With the end of the year approaching, everyone was busy, so the group kept things moderate. They stayed out until after eleven, then went their separate ways.
The depths of winter were cold. Shao Ke bundled Yan Ningke up snugly before taking him out to the car.
Compared with the scorching summer and the refreshing spring and autumn, Yan Ningke still preferred winter. The warmth that greeted him the moment he stepped through the door, and the feeling of wrapping himself entirely in his quilt, filled him with a sense of security.
Shao Ke came out of the bathroom to find him wriggling around in bed. With a soft laugh, he went over and swatted his raised bottom. "Go to sleep properly."
The quilt cushioned the blow, and he had not used much force anyway. Beneath the covers, Yan Ningke gave a few token kicks.
"Domestic violence!"
Had he not said that, nothing would have happened, but the instant he did, Shao Ke's gaze changed.
Tossing aside the towel he had been drying his hair with, Shao Ke gave a meaningful smile. "You said it."
They were practically an old married couple. Yan Ningke could occasionally be foolish about certain things, but when it came to this, he truly had sensitive skin.
Only a small bedside lamp was lit in the bedroom. A corner of the silk quilt slipped soundlessly to the floor, and the silhouettes cast against the curtains overlapped, constantly changing shape.
Sometimes it really was baffling. The one doing the work emerged refreshed, while the one on the receiving end looked as though all his vitality had been drained away.
Shao Ke carried him off for another bath, then tucked him into bed.
Yan Ningke looked dazed as he mumbled, "You demon..."
*A demon sucking away my