Chapter 333: Morning

The next day.

Sunlight was filtered by heavy curtains into soft halos, quietly spreading across a corner of the master bedroom.

Lin Xiuyuan, who was fast asleep, was the first to wake up under the influence of his biological clock. The moment his consciousness returned, the first thing he felt was the warm, soft, and tightly pressed delicate body in his arms.

Krystal was lying on her side, curled up in his arms with her cheek pressed against his chest, sleeping soundly.

Her breathing was even and long, and a few strands of hair mischievously clung to her smooth forehead and cheeks, adding a touch of cuteness.

Looking down at this scene, Lin Xiuyuan's eyes were unconsciously dyed with a gentle smile, his heart filled with peace and satisfaction.

He then moved his somewhat numb arm, which caused the person in his arms to unconsciously burrow further into his embrace, while also emitting a satisfied, small-beast-like nasal sound.

Hearing that hum, a mischievous thought suddenly popped into Lin Xiuyuan's mind.

The hand that had just been freed then wandered up along Krystal's smooth skin, finally covering that spot quietly, even in her sleep.

His fingertips carried the slight chill and affection unique to autumn, and he gave a slightly wicked, light pinch.

"Mm—"

Consequently, Krystal's body trembled slightly in her sleep due to sensitivity.

Her long, dense eyelashes fluttered a few times over her furrowed brows, but she did not wake up immediately.

She just waved her hand unconsciously, as if shooing away a fly, and slapped Lin Xiuyuan's mischievous arm, muttering.

Her voice was full of the resentment and coquettishness of not having slept enough, "Don't mess around, Xiuyuan, I'm sleepy—"

"It's getting late, time to get up." Lin Xiuyuan leaned into her ear, continuing to harass her with a smile, "Aren't you hungry? You need to eat; how can you not eat?"

As he spoke, his fingertips again restlessly teased that sensitive spot, drawing circles and stoking the fire.

This time, Krystal was finally stirred awake a bit. She twisted in his arms in discomfort and annoyance, then turned over in a daze and simply sprawled her whole body onto Lin Xiuyuan's chest like a lazy koala.

Rubbing against her man's solid chest to find a more comfortable position to bury her face, she acted like a spoiled child with a thick nasal tone, "Oh, let me nap for a while longer, just five minutes—"

As Krystal's full weight and warmth pressed down without reservation, carrying the scent of body wash and her own unique fragrance, Lin Xiuyuan's heart instantly softened into a complete mess.

"Then should I get up first and make you something to eat? What do you want to eat?"

"No—"

Who knew Krystal would refuse so decisively, tightening her arms around his waist, "Just hold me, don't move—"

Seeming a little more awake, she added, "Don't worry, it won't delay your date this afternoon. Just let me rest a little longer. Xiuyuan, you order takeout with your phone first; I'll get up when it arrives—"

Before she had even finished speaking, her voice grew low and weak again, and her breathing became long once more; she had actually fallen back asleep while holding Lin Xiuyuan.

Looking at Krystal's attached and sleepy appearance, how could Lin Xiuyuan bear to disturb her again?

So he shook his head with a wry smile, adjusted his posture slightly to make her more comfortable, and then, while one hand caressed her smooth, satin-like back, his other hand reached out to grab the phone from the nightstand.

His fingertips tapped lightly on the screen, skillfully finding the restaurants they often ordered from, and he began to pick dishes that Krystal might like.

The sunlight gradually shifted, and the bedroom was quiet, save for the sound of their intertwined breathing and the occasional bird chirping from the branches outside the window.

I don't know how much time passed, but the phone rang abruptly; it was the delivery driver.

And with the ringing of the phone, Krystal, who should have still been lying fast asleep in Lin Xiuyuan's arms, appeared in front of the master bedroom's massive floor-to-ceiling window in a completely different posture.

She was currently facing away from the room, her hands pressing hard against the cold glass, her fingertips slightly pale from the force.

The sunlight had become somewhat intense by now, spilling through the glass onto her back, where she wore only a loose shirt, outlining breathtaking curves.

The hem of the shirt barely covered the tops of her thighs, revealing a pair of straight, slender legs that were blindingly white in the light.

Standing behind her, Lin Xiuyuan answered the phone, his voice steady as he told the delivery driver to place the meal in the designated delivery box at The Gate, while his gaze could not move away from the scene in front of the window.

As the call ended, the arms Krystal had pressed against the glass began to tremble slightly, then bent powerlessly.

First, her forehead hit the glass, making a slight muffled sound.

