Chapter 255: I'll Do It Myself

The bedroom lighting is much softer than in the Living Room; the warm yellow light hits the wooden floor and the wardrobe mirror, casting a delicate luster, creating an atmosphere that is both quiet and ambiguous.

Jessica stands before the wardrobe, her fingertips lightly brushing over the wardrobe doors, the scent of faint perfume and the fresh smell of fabric lingering at her nose.

Then her gaze wanders back and forth inside, looking at the rows of nightgowns hanging neatly within, almost all of them being camisole or extremely revealing styles, and the colors are mostly light-toned, looking both thin and provocative.

So she flips through a few at random; the fabric is light and silky, the cool touch transmitting through her fingertips, making Jessica subconsciously pull her hand back.

At the same time, her mind uncontrollably conjures up what she herself would look like if she wore these dresses.

That image is so clear it makes her heart heat up.

If she were alone, she might not care, and would just pick any one to throw on.

But now...

Thinking of this, Jessica cannot help but turn her face, her peripheral vision stealing a glance at Lin Xiuyuan standing to the side.

In that instant, the awkward memory from the afternoon flashes through her mind; the image of her being forced to wear a gag strikes her heart like an electric current, causing her whole body to shudder, and immediately after, even her breathing becomes chaotic.

No way!

Are you kidding, wearing this in front of him?

How could it be possible to accept wearing this in front of him!!!

What's more, thinking about having to share a room with this guy tonight.

Just thinking about it makes her chest feel stifled and itchy, carrying an indescribable sense of agitation and awkwardness.

"I don't want the pajamas here." Jessica slams the wardrobe door shut, her back stiff and sullen, her tone involuntarily rising a notch, "I'm going back to my own Apartment to get some."

Lin Xiuyuan, however, smiles, the corners of his eyes slightly curved, his tone as relaxed as if he had long expected her to say this, "No, it's not up for discussion; either you keep wearing what you have on now, or you choose whatever you like from the personal clothes inside, it's all the same."

Hearing this, Jessica immediately looks up, her almond eyes wide, her gaze revealing clear defensiveness and wariness.

"Lin Xiuyuan, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You like looking at these that much?"

To this, Lin Xiuyuan spreads his hands, as if soothing a bristling little beast, and says with a faint smile, "Don't be nervous. I'm not the only one living here. Xueli is here too, so you don't need to sleep in the same bed as me tonight."

Jessica freezes, her expression stalling for a moment. But then her brows knit even deeper, and the fire in her heart is suppressed even more stiflingly.

This sounds fine, but the more it's like this, the more uncomfortable she feels inside.

What does that mean, are you rejecting me??

But since that guy has said as much, it really leaves her with no reason to keep making a scene, so she can only reluctantly open the wardrobe again.

Finally, after rummaging around, she picks out a relatively "conservative" nightgown from inside.

But even so, it is a V-neck, open-back style.

But if she were really made to sleep in those fashionable personal clothes, that would be even more uncomfortable; one must know that "fashion" is basically linked to "uncomfortable experience."

Jessica looks at the dress in the mirror, her chest tightening, so angry she almost throws the hanger away, and she cannot help but curse inwardly: Krystal, you dead girl, are you a pervert or do you have no sense of shame at all?!

Carrying a belly full of resentment, after gritting her teeth and cursing inwardly, she fiercely grabs the nightgown and turns to walk into the bathroom.

But she fails to notice one thing, which is that she didn't push open the public bathroom in the Living Room, but the bathroom in Lin Xiuyuan's bedroom.

This kind of instinctive preference from the heart...

It's very dangerous.

Soon, the sound of water starts in the bathroom, and mist slowly rises, permeating behind the frosted glass.

Outside, Lin Xiuyuan leans on the sofa in the Living Room, casually flipping through his phone, the bedroom door standing open.

He neither guards the door to peek as Jessica feared, nor does he have any intention of watching her bathe as his previous words implied; he just leaves the door half-open, using this action to silently remind her: don't think about sneaking away.

Under these circumstances, unless Jessica can really pull off an escape from a movie.

For example, tearing down the bathroom ceiling and crawling out through the ventilation duct, otherwise, even with the bone-shrinking technique, she wouldn't be able to leave this place.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan is secretly amused, his phone suddenly rings.

It is Xueli.

"Hello?"

Lin Xiuyuan answers the phone, his tone casual.

The voice on the other end is mixed with noisy background, yet still carries the familiar lightness, and then Xueli says in a low voice into the phone, "Oppa, I'm not coming back tonight; I'm staying here at the film set to keep Xiujing company. You know, she just took over that information, someone has to be by her side to accompany her."

This reason makes Lin Xiuyuan pause slightly; he raises a hand to rub his brow, his gaze involuntarily glancing toward the bedroom.

