May 31st, early morning.
After the lights went out last night, Jiang Qiuyi was only quiet for a short while before she started secretly fooling around beneath the covers.
Though she did not go too far, with a lone man and woman sharing a bed in the darkness, even Chen Wen, dense as he was, could not help feeling hot all over.
After playing around for a while, sleepiness caught up with Jiang Qiuyi. She hugged Chen Wen's arm, draped one leg over him, and fell deeply asleep.
That left Chen Wen awake by himself until dawn.
Even with the air conditioner set to 24 degrees, Chen Wen could not cool down.
In the middle of the night, Jiang Qiuyi slept more soundly, let go of Chen Wen's arm, and rolled onto her back.
Only then was Chen Wen freed. He lifted the blanket to let some air in, only to discover that his back was already drenched in sweat.
After being blasted by the air conditioner, Chen Wen woke up that morning with a heavy nose. He had probably caught a cold.
Chen Wen sat up against the headboard, turned off the air conditioner, and reached out to pull open the curtains.
The thin morning sunlight slipped in through the window and fell across the delicate profile of the girl beside him, outlining her soft, captivating features.
Turning his head and catching sight of that beautiful scene, Chen Wen rarely felt his heart stir, as though a soft little paw had scratched at it.
At that moment, looking at Jiang Qiuyi's fair, smooth face, Chen Wen instinctively had the urge to lower his head and kiss her.
But before he could decide, his nose suddenly tickled—
"Achoo!"
"Mm..." Jiang Qiuyi mumbled. She groggily opened her eyes, and upon seeing Chen Wen, she reached out with half-lidded eyes and coquettishly said, "Hug me~"
Chen Wen pretended not to hear her, stretched his legs onto the floor, and prepared to get up.
But Jiang Qiuyi immediately sprang out from beneath the covers and tightly hugged him from behind. Her smooth, soft cheek pressed against his, and with her eyes closed, she sleepily asked, "What time is it?"
Feeling the pressure against his back, Chen Wen turned to glance at the wall clock. "Six."
"Only six... It's the weekend, sleep a little more."
"You can keep sleeping. I need to go for my morning run."
"That won't do. I have to go with you."
"Then get up."
"I can't get up~ Carry me to the bathroom on your back~"
A few minutes later, Chen Wen helplessly reached out, supported the girl's smooth, soft thighs, and carried her out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.
"Am I heavy?"
"Yes."
"?" Jiang Qiuyi puffed up her cheeks. "Are you saying I'm fat?"
"...No." Chen Wen calmly analyzed, "According to physics, supporting your butt would save more effort."
"Oh~" Jiang Qiuyi giggled, leaned close to Chen Wen's ear, and blew on it. "So you wanted to touch my butt?"
Chen Wen said nothing. He set Jiang Qiuyi down on the bathroom floor, picked up her "Blue Rabbit" toothbrush, squeezed toothpaste onto it, and handed it to her.
Jiang Qiuyi had already put toothpaste on Chen Wen's "Rainbow Cat" toothbrush, and the two exchanged toothbrushes.
This was a little rule Jiang Qiuyi had set.
By helping each other squeeze toothpaste, they could slowly cultivate and deepen their feelings for one another.
"My package should have arrived. After breakfast, remember to remind me to pick it up," Jiang Qiuyi said as she brushed her teeth.
"Okay." Chen Wen nodded. "What time are you filming today?"
"Mm..." Jiang Qiuyi tilted her head and thought for a few seconds. "After we get back from running, I'm going to sleep a little more, then get up and review my coursework."
"As for filming, we can talk about it this afternoon."
"It's not urgent anyway. I'm planning to post it next Tuesday or Wednesday, and the episode after that won't be until after finals."
After washing up, the two changed into sportswear and went downstairs for their morning run.
As usual, Chen Wen ran one lap with her. Jiang Qiuyi then went to buy breakfast while Chen Wen finished his remaining two laps. After they ate breakfast together and picked up the package, they returned to the rental apartment.
Fresh from her shower, Jiang Qiuyi burrowed back into Chen Wen's bed, planning to catch up on sleep.
Looking at the girl on the bed, Chen Wen felt that his days of freely sleeping alone might be gone forever.
Shaking his head, Chen Wen closed the bedroom door, entered the craft room, and continued polishing Lambent Light's blade.
The polishing process was tedious. Around ten o'clock, Chen Wen stopped when his arms began to ache.
After cutting a long strip from the oak, Chen Wen took the barely used Flame Frequency Processor from the cabinet.
After inspecting it according to standard procedure and confirming that it was usable, Chen Wen relaxed. He left the craft room first, intending to use the Flame Frequency Processor that afternoon to soften the oak and make the sword guard.
When he returned to the bedroom, Jiang Qiuyi was already awake and sitting cross-legged on the bed, reading study materials.
Chen Wen did not disturb her. He sat down at the computer and continued editing the Interpreter video.
Near noon, Chen Wen felt Jiang Qiuyi wrap her arms around his neck from behind. Her complaining voice sounded beside his ear. "I'm so tired~"
"Let's have lunch?"
"Should we order delivery?"
"Or go out to eat?"
Jiang Qiuyi opened up and kept talking, while Chen Wen quietly listened.
In the end, Jiang Qiuyi still chose the most effortless option and ordered two deliveries.
After lunch, Jiang Qiuyi took out the package from that morning. Once she opened it, she found a bundle of black clothing.
It was a Conan Black-Clad Person cosplay outfit.
Whenever a murder case appeared around Ke Nan and the culprit's identity had not yet been revealed, the anime would turn the culprit into a "black-clad person," preserving the suspense.
That was where the Conan Black-Clad Person came from.
"I'm going to change~" Jiang Qiuyi slipped into Chen Wen's bedroom with the cosplay outfit in her arms.
A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened halfway, and Jiang Qiuyi poked her head out. Blushing, she called softly, "Chen Wen, come here for a second!"
Chen Wen walked over and immediately saw a patch of Jiang Qiuyi's fair, rounded shoulder exposed outside the door.
Judging by the situation, she probably was not wearing anything underneath.
"What's wrong?" Chen Wen shifted to the side so he would not see any more.
"Go get a bandage from the living room drawer in my room," Jiang Qiuyi said, blushing.
"?" Chen Wen was confused. "You're hurt? Are you okay?"
"No!" Jiang Qiuyi's face turned completely red, like a boiled egg, and her voice instantly became as soft as a mosquito's. "That outfit is too tight. I-I'm too big there... It won't fit..."
After saying that, she left only a crack in the bedroom door, revealing just one of her shy eyes. "Hurry up..."
Chen Wen came back to his senses and responded before heading toward Jiang Qiuyi's room, but he still could not figure out one thing.
What did having a chest too large to fit into the outfit have to do with bandages?
After taking out the bandage, Chen Wen returned to the bedroom and knocked on the door. "I got it."
The bedroom door opened a crack. Jiang Qiuyi's little hand reached out, snatched the bandage, and immediately withdrew.
Yet less than two minutes later, the bedroom door opened again, and Jiang Qiuyi's pleading voice came from inside:
"Chen Wen... Come in and help me pull up the zipper... I can't feel it after putting on the hood..."
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