Extra: How About... Going to the Inn Tonight?

After their kiss by the river, Luo Li drove Castorice aimlessly through the streets of Jiangcheng.

The evening breeze dispelled the heat from their earlier intimacy, but it couldn't dispel the flutter in my heart.

Where to go next?

Castorice's voice came from behind, her arm gently wrapped around Luo Li's waist, her chin resting lightly on his shoulder.

Luo Li could feel the warm breath she exhaled as she spoke brushing against her ear.

"I don't know," he answered honestly, slowing the car down a bit. "Anyway... I don't want to go back so early."

That's the truth.

The night after the college entrance exam feels like stolen time, and you always want to stretch it out a little longer.

Castorice remained silent for a moment.

Then, Luo Li heard her say softly, "Well... how about we find a place to sit?"

"For example?"

"For example... a hotel?" Pfft--

Luo Li almost drove her electric scooter onto the sidewalk.

He slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching as they rubbed against the pavement.

After the car came to a stop, he stiffly turned his head to look at Castorice behind him.

Under the moonlight, the girl's face was still flushed, but her expression was exceptionally serious.

His purple eyes were crystal clear, as if what he had just said wasn't a suggestion to go to a hotel, but rather a discussion about what to have for breakfast the next day.

"You... do you know what you're saying?"

Luo Li's voice trembled slightly.

"I know."

Castorice tilted her head, her long, silvery-purple hair cascading over her shoulder. "Let's find a place to rest—Ms. Amonet isn't home tonight, Polyxena went to a friend's house. I don't want to go home alone."

She spoke so matter-of-factly that Luo Li was momentarily at a loss for words.

What is this supposed to be? An invitation? Or simply... a statement of fact?

"And," Castorice added, her tone still calm, "Your car battery is almost dead too."

Luo Li glanced down at the battery indicator on the screen—indeed, only two bars of power remained.

"So we need to find a place to charge our batteries and take a break," Castorice concluded, her logic so clear that it was impossible to refute.

Luo Li opened her mouth, but only managed to utter, "... You're right."

Twenty minutes later, the two stood at the front desk of a reasonably clean-looking budget hotel.

"A double room."

Luo Li tried to make her voice sound natural, but her fingers still trembled slightly as she handed over her ID card.

The receptionist glanced at them—high school students in school uniforms, the boy's ears bright red, the girl calm and collected—and then gave them a knowing look.

"Going out to celebrate after the college entrance exam?"

The aunt asked casually while processing the paperwork.

"Hmm," Luo Li mumbled in response.

"Youth is wonderful." The aunt handed over the room key, smiling meaningfully. "Room 308, the elevator is on the left."

The whole process of getting the room key and stepping into the elevator felt like a dream to Luo Li.

It wasn't until the elevator doors opened on the third floor with a "ding" that he suddenly came to his senses—he really had come to a hotel with Castorice.

Although the reasons were plausible, and although Castorice seemed to have no idea in that direction, but...

"Luo Li?" Castorice had already stepped out of the elevator and turned back to look at him. "Is this the room?"

"Ah, yes, yes."

Luo Li hurriedly followed.

Room 308 was more spacious than I had imagined.

A large bed took up most of the space, and there was a charging socket next to the bed—perfect for charging the remote control on the motorcycle key (that's how Luo Li explained it to herself).

After the door was closed, the air in the room suddenly became thick and sticky.

Castorice walked to the window, drew back the curtains to look at the night view outside, then turned around. "Want to take a shower first?"

Luo Li was examining the air conditioner remote control when she heard this, her hand trembled, and the remote control fell to the ground.

"You... you go ahead and wash." He bent down to pick up the remote control, avoiding her gaze.

"Good."

Castorice took out a change of clothes from her backpack—she actually brought them! How meticulous was her planning?—and then went into the bathroom.

When the sound of water began, Luo Li sat on the edge of the bed, feeling that her heartbeat was louder than the sound of the water.

He looked around the room, his gaze inevitably landing on the large bed.

A bed.

He and Castorice.

We'll be sleeping in the same bed tonight.

This realization nearly overloaded his brain.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

After a while, the door opened.

Castorice came out.

She changed into a light purple nightgown, knee-length, simple in style but making her skin appear even fairer.

Her long, silvery-purple hair was wet and draped over her shoulders, with water droplets still dripping from the ends.

Her face, now free of makeup, had a natural blush, and her purple eyes appeared hazy in the steam rising from the bathroom.

Luo Li held her breath.

"I'm done washing." Castorice dried her hair with a towel, her tone normal. "You can go now."

"Oh, okay."

