Like what you see?

Chen Yuan slept on the sofa that night.

The heat didn't bother him. It often got hotter back home in the countryside, but the mosquitoes were driving him crazy.

Deep City wasn't just ahead of his hometown economically. Even its mosquitoes were fiercer!

Back home, mosquitoes buzzed around for ages before biting. Here, they swooped in without a sound and bit straight away, leaving him itching and hurting.

Chen Yuan tossed and turned. He already had seven or eight bites on his arms and legs.

He couldn't take it anymore. He abruptly sat up and looked at Zhang Xiu'e's bedroom door. After a moment's hesitation, he got up, walked over, and knocked.

"Who is it?"

Zhang Xiu'e's voice came from inside, sounding a little groggy.

"Xiu'e, it's me."

"Yuan?" Zhang Xiu'e sounded a little more awake. "What is it? Why aren't you asleep at this hour?"

"There are mosquitoes... I can't sleep with them biting me."

There were two seconds of silence inside.

Then he heard the soft shuffle of footsteps approaching.

The door opened.

Zhang Xiu'e stood in the doorway.

Chen Yuan immediately stared!

She wore a pale pink silk nightdress with two thin straps over her shoulders.

Its neckline plunged low, exposing the full swell of her breasts and her deep cleavage. The nightdress was short, barely covering the tops of her thighs. Her two pale legs were completely bare.

Chen Yuan stared at her chest, momentarily entranced.

Zhang Xiu'e followed his gaze down to her chest.

"Like what you see?"

"Yes!" Chen Yuan blurted out.

Only then did he realize what he'd said. His face flushed all the way to his ears.

Zhang Xiu'e watched him, the corners of her mouth slowly lifting.

She stepped closer, so close that Chen Yuan could see the tiny mole on her collarbone.

"Want to touch?"

Chen Yuan's face grew even redder, burning hot.

His Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't get a single word out. His eyes darted nervously, unsure where to look.

Seeing him like that, Zhang Xiu'e laughed and said:

"Yuan, you weren't this shy when you were little. You used to follow me everywhere. You even barged in to watch me change."

Chen Yuan lowered his head, wishing the floor would swallow him.

"Now you're all grown up, and suddenly you're shy." Zhang Xiu'e flicked his forehead. "All right, I'll light a mosquito coil for you."

She walked around him toward the coffee table beside the sofa.

Chen Yuan stood where he was and breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he'd finished exhaling, he froze again.

Zhang Xiu'e reached the coffee table and bent over to look for a mosquito coil.

As she bent down, the hem of her nightdress rode up.

It had barely covered the tops of her thighs to begin with. Now that she was bending over, her entire round, pert bottom was exposed.

Chen Yuan went rigid!

His head buzzed, and his mind went completely blank.

Zhang Xiu'e rummaged through the coffee table drawer, found a mosquito coil, then searched for a lighter, staying bent over the whole time.

Chen Yuan felt as if he could barely breathe!

He desperately tried to look away, but his eyes simply wouldn't obey.

Zhang Xiu'e lit the coil, straightened up, and turned around.

"There, it's lit. The mosquitoes should be gone in a minute..."

She stopped halfway through, taken aback.

Chen Yuan stood there, his face bright red.

Zhang Xiu'e looked at him and blinked.

"Yuan, what's wrong?"

Chen Yuan looked at her, still not registering what she meant.

Zhang Xiu'e pointed at his nose and said in surprise, "Your nose is bleeding!"

Chen Yuan paused, then reached up and touched his nose.

Blood stained his fingers.

His face turned even redder, and he spun around and rushed into the bathroom.

Behind him, Zhang Xiu'e stared for a moment, then burst out laughing.

She followed him to the bathroom doorway and found him rinsing himself with the tap running, his head tilted back.

"Don't tilt your head back. The blood will run down your throat."

Chen Yuan quickly lowered his head.

Zhang Xiu'e walked away, then returned a little later with a wad of absorbent cotton.

"Here, plug it up."

Chen Yuan took it and stuffed it into his nostril.

The bleeding slowly stopped.

He stood at the sink, looking at himself in the mirror. His face was as red as a monkey's backside, and a wad of white cotton stuck out of his nostril. He looked utterly pathetic.

Zhang Xiu'e leaned against the bathroom doorway, watching him with her arms folded.

"Too much heat getting to you?"

"Yeah, too much heat."

