Shen Zhirou wasn’t tired at all. Seeing that Lu Yao really just wanted her company for sleep, she chuckled softly and leaned in close. Propping herself up slightly, she planted a gentle kiss on Lu Yao’s ear tip. Her warm, soft lips then trailed down the side of Lu Yao’s face all the way to her slender neck.
The sensation tickled Lu Yao, but she felt no impatience whatsoever. By now, she was completely accustomed to these intimate moments with Shen Zhirou. Kisses like this made her happy. In times like these, Lu Yao forgot all about her old principles—she just wanted to cling to Shen Zhirou a little longer. And that’s exactly what she did.
Lu Yao cracked her eyes open a sliver, turned around, and looped her arms around the back of Shen Zhirou’s neck. She buried herself fully in Shen Zhirou’s embrace, her voice soft and accusatory as she said, “Jie Jie, how am I supposed to sleep now?”
“Okay, no more teasing. Let’s get some sleep together.” Shen Zhirou soothed her while dipping her head to kiss Lu Yao’s thin, pink lips. Lu Yao let out a couple of soft hums before closing her eyes fully. She didn’t care whether Shen Zhirou might tease her more—like a soft, glutinous little kitten, she nestled comfortably in Shen Zhirou’s arms.
Shen Zhirou gazed at the person nestled in her arms, her heart turning utterly soft. Ever since Paternal Grandmother had passed away, Shen Zhirou’s only true family in this world had been Shen Yumian. Her father and mother had long built their own separate families, and any contact between them carried an unspoken sense of estrangement. Only when she was with her sister did Shen Zhirou truly let her guard down. Now, she felt like she had one more—Yaoyao was family too.
Perhaps because the person in her arms was so plush and yielding, or maybe the bed was simply too inviting, Shen Zhirou drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.
When Lu Yao awoke, it was already past four in the afternoon. Seeing Shen Zhirou still fast asleep, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, her right fingertips occasionally trailing along the curve of Shen Zhirou’s neck.
Shen Zhirou’s brows furrowed faintly, and she instinctively reached out to capture the hand gliding over her neck.
Seeing no sign that Shen Zhirou meant to open her eyes, Lu Yao leaned in again, kissing her lips and lingering there, gently nuzzling against them.
Shen Zhirou felt a velvety softness between her lips and teeth. She simply cracked her eyes open, hooked a hand around Lu Yao’s nape, and deepened the kiss. When they finally parted, Shen Zhirou blinked her eyes wider and found Lu Yao gazing at her, cheeks flushed a delicate pink.
“Jie Jie, how come you bullied me before you even woke up all the way?” Lu Yao’s voice was several shades softer than usual, and with that blush staining her face, she really did look like the victim of Shen Zhirou’s affections.
Shen Zhirou drew her closer into her embrace and murmured tenderly, “My Yaoyao’s getting awfully good at turning the tables these days. Who was it that sneaked a kiss while I was sleeping? You woke me right up with that.”
“That’s not true—you’re the one who bullied me.” Lu Yao buried her face in Shen Zhirou’s chest, her voice muffled and adorably petulant.
Shen Zhirou caved immediately. With a girlfriend this soft and sweet, what harm was there in owning up to a little fault?
“Fine, it was my mistake. I made the first move. Happy now, Yaoyao?” As she spoke, Shen Zhirou leaned in to brush a kiss against the corner of Lu Yao’s mouth. Her gaze drifted lower, settling unerringly on the little red mole just below Lu Yao’s collarbone. Without a moment’s hesitation, she pursed her lips and kissed it.
Lu Yao arched her slender neck obligingly, offering easier access to that favored spot. She had no idea why Shen Zhirou was so enamored with it, but if it was what her fiancée liked, she was all too happy to go along.
Lost in their kisses, the two soon tangled together once more. By the time Shen Zhirou had helped Lu Yao with her bath, the clock had ticked past eight in the evening—an impossibility for the Lu Yao of before. She had always loved her plush mattress, but she would never have wasted an entire afternoon abed; her mind would inevitably wander to work, her focus consumed by it entirely.
Lying on the bed as Shen Zhirou helped her into her pajamas, Lu Yao reflected that being with Shen Zhirou had changed her in ways she hadn’t expected. She cared less about work now, had grown more delicate and spoiled, and even delighted in coquettishly clinging to Shen Zhirou—things the old her would never have dreamed of.
More to the point, even realizing all this, Lu Yao had zero interest in upholding the personal boundaries she’d once set to keep a professional distance. She loved being glued to Shen Zhirou’s side, even if it pushed her a little out of her comfort zone.
Lu Yao sprawled on the bed, idly scrolling through her phone, while Shen Zhirou headed to the kitchen to fix dinner.
A warm glow filled Lu Yao’s heart. She loathed the blind dates her mother kept shoving at her, but she was grateful one of them had introduced her to Shen Zhirou. Her thoughts drifted to the real reason she’d agreed to give things a shot with Shen Zhirou in the first place—and to the person she hadn’t seen in ages.
Lu Yao let out a soft sigh, a flicker of guilt stirring within her. But it vanished as quickly as it came. After all, she’d been upfront with Shen Zhirou from the start at their first meeting: she had no time for dating and was only in it for marriage. Hardly a deception.