Luo Li almost stepped into the bathroom with her hands and feet moving in unison.

Luo Li calmed down a little when the warm water washed over her.

He was thinking about what would happen tonight, and also about what shouldn't happen.

He wondered if Xiadi understood what "booking a hotel room" usually meant, and if she did understand, why was she still so calm?

After washing up, Luo Li looked at her flushed face in the mirror, took a few deep breaths, and then mustered up the courage to walk out of the bathroom.

The lights in the room have been dimmed.

Castorice sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard, holding a book in her hand—wait, where did she pull that out from?—"Funeral Service Management Practice" was being read.

Hearing the noise, she looked up. "Are you done washing?"

"Hmm." Luo Li nodded stiffly, still wearing the same clothes he had worn during the day—he hadn't brought a change of clothes.

"Then go to sleep."

Castorice closed the book, placed it on the bedside table, then naturally lifted the covers and lay down on one side of the bed, leaving most of the space empty.

Luo Li stood still, like a statue.

"Luo Li?" Castorice turned her head to look at him. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"... sleep."

Luo Li mechanically walked to the other side of the bed, carefully lay down, her body as tense as a board.

There was at least thirty centimeters between the two.

The lights were turned off, and the room was plunged into darkness.

Neon lights from outside shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the wall.

Luo Li could hear Castorice's even breathing and smell the fragrance of her shower gel—the same one he used, but it smelled different on her.

"Luo Li," Castorice suddenly spoke.

"Exist!"

Are you nervous?

"... a little."

A very soft laugh came from the darkness.

"Me too," Castorice said, her voice unusually soft and sweet. "Actually... this is the first time I've shared a room with a boy."

Luo Li's heart skipped a beat.

"This is my first time too..." he whispered, "With a girl."

Silence returned, but this time it was no longer suffocating.

After a while, Luo Li felt the mattress next to him sink slightly— Castorice had turned over and was facing him.

Moonlight streamed in through the gap in the curtains, illuminating her face. Her eyes sparkled in the darkness.

"Luo Li."

"Um?"

"University... will we stay together forever?"

She had asked a similar question before by the river, but this time she asked it much more cautiously.

Luo Li also turned over to face her.

The distance between them had shrunk without them even realizing it.

"Yes," he said firmly, reaching out and gently taking her hand under the covers.

"I promise."

Castorice's fingers curled slightly, then she gripped his hand back.

"Then..." Her voice became even softer.

"Can I kiss you one more time?"

Luo Li's mind went blank for a moment.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already moved closer.

This kiss was even more tender than the one by the river.

Without the worries of being outdoors, without the tension of being seen at any moment, only darkness enveloped the two of them, and the temperature gradually rose under the covers.

The kiss deepened, and though it's unclear who started it, their bodies drew closer and closer.

Luo Li's hand touched Castorice's waist, and he could feel her body temperature through the thin nightgown.

Castorice's hands encircled his neck, her fingertips unconsciously tugging at the hair at the back of his neck.

His breathing became increasingly rapid.

When Luo Li's hand tentatively slid to the hem of Castorice's nightgown, he felt her body stiffen slightly.

"... Is it okay?" he asked breathlessly, his voice hoarse and unlike his own.

Castorice didn't answer, but kissed him even more forcefully.

That seemed like a tacit signal.

Later Remembrance became blurry and fragmented.

Luo Li remembered the feel of Castorice's nightgown, the temperature of her skin, and her suppressed breaths in his ear.

I remember the occasional adorable, completely different-from-usual reactions she would show—for example, when he unhooked her bra, she muttered under her breath, "This design is so inhuman," which almost made him burst out laughing.

He also remembered his clumsiness and nervousness, and the shy yet earnest expression on Castorice when she guided his hand to the correct position.

More details, however, are blurred and indistinct, like film soaked in alcohol.

I only remember the pain, but also the warmth.

All she remembered was that as they fell asleep in each other's arms, Castorice buried her face in his chest and whispered, "Goodnight, Luo Li," while he placed a kiss on her forehead and said, "Goodnight, Castorice."

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, stinging Luo Li's eyes.

He woke up with a frown, feeling a hangover-like headache. He hadn't drunk much beer last night, but enough to make his Remembrance fragmented.

Then he realized—there was someone in his arms.

Castorice curled up against his chest, her long, silvery-purple hair spread out on the pillow, her sleeping face peaceful.

Her nightgown strap had slipped to one side, revealing her fair shoulder and collarbone, where there were a few suspicious red marks.

Luo Li's brain froze for three seconds.

