Snow gradually accumulated in the Small Courtyard.
Chen Shu walked to Qingqing's door. He could hear water running inside. He tried the door and found it unlocked. Whether the bathroom door was locked, he didn't know. In any case, he remembered that it hadn't been possible to lock it completely before, and he had paid dearly for that.
But he didn't try it. He simply trudged past the bathroom, walked farther in, and collapsed onto the bed.
Thump...
The bed was fragrant all over.
On the other side of the wall, water splashed intermittently with a crisp sound. The steam stayed sealed behind the door. Qingqing was probably taking a bath.
Chen Shu suddenly felt terribly lazy. His Thought went blank.
A few minutes later.
A louder splash came from the bathroom, followed by the sounds of drying off and getting dressed. If Chen Shu's brain hadn't been in power-saving mode, Fear might have made his imagination run wild. He had enough material stored away to conjure a fairly detailed picture.
Slippers padded across the floor.
Click...
Ning Qing came out of the bathroom, her hair freshly dried.
She wore pale lotus-pink silk pajamas, and her skin was white as jade. Both the silk and her skin reflected a delicate sheen beneath the light.
She wasn't surprised to find Chen Shu there. She merely sat down at the head of the bed with her back to him and asked in a soft, Gentleness voice:
"Why did you come into my room?"
Chen Shu rolled over and wrapped his arms around her waist. It felt so slender and soft. Her thin silk pajamas felt like nothing at all—and better than nothing at all. Nothing could compare.
"I want to sleep in a bed."
Ning Qing only hummed and let him hold