Xie Jianyuan stared at Xu Chun's retreating figure, his brows furrowing slightly as if hesitating about how to comfort her. In the end, he said nothing, only awkwardly but gently patting Xu Chun's back.
"Okay, go to sleep."
Xu Chun's head was already spinning, and she only managed a mumbled response before drifting off to sleep.
The weather outside was still filled with thunder and lightning, with deafening claps of thunder every now and then. Xie Jianyuan remained awake, showing no signs of sleepiness.
Xu Chun seemed to be sleeping restlessly, curling up into a ball as if she wanted to shrink herself to the smallest size. It is said that this is a sign of extreme insecurity.
He seemed to have become that cautious child again.
He could only hear him mumbling something incoherently. Xie Jianyuan frowned slightly and leaned closer to try and hear what he was saying.
"Cold..."
Xie Jianyuan frowned even more. Hearing what he said, he indeed noticed the cold wind blowing. It must be because the window wasn't closed properly. He got up to check, then closed the window tightly, drew the curtains, and went back to bed.
Xu Chun's body was still trembling slightly. He subconsciously gripped the blanket tightly. Xie Jianyuan looked at the blanket that had instantly drifted away from him and raised an eyebrow helplessly.
He carefully pulled him back a little, then reached out and put his hand on Xu Chun's shoulder. Feeling that he wasn't trembling as badly, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"... Xie Jianyuan."
Xu Chun murmured a name in her sleep. Although the voice was very low, Xie Jianyuan heard it clearly, as if it were a thunderclap from a clear sky.
His pupils contracted; this was the first time Xu Chun had called him by his full name, her tone carrying a hint of coquetry, as if she had been wronged and needed someone to back her up and embolden her.
He lowered his eyelashes slightly, reached out and gently patted his back soothingly, his voice soft as if afraid of disturbing him.
"I am here."
Xu Chun stopped talking, seemed much more at ease, and quickly quieted down.
Xie Jianyuan finally closed his eyes slowly. Although he was very awake, after more than ten minutes, he gradually drifted off to sleep.
Xie Jianyuan woke up again in the middle of the night.
He glanced at Xu Chun, who was curled up in his arms, sighed helplessly, and showed a restrained expression on his face.
Xu Chun didn't sleep well either, constantly fidgeting and shifting from side to side without stopping for a moment.
Xie Jianyuan suddenly stiffened, sensing the abnormality in that area, and his expression turned somewhat grim.
Xu Chun seemed oblivious to her current predicament, turning over to a more comfortable position, her hand unknowingly touching that crucial spot.
Xie Jianyuan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he felt the discomfort in that area intensify.
Xu Chun suddenly groaned in discomfort, presumably sensing the burning heat in a certain area even in his sleep. This made him turn over, wanting to get away from the uncomfortable spot.
Xie Jianyuan's eyes darkened, and he reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace.
Xu Chun finally quieted down.
Xie Jianyuan sighed inwardly, hugged him even tighter, as if guarding some precious treasure, and only then did he finally reluctantly close his eyes.
I tossed and turned all night until dawn.
When Xu Chun woke up the next day, he found that no one was around. He lazily yawned, put on his slippers, and got out of bed.
The bathroom door was closed. He knocked on it and found Xie Jianyuan inside.
"Brother Chun, wait a minute."
Xu Chun responded, and soon the door opened. Xu Chun was stunned at first glance, and raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked at the pants he was wearing.
"... This is?"
Xie Jianyuan said without changing his expression, "Yes, your pants are dirty."
How did you get your pants dirty?
"It must have gotten dirty when I came yesterday, anyway, I didn't notice." Xie Jianyuan's expression remained completely calm.
Seeing this, Xu Chun didn't suspect anything and quickly put the question out of his mind. However, he remembered something else and asked with a smile, "Did my mom find these pants for you?"
Xie Jianyuan nodded.
"It suits you quite well." Xu Chun looked him up and down carefully and praised him sincerely.
Xie Jianyuan was tall and slender, over 1.8 meters tall, practically a walking clothes hanger.
Hearing Xu Chun say that, his smile deepened, and Xu Chun's face was reflected in his dark pupils.
Xu Chun suddenly noticed a faint shadow under Xie Jianyuan's eyes, which looked like dark circles. Since she rarely saw such a thing on his face, she couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Didn't you sleep well last night?
Xie Jianyuan's expression stiffened imperceptibly.
Xu Chun, still oblivious, continued, "Was it raining too hard last night and disturbed you?"
After a moment of silence, Xie Jianyuan said slowly, "It's not a problem with the rain."
"What's that?" Xu Chun frowned in confusion, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Speaking of which, I didn't sleep well last night either."
Xie Jianyuan stiffened again, then subtly raised an eyebrow and carefully asked, "I think you slept quite well."
Xu Chun looked at him suspiciously. "How did you know?"
Xie Jianyuan replied, "I guessed."
Xu Chun clearly didn't believe his nonsense. She frowned, wanting to ask again, when she heard Xie Jianyuan ask her, "Why did you say you didn't sleep well?"
Xu Chun's attention was drawn away, and she sighed, "I had a dream."
What dream?
"I dreamt that I went back to my childhood, and every day after school I was home alone because my parents were still at work, and Xu Jin was still playing with his friends, leaving me all alone."
I sat on a small stool by the door, looking and looking, but they didn't come back until it got dark.