Fifteen minutes later.
Liu Ruyan's breathing finally calmed down.
Her hand loosened its grip on his collar, her fingertips traced a circle on his chest, and then she silently withdrew from his embrace.
The entire process was so quiet that the only sound was the soft rustling of the fabric.
Gu Moran to the side, trying to grab her, his fingers touching her wrist.
Liu Ruyan turned her hand over and gently squeezed his palm.
He slipped a handkerchief to her.
I'll go boil some water.
Then her body heat left Gu Moran's side, and the jasmine scent faded away as well.
Gu Moran lay there, staring at the pitch-black deck above her.
Her heart was still racing, and the front of her shirt was clenched into a crease.
He wiped his eyes with a handkerchief and covered them with the back of his hand.
It took a while for his breathing to gradually calm down.
Just as he was about to turn over and change position, he felt movement on his right.
It's very light.
Even lighter than Liu Ruyan.
A hand reached out.
Her fingers were cool, with thin calluses—from holding a pen. Her fingertips hesitated for a moment, pausing at the edge of the blanket, then moved forward half an inch and touched the back of his hand.
It was just a slight touch.
It was as if they were confirming he was still there.
Gu Moran taken aback, then turned his hand over so that his palm was facing up.
The hand paused, as if startled.
Two breaths later, her fingers slowly slid forward, across his palm, and into the gaps between his fingers.
Their fingers were intertwined.
The movements were clumsy and the force was uneven; two fingers got stuck in the wrong position, and it took some adjustments to get them firmly in place.
Gu Moran grasped that hand.
The scent of ink.
Xie Wanqing.
She wasn't asleep.
Was it never there in the first place?
Gu Moran's temples throbbed twice.
She wasn't asleep, which meant everything that had just happened—
He turned his head. He couldn't see anything in the darkness, but he could sense that she was just an arm's length away, breathing rapidly and her body tense.
Her hand trembled slightly in his palm.
Gu Moran didn't say anything, but slowly drew a circle on the back of her hand with his thumb.
Xie Wanqing's hand trembled slightly, then trembled even more violently.
But she didn't pull her hand away.
Gu Moran grasped her hand in return and gently pulled it.
Her body leaned towards him following that force.
The movement was very small, as if afraid of being discovered.
Gu Moran tugged at it again.
This time the movement was more pronounced; her shoulder bumped into his arm.
Even through her undergarment and white lace nightgown, I could feel that she was burning up.
Gu Moran released her hand, instead putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her halfway into his bed.
Xie Wanqing's body stiffened.
Every muscle in his body was taut, as stiff as a wooden board.
But she didn't push him away.
Gu Moran's hand slid down her back. The white, openwork patterns traced line by line under his fingertips, like reading a page of Braille. Beneath each line was burning hot skin.
Xie Wanqing's breathing became completely disordered.
She gripped his shirt tightly with one hand, unsure where to put the other, which finally rested on his waist, her fingertips digging into the muscles of his side.
Gu Moran lowered his head, his lips brushing against her ear.
"You're awake."
Xie Wanqing's breath hitched for a second, then she squeezed out a very short "hmm" through her nose.
"You heard that?"
Xie Wanqing remained silent.
Gu Moran's thumb gently traced the openwork slit on her back.
She shuddered.
Gu Moran.
Her voice was suffocated, her lips almost touching his collarbone as she spoke.
"Um."
"Can... can you..."
"Able."
He didn't wait for her to finish speaking.
His hand moved from her back to her waist, then up her waistline, stopping at the edge of her ribs.
Xie Wanqing bit down on his shoulder.
It doesn't hurt.
Her teeth were small, and she bit down with the force of someone eating a piece of pastry.
But all that tension, excitement, and bewilderment poured out from that one bite.
Gu Moran laughed, his laughter muffled above her head.
Xie Wanqing.
"Um."
You're usually the most disciplined.
"... Shut up."
"If your dad knew what you're like now..."
Xie Wanqing clenched her teeth harder. This bite really hurt.
Gu Moran groaned, but his hands didn't stop moving.
His palm rested against the white, lace fabric at her waist; the skin beneath the fabric was warmer than his hand.
Her breathing became more and more rapid and shallow, as if she had been holding her breath underwater for too long.
The two of them were entwined together, and the bed was as hot as a steamer.
Gu Moran's lips traveled up her shoulder.
"Relax."
Xie Wanqing's teeth lingered on his shoulder for two breaths.
Then I let go.
Gu Moran's lips immediately covered his.
This kiss was different from the one Liu Ruyan had just given me.
Liu Ruyan's kiss was gentle and quiet.
Xie Wanqing's kiss was awkward and clumsy, yet it burned so hot it made your bones feel weak.
She doesn't kiss.
My whole body trembled when my lips touched his. My fingers gripped his waist, sometimes lightly, sometimes heavily, unsure whether to tighten my grip or let go.
Gu Moran cupped her face in his hands, his thumb touching her earlobe, and taught her little by little.
Angle. Force. Breathing interval.
She learns very quickly.
After all, she was a talented woman who had studied the Six Classics and the works of many philosophers.
Outside the cabin, Murong Xue exclaimed again, "Wow, what a huge rock!"
The two of them froze simultaneously.
Three breaths. Five breaths.
Gu Moran pulled away from Xie Wanqing's lips by half an inch, his breath brushing against her lips.
Were you scared to death?
Xie Wanqing punched him lightly in the chest.
His strength was not as great as Shen Ling'er's.
The hatch creaked open.
A beam of lantern light pierced through the crack in the door, like a yellow knife cutting through the darkness inside the cabin.
Gu Moran reacted extremely quickly.
He pulled Xie Wanqing into his bed, his broad body turning to shield her completely behind him.
His blanket covered two people from the chest down. Xie Wanqing was curled up behind him, her face pressed against his back, and even her head was covered by the blanket.
The lantern light swept around the cabin.
Why does it feel so hot in the cabin? And why is someone breathing so heavily?
Murong Xue's voice.
Gu Moran sat up slightly, her hair a little messy, her eyes red, and she lazily squinted at the doorway.
"The boat is rocking so much, I'm seasick and nauseous, I can't even catch my breath!"
There were two people standing at the door.
Murong Xue held the lantern, and Lin Qingdai stood behind her, her hand resting on the hilt of her knife.
Lin Qingdai's gaze swept across the floor of the passageway.
The bunks of Liu Ruyan and Xie Wanqing.
They're all empty.
The blanket was half-lifted, but the person wasn't there.
Lin Qingdai's brow twitched slightly.
Gu Moran saw her gaze fall on the empty quilt and a smirk appeared on his lips.
" Liu Ruyan went to boil water, Wanqing went to the stern of the cabin for some fresh air, saying she couldn't sleep."