The sound of water in the bathroom inside has stopped, but even through the door panel, he can imagine Jessica's frowning expression at this moment.

So Lin Xiuyuan cannot help but lower his voice and ask, "Ah, if you do this, what about the one at home?"

Hearing this, Xueli chuckles, saying with a teasing tone, "You can handle this, Oppa, I believe in you."

Then, before Lin Xiuyuan can continue to ask anything else, someone on the film set on the other end of the phone calls for Xueli, so she can only hurriedly leave behind a "Please," and hangs up the phone.

Then the screen goes dark; Lin Xiuyuan stares at the phone for a few seconds, then gently shakes his head, a helpless smile on his face.

Not many minutes later, the bathroom door in the bedroom pushes open, and a bit of mist spills out.

After another while, Jessica, who doesn't know what she was doing, slowly walks out.

At this time, she has changed into that camisole nightgown, the silk fabric clinging to her figure, falling naturally along her waistline, every step drawing out a faint, visible curve.

The large V-neckline outlines her fair collarbone and the faint curves, the back almost completely bare, with only two thin shoulder straps crossing to support the fabric.

The light falls on her, making her look exceptionally striking, a kind of defenseless danger hidden within the sexiness.

Actually, in front of the bathroom mirror, Jessica had already realized this.

So at this moment, she has an extra coat in her hand, which she had just rummaged out from the wardrobe on her way, and as she walked out of the room, she threw the coat on, which barely covered that overly blunt sexiness.

But when she looks up, she discovers that Lin Xiuyuan is not staring at her as she expected, but is still looking down, fiddling with his phone.

In that instant, her chest feels inexplicably blocked, a kind of sullenness from her efforts being in vain, making her so angry she almost wants to rush over and punch him a few times.

"Just now... who called?"

As soon as she walks out, she asks curiously, her tone deliberately cold, but her eyes carrying wariness, "I heard the sound of you talking in the bathroom."

Lin Xiuyuan on the sofa clears his throat, and when he looks up, he carries a bit of unnatural awkwardness, "Ahem, it was Zhenli who called."

Hearing this, Jessica's brows instantly furrowed even tighter, "What's wrong? What did she say?"

Then Lin Xiuyuan paused his tone and coughed twice more. After discovering Jessica's gaze was fixed firmly on him, he finally confessed honestly, "That, she said she isn't coming back tonight."

This sentence left Jessica completely stunned. Her footsteps stopped in place, her eyes locked dead onto his face, and she bared her teeth and growled, "Lin Xiuyuan, are you digging a pit for me? Are you in cahoots with Xueli? You bastard!"

Her emotions came on suddenly, and Lin Xiuyuan was left somewhat between laughter and tears by the scolding. He simply placed his phone on the coffee table and spread his hands, "What kind of pit could I be digging? There's nothing to be in cahoots about here. If I really wanted to do something to you, I would have done it long ago. Could you even call the police from here?"

Seeing that she still didn't believe him, he had no choice but to explain patiently, "It's mainly because the situation with Xiujing over at Xueli's side isn't very stable. After all, having just learned these pieces of news, she is worried that the other party's emotions might fluctuate too much, so she decided to stay and accompany her for the night."

This sentence was like a basin of cold water poured over Jessica's heart.

She knew Zheng Xiujing's temperament better than anyone. She appeared cold and indifferent on the surface, with no desires or demands, but in reality, her empathy was not low at all; in fact, her emotional threshold was very low, and she was prone to letting her imagination run wild.

Suddenly bearing so much future information, a breakdown was normal; not breaking down was a good thing.

Therefore, Xueli staying to accompany her was not only reasonable, but even very necessary.

Yet this reasonableness instead placed Jessica in an extremely awkward position.

She parted her lips, but couldn't say a word for a long time. She could only bite her lower lip hard, her eyes still fixed on Lin Xiuyuan, as if trying to find a flaw of lying on his face.

Lin Xiuyuan just shrugged helplessly, leaned his whole body back against the sofa, and spread his hands, his calm demeanor seemingly saying: believe it or not, it's up to you.

The air solidified at this moment.

The Living Room was very quiet, with only the sound of the second hand on the wall clock ticking slowly, yet Jessica's heartbeat was like drumbeats, knocking rapidly and chaotically.

It was already two in the morning. The chaos of the afternoon, the argument just now, and the repeated tug-of-war of emotions caused a sense of exhaustion to gradually arise in Jessica's body.

Yet her spirit remained tightly wound, like a string pulled to its limit; the slightest disturbance would cause it to snap.

Consequently, her exhausted body and excited nerves formed a strong contrast.

On one hand, she was so tired her limbs felt heavy, yet on the other, she didn't want to sleep.