Zhang Xiu'e smiled knowingly.

Chen Yuan didn't dare look at her, but he still couldn't help stealing glances out of the corner of his eye.

"Still looking?! Careful, you'll bleed to death!"

Chen Yuan lowered his head, not daring to make a sound.

Zhang Xiu'e headed back to her bedroom, glancing over her shoulder with a soft tut.

"You look so innocent, but your mind sure isn't. You little pervert."

She started laughing before she'd even finished speaking.

Chen Yuan stayed in the bathroom, only letting out a long breath once he heard her door close.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help smacking his own head.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he muttered at himself. "Why can't you control yourself?"

He washed his face, threw away the cotton, and left the bathroom.

The mosquito coil was burning on the coffee table, giving off a thin trail of smoke. He shook out the blanket on the sofa and lay down.

His mind was a mess. Chen Yuan rolled over, then rolled over again.

He had no idea how long he tossed and turned before finally drifting off.

He slept deeply.

He was exhausted. He'd spent the whole day on a train, then been tormented by mosquitoes until midnight, followed by a nosebleed. It had all worn him out.

As he slept, Chen Yuan had a dream.

There was Zhang Xiu'e again, in that same nightdress, bending over in that same position. He stood there watching, but this time she didn't straighten up. She stayed bent over and looked back at him with a smile.

"Yuan, come here."

Then he heard loud banging on the door.

Chen Yuan opened his eyes.

It was still dark. The living room was pitch-black, with only a little light filtering in through the window. The mosquito coil had burned out, leaving only a length of ash.

Bang, bang, bang!

The knocking came again.

Hard and urgent.

Chen Yuan sat up, a little dazed.

Zhang Xiu'e's bedroom door opened. She came out in her nightdress, her hair messy and her face full of irritation.

"Who is it at this hour?"

Zhou Min's bedroom door opened too. Wearing an oversized T-shirt with her legs bare beneath it, she also stepped out.

"It's past three in the morning," Zhou Min complained. "What asshole is knocking now?"

Bang, bang, bang!

"Open up! Open the fucking door!"

A man's voice came from outside, rough and drunken.

Frowning, Zhang Xiu'e told Chen Yuan, "Yuan, go take a look."

Chen Yuan rubbed his eyes, stood up, and went to the door.

He looked through the peephole.

Several young men stood outside, swaying unsteadily. They looked drunk. All of them had gaudily dyed yellow hair and tight T-shirts, and there seemed to be tattoos on their arms.

Chen Yuan opened the door.

He'd barely opened it a crack before someone outside shoved it wide.

The shove was hard enough to push Chen Yuan aside.

Four men barged in.

Their leader was a tall, thin man with bleached hair, bloodshot eyes, and the reek of alcohol all over him. Three others followed: a fat man, a short man, and a bald man.

"Where's Zhou Min?" the bleached-haired man shouted. "Zhou Min, get out here!"

Zhou Min stood in the middle of the living room. Her expression darkened when she saw him.

"Zhao Lei, are you fucking sick in the head? What's all this fuss in the middle of the night?"

The bleached-haired man, Zhao Lei, spotted her and took two steps forward.

"Zhou Min, did you break up with me because of him?" He pointed at Chen Yuan. "This country bumpkin looks like a complete loser, and you'd actually fuck him?"

Standing by the door, Chen Yuan froze for a moment, speechless. What the hell did I do to deserve this?

Zhou Min sneered. "Zhao Lei, you're drunk, aren't you? Go home and sober up."

"I'm drunk?" Zhao Lei took another two steps forward. "I'm fucking perfectly sober! You're going to explain yourself today. Why did you dump me?"

He reached out to grab Zhou Min's arm.

Zhou Min dodged backward.

Zhang Xiu'e stepped forward, putting herself in front of Zhou Min.

"Zhao Lei, talk it out. Keep your hands to yourself."

Zhao Lei glanced at her and chuckled.

"Oh, Xiu'e, you're here too. Fine, then you tell me. Why did Min dump me?"

Zhang Xiu'e frowned. "How would I know? It's between you two. Sort it out yourselves, and don't disturb my sleep in the middle of the night."

The fat man behind Zhao Lei stepped forward. "Lei, don't waste your breath on them. Take Zhou Min with us first."

The bald man joined in. "Yeah, take her!"

Zhao Lei reached out to grab Zhou Min again.