Shen An lay there with his eyes shut, as if already lost in slumber.
Zhao Qingyu, however, stared at him fixedly, not moving a muscle.
After a moment, she whispered, “Shen An~”
No response. So she tried again: “Shen An~”
This time, she raised her small hand. With her gentle call, she lightly brushed his cheek.
Shen An stirred awake once more. He kept his eyes closed but furrowed his brow.
The corners of Zhao Qingyu’s mouth lifted slightly. “Are you asleep?”
“Sigh, nearly.” Shen An opened his eyes with a helpless look, though a trace of indulgence softened his gaze toward her. “Can’t sleep?”
“Mm.”
Zhao Qingyu nodded faintly.
“Insomnia?” Shen An asked.
“Maybe.” Truth be told, Zhao Qingyu was exhausted. Red veins threaded through her eyes.
She’d been rushing about like everyone else since yesterday, and she’d barely slept the night before.
All she’d managed was a brief nap on the sofa that morning and a short doze on the drive back that afternoon.
That kind of broken sleep didn’t just fail to ease her mental weariness—it made her feel even more drained.
Were it not for Shen An beside her, the comfort of his company outweighing her fatigue, Zhao Qingyu would have buckled long ago.
Shen An yawned and rolled onto his side to face her. “Do you get insomnia often?”
Zhao Qingyu’s fingers poked playfully at his face as she pursed her lips. “Not usually, but sometimes it takes forever to drift off, and I wake up at the slightest noise.”
“Is it because of me tonight?”
Shen An caught her soft, boneless little hand and spoke low.
Zhao Qingyu let out a light laugh. “With some random guy suddenly showing up in bed next to me—a guy, no less—it’s not exactly easy to just nod off, is it?”
Shen An shook his head. “I was on the floor earlier, not right beside you, and you still couldn’t sleep.”
“Well…” Zhao Qingyu said stubbornly, “To me, you’re in the room, so it’s like having someone right there beside me. Floor or bed—makes no difference.”
“So that’s why you wanted me out~” Shen An said with a dawning chuckle.
“Sort of…”
Zhao Qingyu mumbled.
“Then I’ll head out and sleep.” Shen An sighed and made as if to rise from under the covers.
But before he could throw back the blanket, Zhao Qingyu pinned his hand down.
Shen An arched a brow, shooting her a puzzled glance.
What now?
You’re the one who told me to leave—and now you’re stopping me?
Zhao Qingyu pillowed her head lazily on her pillow, gazing at him with equal laziness. She squinted, a soft smile playing on her lips. “You sleepy?”
“Not super sleepy. I’ve caught plenty of shut-eye these past couple days.”
Shen An shrugged. “But lying here awake? I’d just get bored.”
“Then since you’re not tired, keep me company. Chat with me a bit.”
Zhao Qingyu’s request carried a note of earnest plea as she bared her softer side to him.
Shen An considered it, then turned fully toward her. “Sure. I’m your sounding board now, Senior Sister.”
“What’s a sounding board? I said chat with me—not just listen to me vent.”
Zhao Qingyu huffed coquettishly.
“But you look beat.” Shen An gently stroked her cheek. “Your eyes have those red veins. You sure you’ve got the energy for talking?”
Zhao Qingyu pulled back with a pout. “Then what? Send you out to sleep while I stare at the ceiling till dawn?”
“Hm, I’ve got a good solution. Just not sure if Senior Sister’s game.”
Shen An’s lips quirked up, his smile laced with a smoldering warmth.
That heat sent an instinctive shiver through Zhao Qingyu. She sensed Shen An was scheming something naughty.
Still, she wanted to hear it. “Let’s hear it.”
“I know a bit about medical stuff. You’re wired and can’t sleep, but your body’s wiped out.”
“So I can help you unwind, ease that mental tension, let your mind follow your body’s cues, and get you to sleep quicker.”
Shen An held out his hand, palm up. “What do you say?”
Zhao Qingyu lifted a brow. “Unwind how? Involves getting naked?”
“Tch, listen to you, Senior Sister. What kind of guy do you think I am?” Shen An shook his head with mock indignation.
“Then… how?”
