Night gently gathered all of Sharia into its embrace.
In the courtyard of their new home, the sound of wind and snow shaking pine needles loose mingled with the occasional distant bark of a dog, weaving a tranquil lullaby.
The steam from his bath had yet to dissipate completely, and the faint scent of soapberry lingered on his skin and in the air.
Cui Ciyou lay on the soft, spacious bed in his room, but he was not sleepy at all.
They were not married yet, but they had already begun living together.
Tonight, however, a new "family dispute" had quietly erupted.
Namely-the issue of sleeping arrangements.
Roxy wanted to sleep with Cui Ciyou. Having tasted intimacy, she naturally wanted more.
That proposal had met with fierce opposition from the other two members.
Blushing, Sylphy had shaken her head like a rattle drum, stammering, "We're... we're not married yet... it's not... not appropriate..."
Alice was not quite so shy, but her proud self-esteem would not let her "fall behind" anyone in this respect, either.
Since Roxy had already become his wife in all but name, Alice absolutely refused to "give in" so easily while her own "status remained unsettled."
In the end, Roxy's proposal was ruthlessly rejected by a vote of two to one.
Their new home was big enough, with plenty of rooms anyway, so the final decision was: one room each until the wedding!
Cui Ciyou did not particularly mind. It was only a matter of time.
As the midnight bells seemed to ring out from the other side of the world, an exceptionally faint click, almost indistinguishable from the ambient sounds, reached his keen ears.
It was the sound of the door being unlocked.
Cui Ciyou did not move. Even the rhythm of his breathing remained unchanged.