Shen An twirled a lock of her silky hair around his finger, holding the hairdryer and gently blowing.
The warm breeze swept over the tips of her hair and brushed her cheeks, causing Zhao Qingyu to involuntarily close her eyes. What made her even more unable to help herself, though, was the sudden urge to quietly wrap her arms around Shen An’s waist.
He was standing right in front of her, he standing and she sitting—this distance, this position, it was perfect for a hug.
But after wrestling with the idea for a moment, Zhao Qingyu steadied her sense of propriety and tried her best to suppress the notion, which made her seem far too “easy.”
“I heard from Yuqiong that the amusement park here was built by the owner of the mountain villa to commemorate his daughter,” Shen An said softly, not noticing Zhao Qingyu’s subtle little movements as he focused on drying her hair.
His words immediately snapped her out of her fanciful thoughts.
She cracked her eyes open slightly and looked at him in confusion.
Shen An’s lips curved up. “What?”
“You’re wondering if that daughter is me, right?” Zhao Qingyu said softly, pursing her lips.
“Eh, I was just mentioning it offhand,” Shen An replied with a pout.
Zhao Qingyu pondered for a moment, then lifted her head with a touch of coquettishness. “Now you know how important I am, huh?”
Her implication was clear: she was admitting it.
“Ah, you’re quite the precious one indeed—with a whole mountain villa like this.” Shen An chuckled wryly.
“You got that right.” Zhao Qingyu sat up a bit straighter and closed her eyes. “So you need to show me a little more attentiveness. That way, I’ll pay more attention to you.”
“Once you graduate or whatever, you might even come to me for a favor—maybe line up a sweet gig for you.”
Shen An twisted a strand of her hair and sighed. “Trying to talk me into living off a woman again? I’ve got principles, you know.”
“Hm?”
Zhao Qingyu covered her mouth and giggled, slowly lifting one of her long, slender legs in an attempt to hook it around his waist. “Wasn’t it just a bit ago that someone was talking about hugging a thick thigh?”
But since she was wearing jeans, her leg got stuck halfway up, refusing to go any higher no matter what.
Shen An held back a laugh. Zhao Qingyu, embarrassed and annoyed, simply shifted her position, leaned back to make some room, lifted her long leg higher, and firmly hooked it around his waist.
“Hiss~” Shen An grumbled. “Deadly scissor legs, huh?”
“Good thing it’s not around my neck.”
Shen An muttered under his breath. Zhao Qingyu didn’t catch it. “What are you mumbling about?”
“I’m saying~” Shen An ruffled her hair. “It’s just talk—don’t take it seriously.”
“Changed your mind already? Gonna go out there and make it on your own?” Zhao Qingyu raised her chin, staring at him with a half-smile, her expression teasing.
“Heh, no matter what, a man has to try forging his own path first.”
As Shen An combed through her hair, he said gravely, “When I can’t make it anymore, then I’ll think about whether to eat soft rice from Senior Sister or not.”
Zhao Qingyu frowned. “Pretty principled—and awfully full of yourself.”
She poked his arm irritably. “You really think I’ll keep giving you chances like an idiot? Let me tell you straight: I’m fickle as hell, always changing my mind on a whim.”
“Tonight, I’m only giving you this shot because you helped blow-dry my hair again—and I’m in a good mood.”
“After tonight, even if you get on your knees and beg, I might not pay you any mind.”
Shen An shrugged. “Then there’s even less reason for it.”
Zhao Qingyu arched a brow. “What did you say?”
“You’re the one who said you’re fickle. Even if I agree tonight, you might wake up tomorrow and change your mind—what can I do about it?”
“It’s not like I can sue you in court, right?”
Shen An chuckled lightly. “Better to just rely on myself honestly.”
Zhao Qingyu pursed her little lips, a bit peeved. “So stubborn!”
As she spoke, her jade foot, carrying her annoyance, rubbed against his waist nonstop, as if trying to pinch the soft flesh there with her toes.
“That’s called self-awareness,” Shen An said calmly.
“Pah!” Zhao Qingyu pouted. “So you were lying to me before, huh? Just trying to sweet-talk me.”
Shen An feigned surprise. “Sweet-talking you? Senior Sister, you think that’s what this is? Didn’t realize you were so vain—hoping so badly for someone to latch onto your thigh?”
Zhao Qingyu: …
“I wanna slap a piece of tape over your mouth!” she said, a little frantic. “I don’t know how Nannan puts up with you!”
Shen An froze, his hair-drying motions stiffening slightly.
Damn.
These past couple of days, he’d been a bit too immersed in the gentle charms of Zhao Qingyu and had momentarily forgotten about Chen Nannan.