Thinking of this, Jessica immediately raised her head, her voice carrying a trace of stubbornness, "Then I'll sleep in Xueli's room tonight."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan shook his head without hesitation, a hint of a playful smile even hanging on the corners of his mouth, "You don't look like much, but you sure think beautifully. The lives of such a large group of us are held in your hands; how could I dare let you stay alone?"

After speaking, he deliberately deepened his tone to add, "It seems Xiujing was right tonight; either you come with me, or how about I tie you up? A bow tie would look better."

"Get lost..." Jessica widened her eyes, her tone carrying genuine, palpable anger.

But seeing that Lin Xiuyuan had actually stood up and made a move to walk over, her heart tightened abruptly, and she reflexively took two steps back.

In that expression, it wasn't just annoyance; it clearly also contained a few parts of heartfelt wariness.

"I already said, I won't hurt Xiujing!" She explained hurriedly, her voice still trembling slightly, "And even if I ran out, wouldn't I just be caught back by you all? Do you really think I don't cherish my own life and would voluntarily be tied back to the research lab with you?"

Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, his expression amused, "Who knows with you? What if you aren't living happily in the year 25, and seeing everything in the year 13 so perfect right now, you get psychologically unbalanced and decide to turn yourself into a human bomb to destroy it all?"

These words made Jessica instantly bite her teeth in anger, and her fingertips tightened abruptly.

Then, as if having found a reason, she stared dead at the man in front of her, squeezing out a sentence almost word by word, "Yah, Lin Xiuyuan!! Can you stop thinking of me as so dark? Where exactly did I offend you, why do you look down on me so much?"

Once the resentment opened its mouth, it surged out as if it had found an outlet to vent.

"I know that sending the camera that time was my mistake, but I already apologized, didn't I? At the time, I really didn't expect the other party would be like that."

Her tone gradually began to deepen, her breathing grew heavy, and a trace of grievance showed in her eyes, "Besides, you didn't lose out in that matter, did you? That guy was even beaten into the hospital by you."

Jessica, whose emotions were getting more and more heated, simply poured out all the dissatisfaction she had been suppressing in her heart in one go.

"When it comes down to it, it seems you started looking down on me even before that. Did I provoke you somewhere? Or are you just like this with everyone, keeping such a cold face? Although our first meeting wasn't pleasant, isn't that normal? When a stranger encounters your kind of mysterious, ghostly attitude, who could still greet you with a smiling face and be all lovey-dovey with you? That would be even weirder!"

Speaking to the end, Jessica suddenly thought of something, narrowed her eyes and stared at Lin Xiuyuan, "Is it because of Zheng Xiuyan? Is it because you knew her first and felt that my actions were a failure compared to hers, so you look down on me?"

Lin Xiuyuan on the sofa had been listening quietly, his expression not showing much fluctuation. It wasn't until he heard this last sentence that he shook his head lightly.

"You got some things right," he spoke slowly, his tone flat, "but some thoughts, you've also thought too much."

Jessica immediately pressed, "Which things, which thoughts?"

"For example, the first few meetings were not pleasant; that's correct. And I am somewhat petty, so I've remembered it until now."

Lin Xiuyuan said this, his mouth even carrying a curve, slightly upturned, "As for the behavior, choices, or dragging Xiuyan into it that you mentioned later, those aren't the problem. The relationship between you and me was purely that of passersby from the start; it's not as complicated as you think."

As he spoke, he reached out to pick up the remote control and pressed it a few times, but finding no programs to watch, he simply snapped the television off.

The next second, the Apartment was instantly shrouded in silence, and even the air seemed much quieter.

In this silence, Jessica finally spoke, her voice carrying a bit of strangeness and speechlessness, "So Lin Xiuyuan, you mean... you look down on me just because my attitude was bad back then, and you've been holding a grudge?"

"Mm, it's just that simple." He leaned on the sofa, nodded, his face looking like it was a matter of course, "What did you think?"

Jessica was choked by this answer and couldn't speak for a moment.

She was so angry she wanted to curse, yet she couldn't help but want to laugh.

She felt it was absurd, yet she also felt like she was going crazy.

In the end, she could only glare at him fiercely, squeezing out a sentence with extreme speechlessness, "Yah, you're a man, can you not be so petty?"

"Must a man be magnanimous?" Lin Xiuyuan sat up, supporting his knees, and said with a yawn, "Jessica, you have a bit of a stereotype there. Besides, I'm not being un-magnanimous; I'm just a bit grudge-holding, just a bit petty."

As he said this, he raised his eyes to look at the other party, a hint of an amused curve hanging on his lips, "But when I should be magnanimous, I am very magnanimous. For example, right now, I can still talk to you face-to-face in a good tone. If I were really petty all the time, you would have been bullied fiercely by me long ago."