Then her elbows slipped as they could no longer hold her up, and finally, her entire upper body almost collapsed, as if all her strength had been drained, softly clinging to the cold glass surface.

Leaving behind only a back that heaved violently, filled with the laziness and allure of the aftermath.

By the time Krystal finally recovered and slowly paced down from the third-floor master bedroom into the first-floor Living Room, quite a while had already passed.

Having changed into a set of comfortable loungewear, her hair was draped casually, and her face still carried the not-yet-faded flush and the laziness of having been well-fed.

At the same time, she saw at a glance the several steaming dishes already set on the dining table, as well as Lin Xiuyuan, who was bringing out the last dish from the Kitchen.

The air was filled with the tempting aroma of food.

Krystal walked over, and although her nostrils flared slightly as she sniffed the fragrance, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at Lin Xiuyuan with a mix of coquettishness and resentment, complaining about him.

"Xiuyuan, this takeout has been sitting for so long, is it still edible? It must be cold through." Thinking of the forced morning exercise upstairs just now, she felt her waist and legs aching.

She was truly hungry, but this little temper had to be vented.

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan put down the plate, looked at her feigned anger, and chuckled, "Luckily I'm smart; I ordered stir-fried dishes that can be reheated. I reheated them again while you were getting ready, so it's just right now. I guarantee they're flavorful; come over and sit down to eat."

As he said this, he smiled and waved at Krystal, ignoring the murderous look in her eyes.

Although Krystal pouted with a bit of temper, she still obediently walked to the dining table and sat down.

After picking up her chopsticks, she didn't immediately pick up any food, but instead poked at the crystal-clear white rice in her bowl with the tips of her chopsticks, continuing to complain in a low voice, "I told you to let me sleep a little longer, why did you have to be so handsy—"

The complaint in her tone was less like anger and more like acting spoiled.

Lin Xiuyuan sat down opposite her, and after hearing this, he raised his eyebrows, looking innocent and righteous.

"Can you blame me? Someone was sleeping and then wrapped their hands and feet around me like an octopus, rubbing against me. I'm a normal man; that's a natural reaction, okay? I can't just give you no face at all, right?"

Krystal was choked by his twisted logic; she looked up and gave him a charming, seductive glare.

That look was full of charm as her eyes shifted, carrying the softness of the aftermath and intimate reproach, "You, you. I still like the Lin Xiuyuan from the beginning; you were so pure back then, not like now with so much twisted logic and bad intentions."

"Oh?"

Lin Xiuyuan took a slow sip of soup, then looked at her and smiled meaningfully, "Could it be that the sense of achievement from raising a little wolf-dog hasn't given you, Miss Zheng Xiujing, a very satisfying experience?"

This sentence hit the nail on the head.

Hearing this, Krystal was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, and the laughter grew louder and louder.

After laughing for a while, she used her foot, wearing a soft house slipper, to gently kick Lin Xiuyuan's calf under the table, "I said you can, but you aren't allowed to talk about me!"

"Fine, fine, fine, my fault, my fault." Lin Xiuyuan immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, though his eyes were filled with doting smiles.

The two chatted as they ate, the atmosphere relaxed and warm.

As Lin Xiuyuan watched Krystal's face, which looked even more beautiful and vivid from eating and smiling, he suddenly asked.

"By the way, since you're off today, do you want to go to YoonA's place with me this afternoon? It's actually not as complicated as you think; we'll just make some cakes and bread together, and I'll help her assemble a few new cabinets she bought. You know her, she can't sit still and always loves to fuss around the house."

However, Krystal didn't even think about it, shaking her head in refusal and letting out a small yawn.

"Forget it. You wore me out all night, and I didn't get to wake up naturally this morning. I'm exhausted now and feel all sluggish. I'm going to catch up on sleep; you go on your own."

"Then let's eat together tonight," Lin Xiuyuan said again.

This time Krystal didn't refuse, nodding, "Mm, got it. I'll find you when I wake up."

"Okay."

After finishing their meal, the two snuggled on the sofa and teased each other for a while, enjoying a rare, lazy afternoon.

Not until Krystal could no longer fight off the sleepiness did she go upstairs to her bedroom to catch up on sleep.

Lin Xiuyuan walked into the kitchen, fiddled with something, and then came out carrying an item.

This time he didn't choose to drive; instead, with a thought, he used the Anywhere Door to appear directly in the bedroom of Lin Yun'er's Apartment.

Inside Lin Yun'er's Apartment.

The open-concept Kitchen connected to the Living Room, and the faint scent of flour and yeast drifted through the air.

Lin Yun'er, wearing a cute floral apron, had her hair loosely pinned back, revealing her graceful swan neck.

