Every Friday after school, Lin Ci felt like she was reborn after a near-death experience.
To her teachers, she was the perfect student.
To her parents, the sweet and obedient daughter.
But only she knew—keeping up that image was exhausting.
And today?
Today was especially draining… mentally.
Only after collapsing into a warm, soothing bath did she finally let out a long, soul-deep sigh.
“What are they doing now?”
“Is Aunt really into Qin Sheng?”
“How does Qin Sheng get so friendly with people so fast?”
“Ugh! So annoying, so annoying!!”
Lin Ci shrieked while splashing water all over her face, desperately hoping to cool her overheated brain.
What she forgot was—splashing hot water on your face only heats it up more.
So she gave up fighting, slid down further, and dunked her entire body, head and all, under the surface.
“Blub blub blub…”
A string of bubbles floated up from the tub.
Next door.
Shen Xiyan stepped into his own bathroom, grateful for this rare moment of peace—like he’d stolen a quiet half-day from the chaos of life.
Warm mist lingered in the air, mixed with the faint scent of leftover body wash. As the water from the showerhead streamed over him, a strange restlessness began to rise.
It was weird—everyone used the same body wash, but the scent clung to girls so differently.
His aunt always left behind a fiery, heady fragrance.
Wenwen’s scent was light and fresh.
Qin Sheng’s?
It was like the mysterious aroma of a deep, secluded valley.
Especially Qin Sheng’s…
It had a faint, sensual undertone that was borderline indecent.
The more he sniffed, the more flustered he got. Shen Xiyan quickly twisted the knob to cold. Ice-cold water blasted out, shocking him into goosebumps.
Only then did the restlessness subside.
When he came out, his phone was lighting up on the sofa.
Lin Ci: [Are you asleep?]
Sent five minutes ago.
Shen Xiyan: [Just finished showering, about to sleep. What is it? Need your hair blown dry again?]
Lin Ci: [Forget it. It’s late, and with Qin Sheng staying in your room, it’s not convenient. You’re sleeping in the living room now?]
Shen Xiyan: [Yeah. Pretty sure I’ll wake up with a crick in my neck. Might have to just give in and sleep on the floor…]
Lin Ci: [Send me a photo. I want to see how tragic you look.]
Shen Xiyan: [???]
So he snapped a quick selfie of himself sprawled pathetically across the sofa.
The living room was small. The sofa, smaller.
It barely fit three people sitting side by side—lying down was pushing it.
Lin Ci: [Hey Xiyan, has anyone ever told you your eyes look like stars?]
Shen Xiyan: [What kind of question is that out of nowhere?]
Lin Ci: [Just answer. Yes or no?]
At first, he was going to say no.
But then… something came to mind.
He deleted it.
Shen Xiyan: [Yeah.]
Lin Ci: [Who? Qin Sheng?]
Shen Xiyan: [No.]
Lin Ci: [Then who? My aunt? Wenwen?]
That kind of flirtatious line… there was no way someone else had said it to Shen Xiyan.
Shen Xiyan: [Guess.]
Lin Ci: [I’m not guessing! Why don’t you come sleep at my place? Our sofa’s bigger.]
Shen Xiyan: [Yeah right. You think your dad’s gonna let a wolf into the house?]
Let’s be real.
That man was constantly guarding against Lin Ci falling into any kind of “early romance.”
He watched her like a hawk around other boys… and then doubled the surveillance when it came to Shen Xiyan.
Sometimes Shen Xiyan seriously wondered if this kind of high-pressure parenting was the reason Lin Ci might turn lesbian someday.
Like, what’s the big deal about puppy love?
Love comes in all kinds of forms—the most romantic being love at first sight.
But Lin Ci?
She wasn’t that type. She was rational. Sensible.
Winning her heart took time, bit by bit, until trust naturally formed.
Parents should’ve trusted her—relaxed the rules—and just watched her shoot down all the dumb boys who thought they stood a chance.
Which, to be fair, she did. All throughout freshman year, she turned down a lot of guys.
If someone’s really determined to date early, do you think a few “house rules” are gonna stop them?
Lin Ci: [Only way you’re not a stray dog is if you like girls. Otherwise—single dog forever.]
Shen Xiyan: [Excuse me, who are you calling a dog?]
Lin Ci: [Sneak out. Come here. I’ve got something for you.]
Shen Xiyan: [What is it?]
Lin Ci: [Don’t ask. Just come out!]
***
In the hallway—Creaaaak
Both their doors opened almost at the same time.
The vibe?
Totally stealthy. Like two people having a secret rendezvous.
Lin Ci had just showered too. Her skin glowed with warmth and moisture, her damp hair pulled into a high ponytail that hung over her shoulder.
Her features were delicate and stunning. Her bare neck was free of jewelry—simple, natural, and effortlessly sexy.
Shen Xiyan felt like he’d been hit with Cupid’s baseball bat.
He had this wild urge to bite her neck.
“Lin Ci, that ponytail is dangerous. Don’t go giving yourself death flags.”
He instinctively reached out to brush her hair aside.
Then froze when he saw the shocked look on her face, coughed awkwardly, and pulled his hand back.
“…So, what’s the thing?”
“A pillow!”
Flustered and red-faced, Lin Ci shoved a soft, luxurious pillow into his arms.
“This sofa’s way too short for a regular pillow. You’ll snap your neck for real. Try this one—it molds to your neck like magic. Super comfy.”
“Thanks.”
The pillow had a faint, soothing scent.
“Is this yours?”
Lin Ci blushed furiously. “N-not really…”
“No wonder it smells so good.”
Let’s be real—if a girl gave you something that close to her body, that’s a big deal.
“W-What nonsense are you saying?!”
It had been ages since Shen Xiyan saw her smile like that.
When Lin Ci smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, her delicate brows arched slightly.
She clearly didn’t want to laugh too hard—tried to act mad instead—scrunching her cute little nose… but eventually couldn’t hold it in.
“Okay, I’ll go back then?”
“Wait! Just now… were you flirting with me?”
Lin Ci blinked and pointed at her ponytail, wondering what to say.
If this were Qin Sheng, she’d definitely say something flirty right about now…
“I wasn’t!”
Shen Xiyan blurted.
“That’s not flirting! We’re friends. I saw your hair was messy, so I fixed it. Totally normal.”
“Really?”
Lin Ci tilted her head and stepped closer.
They were now very close.
The mix of citrus-scented body wash and her natural fragrance wrapped around him like a delicate mist—subtle, intoxicating, like aged wine.
And she was wearing a loose sleep dress.
From Shen Xiyan’s angle… yeah, a lot of skin was showing.
His eyes accidentally flicked downward and—whoa. Head rush.
Nope. Nope nope.
Dizzy from boobage. Abort mission.
Shen Xiyan turned his head and said, “Could you… maybe cover your chest?”
Lin Ci looked down.
Yep. Her sleep dress had slipped open. Two very white, very obvious… assets.
She looked back at Shen Xiyan’s flustered face, eyes wide in shock. All the irritation from earlier? Gone.
SLAM!
She shut the door in his face.
Inside, she clutched her chest, leaned against the door, and gasped for breath. Her heart was pounding like crazy, and her face was burning red.
Ding-dong.
Her phone buzzed.
Shen Xiyan: [Thanks for the pillow. You’re the first—and only—person who ever said my eyes look like stars. Every time… it’s you.]
Every time?
Lin Ci’s eyes widened.
She hadn’t even begun to process that when she clearly heard the sound of her own heartbeat.
…thump.
Thump.
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