Hearing this, Jessica's eyes tightened immediately, and she reflexively took half a step back, pressing against the wall.

Her expression carried a bit of suspicion, and also a bit of resistance.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had risen by supporting his knees, turned his head to look at the clock on the wall after saying this, and then stretched, "How about it, it's really not early now, time to sleep."

"Sleep what sleep, my hair isn't even dry yet."

Jessica gave a light huff, her tone containing defensiveness that couldn't be hidden.

At the same time, she raised her hand to brush aside her damp hair, a few strands of long hair sticking to the side of her neck, making her look exceptionally cold and aloof.

Regarding this, Lin Xiuyuan frowned, rubbed his temples, his voice carrying weariness, "Then go blow-dry it. I'm truly sleepy. Being tossed around by these trivial matters of yours today, my nerves are about to snap."

"Then you sleep, I didn't stop you." Jessica crossed her arms, her tone flat, yet carrying a bit of provocation.

Lin Xiuyuan looked at her and suddenly smiled, followed by his eyes narrowing slightly.

The next second, he walked straight forward, his steps carrying a bit of dominance, forcing Jessica, who was already standing against the wall, back into the corner.

Then he reached out and grabbed her wrist, "Since you put it that way, let's go, let's go inside."

"Hey~ don't use force, I'll walk myself." Jessica struggled repeatedly in her anxiety, her eyes widening in anger, "Lin Xiuyuan, I said I'd walk myself."

However, no sooner had she finished speaking and stepped inside than she heard the bedroom door being locked with a "click."

And with a speed Jessica hadn't had time to react to, Lin Xiuyuan nimbly moved a wooden rack over, placing it directly across the doorway to block it tight.

Watching this scene, Jessica froze, a fire instantly igniting in her eyes, "What are you doing?"

Lin Xiuyuan clapped his hands, seemingly quite satisfied with his handiwork, and nodded to himself.

"This should do it. I should be able to sleep peacefully tonight. If you really want to run, you'll have to move the rack before opening the door. With that much noise, I'll surely be woken up... well, I should be."

At the end of his sentence, his gaze flickered slightly, landing on the rope in the corner.

This small movement was immediately caught by Jessica, who bristled like a cat that had had its tail stepped on, abruptly blocking Lin Xiuyuan's line of sight.

"Enough, that's really enough. I said I wouldn't run. If you dare to tie me up again, don't even think about sleeping tonight. Once you fall asleep, I'll definitely bite you to death."

Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow and said half-jokingly, "Then what if I just tie your hands?"

"No!! Absolutely not!!!" Jessica's voice was almost a roar, exasperated; the tips of her ears turned a shade of red, whether from excitement or shame, it was hard to tell.

For this, Lin Xiuyuan could only shrug, wearing an "I knew it would be like this" expression, and too lazy to waste any more breath, he threw himself onto the bed, hands behind his head, "Fine, then I'm sleeping."

His action left Jessica completely stunned; she blinked and asked uncertainly, "Wait a second... you're sleeping on the bed, then where am I supposed to sleep?"

Lin Xiuyuan turned over, his back to her, his voice filled with lazy weariness, "Whatever you want. There's a small sofa in the corner, a rug on the floor, and spare blankets in the closet; you pick for yourself. Even if you want to sleep in the bathroom, I won't stop you."

His answer made Jessica's expression stiffen on the spot, her whole face practically screaming "absurd," "Lin Xiuyuan, you... don't you think that as a man, you should have some gentlemanly conduct and give the bed to me?"

However, Lin Xiuyuan didn't even lift his eyelids, dropping a blunt, "In your dreams."

Afterward, he truly lay peacefully on the bed, his breathing gradually steadying as if he could fall asleep the next second.

"Hey, Lin Xiuyuan!" Jessica exploded, her scream nearly blowing the ceiling off.

Yet the man on the bed had no reaction, as if he had completely blocked out the outside world, his back view hatefully quiet.

Jessica gritted her teeth, turned around in a rage, rushed into the bathroom, and pressed the switch hard.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

The roar of the hairdryer instantly filled the entire bedroom, sounding exceptionally harsh.

And as Jessica blew her hair messily while facing the mirror, her expression was as stubborn as a child throwing a tantrum.

Hearing the noise, Lin Xiuyuan on the bed couldn't help but curl his lips and let out a low laugh, though his eyes remained tightly shut.

He really was sleepy.

Not until the sound of the hairdryer gradually stopped did the bedroom return to silence.

Jessica finally walked out of the bathroom; her hair was blown soft and fluffy, but her expression still carried anger, her footsteps filled with a little pouty indignation.

Her gaze fell involuntarily onto the bed.

She saw Lin Xiuyuan lying on his side, the quilt casually tucked between his legs, his breathing long and steady, his brows and eyes relaxed, his eyelashes casting shallow shadows under the lamplight.

