Xiao Wu closed the door behind her.
Moonlight streamed through the crack in the window, falling across the narrow wooden bed. Qin Chuan sat on its edge, his gaze unfocused. Under the effects of Charm, he was in a half-conscious state.
Xiao Wu stood across from him, her heart pounding like a drum.
She gave herself three pep talks before finally raising her hands and taking off the thin jacket over her shoulders. It slipped to the floor with a soft rustle.
Moonlight fell across her shoulders.
The straps of her pink gauze dress were thin, resting on her rounded shoulders and rising and falling gently with her breath.
Xiao Wu bit her lower lip and reached for the ties on the side of her dress.
Her fingers trembled.
She really was nervous. Though she had said, "I'm going for it" and "For a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring," this was the first time she had ever done anything like this.
The ties came undone. Her pink dress loosened and slid down along the curve of her waist.
The fabric brushed against her skin, cool and light, like a breeze passing over her. It fell around her ankles, gathering into a soft pink heap.
Beneath the moonlight, Xiao Wu simply stood there.
Her skin was so white in the silver glow that it seemed almost translucent. Her collarbones... her shoulders flowed into graceful lines, narrowing to a slender waist with two dimples above her hips. Her long legs, usually hidden by the gauzy dress, were smooth and straight, extending from her thighs to her delicate ankles, every inch bathed in the moon's cool light.
She looked as if she had been formed from moonlight itself.
Xiao Wu clasped her hands together and stood perfectly still.
Her breathing grew hurried, her chest rising and falling with each breath.
Qin Chuan's gaze was drawn to her.
The effects of Charm, combined with the sight before him, had left his mind completely blank. Mortal or not, worthy or unworthy—he had forgotten it all.
Xiao Wu walked over and bent down, bracing both hands on the edge of the bed.
Her long hair fell from her shoulders and brushed against the back of Qin Chuan's hand, tickling him.
"Brother Chuan." She leaned in, pressing her lips to his.
A soft, warm kiss.
At some point, Qin Chuan's hand had come to rest on Xiao Wu's waist. His palm touched her smooth skin, and a tingling jolt, like an electric shock, shot from his fingertips and raced along his arm.
Xiao Wu's waist was so slender that his hand could nearly encircle it completely.
Xiao Wu's body stiffened, then slowly relaxed.
She gently settled beside Qin Chuan, then into his arms.
Moonlight streamed through the crack in the window, casting their intertwined shadows on the white wall opposite. The shadows swayed, then slowly fell.
Xiao Wu lay beside Qin Chuan, her long hair spread across the pillow, its black strands set against her pale face. Her lashes trembled, her lips were slightly parted, and her breaths grew more and more hurried.
Qin Chuan's hand moved up from her waist, his fingertips brushing her delicate skin as if touching a piece of warm jade.
Xiao Wu closed her eyes.
Moonlight wrapped around her whole body.
The words pure as ice and jade suited her perfectly.
Qin Chuan lowered his head, resting his forehead against hers.
Their breaths mingled, close enough for them to feel each other's heartbeats.
Xiao Wu hooked her arms around Qin Chuan's neck.
Outside the window, the moon hung in the sky, its silvery light spilling down without a stir.
Xiao Wu closed her eyes and stopped looking.
No one knew how much time passed before the room grew quiet.
Xiao Wu curled up on her side in Qin Chuan's arms, her back pressed to his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, one beat after another, still going rather fast.
Her long hair lay between them, black strands clinging to their sweat-damp skin.
Her body ached a little, and her legs felt weak, but she was warm all over.
Qin Chuan's arm rested across her waist, his hand loosely cupping her lower abdomen with a hint of lazy ease.
Moonlight still shone through the crack in the window, falling over their intertwined shadows.
Xiao Wu secretly moved a finger and opened the system panel in her mind.
A notification rang out in her mind.
[Congratulations, player Xiao Wu! You've unlocked multiple new scenes and earned the Shopkeeper's full favor. Member experience +100.]
[Ordinary Member promoted directly to Silver Member! Current experience: 75/100.]
[Silver Member privileges: +2 Game Coins per exchange, +2 daily claw attempts, maximum of 5 attempts. High-Tier Zone of the Claw Machine unlocked.]
Xiao Wu's heart gave a hard thump.
Silver Member!
She had skipped right over Bronze and gone straight from Ordinary to Silver!
Five tries a day, and the High-Tier Zone unlocked, too!
Xiao Wu screamed inwardly: So worth it!
Of course, she wouldn't tell her roommates this secret. Ning Rongrong had gotten Bronze for a kiss, while she had done so much that Silver was only fair. But if she told them about something like this, how would she ever face them again?
Xiao Wu had originally planned to play the Claw Machine, but that Crystal Ball wasn't working at this hour, so she had to wait until tomorrow.
Xiao Wu closed the system panel and quietly leaned against Qin Chuan.
The warmth of what had just happened lingered, spreading from her lower abdomen to her fingertips.
Qin Chuan's breathing gradually steadied. The arm around her waist relaxed, as if he were about to fall asleep.
The effects of Charm were slowly fading.
Xiao Wu knew that when Qin Chuan fully woke up, he might be a little bewildered. But that was a problem for tomorrow.
She secretly lifted her head and glanced at the moon outside.
It was almost eleven. If she didn't hurry back, the three people in the dormitory would notice she was gone.
Xiao Wu gently slipped out from under Qin Chuan's arm, quietly picked up her clothes from the floor, and put them back on one by one.
Moonlight fell across her back as she bent to put on her dress, the skin above her dimples still faintly pink.
She tied the straps of her dress, gathered her long hair behind her, and slipped on her flat cloth shoes.
She turned to look at Qin Chuan on the bed. He was already asleep, breathing evenly, his brow relaxed.
Xiao Wu bent down and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"Thanks, Brother Chuan. See you tomorrow."
Her voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper.
Then she opened the door and slipped out, moving as softly as a cat.
Half past eleven at night.
Xiao Wu climbed over the academy wall and hurried back to the dormitory along the path.
The night breeze brushed her face, cool and refreshing. The heat hadn't quite left her body, and a thin sheen of sweat still clung to her skin.
The hem of her pink gauze dress was dusty, and the tear from when she'd climbed the wall gaped crookedly along the edge.
Xiao Wu didn't care. Her mind was full of those two lines of system notifications.
Silver Member. Five attempts a day.
She counted on her fingers: if she had a chance of winning each time, five tries a day meant she could theoretically get something good every few days. Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, Thousand-Year Soul Bones, Innate Full Soul Power... people couldn't buy such things for any amount of money.
And all it had cost her was one night.
Xiao Wu pressed her lips together and quickened her pace.
Xiao Wu slipped in through the side entrance of the dormitory, tiptoed up the stairs, and returned to Dormitory 666.