Early the next morning.
In Xu Xiaoyan's room, the curtains around her large bed stood open.
The velvet curtains drawn the night before were tied to either side of the bed frame, revealing a large bed made up with white bedding.
Su Chen lay in the middle, with Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue fast asleep on either side, nestled against him.
With Xu Xiaoyan beside them, Su Chen had not teased Gu Yue for too long the night before. They had finished quickly.
This was Xu Xiaoyan's room, so he could hardly make her sleep on the sofa. Afterward, he had carried the drowsy girl into bed.
The three of them were squeezed into one bed, the covers pulled up to their shoulders. Xu Xiaoyan curled against Su Chen's left side, her head tucked into the hollow of his shoulder, breathing evenly.
Gu Yue sprawled on his right, one bare arm resting outside the covers. Her long black hair lay across the pillow, a few strands tangled around Su Chen's arm.
When Su Chen woke, he looked over at Gu Yue.
She was still sound asleep without a care in the world, a faint trace of drool at the corner of her mouth.
The night before had clearly taken a lot out of her. Two or three pale red marks ran down her neck, from beneath her ear toward her collarbone.
Her chest rose and fell slowly with each breath, her whole body so relaxed she seemed to have melted into the covers.
Su Chen turned to look at Xu Xiaoyan on his left.
She had woken at some point and was watching him with bright, blinking eyes and a smile.
Her cheek rested against the pillow, her wispy hair a little messy, but those clear, shining eyes made his