"Since we're putting on an act, we might as well see it through. Stay here tonight." Li removed the ribbon from his hair crown and set it on the stand, then tilted his head slightly toward Shi Lan. "I'll sleep on the couch. You take the bed."
Shi Lan paused, but did not turn around. Just as Li was about to think she intended to refuse, he heard her faintly say, "Okay."
Li pulled the covers over Shi Lan, blew out the lamp, and then prepared to rest.
The room was pitch-black, with only faint moonlight outlining blurred shadows. As Li passed the bed, he suddenly felt something tug at the hem of his inner robe.
Looking down, he saw slender, fair fingers curled slightly around it.
"Wait." Shi Lan's voice was nearly inaudible, yet it strangely reached deep into his heart. "You should sleep on the bed too."
Li halted. The darkness perfectly concealed his expression, yet he could make out Shi Lan's face within it. Perhaps the night had given her courage; this was a Shi Lan he had never seen before. The uncertainty on her face softened his heart.
"Okay." It was only one simple word, yet both of them felt that something had changed.
Li walked to the corner and carried the quilt over from the long couch. Shi Lan had already obediently made room for him, leaving more than half of the already spacious bed empty.
All Li could see was the back of Shi Lan's head. He could not help but laugh. This girl—she was only remembering to be shy now?
Li shook his head, spread out the quilt in his hands, lay down, and quickly fell asleep.
A night of pleasant dreams.
Li was awakened by a suffocating pressure on his chest.
Opening