin Ting was determined to go back early to see Xinning and wouldn’t brush her off. He took her clothes and went to dry them: “About thirty minutes.”
Thirty minutes later, Lin Ting changed back into her own clothes in front of Duan Ling. They had already done everything—he had kissed every inch of her body—there was no need to avoid him now.
After changing, Lin Ting put on her shoes. Duan Ling walked to the door to see her off downstairs.
Before leaving, Lin Ting’s eyes lingered on the faint lingering redness at the corner of his eyes and the barely faded teeth marks at the corner of his lips. Last night, Duan Ling’s pace had been so fast that she was overstimulated and bit him uncontrollably.
It didn’t hurt—it felt good.
She shook the lewd image from her mind and cleared her throat: “No need to see me off. I’ll message you when I get to school.”
Duan Ling caught her gaze and knew why she didn’t want him to see her off. He didn’t insist.
“Alright.”
The winter day quickly passed. Lin Ting curled up on the small bed in the dorm and didn’t want to get up to go study in the library. But seeing her roommates getting up one after another to brush their teeth and wash their faces, all with a “I will work hard, no failing” attitude, she gritted her teeth and got up too.
Lin Ting didn’t wear makeup and got ready in under ten minutes, wrapping herself in a down jacket before heading out.
Just outside the dorm building, she saw Duan Ling.
Snowflakes landed beside him, making him look like a snowman, even whiter than usual.
She glanced toward the stairs and saw her roommates hadn’t come down yet. She ran over and grabbed Duan Ling’s hand to warm it: “Have you been waiting long?”
A snowflake landed on Lin Ting’s hair. Duan Ling lifted his other hand to brush it away: “Not long. Which Cafeteria do you want to eat breakfast at?”
Lin Ting didn’t think much: “The one we went to a few days ago.”
After breakfast, they went to the library to study. When Lin Ting got tired, she rested her head on the table and closed her eyes for a bit. Duan Ling sat beside her, occasionally flipping a page. His voice was soft and comforting.
After resting enough, Lin Ting opened her eyes. Duan Ling’s profile appeared in her vision. The teeth marks on the corner of his lips had faded completely.
She hooked her finger.
Duan Ling’s gaze shifted from the book to her, and he asked quietly, “Want to go back to the dorm?”
The library was quiet. Even sitting in a corner, Lin Ting lowered her voice: “No, I want to study until evening before going back.”
Suddenly, someone lightly tapped her shoulder from behind: “Tingting, Er Ge, did you two plan to come study together today? Why didn’t you invite me? Are you abandoning me?”
Lin Ting, feeling guilty, immediately let go of Duan Ling’s hand and turned to look at Duan Xinning.
Due to the angle, Xinning didn’t see Lin Ting hooking Duan Ling’s finger under the table, pulling a chair over to sit on her left side.
She gave Duan Ling a look: “We didn’t plan it. It was a coincidence.”
Duan Ling let Lin Ting say whatever she wanted.
“Such a coincidence.” Xinning didn’t doubt it—she had indeed run into them at the library. She didn’t ask more, invited them to have dinner with her tonight, and quietly returned to her reading.
Exam week ended, and winter break began. Every university’s winter break started at different times. This time, Lin Ting didn’t take the high-speed train back with Jin Anazi and the others; she returned home with Duan Ling and Xinning first.
It was cold. Lin Ting stayed home as much as possible after returning. Of course, “not going out” only meant not leaving the compound. When she got bored playing on her phone at home, she would slip over to Duan Ling’s place.
Li Jingqiu was used to it. Even if she wasn’t home at night, she wouldn’t look for her.
Duan Ling’s room had a projector. Lin Ting often used the excuse of watching movies to enter his room. Once the door was closed, they kissed passionately, clothes falling everywhere, the movie sound and Duan Ling’s low moans alternating, making her ears go soft.
Lin Ting had secretly watched adult films before and heard other men’s moans, but none like Duan Ling’s. It was as if she controlled the dominant position, even though he was the one moving vigorously.
Time flew, and it was New Year’s Eve.
Lin Ting, as a college student, could still receive red envelopes. After collecting the red envelopes from the elders, she immediately dragged Duan Xinning to the street corner to buy fireworks to set off at the entrance of their compound.
Their place was quite far from the city center, so fireworks were allowed.
Xinning was the kind of person who wanted to play with fireworks but was afraid the sparks would splash on her. She held the sparkler with her hand stretched out long, body a bit stiff but smiling.
“Tingting, take a picture for me.”
Xia Zimo asked Xinning to send him photos of the fireworks during New Year’s Eve.
“Alright.” Lin Ting took out her phone and snapped over a dozen beautiful shots of Xinning with fireworks, then opened WeChat private chat and sent them all: “Sent them to you on WeChat.”
Lin Ting set off a spinning firework, watching it whirl madly on the ground, sparks flying everywhere. Then she shouted toward Duan Ling’s house, “Duan Ling, come down and play fireworks with us.”
Within two minutes, Duan Ling came downstairs.
Lin Ting handed him a sparkler and lit it with a lighter: “Take two steps forward, I’ll take a picture of you.”
Duan Ling stepped forward, the sparkler’s sparks blooming brightly, illuminating his face, his features suddenly clear.
She quickly snapped a few photos.
The photos turned out great, and Lin Ting nodded in satisfaction, signaling Duan Ling to come back. She then lit ten spinning fireworks, igniting one to spin and brush against the next, making the fireworks continuous.
The fireworks blazed brilliantly, the light and shadow stunning. Just as Lin Ting wanted to take more photos, Duan Ling bent down and kissed her, gently prying open her lips.
“Tingting, Er Ge, come look at the fireworks!”
Xinning called to them.
No response. She turned around to look.
One second before Xinning looked back, Duan Ling had left Lin Ting’s side, lightly spinning the sparkler as if nothing had happened.
Lin Ting’s lips still held the warmth of his kiss.