He had no idea how much time had passed. When Xiao Yan's consciousness resurfaced from the chaotic darkness, the first thing he felt was an unusual sense of comfort.
Something cushioned the back of his head, soft and warm, with just the right amount of spring to it. It seemed like the most perfect pillow in the world, gently cradling nerves worn raw by humiliation and rage.
So comfortable...
That was the first thought to surface in his mind. Almost reluctant to let go of the feeling, he nuzzled against it in his daze. The "pillow" swayed slightly along with him, its feel unbelievably pleasant.
He slowly opened his eyes, and fragments of memory began returning: Nalan Yanran breaking off their engagement, his bold declaration of the three-year agreement, his father spouting nonsense with a perfectly straight face, and... that enormous door panel descending from the heavens, blotting out the sunlight.
With a shudder, Xiao Yan bolted upright. Yet the instant he sat up, that supremely comfortable "pillow" actually "stood up" with him, still pressed tightly against the back of his head without budging an inch!
Xiao Yan froze. An icy chill crept up his spine. He raised a slightly trembling hand and, with the almost reverent slowness of a pilgrim approaching a sacred shrine, carefully reached toward the back of his head.
The sensation beneath his fingertips made every hair on his body stand on end. That was no pillow, nor was it any kind of soft fabric. It was smooth, tightly stretched skin, beneath which lay an enormous, swollen, terrifyingly springy... lump! A perfectly hemispherical lump so huge it exceeded the limits of his imagination!
A scalding rush of blood, mingled with shame and fury, surged straight to his head with a boom. He could clearly feel that,