She hated the sensation of other people pulling her strings, yet thoughts of Wen Jin left her vaguely unsettled. Truth be told, ever since getting together with Shen Zhirou, the only times Wen Jin had crossed her mind were those first few heated moments when she’d gazed into Shen Zhirou’s eyes and seen echoes of her. After that, Wen Jin had faded almost entirely from her thoughts.
Wen Jin and Shen Zhirou were polar opposites. Wen Jin was bold and unrestrained, the type who wouldn’t rest until she excelled at everything she touched. Back in university, she’d been one of Jiangbei University’s most famous students. Admirers had flocked to her in droves, men and women alike, and Lu Yao had been just one among many. Wen Jin had cycled through countless suitors by then, and it wasn’t until their senior year that Lu Yao finally mustered the courage to confess.
Lu Yao still couldn’t forget the day she confessed to Wen Jin. She had braced herself for rejection, but to her surprise, Wen Jin actually agreed. At twenty-two, it was the first time she had ever fallen for someone—and the confession had succeeded. Lu Yao remembered how she lay awake all night afterward, buzzing with joy when she got back to her dorm.
After that, she and Wen Jin started dating. They never got overly intimate like most couples; the closest they ever came was holding hands. Even so, Lu Yao could never quite shake it off. She wanted to stay together with Wen Jin, but Wen Jin had broken things off before leaving the country for graduate school and work. As she departed, Wen Jin had even told her that if she wasn’t in a hurry, she should wait for her to come back.
Five years had flown by in the blink of an eye. At first, Lu Yao had naively believed Wen Jin meant it, but eventually even her calls stopped going through. That was when Lu Yao finally realized those words had just been polite empty talk. She was the only one who had ever taken them seriously.
But it had been her first real love, after all. These past few years, even though Lu Yao never mentioned it out loud, Wen Jin would still pop into her mind from time to time. Even on blind dates, she found herself inexplicably drawn to give Shen Zhirou a shot—because Zhirou’s eyes were so strikingly similar to Wen Jin’s. They weren’t flashy or dazzling, but gentle and pure, the kind you couldn’t forget after just one glance.
“Yaoyao, dinner’s ready. Come and eat.” Shen Zhirou still had her apron on, her dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She leaned halfway into view, her eyes curving in a soft smile as she called out to Lu Yao.
Shen Zhirou’s voice pulled Lu Yao back from the heavy fog of memory into the present, where she met those warm eyes. They looked so similar, but Lu Yao no longer mistook Shen Zhirou for Wen Jin. After all, they were completely different people.
A faint itch stirred in Lu Yao’s heart. She had just spent the entire afternoon glued to Shen Zhirou in bed, and yet here she was already craving another hug. With that thought, she acted on it. She got up, straightened her nightgown a bit, slipped on her slippers, and hurried after Shen Zhirou.
Shen Zhirou had already reached the living room when a warm, soft weight suddenly embraced her from behind. The corners of her lips curved upward as she coaxed gently, “Let me go serve the dishes first, or the food in the pot will burn.”
Perhaps it was because she’d been dwelling on the past earlier, but Lu Yao clung even tighter, refusing to let go. “Then let me hug you while you do it. Am I not more important than a plate of food?”
Shen Zhirou let out a helpless chuckle and shook her head. She had no idea what had gotten into her Yaoyao, comparing herself to dinner like this. Still, she coaxed softly, “Of course my Yaoyao is more important. Alright, let’s go serve the food first.”
With her voice light and gentle, Shen Zhirou led the way back to the kitchen, Lu Yao still hanging on behind her.
Shen Zhirou scooped the dishes onto plates while Lu Yao remained draped over her back. Shen Zhirou didn’t get annoyed at all; she simply let Lu Yao cling as she pleased. Even after every last bit of food had been carried to the dining table, Lu Yao showed no sign of letting go.
Amused, Shen Zhirou chuckled softly and patted the hands Lu Yao had wrapped around her waist. “Sit down and eat first. You can hug me however you want afterward, okay?”
Lu Yao mumbled something under her breath, too quiet for Shen Zhirou to make out.
Reluctantly, Lu Yao sat down, scooting her chair a little closer to Shen Zhirou’s side. Shen Zhirou noticed the movement, her smile deepening, though she didn’t call attention to the little gesture.
After dinner, Lu Yao insisted that Shen Zhirou leave the pots and dishes for the housekeeper aunts to deal with tomorrow. Then she tugged her straight back to bed.
Lu Yao didn’t have any other intentions; she simply nestled into Shen Zhirou’s arms and scrolled through her phone. Before long, drowsiness overtook her. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but lately Shen Zhirou’s embrace felt even more comfortable than her own soft mattress. In no time at all, Lu Yao drifted off to sleep.
Shen Zhirou smiled faintly as she set Lu Yao’s phone on the bedside table and pulled her a little closer, hoping to make her sleep more soundly.
Gazing down at Lu Yao, Shen Zhirou couldn’t shake the feeling—perhaps it was just her imagination—that her Yaoyao had turned into a lazy little kitten lately: clingy, spoiled, and prone to lounging indolently in her arms, letting herself be petted to her heart’s content.
Not wanting to disturb her, Shen Zhirou simply leaned down to press a light kiss to the tip of Lu Yao’s ear before reaching over to switch off the bedside lamp. Holding Lu Yao close, she settled in for the night.