But it wasn’t his fault for being fickle—the phone wasn’t with him, so he had no idea if Nannan had been trying to reach him.
At the same time, a pang of panic hit Zhao Qingyu.
Oops~
She’d let it slip.
She lowered her long leg and tried to play it cool, pouting. “Forgot to tell you—Nannan sent you a bunch of messages. She sounds pretty urgent.”
Shen An couldn’t help but detect a hint of jealousy in her tone, whatever it was.
“You didn’t reply for me on your own again, did you?”
“What do you mean ‘again’?” Zhao Qingyu didn’t like the sound of that. She huffed. “Last night was just… a spur-of-the-moment thing!”
“I’m not interested in who you chat with. I just happened to see them.”
“Anyway, you can reply to her yourself tomorrow when you get your phone back. I didn’t touch a single word.”
“Probably just some concerned stuff.”
Shen An smiled to himself. “Senior Sister Nannan treats me like her little brother.”
Little brother?
Zhao Qingyu raised a brow, smirking. “You seem to treat her like a big sister too. Weren’t you always bringing her up every three sentences?”
Shen An murmured, “Actually, I think of her as my little sister.”
Tch.
Zhao Qingyu snorted. “Bullshit.”
“She’s two years younger than me—how’s that not a little sister?” Shen An countered earnestly.
Zhao Qingyu rolled her foxy eyes impatiently, her tone laced with pointed sarcasm. “If you really see her as a little sister, then you’ve got quite a few good little sisters, huh.”
She ticked them off on her fingers. “Does Wang Yuqiong count? And that Song Rui.”
“Oh, and you seem pretty close with Yu Wen too. She’s the same age as me, and you’re a year older than her—is she one of your little sisters?”
“And.”
Zhao Qingyu narrowed her eyes. “What about me? I’m a year younger than you too—do you see me as one of your good little sisters?”
Shen An turned off the hairdryer and gave her hair one last smooth. “All done,” he said with a light laugh.
With that, he turned to dodge the question, heading off to put the hairdryer back.
Zhao Qingyu gritted her teeth. “Stop right there!”
“Hm?”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“To put the hairdryer away…”
“No!” Zhao Qingyu lifted her long leg to clamp around his waist again, her voice cold. “Don’t dodge my question.”
“What question?”
Shen An put on an innocent, puzzled look.
Aaaah!!
Zhao Qingyu’s little mouth puffed out. “Do you see me as one of your good little sisters too?!”
Shen An chuckled wryly, then leaned down to ruffle her hair. “If you want.”
What…
What did that mean?
Zhao Qingyu blinked, instinctively falling into a brief reverie.
In that momentary gap, Shen An seized the chance to break free from her scissor hold, grabbed the hairdryer, and left the living room.
That guy…
Zhao Qingyu furrowed her brows, propping her chin on her hand as she inwardly fumed at his slyness.
The term “good little sister” was indeed sensitive and ambiguous, undeniably carrying a hint of distance.
Very flirty, but not flirty enough to cross that line…
From another angle, “good little sister” could be seen as a confidante or close friend.
It hovered in that delicate space between friends and lovers—just a step forward made it romantic, a step back made it platonic.
Describing their current relationship that way felt oddly fitting.
But…
I don’t wanna be a little sister!
Zhao Qingyu wrinkled her dainty nose. She was used to being the dominant one—she really wasn’t comfortable playing the little sister role.
Even if it was just a nickname.
“What’re you thinking about?”
Shen An returned to the living room and waved his hand in front of Zhao Qingyu’s face as he bent down.
Zhao Qingyu shot him an irritated glare. “I’m thinking about where you’re sleeping tonight!”
“On my own bed, obviously.”
Shen An stated the obvious.
“And me?” Zhao Qingyu arched a brow.
“You’re going back to your own room to sleep, of course.” Shen An had no idea Zhao Qingyu still disliked the mess in her own room.
He simply assumed that last night, when she’d come to him, she’d just wanted to talk—and used drinking as an excuse to stick around.
“You telling me you wanna sleep with me or something?”
The sensitive topic he hadn’t brought up last night came out now without restraint, leaving Zhao Qingyu at a loss for words…
Last night, she could play drunk—no need to explain.
But tonight?
She could hardly just come out and say she wanted to sleep with him!
That would be way too embarrassing!
Seeing the blush and conflicted expression on her face, Shen An’s lips curved into a slight smile. He chuckled softly, “So, want to have another drink? It’s a bit early to sleep now.”
Whoosh!
In an instant, Zhao Qingyu’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson.
The word “drink” carried many layers of meaning for the two of them at this moment.
