As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Xiao looked deeply at Song Qiuyu by his side, a gentle smile tinged with self-mockery curling on his lips.
“Xi’er, you really are too much. How could you even forget something like that?”
Hearing this, Song Qiuyu’s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly couldn’t bring herself to look at Jiang Xiao.
So it really was an especially important moment for Jiang Xiao.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh.
He leaned closer and said in a low voice, “That was the moment you agreed to be my girlfriend.”
This answer wasn’t all that unexpected.
Song Qiuyu had guessed at many possibilities, and this answer just happened to be among them.
But perhaps because she got the answer too easily, she actually felt a little hesitant to fully believe it.
Then Song Qiuyu shifted herself a bit to the side, pinching her burning ear between her fingertips and rubbing it twice.
She turned her face and glanced at the person beside her, testingly saying, “You’re lying.”
“Yes, I’m lying. That time was actually when we first met.” Jiang Xiao laughed again.
“Starting today, I’m giving you a nickname: Haki Xiao the Shepherd!” Song Qiuyu frowned, gritted her teeth, and said fiercely.
Jiang Xiao didn’t respond, only continued to watch her with a smile.
Next, Song Qiuyu switched accounts, logging into Shen Xi’s, but this account no longer had any Little Red Dots from Jiang Xiao.
There were only unfamiliar game promotion Little Red Dots.
There probably wouldn’t be any more in the future, either.
Song Qiuyu quietly cleared those Little Red Dots, switched back to her main account, and was left with a lingering sense of loss she couldn’t shake.
『The Daily Routine Task is completely gone now.』
“Do you want me to keep sending messages?”
Jiang Xiao suddenly spoke up.
“DE?”
Song Qiuyu was stunned.
“If you want, I can keep going.”
Jiang Xiao’s expression grew serious.
“But I’ve been the only one sending messages for three years, Xi’er. This time, shouldn’t it be your turn to take the initiative?”
Hearing this, Song Qiuyu gripped her phone tighter.
Was there even anything to think about? Of course the answer should be—
—Tell Jiang Xiao not to send them anymore!
But she couldn’t say it. Instead, she thought fast, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “Alright, let’s start today. For one week.”
Jiang Xiao nodded gently, looking quite satisfied.
So, right after that, Jiang Xiao received a message from the person sitting next to him:
“Jiang Xiao, today’s Xi’er likes you very much too! Good night!” Attached was a photo of her fingers forming a heart.
Naturally, this photo had to have been taken by the sender right in front of him.
Jiang Xiao’s lips curled upward.
Song Qiuyu didn’t look at Jiang Xiao’s face; she turned away, pouting.
She could tell with her toes that he must be very pleased right now.
“You sleep on the inside, I’ll sleep on the outside.”
She set the arrangement and nudged the arm of the person next to her with her elbow.
The issue of inside or outside was important. If she slept inside and Jiang Xiao on the outside suddenly wanted to do something, she’d have no way to resist.
She didn’t think she had the strength to kick Jiang Xiao off the bed.
“Alright.”
Jiang Xiao agreed without hesitation.
The next moment, with a “ding,” Song Qiuyu received a reply from Jiang Xiao: “Xi’er, you’re so cute! Good night~” Also attached was a photo of fingers forming a heart.
After reading the message, Song Qiuyu pressed her lips tightly together, puffed up her cheeks, said nothing, and just pushed and urged Jiang Xiao to get into bed quickly.
As soon as the person on the inside lay down, she followed and lay down near the edge, sharing the same pillow.
She only dared to lie flat, closed her eyes, and let out a light sigh.
Only then did she allow herself to show how much the reply affected her, feeling both embarrassed and unable to endure it, clutching the blanket tightly with her small hand.
Her heart pounded wildly, and for no reason, a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction filled her, as if a missing piece in her heart had been effortlessly filled by that message.
The meaning behind this message seemed different from all their chats until now.
So nervous!
The bed in the Rental Apartment’s bedroom was a single bed. When she slept alone, it was spacious enough, but now that Jiang Xiao was sleeping inside, it suddenly felt much narrower.
In this situation, sleeping on her side would be better, but whether she faced away from Jiang Xiao or toward him, neither seemed like the best choice.
With nervousness and unease, Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but take a few breaths of Jiang Xiao’s scent.
She didn’t dare look at the person beside her, nor confess that this scent, like the poppy flower, made her addicted.
If she didn’t find a solution soon, tonight might be a sleepless night!
At that moment, with a creak, Jiang Xiao seemed to sit up from the bed and leaned over toward her.
“Uh….”
The masculine scent poured over her, pressing Song Qiuyu until she could barely breathe, her heart racing madly.
With her eyes closed, her mind started running wild on its own.
Jiang Xiao hadn’t just been deceived by her for six years, but had been enduring for six years because of her.
Maybe Jiang Xiao just wanted to trick her into bringing him to bed.
Aren’t all men like that, acting all well-behaved on the surface!
If she really let down her guard, Jiang Xiao would surely seize her and do a thorough investigation of her weaknesses.
Jiang Xiao would aim for her most vulnerable spots, making up for the past six years’ worth of missed opportunities….
Yet, it was all her own fault—no matter how she was treated, she’d probably have to cry and accept it.
[Xi’er, you’re so pure………]
Jiang Xiao would watch her as she fell apart, and say that.
Her mind automatically translated that to, “Song Qiuyu, you’re so dumb.”
Song Qiuyu struggled with herself for a while, but finally summoned her courage and opened her eyes.
