Chapter 317

The ceiling was familiar yet strange. After groggily opening her eyes, the scene before her eyes evoked only one strange word in Hua Xin's mind: light. Light filtering through the curtains. How many days had it been since she felt the warm glow of morning sunlight streaming through the curtains, bathing the entire room? Several months, perhaps. She hadn't cherished what she had before, only realizing its value after its loss. But rather than being oblivious, she was more surprised. She had, in her daily life, cared about these small things beyond the necessities of life, hadn't she? Like that time when she desperately tried to forget and ignore Xia Yan's existence, but the more she tried to forget, the more she thought of him. "A habit lurking in my memory..." Hua Xin closed her eyes languidly and reluctantly, snuggling against the pillow with its faint lavender scent. She seemed unprepared to get up; this feeling of peace was even stronger than when she woke up in the morning. But judging by the light filtering through the curtains... it must be getting late, right? Or maybe she slept until noon. It had been a long, long time since she'd slept so soundly. Even in the nights after she'd confessed everything to Xia Yan, she hadn't slept this peacefully. No heavy drowsiness. No sudden awakenings. No urgent matters, no strange nightmares. It was as if she'd blinked and suddenly fallen asleep, then blinked again and suddenly woke up. Uh... it sounded a bit like an NPC's experience. She stretched her arm out from the warm blankets and precisely found her phone beside her. She gently pressed a button, and the cracked screen suddenly lit up. "9:34...?" The lingering sleepiness in Hua Xin's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a faint hope. It was already morning, and the room wasn't as cold as it had been at night, though it was still a bit Hua Xin when she got out of bed. She got out of bed, her bare feet touching the floor, and flung open the completely closed curtains. Warm sunlight streamed onto her face, a rare sense of gentleness and security washing over her like a transparent garment. It felt so comfortable. She yawned, then ran her hands through her hair, trying to smooth out the unruly strands. Checking that her clothes were only slightly wrinkled and didn't reveal anything, she cautiously opened the door. Please... this wasn't a time for her to be careless while living alone. What if Xia Yan thought she was being lazy and disliked her? She didn't want to be kicked out on her very first day of living with someone and have to go back to living in a place that felt like a dark, gloomy suitcase, because living there for too long would really make her depressed. But if she really was kicked out, Xia Yan would probably leave with her, right? "Good morning." Xia Yan, who had gotten up sometime earlier and was sitting on the sofa in the living room, stroking Chun Qiu's hair while watching the news on the TV..., turned to Hua Xin and smiled. Looking at that still gentle, almost punchable face, Hua Xin subconsciously reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then replied calmly, "Morning." Although her face showed no particular expression, the girl's inner thoughts were completely different. What kind of déjà vu was this? Even though she had prepared herself for living with Xia Yan, seeing that her "home" wasn't just a place where she was all alone, or where she was talking to herself to the furniture and the air, but where she had someone who would cook dinner for her at night and say good morning to her when she woke up in the morning. Good morning, good night. It sounded like the kind of habits and words only young boys and girls in their early teens and early twenties would care about. Thinking of this, Hua Xin couldn't help but smile, seemingly happy with the scene before her, yet also perhaps feeling childish for her own earlier associations. "Want to eat?" "I made Preserved Egg and Lean Pork Congee and lean pork, and Egg Pancake. There's some leftover beef from last night, want some?" Xia Yan tossed Chun Qiu, the cat in his arms, to the ground. Disturbed from its grooming, Chun Qiu wagged its tail unhappily, and in that instant, Hua Xin seemed to see tangible dissatisfaction emanating from the cat. The girl's lips twitched, but in her heart, she was thinking about whether to find an opportunity to castrate Chun Qiu. Otherwise, a cat that could be bought off with a few cat treats had to experience the harshness of the world! "Yes!" Coming back to her senses, Hua Xin awkwardly clasped her hands behind her back, but still tried to keep her expression calm, nodding firmly to Xia Yan. It was different from last night. Now, she didn't know how to describe this emotion. Watching Xia Yan's retreating figure disappear from the living room as he walked towards the kitchen, Hua Xin's expression softened slightly. She turned and went into the bathroom, her earlier tension gone. The cool water on her face helped her wake up a little. Although both bathrooms had water heaters, it wasn't easy for Hua Xin, who had been washing with cold water for so long, to change that. Without any skincare products, she simply washed her face to shake off the sleepiness. But as she picked up a towel, she remembered the "marketing account" she'd seen on a video she'd been watching. "Will my skin get worse if I don't use skincare products?" This thought inexplicably popped into her mind. Putting down the towel, Hua Xin quietly looked at herself in the mirror. Due to what had happened earlier, her sleep hadn't been very good. She had faint dark circles under her eyes, not very noticeable, but still visible upon close inspection. Aside from that, her skin was still fair, without any acne scars. The girl seemed slightly silent. After washing up, Hua Xin silently and obediently sat down at the table. Seeing the congee and egg pancakes Xia Yan had already prepared, the strange emotions she'd felt earlier made her increasingly uneasy. She didn't speak, but simply moved her chair back, opening her arms to Xia Yan who had just finished preparing her breakfast. "What's wrong?" Xia Yan gently placed the bowl on the table, a slight smile on his face, and bent down to hug the girl. Last night, Hua Xin had acted like a mischievous woman, constantly teasing him, her playful nature exactly the same as when they first Online Relationship. But now, Hua Xin looked like an awkward peer standing in a gathering full of adults, unable to find anyone to talk to. Hua Xin felt Xia Yan's heartbeat, as if she could read his heart just like that. Just like how he would heat up her food even if she didn't say what she wanted. And Xia Yan did the same. He gently stroked the girl's hair down to her shoulder, and whispered to her, "It will always be like this." "We will never leave." "But what if I become ugly?"