The blood-colored light of dawn filtered through the paper windows, spilling a warm layer of dusky red across the room.
Xiao Yun was sleeping soundly when his nose suddenly tickled, as though something had brushed lightly over it.
Instinctively, he waved a hand in front of his nose, mumbled something, then rolled over and went back to sleep.
The quiet lasted only a moment before his nose began to tickle again, worse than before, as though a feather were teasing it back and forth.
Xiao Yun's eyes snapped open.
Hu Liena lay on her side beside him, propping her head up with one hand while holding a lock of dark gold hair in the other. Its tip swept right across his nose.
Seeing that Xiao Yun was awake, she made no attempt to hide. Instead, her eyes curved into crescents, a mischievous smile tugged at her lips, and her scarlet eyes shone with the sly delight of success.
"Awake?"
Xiao Yun did not answer.
He reached out and swept Hu Liena into his arms, rolled over to pin her beneath him, then slipped his fingers to her waist and began tickling her.
Hu Liena burst into laughter, clear and breathless, like silver bells scattered by the wind.
She twisted, trying to dodge him, but Xiao Yun held her firmly in his arms, leaving her nowhere to escape. Her hands pushed against his chest, though so weakly that it seemed more like coy encouragement than resistance.
"Don't... hahaha... stop tickling... I was wrong... hahaha..."
Xiao Yun did not stop. His fingers roamed between her sides and armpits until Hu Liena was laughing too hard to breathe, tears beading at the corners of her eyes as she begged repeatedly for mercy. Only then did he relent.
He stilled his hands and looked