Then, she saw that Jiang Xiao was only carefully tucking in the corners of their blanket for both of them.
After making sure it was snug, he quietly lay back down, covering them both.
Huh?
At that moment, her pupils dilated slightly, unable to believe it.
After recalling all those bullying thoughts, her face flushed scarlet, and even her breath grew scalding hot.
She didn’t care about anything else anymore, simply turned onto her side and presented her back to Jiang Xiao.
She shut her eyes tightly, starting a round of self-reflection. Yet, the more she reflected, the more it seemed like her own ideas fit the current situation perfectly!
This was just what Jiang Xiao would want to do, what he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from doing.
But then she fell into brief confusion—was it really only Jiang Xiao who wanted this, or did she, possibly suffering from skin hunger herself, also want it?
Song Qiuyu fell silent.
But it was only a short silence before she took the initiative to speak: “Jiang Xiao, can you fall asleep?”
It was just a girlfriend’s caring question for her boyfriend, with absolutely no other meaning.
“Not really.”
Jiang Xiao’s voice was a little hoarse.
Hearing this, Song Qiuyu was partly reassured, but still a little uneasy. Contradictory thoughts churned in her mind.
She glanced back at him from the corner of her eye, thinking Jiang Xiao would probably be tossing and turning all night.
She felt a pang of guilt and reached back with her small hand.
“Then how about I give you my hand, you hold it and try to sleep?”
“Mm, I’ll try.”
“You don’t need to squeeze so tightly.”
Her small hand was held tight without hesitation, and Song Qiuyu’s body tensed up, toes pointed, as she gritted her teeth and said.
But at least she wasn’t the only nervous one on the bed right now—what a relief.
Turns out this pure-hearted young virgin really was pure-hearted!
Jiang Xiao didn’t have the nerve!
Feeling at ease, Song Qiuyu’s lips curled up, and before long, she drifted off to sleep.
But not long after she fell asleep, perhaps uncomfortable, she shifted restlessly under the covers and turned over.
And when she turned over, her delicate nose nearly brushed against the solid chest of the person beside her.
At this moment, Jiang Xiao wasn’t sleeping—not only was he not asleep, he was propping his head up with one hand, lying on his side, watching her quietly.
When the girl he cared for suddenly turned to face him, he paused, then his gaze deepened.
Right now, Song Qiuyu definitely didn’t know what he was thinking.
He was thinking about how he could bring this pitiful girl, who’d have to spend the New Year alone this year, back home with him to celebrate.
If he said it first, Song Qiuyu would definitely refuse.
Maybe, when she’s caught off guard, he could interrupt her spell of “I refuse” and just carry her home.
That might… be worth trying?
Just then, the sleeping Song Qiuyu started restlessly burying her whole face against his solid chest, rubbing her cheek against the soft pajamas.
Jiang Xiao lowered his eyes, enjoying this touch that felt like both torture and reward, not daring to move at all.
“Mm….”
Then, for some reason, Song Qiuyu suddenly raised one long leg.
Little Yellow Chicken’s pajama pants slipped down, revealing most of her fair calf, her little bare foot floating in the air.
With a gentle move, she pinned his waist between the bed and her thigh.
Jiang Xiao suddenly remembered something deadly important.
Song Qiuyu’s sleeping posture was terrible.
Was she using him as a body pillow again?
He watched as Song Qiuyu mumbled something indistinctly, guiding his hand toward the hem of her Little Yellow Chicken pajama top.
Jiang Xiao’s breath hitched.
“So stuffy…”
Half-asleep, Song Qiuyu just felt her chest was unbearably tight.
Feeling stifled, her delicate brows furrowed, and fine sweat broke out on her forehead.
Her sweet, soft voice grew a bit clearer.
Push.
The feeling of restraint and stuffiness needed to be relieved. Guided by instinct, she placed her hand on her chest and gently pressed.
Fortunately, what she wanted to do was easily done, and afterward she didn’t bother to return to her original sleeping position.
The tightness in her chest was gone, making her much more comfortable.
Relaxing even more, she hugged the warmth beside her tightly.
Song Qiuyu greedily hugged him, breathing in that soothing, addictive scent.
For some reason, even though the stuffy feeling faded, a tingling numbness seemed to linger, as if low-voltage electricity gently passed through her.
She couldn’t say what this feeling was. Sleeping deeply, she only instinctively clung to it.
Then, she dimly sensed that the thing she was holding twitched, tightening slightly, intensifying the tingling.
Instantly, her lips parted and she let out a soft, mosquito-like hum.
Jiang Xiao’s gaze darkened.
The girl in his arms, half her clothes slipped, exposing fair skin, was a sight hard to resist.
He almost couldn’t keep from giving her a gentle pinch.
The hand she’d grabbed was now somewhere it definitely shouldn’t be, sending sparks through his nerves.
Rather than a reward, this really was torture.
How was he supposed to explain this scene tomorrow?
Even though Xi’er had moved his hand herself.
“Xi’er, you’re so naughty…”
Jiang Xiao chuckled softly, helplessly, supporting his head with one large hand, letting her pin him between her thigh and the bed.
When Song Qiuyu opened her eyes again, what she saw naturally wasn’t the ceiling, but Jiang Xiao’s solid chest!
“Mm?”
Half-asleep, she squinted, wanting to make sure, and gave it a squeeze.
“Xi’er, that’s your boyfriend’s chest. Be gentle!”
“……”
Song Qiuyu blinked blankly, looking up into Jiang Xiao’s gentle, smiling eyes.
She froze, and her pupils instantly widened.