A flicker of anticipation colored Zhao Qingyu’s voice.
“Simple—rub you down. Shoulders, legs, belly, whatever.” Shen An murmured. “Basically, a full-body massage.”
“Full… body… massage?”
“Yep. Full-body.”
Zhao Qingyu pouted. “You just want an excuse to grope me. No dice.”
Shen An’s mouth twitched. “Fine, puzzle it out yourself. I’m off to sleep outside.”
“Hey, no you don’t!”
“Won’t work—I’m crashing now.”
“You’re not allowed!” Zhao Qingyu bolted upright.
“Whoa, mercy, Senior Sister. I really am beat.” Shen An yawned. “Can’t help it. Even chatting, I might conk out on you halfway.”
“That’d kill the vibe.”
Hm.
He had a point.
Zhao Qingyu wavered, eyeing him warily. “You… you’re really just massaging? Nothing else?”
“More like helping you relax.”
Shen An smiled reassuringly. “Trust me—I’m decently pro at this.”
“Then…”
Zhao Qingyu didn’t want him gone. She couldn’t bear lying there like an idiot till morning.
“Yeah?”
Shen An leaned in close. “Up for it?”
“I… what do I do?”
Zhao Qingyu was lost.
She’d never had a massage—clueless on the details.
“Nothing. Just lie back, get comfy.”
Shen An snagged the remote first, cranking the heat up a notch and killing the strong fan.
Then he flicked on the room lights.
The sudden blaze made Zhao Qingyu squint, her eyes adjusting.
“There. Lie down right.”
Shen An swept the pillow aside and patted the bed’s center.
“How?” Zhao Qingyu still blanked.
“Face down, back to me. Yeah, perfect.”
Under his direction, Zhao Qingyu obeyed, rolling over and settling in quietly.
“Like this?”
She glanced back, uneasy.
“Spot on.”
Shen An rubbed his hands, and her panic spiked…
Her very first massage. First time prone before a boy like this. First time… on a bed like this.
Zhao Qingyu couldn’t name the feeling—only that her heart hammered wildly.
From Shen An’s view, her prone form traced a sinfully graceful curve, top to bottom.
Her figure was an hourglass, flawlessly tempting wicked fancies.
“Senior Sister, you’ve never had a massage, have you?”
Shen An said softly.
“Mm~”
Zhao Qingyu mumbled into the pillow, voice muffled.
“You work out all the time, though. Don’t your muscles ache without one?”
“I… I stretch out, but… never massaged.”
Zhao Qingyu whispered.
“It’s a lot like that—kneading muscles and pressure points.”
Shen An pressed her calf. “Spread your legs a touch.”
“Okay…”
Zhao Qingyu was beyond thinking.
She followed his lead.
Legs parted, and from behind, her full, rounded rear rose like a peak before Shen An’s eyes.
Yet between those long, shapely legs, tight jeans cruelly blocked the view.
Shen An scratched his head, inwardly lamenting his miscalculation.
Zhao Qingyu usually dressed in fashionable, sexy outfits—either short skirts or long ones.
Tonight, however, she had chosen jeans. They hugged her curves tightly, enhancing the visual appeal. Just looking was quite nice.
But for someone like Shen An, who was about to lay hands on her, jeans earned a big thumbs-down.
Still, he wasn’t in any rush to ask her to take them off.
If he suggested it now, she would definitely take offense—maybe even kick him right off the bed.
Exactly.
Shen An planned to employ his retreat-to-advance tactic once more, coaxing her into removing them willingly without her even realizing it.
Heh heh heh.
With that thought, the heat in his eyes burned even fiercer.
“Not ready yet?”
Zhao Qingyu had been lying on the bed waiting for a while with no movement from him. Unable to bear the suspense, she urged him on anxiously.
“Ready now. Senior Sister, are you prepared?”
Shen An said softly.
“Mm… I-I’m ready.”
“Good. It might hurt a little. If you can endure it, try to hold on. If it gets unbearable, just tell me, and I’ll ease up.”
Shen An rubbed his wrists, ready to get to work.
“Okay.”
Zhao Qingyu closed her eyes, doing her best to calm the tension churning inside her.