Was Shen An genuinely just suggesting a drink to pass the time, or was he teasing her about pretending to be drunk last night?
Or had he seen through her act?
Whatever the reason, it felt like a heavily loaded flirtation. Zhao Qingyu couldn’t help but shove him away with a slap of her hand.
Shen An, pushed to the floor, still wore that stunned look on his face, along with just the right touch of bewilderment.
He blinked, shrugged, and said, “Fine, no drink then. Why get physical?”
“You—sleep on the sofa!”
Zhao Qingyu stood up. Even as embarrassment churned wildly inside her, she had to keep a calm facade!
There was even a hint of commanding tone in her voice, meant to force Shen An into submission.
There was no helping it…
She really wanted to sleep in his room and didn’t want to go back to hers.
One could say corruption happened step by step. After tasting it once, she craved it endlessly.
Right now, Zhao Qingyu was caught in that exact whirlpool, unable to break free.
Shen An shot to his feet and shook his head vigorously. “No way.”
Rubbing his neck, he grumbled, “I spent the whole night on the sofa last night. Nearly gave me a crick in the neck.”
“No way am I sleeping on the sofa tonight.”
Zhao Qingyu crossed her arms, glaring coldly at him. “Then you want me to sleep on the sofa?”
“You…” Shen An shrank back a bit. “Don’t you have your own room, my esteemed Senior Sister? This hotel and mountain villa were built in your honor. So many rooms—pick any one you like.”
Zhao Qingyu turned her head away, pursing her lips. “I want to sleep here.”
Shen An: …
“Fine then. Find me an empty room.” Shen An waved his hand, pretending to concede.
“Impossible!”
Zhao Qingyu’s refusal came swift and without hesitation.
It was inevitable.
She wanted to sleep in this room not because she loved it so much, but simply because it was his room.
Shen An’s mouth twitched. He turned and made a beeline for his room. “Figure it out yourself then. I’m not sleeping on the sofa, no matter what!!”
“Hey!”
Zhao Qingyu froze for a second, then hurried after him. “Stop right there! You can’t sleep in the bed—that’s mine!!”
Shen An reached the room first. In truth, he had plenty of time to lock the door.
Given his reflexes and speed.
But he didn’t.
He deliberately waited a moment until Zhao Qingyu chased after him and had one foot inside the room. Only then did he pretend to close the door.
Zhao Qingyu was cunning too. Even though he hadn’t used much force, when the door brushed her ankle, she immediately put on an Oscar-worthy performance, acting like it hurt a lot.
“Ow, that hurts!!”
Startled, Shen An let go at once. Zhao Qingyu slipped fully into the room and locked the door behind her.
“Are you okay? Did it hurt?”
Shen An was still “worriedly” eyeing her delicate foot.
Zhao Qingyu’s lips curved smugly. She lifted her toes and waved them in front of his face, saying airily, “You should still sleep on the sofa.”
Shen An put on a look of “betrayed” shock. Seeing this, Zhao Qingyu grew even more pleased.
Hmph~ Idiot.
“Absolutely not.” Shen An shook his head. “I’m not sleeping on the sofa, no matter what.”
“Then don’t sleep at all.”
Zhao Qingyu seized the advantage again. Before Shen An could react, she dove onto the bed and covered herself with the blanket in one smooth motion.
Shen An blinked. In the blink of an eye, all he could see was her little head poking out, along with the smug smile on her lips.
“Hah, worst case, we share.”
Shen An threw caution to the winds and climbed onto the bed too, trying to yank the blanket open and squeeze in.
Zhao Qingyu clutched it tightly. The moment he got close, she yelled, “Pervert!!!”
“Rapist!!!”
Shen An: …..
Zhao Qingyu stuck out her tongue playfully. “Nyah nyah nyah nyah~”
Fine.
Shen An gave her a thumbs-up. “You win.”
“Thanks for the compliment.” Zhao Qingyu nodded slightly.
Damn it.
Shen An had no choice but to open the nearby cabinet. “Good thing there’s an extra blanket. Worst case, I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.”
“Tsk, you’d rather sleep on the floor than the sofa?”
Zhao Qingyu lounged comfortably on the bed, teasing, “The sofa’s at least a bit soft. You’ve only got one blanket now—are you using it to pad the floor or cover yourself?”
Shen An snorted coldly. “No need to worry about me. You just stay put on the bed.”
He lay down directly, pulling the blanket over himself.
Which meant he was lying on the cold floor with only the blanket covering him.
The moment his back hit the ground, Shen An shivered and muttered under his breath, “It’s not even winter, so why’s the floor so damn cold?”
