A declaration of war

Without realizing it, Xiao Yan fell asleep in Zayne's arms.

But Zayne couldn't sleep.

He dimmed the bedside lamp until it was just bright enough for him to see Xiao Yan's face.

His fingers gently stroked that little face many times.

To sum up what had happened between him and Xiao Yan, it really came down to just a few simple things.

First, they had met at the husband-selection banquet, completed their registration, and established their marriage.

After that, they hadn't contacted each other at all for over a month.

Back then, Zayne had still regarded this marriage as an official arrangement.

His attitude toward Xiao Yan had been both distant and scrutinizing.

Then Xiao Yan had signed the documents, voluntarily relinquishing her rights to his assets and income.

Respect had earned curiosity, and goodwill had built trust.

They had interacted on Moments, and Zayne had posted a photoshopped picture of them together to placate the hospital director.

That public acknowledgment of their relationship had stirred something in Zayne, however slightly.

He had discovered what made Xiao Yan different, and had also sensed a faint familiarity, though he hadn't analyzed it any further.

The real change had come from the test that family dinner had brought.

Zayne had made a declaration of love that "transcended the rules," gaining the approval of Xiao Yan's family.

At the same time, he and Xiao Yan had reached a certain alignment in values and a spiritual resonance.

Spiritual resonance was far too precious, and far too important, to Zayne.

From then on, he had realized he was falling for her without even noticing.

And then there was the present.

Because of the incident with Caleb, Zayne had discovered he could get jealous, and a brief misunderstanding with Xiao Yan had nearly erupted into conflict.

Fortunately, they had quickly talked things through and made up.

Emotional investment, a genuine collision.

They had given each other pet names: Little Jasmine, Sweet Pear.

Zayne had decided to move back permanently and become Xiao Yan's emotional ally...

Though the steps seemed clear, Zayne knew very well that his feelings had progressed a little too quickly.

So quickly that even he found it unexpected and shocking.

Unbelievable.

He had become very unlike himself.

It was truly hard to explain, and he couldn't convince himself either.

Yet he also couldn't deny that this was indeed how he was.

Still, looking at Xiao Yan's sleeping face, Zayne seemed to gain some new insight.

She had never forcibly demanded anything. Instead, she had kept giving.

Giving him freedom, respect, and trust, making Zayne want to reciprocate and draw closer of his own accord.

Making him lower his guard even when he noticed.

He had willingly descended from his tower of reason, indulging himself and plunging into the torrent of emotion.

"Is this your little trick?" Zayne murmured.

He quickly rejected that idea. "This... must be precisely where your charm lies. Calling it a trick would sully your affection."

Yes, Zayne could actually perceive Xiao Yan's affection.

Perhaps that was the real reason Zayne had lowered his defenses and been "conquered" so quickly.

Zayne smiled and tucked the covers around Xiao Yan. "Sleep well, Little Jasmine."

Unexpectedly, even though it was already well past midnight, Caleb was still awake.

He sent a message asking how Xiao Yan was doing.

Zayne's earlier friendliness toward Caleb had only been because they had been neighbors and childhood friends.

But after learning what Caleb had done, he had actually concealed an anger that was difficult to put into words.

Even if their wife had made the request, Zayne believed Caleb shouldn't have carried out the order in such a hurtful way.

If he was truly so resistant, why compromise and enter this marriage?

Since he had accepted their wife, why act so reluctantly after receiving an order to be intimate?

She was only eighteen, the young lady of a prominent family. Even if she was a little willful, that was the combined result of her upbringing, her environment, and society.

Besides, Zayne couldn't see the slightest trace of willfulness in Xiao Yan.

All she had was a longing to love and be loved.

After Caleb sent that [Is she okay?]...

Zayne took a picture of Xiao Yan resting her head on his arm.

Caleb hadn't acted with care, so Zayne had no need to observe boundaries either. He sent the photo just like that.

Zayne: [She's perfectly fine. She fell asleep peacefully.]

If Caleb cared about Xiao Yan even the tiniest bit, this photo and this reply were no different from Zayne declaring war on him.

And as a man, Zayne could of course sense that Caleb couldn't possibly be completely indifferent to Xiao Yan.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have urged Zayne to comfort the girl after discovering she had been hurt.

He wouldn't have asked when Zayne set off.

Much less would he have estimated when Zayne had more or less finished comforting her and then checked on the progress.

But that punch seemed to land in a pile of cotton.

Before long, Caleb replied, [That's good.]

What's good about it?

Zayne set his phone to Do Not Disturb and placed it on the bedside table.

Then, moving as gently and as little as possible, he lay down awkwardly and gathered Xiao Yan into his arms.

Resting his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes, wanting to sleep with her.

Xiao Yan never carried her worries overnight.

After daybreak, she stretched comfortably, then startled when she touched someone beside her.

Opening her eyes, she saw that Zayne had just woken up too and was looking at her with a sleepy smile.

She immediately felt at ease. "Zayne, morning."

"Morning." Zayne rubbed her head with his large hand. "You slept very well. You barely turned over all night, didn't talk in your sleep, and didn't kick off the covers."

Those were lovely words of affection.

He was telling her that, although he had slept too, he had kept a little part of himself alert for Xiao Yan all night.

Still, waking up in Zayne's arms like this was a little embarrassing.

Xiao Yan blushed and pushed at his chest. "What time is it?"

"Just after ten." Zayne caught her hand. "Now that you don't need my arms to comfort you, you're in a hurry to push me away?"

"No..." Xiao Yan grew even more embarrassed. "Didn't you want the little stickers? Let's wash up and have breakfast. I'll show them to you afterward."

"Is looking at the little stickers so urgent?" Zayne deliberately teased her.

"Oh, come on," Xiao Yan said. "Don't start being wicked first thing in the morning. Get up and go back to your own room to wash your face and brush your teeth."

They went their separate ways to wash up.

Then they met again in the dining room.

For some reason, just looking at Zayne again made Xiao Yan's ears grow hot.

They sat across from each other at the dining table, eating the nutritious, delicious breakfast Uncle Sang had instructed the chef to prepare.

Zayne suddenly received a call. After listening solemnly for a few moments, he said, "All right, I'll head back to the hospital right away."

As soon as Xiao Yan heard that, she knew there must be a patient who needed emergency surgery.

She quickly wiped her mouth. "I'm full."

Zayne said, "...You've only finished half your bowl of soup."

"I'm still full. I eat like a bird." Xiao Yan stood up. "Are you going back to the hospital? You can take me into the city on the way. I'm going to see Jiang Miao. She invited me to go shopping and eat something tasty with her today anyway, so this works out perfectly. I can go hang out with her."

She made it sound as though she really wanted to go hang out with Jiang Miao.

Zayne shook his head helplessly. Understanding her kind intentions, he didn't expose her. "Then at least get me the stickers you were going to give me. I'll take them back to the hospital. I can put them on my notebook, along the edge of my monitor, on my keyboard, and on the frame of my parents' photo together."

So little stickers had that many uses.

Xiao Yan nodded with a "Mm," quickly ran to the study, and brought back the few stickers she had prepared earlier in a small transparent bag.

She got into Zayne's car, and they drove smoothly along the winding mountain road.

Zayne kept feeling that his car's interior was a little plain too.

"Would the little stickers mind being stuck inside my car?" he asked.