That posture looked exceptionally peaceful, even carrying a kind of calm that made one's heart tremble slightly.

Seeing this scene, a kind of indescribable awkwardness welled up in Jessica's heart.

Before she could think it through, she had already lifted her foot and kicked the other person's leg with a "thud," her tone full of dissatisfaction, "Hey, Lin Xiuyuan, seriously, where am I supposed to sleep!"

Lin Xiuyuan wasn't actually asleep; he was just resting his eyes.

After being kicked and turning over, he lazily pointed a hand at the rug by the bedside, "Spread a blanket and sleep there."

"No." Jessica refused immediately, her tone as firm as if she were negotiating.

Lin Xiuyuan glanced at her sideways, his tone carrying a hint of a mischievous smile, "Then how about this: I help you tie up, and you sleep on the bed instead?"

Jessica exploded instantly, her eyes rounding, "You dare!"

But the next second, her eyes darted, and she suddenly revealed a sly smile, "Fine, then I'll sleep on the floor, but you have to help me spread the blanket."

Lin Xiuyuan didn't think much of it; he got up, took the spare blanket from the closet, squatted down, and lowered his head to spread it out on the rug.

His arms were braced on his knees, his movements nimble, his expression natural.

Just as he turned around, a "whoosh" sound came from behind him.

Jessica, who had been standing at the foot of the bed, suddenly lunged onto the bed, moving as fast as a little fox; the next second, she had already burrowed into the quilt, wrapping it tightly around herself, revealing a pair of smiling, crescent-shaped eyes, her expression triumphant as if declaring "plan successful."

Lin Xiuyuan looked up at her, not feeling surprised in the slightest; instead, he slowly spread the blanket in his hand before standing by the bed and asking calmly, "Are you coming down yourself, or should I do it?"

Jessica huddled in the quilt, shaking her head like a rattle-drum, her attitude clear: absolutely not!!

Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a bit more amusement, "Then if I have to do it, I'm sorry. If I happen to touch something I shouldn't... I can't guarantee whether it's intentional or unintentional."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged forward and reached out to pull the quilt she was wrapped in.

Jessica was startled, clutching the corner of the quilt with both hands, curling into a ball, and struggling desperately, "Hey~ Lin Xiuyuan, don't touch me~"

But after all, there was a disparity in strength between men and women; her wrists were quickly caught by Lin Xiuyuan, and with a light tug, she was dragged sliding toward the edge of the bed.

"Let go of me, Lin Xiuyuan~"

Screaming loudly, Jessica's long legs kicked out wildly, her movements hurried and panicked.

Unexpectedly, the camisole nightdress she was wearing slipped during the tug-of-war, and half of her fragrant shoulder was suddenly exposed.

Her snow-white skin glowed with a delicate luster under the soft light of the bedside lamp, like a secret accidentally revealed, making one stare without blinking.

And as she struggled, her upper body arched, the curve of her chest trembling along with it, the fabric pressed tight, the curves so obvious they were impossible to ignore.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had originally only meant to scare her, subconsciously held his breath at this moment, his gaze stalling for an instant.

Wow~

What a great figure~

After Jessica noticed his gaze, she panicked, her shame and anger sending blood rushing to her cheeks, "You pervert, where are you looking?"

Hearing her voice, Lin Xiuyuan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly; he originally wanted to shift his gaze, but in the moment of changing his movement, he made a mistake, his palm and fingertips quickly brushing against the soft flesh of her side waist.

The smooth, delicate sensation instantly shot into his fingertips, seemingly carrying a faint warmth, causing Lin Xiuyuan to stop his movements immediately, even subconsciously squeezing twice.

And Jessica, as if electrocuted, went rigid all over, her breathing suddenly becoming rapid.

That touch was so fleeting it was almost non-existent, yet it was more unsettling than any provocation.

The moment the two locked eyes, the air seemed to solidify.

Jessica's eyes widened, the corners of her eyes trembling slightly from nerves, her lips parted slightly but she couldn't speak, her heartbeat so fast it felt like it would jump out of her chest.

Even the temperature in the air seemed to have stalled, leaving only the sound of their intertwined breathing.

Then, gritting her teeth, she shouted out suddenly, "Stop, don't move anymore, really don't move, I'll move myself, I'll get down myself."

Her voice carried a tremor, almost as if she were begging for mercy.

Then, as if fleeing for her life, she forcefully broke free from Lin Xiuyuan's hand and scrambled out of the covers, crawling and stumbling.

The strap on her shoulder had slipped even lower in the chaos, leaving her shoulder almost entirely bare, but Jessica couldn't spare the time to fix it; she jumped off the bed barefoot with a "thump-thump" and dove headfirst into the bedding Lin Xiuyuan had just laid out on the floor.