Listening to upbeat jazz, she hummed an off-key tune to the melody, focusing happily on stirring something in a large glass bowl, while the countertop was covered in various baking ingredients and tools.

It wasn't until she glanced up inadvertently that her gaze crossed the island and happened to catch Lin Xiuyuan walking naturally from the direction of her bedroom.

Only then did the movement of her hands come to a sudden halt, a flash of obvious surprise crossing her beautiful eyes, which then melted into a beaming smile. "Oh, Xiuyuan~ I thought you would drive over."

Lin Xiuyuan walked to the Living Room, placed the takeout box he was carrying on the dining table, and shook his head. "Forget it, I'm too lazy to move, and I wasn't planning on going out anyway once I got here."

He then pointed to the takeout box. "You haven't eaten yet, right? When I ordered takeout at noon, I specifically ordered an extra portion of the pan-fried dumplings you like."

Seeing the takeout box, a look of undisguised joy instantly bloomed on Lin Yun'er's face.

She immediately put down the mixing bowl and silicone spatula in her hands, patted the bit of flour off her palms, and said with a hint of excitement, "That's great, I was just a little hungry. I was debating whether to just eat some cookies to tide me over or boil some pasta; now I don't have to waste time turning on the stove."

As she spoke, she turned to the sink to wash her hands thoroughly and dried them with a towel.

By the time she finished and came to the dining table, Lin Xiuyuan had already thoughtfully opened the takeout box and laid out the disposable chopsticks.

After sitting down, Lin Yun'er immediately picked up a pan-fried dumpling that was still warm, its bottom fried to a golden crisp, and stuffed it into her mouth with great satisfaction.

Her cheeks puffed out slightly, like a little squirrel hoarding food.

Lin Xiuyuan sat beside her, watching her eat with gusto. "If I'd known you hadn't eaten yet, I would've just told you to come over to the Villa to eat earlier."

"Forget it," Lin Yun'er said while chewing, shaking her head. "I don't intend to disturb your rare two-person world with Xiujing. Besides, looking at how refreshed you are, Xiujing must have rested very well."

Lin Xiuyuan didn't deny it, just smiled. "But I just invited her to come over too. What if she had actually agreed?"

Facing this provocation, Lin Yun'er didn't even stop her dumpling-picking motion; she just raised her eyes and cast a playful look at Lin Xiuyuan.

"I wouldn't mind. If you really have the ability to coax Xiujing into being willing to sleep in my bed, then I could help you hold her hands or press her shoulders from the side? Helping others is a joy, after all."

When she said this, her demeanor was natural, even carrying a hint of eager teasing, as if she were talking about the most ordinary thing in the world.

Although Lin Yun'er truly didn't like to actively disturb other people's intimacy.

But if someone else actively brought the excitement to her, she was very happy to participate, or even add fuel to the fire.

Looking at Lin Yun'er's clear, deer-like eyes that seemed to see through everything, and her calm demeanor, Lin Xiuyuan finally shook his head in frustration, got up to get her a bottle of mineral water from the fridge, twisted it open, and placed it by her hand.

"You're good, I can't win against you, I can't win against you," he said as if admitting defeat. "Eat slowly, don't choke."

"Coward," Lin Yun'er took the water, took a sip, and sent him those three words with a smile.

Facing Lin Yun'er, who said those three words at this very moment and in this very scene, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't muster a single thought of rebuttal.

Too wild.

So, not intending to continue this topic, Lin Xiuyuan turned decisively toward the island, looking at the prepared materials to change the subject.

"You eat slowly, I'll start the dough for you. But honestly, Yun'er, there are ready-made bread machines and stand mixers now, why don't you want to use them? It's so much easier; you have to be like an old stubborn person who refuses to accept new things."

Lin Yun'er answered vaguely while enjoying the delicious pan-fried dumplings. "The dough kneaded by a machine just has a different feel than hand-kneaded dough. The texture after baking always feels like it's missing something—not crispy or soft enough."

She had her own persistence and standards regarding baking; besides, she wasn't in a hurry, and pleasing herself was what mattered most.

"Oh~" Lin Xiuyuan, who had started adding water to the flour, looked up at her and deliberately used a strange metaphor. "Is it like New Energy tools, unable to give people that kind of hot, natural physical sensation?"

This metaphor made Lin Yun'er laugh out loud, and she rolled her eyes at Lin Xiuyuan with a smile.

"Ya, Xiuyuan!" she said coquettishly. "Don't you go seducing me at a time like this; I'm starving, you know."

"Hahaha, then you'd better eat more."

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