The sky had grown somewhat dark.
The air conditioner was still humming as it blew cool air.
When everything had quieted down again, the only sound left beneath the covers was the tangled breathing of two people.
Zhang Yan buried her face deeply in the pillow, too afraid to lift her head.
She had pulled the blanket up high, exposing only half the back of her head and one ear, red enough to seem almost translucent.
Her body was limp, her bones weak, but her heartbeat was still in disarray.
"Thump thump thump thump."
It was so fast it didn't feel like her own.
"Does it hurt?" Tang Song asked softly.
Zhang Yan's eyelashes trembled. With her face still buried, she gently shook her head.
"Then shall we do it again?"
..."Zhang Yan's body stiffened. "It... it hurts a little."
Tang Song wanted to laugh when he heard that, but he also felt a little sorry for her.
"Then why were you pretending to be tough just now? If it hurts, you need to say so."
"I..." Zhang Yan's ears burned, and her voice grew softer and softer. "I'm sorry."
"You need to apologize for this too?"
Zhang Yan pressed her lips together. It took her a long while to force out, "Then... I won't do it again in the future."
"Won't do what again?" Tang Song deliberately pressed her.
Zhang Yan became even more embarrassed. She simply buried her face another inch deeper into the pillow and stopped talking altogether.
The room stayed quiet for quite a while.
Then Tang Song suddenly spoke again in a low voice. "Did you like it?"
The heat that had only just faded a little from Zhang Yan's face instantly flared back up.
"I... I..."
"What?" Tang Song leaned closer and gently kissed