"Huu..."

After shrinking into the bedding on the carpet, Jessica's breathing was so rapid that her chest rose and fell unevenly.

Her entire face was as red as a ripe apple, even the tips of her ears were burning hot, and she bit her lip, trembling with anger, yet she couldn't let out a single harsh word, looking exactly like a ruffled little cat with nowhere to vent.

On the bed, Lin Xiuyuan propped himself up on one arm, watching her with great interest.

Seeming to think of something, his Adam's apple rolled slightly, and at the same time, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes; in the end, he couldn't help it and let out a low chuckle, "Look, isn't this fine? If you had been obedient earlier, you would have saved yourself the trouble."

Jessica, however, kept her back turned to him, wrapping the blanket tight, her teeth almost biting through her lower lip: This bastard, really... you just wait, I will get my revenge sooner or later!!!

But the more she thought about these ideas, the more the fire in her heart wouldn't be suppressed, so she simply buried her head in the blanket, wrapping herself up tightly as if to isolate herself from all potential danger.

Only when Jessica looked up at the ceiling, the light overhead was blindingly bright, making her feel agitated and restless.

Just as she was hesitating whether to speak up, preparing to ask the other person if they could turn off the light.

"Click..."

The light suddenly went out.

The room instantly plunged into darkness, quiet enough that only the sound of their two breaths remained.

Jessica was so startled she shrank back violently, immediately burrowing deeper into the blanket, and shouted out in a hurried voice, "Lin Xiuyuan, turn on a nightlight, I can't sleep when it's this dark."

Lin Xiuyuan on the bed turned over, his voice coming across muffled, "I can't sleep with the light on."

"But I'm afraid of the dark," Jessica retorted, refusing to be outdone, her tone filled with a hint of urgency.

Lin Xiuyuan was silent for two seconds, muttered a low "What a pain," and casually turned on the bedside lamp.

A dim orange glow flowed softly, casting the room's shadows in a gentle, warm light.

Under the illumination of this lamp, the tension in the air faded slightly, yet it was veiled in a layer of ambiguous tranquility.

Jessica let out a sigh of relief, thinking she could finally sleep in peace.

But before she could even close her eyes, Lin Xiuyuan on the bed suddenly spoke up, "Jessica, let's play rock-paper-scissors; whoever wins, we do what they say."

"Fine!" Jessica immediately sat up, her eyes as bright as if she had found a new toy.

The two of them, separated by the edge of the bed, gestured in the air.

"Rock!"

"Scissors!"

The first time, Lin Xiuyuan won.

Jessica immediately frowned, shouting that she wasn't convinced, "Doesn't count, you didn't say 'start' just now, do it again!"

Lin Xiuyuan chuckled and shook his head, "Playing dirty, are we?"

Although he said that, he still went along with her wishes.

So they went for a second time.

"Starting now."

"Paper!"

"Paper!"

A draw.

The two looked at each other, the atmosphere suddenly stiffened, and it felt as if sparks were hidden in the air.

Jessica narrowed her eyes and gave a light huff, "Again."

The third time...

"Scissors!"

"Paper!"

Lin Xiuyuan looked at his own hand, the corner of his mouth curling up, "OK, I won, nothing more to say, right?"

Jessica, however, sat up straight instantly, hands on her hips, righteous and indignant, "No way, best two out of three."

"Can't be bothered with you." Lin Xiuyuan simply turned over, assuming a sleeping posture.

As a result, the next second, Jessica reached out and grabbed the blanket, pulling it hard to keep him from closing his eyes, insisting on continuing the fuss.

Lin Xiuyuan was helpless and could only sigh, accompanying her as they continued to compete.

The fourth time that followed—she won.

The fifth time—she won again.

Jessica was triumphant, flicking her hair, her brows and eyes curving, "See? Listen to me, turn on the light."

Lin Xiuyuan helplessly raised a hand to rub his brow, "Xiuyan would never be like this."

These words, which clearly stepped on a landmine, made Jessica glare at him fiercely, then she turned over and lay back down; the excitement and happiness from just before vanished all at once.

The room finally quieted down under the dim light of the bedside lamp.

Jessica curled up in the blanket, but her eyes were still restlessly staring at the ceiling.

After a long while, she suddenly spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of inquiry, "Lin Xiuyuan, can you feel if your own constitution... has any particularly strange anomalies?"

On the bed, Lin Xiuyuan opened one eye, his brow furrowing slightly; clearly, he hadn't expected her to suddenly jump to this topic.

After finishing speaking, Jessica's gaze remained on the ceiling, though it had long since lost its focus.

Her eyes began to drift away bit by bit, her voice carrying a hint of vague sentiment, as if she were speaking casually, yet also as if these were thoughts she had suppressed deep in her heart for a long time before letting them out.