Fragments of last night's Remembrance flooded back: the kiss by the river, her suggestion on the motorcycle, the hotel reception, a large bed, the sound of running water in the bathroom, the kiss in the dark, and then...

He sat up abruptly.

The movement startled the Castorice.

She groggily opened her eyes, her purple pupils still heavy with sleep.

"Good morning..." She rubbed her eyes and sat up, then suddenly froze.

She discovered that her nightgown had almost slipped down to her waist, and Luo Li was staring wide-eyed at the marks on her body.

The two stared at each other, and the air in the room seemed to freeze.

"We..." Luo Li swallowed.

"Last night..."

Castorice looked down at herself, then at Luo Li —his shirt was off at some point, and there were several scratch marks on his chest.

Her face turned red at a visible speed, all the way to her ears.

"It seems..." Her voice was barely audible.

Something happened.

How much do you... remember?

Luo Li asked cautiously.

Castorice tilted her head, thought seriously for a while, and then gave Luo Li an answer that made her both laugh and cry, "I remember it hurt a lot. I remember you said 'I'm sorry' three times—I remember I bit your shoulder."

She paused, then added.

"And... I remember you hugging me and saying, 'I'll take responsibility.'"

Luo Li covered her face.

Oh no, he really said that cliché line.

"Then you..." He peeked at her through his fingers.

"Do you care? I mean, we might... have... happened..."

He couldn't find the right words.

Castorice fell silent. She pulled the blanket over herself, leaving only her eyes visible. Her purple eyes blinked, then she said, "If it's with you... I don't mind."

She spoke softly, but clearly.

Luo Li lowered her hand and looked at the girl in front of her who had wrapped herself up in the blanket like a silkworm, with only her eyes showing. An indescribable emotion welled up in her heart—it was pity, responsibility, relief, and a little bit of fear of "what have I done to deserve this?"

He reached out and pulled the person, blanket and all, into his arms.

"I will take responsibility."

He repeated what he had said last night, but this time he spoke with more seriousness, "Not because of responsibility, but because... I think."

The Castorice nodded gently in his arms.

After a while, she reached out from under the covers and poked his chest. "But... I don't remember the specific details very well—it's probably because of the alcohol."

"Me too," Luo Li honestly admitted.

"I only remember some... fragments."

"Then we..." Castorice raised her head, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Shall we try one more time? This time, while we're fully awake?"

Luo Li almost choked on her own saliva.

"Castorice..." he said, both amused and exasperated, "Do you know what you're saying?"

"I know," she said earnestly. "Practice makes perfect. Besides, if I had actually done it last night but don't remember the details, I'd feel like I'd lost out."

Luo Li stared at her for a full ten seconds, then burst into laughter.

He laughed so hard he fell onto the bed, pulling Castorice down with him.

The two laughed heartily in the morning light, the awkwardness and tension of the previous night vanishing with their laughter.

After laughing enough, Luo Li turned to look at Castorice and reached out to brush the strands of hair from her face.

"Wait a minute," he said softly, "Until we're ready, until we're both clear-headed and certain we want it, then..."

He smiled and said, "After all, my memory of the first time is a bit hazy, so I need to remember it better the second time."

Castorice looked at him, then nodded. "That makes sense."

She got up, preparing to wash up, but as she reached the bathroom door, she suddenly turned back. "But Luo Li."

"Um?"

Your skills... need practice.

After saying that, she closed the bathroom door, leaving Luo Li alone on the bed, petrified.

A few seconds later, Castorice's voice came from the bathroom, tinged with obvious laughter. "I was just kidding!"

Luo Li buried her face in the pillow, her ears turning bright red.

The sun was shining brightly this morning.

Although their Remembrance were hazy, and despite some awkwardness and embarrassment, they both knew that something had changed.

They were no longer just classmates, nor were they just potential romantic partners.

On this night after the college entrance exams, under the pretext of their motorcycle running out of battery, they crossed a certain line and became an even more special presence in each other's lives.

As they checked out, the receptionist saw the two walking out hand in hand and gave them a knowing smile.

"It's so good to be young," she said again.

This time, Luo Li didn't blush; instead, she held Castorice's hand tightly.

"Mm," he replied with a smile.

"It's very good."

The electric scooter was fully charged and carried the two of them into a new day.

In the back seat, Castorice wrapped her arms around Luo Li's waist and pressed her face against his back.

"Luo Li."

"Um?"

"Nice to meet you at university."

Luo Li smiled and answered loudly into the morning breeze, "Nice to meet you, my girlfriend!"

Castorice chuckled softly behind him.

Sunlight streamed down the streets, bathed the young men and women, and illuminated the unknown yet exciting future.