"It's mainly because it's too magical. Although Xiujing's skin wasn't bad to begin with, it suddenly became so firm. YoonA is the same; she hasn't changed a bit compared to a few years ago. And then there's Taeyeon and Zhiyan... You guy, you've enjoyed the company of quite a few great beauties."

Lin Xiuyuan's originally half-closed eyes suddenly opened a slit; clearly, he hadn't expected her to bring this up suddenly. After a few seconds of silence, he responded indifferently, "Actually, I don't feel anything; at most, my physical constitution is just a bit better than the average person's."

Jessica frowned slightly, turning her gaze toward him with a bit of persistence, "Then... how did you guys know at the beginning?"

Lin Xiuyuan, on the bed, turned over with his back to her, his voice filled with sleepiness and careless perfunctoriness, "There was too much internal setting; once you eat too much, you just know."

As his voice fell, the room suddenly became strangely quiet.

Lin Xiuyuan didn't pay any mind, closing his eyes in a daze.

But Jessica was stunned by the shock, and immediately after, she sat bolt upright, lunging toward the edge of the bed almost as if by reflex.

With her arms propped on the edge of the bed, she leaned over and moved closer, her voice so near it was as if she were whispering right into Lin Xiuyuan's ear, "Really? Hey, is Zheng Xiujing crazy? You two hadn't known each other for long back then, right? You were that bold?"

Lin Xiuyuan opened his eyes abruptly, and as he turned his head, he met that face which was almost pressed against his.

Without the cover of any makeup, Jessica's bare face had skin that was still much brighter than an ordinary person's, carrying a slight, moist luster from having just bathed.

Her high, delicate nose bridge and round eyes were opened wider now out of curiosity, her gaze flashing with a hint of stubborn inquiry.

Her hair still held a dampness that hadn't dried, clinging to her cheeks and collarbone, and a faint, fresh fragrance mixed with a bit of warmth rushed toward him.

This sudden proximity made Lin Xiuyuan subconsciously shrink back into his pillow, his mouth twitching, "Why are you asking so much? Didn't you say you weren't interested?"

Jessica's cheeks suddenly flushed red. How could she not be interested? What she said before was just out of resentment.

But thinking about how that matter was actually so private, a sense of depression and shyness welled up in her heart again.

"I'm just curious," she said in a low voice, her eyes flickering, not daring to look him in the eye, "Then why are you infertile? Have you never felt... that it's bad?"

Lin Xiuyuan's expression was calm, his eyelids half-lowered, his tone carrying a hint of laziness and matter-of-factness.

"If I were forty or fifty years old now, at an age where I wanted to carry on the family line, then I would definitely feel it was a pity. But I'm only in my early twenties, how could I possibly feel it's bad? This thing called Wutao... it's very comfortable; this is simply a huge blessing, I'm too busy thanking it to feel otherwise."

As he said this, he paused, his gaze sweeping over her slightly reddened cheeks, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly, carrying a hint of provocation.

"Besides, isn't there you, this little white mouse, right now? If you were a bit more stubborn, I'd have an experimental subject; then maybe I wouldn't have to worry."

Jessica froze there, her earlobes and neck rapidly flushing a scorching red.

The next second, she gritted her teeth and spat out a soft curse, her voice full of embarrassment and guilty conscience, "Go to hell, you jerk."

After stiffening for a long while and realizing she couldn't come up with any harsh words, she could only turn over abruptly, her whole body like a startled little beast, diving back into the blanket on the floor and wrapping herself up tightly.

With her back to Lin Xiuyuan, Jessica began to breathe rapidly.

Her heart was pounding, her lips pressed tightly together, not daring to say another word of nonsense, fearing that she might really be "handled" like that tonight.

Thus, the room fell silent once again, with only the dim orange light of the side lamp stretching his shadow on the bed and hers on the carpet into long and short shapes, quietly intertwined, brewing an ambiguous and quiet atmosphere.

The next day.

Around ten in the morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, falling in dappled patches on the floor of the Apartment.

"Click..."

The Apartment's The Gate was carefully unscrewed by someone, and through a thin gap, one head poked in first, followed immediately by another.

Zheng Xiujing and Xueli tiptoed in like thieves, carrying breakfast bags in their hands.

The Soy Milk and Sandwich in the plastic bags swayed gently with their movements, making a faint clinking sound.

The two first poked their heads out to scan the Living Room, and after confirming there were no "abnormal situations," they tiptoed to place the Breakfast on the coffee table.

After a moment of silence, their gazes fell almost simultaneously on the entrance to Lin Xiuyuan's bedroom.

Zheng Xiujing swallowed a mouthful of saliva, turned her head to look at Xueli, her eyes filled with a bit of shock, and lowered her voice to probe, "Xueqiu, do you think Unnie... is sleeping inside?"

Xueli, being asked, didn't answer directly, but just gave a light hum, walked straight to the door of her own room, pushed it open, and saw it was empty.

Only then did she turn back and blink at Zheng Xiujing, "Look, there's no one in my room, so where do you think she would be?"

"..."

Zheng Xiujing's eyes widened instantly, and she subconsciously bared her teeth, making an ambiguous and shocked gesture.

Although she didn't make a sound, her small actions had clearly written out the speculation in her heart.

Xueli let out a "pfft" of laughter, unable to help shaking her head, "Hey, you're overthinking it, aren't you? I don't think it's very likely; at most, they're just sleeping together."

"What?!" Zheng Xiujing exclaimed in a low voice, her face flushed red, "Isn't sleeping together enough?"

Xueli's expression remained calm, "Sleeping together doesn't mean they definitely did it."

This answer left Zheng Xiujing stunned for a long while, as if her little brain had crashed; it was only after a good while that she stared at Xueli, suspicious, "Xueqiu, where did you learn these things lately? The scale of your speech is so big."

Xueli's lips curled up slightly, her eyes flashing with a bit of mischief, "If you chatted a few more times with those Unnies from '25, you'd probably be about the same as me."

"Ah?" Zheng Xiujing's face was full of confusion; clearly, she didn't understand at all, just feeling that the amount of information was too much.

She tilted her head to glance at the bedroom door and hesitated, "Then should we call them to wake up? If the breakfast is any later, it'll be cold."

Xueli nodded, then turned her eyes to look at her, "You call them."

"Me?!" Zheng Xiujing immediately pointed at herself, shrinking backward, "Why me?"

Xueli was dead serious, "Because I won't get scolded, but you will."

"..." Zheng Xiujing had just lifted her foot, but she pulled it back with a "swish," turning her head stiffly to stare at Xueli, her brain finally sorting out the logic of that sentence, "Wait a second, that's not right! Why am I the one who will get scolded?!"

Xueli couldn't hold it in anymore, covering her mouth and laughing out loud, "Just kidding."

She laughed as she passed Zheng Xiujing, walked to the door of Lin Xiuyuan's bedroom, and raised her hand to knock lightly on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Inside the bedroom.

A faint scent of aromatherapy still lingered in the air.

Lin Xiuyuan lay on his back on the bed, the quilt already kicked to the foot of the bed, his brows and eyes carrying the tranquility of post-sleepiness, his breathing steady, as if in a very deep slumber.

Meanwhile, on the carpet by the bedside, Jessica was curled up in a blanket, her long hair scattered across the pillow, her sleeping posture casual and languid.

As she turned over, revealing half of her exquisite profile, her breathing was likewise quiet and long.

The two of them, one above and one below, had actually spent the night together in such peace.

At this moment, as the knocking on The Gate gradually sounded, a hint of surging atmosphere seemed to emerge in the room.

Lin Xiuyuan on the bed was the first to open his eyes, squinting slightly as he was irritated by the sunlight.

Subconsciously, his first glance fell upon the figure on the floor.

Then, looking at Jessica's sleeping face, he was suddenly struck by a whim, fished a small point-and-shoot camera out of the nightstand, and pressed the shutter at her repeatedly.

"Click—click—"

Several crisp shutter sounds rang out, waking Jessica, who was already on the verge of waking up.

Thus, the moment she opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of someone holding a camera almost shoved right in front of her face.

This scene made Jessica freeze for a moment, and she immediately looked down at her own state.

Upon discovering that the straps of her top were still secure and nothing was exposed, she let out a long breath, then immediately shouted in a fit of anger, "Yah, Lin Xiuyuan, are you actually a pervert? Why are you taking pictures first thing in the morning?"

Lin Xiuyuan lazily raised an eyebrow, a wicked smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "Just keeping a souvenir. Opportunities to make Jessica sleep on the floor are rare; how could I not take a photo to commemorate it?"

Hearing this, Jessica's face turned bright red, and she grabbed the pillow and threw it at him, gritting her teeth, "You know that, too? Then you still made me sleep on the floor!"

Lin Xiuyuan, who caught the pillow with ease, laughed even more wantonly, "Because my body can't handle hard surfaces, just like my stomach can only handle soft rice."

"You dog of a man."

"So you like beasts..."

"Get lost."

Jessica was so angry she almost lunged at him, but Lin Xiuyuan dodged the Nine Yin White Bone Claws with a fearless laugh, then got up and walked toward the door.

(PS: Foster fathers, it's the double-vote period. From today until the 7th of next month, if the target is met, I will add 5 chapters and update 10,000 words daily!!!)

(End of this chapter)