Good Night, World

The night grew darker, and the wind in the courtyard gradually took on the chill unique to spring.

Lu Yan looked down at the drowsy Aemeath in his arms. Her long eyelashes cast a small shadow beneath her eyes.

With her daytime flamboyance gone, Aemeath looked especially serene.

"It's getting late, and it's windy out here." Lu Yan gently broke the silence. "Let's go inside and get some sleep."

Aemeath murmured an assent. For once, she behaved herself instead of acting spoiled and willful as she did during the day.

She didn't get up right away. Instead, she took another deep, lingering breath against the crook of Lu Yan's neck before reluctantly pulling away from his embrace.

Lu Yan put away the blanket and took her hand, leading her back into the living room. Then he turned and locked the sliding glass door to the courtyard.

The sound of the wind in the courtyard was shut out, and the warm yellow light inside the house brought an immediate sense of comforting warmth.

After a quick wash, the two entered the master bedroom one after the other.

Lu Yan turned off the main light, leaving only the bedside lamp on. Its dim yellow glow spread across the pillows.

Aemeath changed into soft, pure cotton pajamas, deftly pulled back the covers, and climbed into bed first. She turned onto her side and curled herself into a little ball.

When Lu Yan lay down beside her, she immediately moved close like a magnet. She naturally nestled against his shoulder, draped one hand over his waist, and found the most comfortable angle for her legs, curling them slightly against his.

"Good night, A-Yan."

Aemeath raised her head. Her eyes, especially clear in the dim light, gazed quietly at him as she spoke softly.

"Good night."

Lu Yan turned onto his side, propping his head up with one hand while gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear with the other.

He lowered his head and first placed a tender kiss on her smooth forehead. Then his warm lips slowly moved down and brushed lightly against hers.

It was only a goodnight kiss, full of reassurance and affection.

Aemeath closed her eyes. Though she could always make those bold declarations so naturally during the day, here in the truly silent depths of the night, with their skin pressed together and all her defenses and disguises stripped away, the girlish innocence at her core was laid bare.

Faced with Lu Yan's tenderness, she made no aggressive move. Instead, a faint, suspicious warmth crept into her cheeks. She obediently pressed her lips together, then buried her rosy face in his chest like a shy ostrich.

"Go to sleep." Lu Yan's chest vibrated with a soft chuckle as he reached out and switched off the bedside lamp.

The room sank into darkness. Only a faint sliver of moonlight slipped through a gap in the curtains, falling quietly across the floor.

Lu Yan did not fall asleep right away.

He lay awake in the dark, one hand resting on Aemeath's back, gently soothing her now and then in time with her breathing.

Listening to the girl in his arms breathe more and more steadily and softly, feeling the real warmth of her body, Lu Yan felt an unprecedented calm rise within him.

Thinking back over the long and thrilling day, Lu Yan let out a quiet sigh in his heart.

In truth, until today, a string had always been wound tight deep inside him.

Even after they had shared a bed, he still felt like someone walking a tightrope over a cliff.

He had held this treasure that did not belong to him with the utmost care, afraid that one wrong step, or a gust of wind one day, would shatter this dream that was as beautiful as an illusion.

The weightlessness born of feeling unworthy had tormented him day and night.

But today, everything had changed. All his doubts, insecurity, and apprehension had vanished in that clumsy kiss that had split their lips, and in their honesty with each other.

He no longer needed to force himself to become someone, because the girl in his arms had come simply to love this Lu Yan, who got a stomachache from eating food that was too salty and lived an ordinary life among everyday people.

The knowledge that he was accepted completely filled Lu Yan's long-hollow heart like a warm spring.

He no longer needed to fear losing what he had.

The weight in his arms was real, and the faint scent that belonged to her lingering around his nose was real.

Lu Yan smiled silently in the dark and tightened his arms slightly, holding Aemeath a little closer.

In this little haven that belonged entirely to the two of them, he finally let down all his defenses and sank into a deep sleep with an utterly reassuring sense of security.

In the early morning, sunlight passed through a gap in the curtains and cast a band of light across the wooden floor.

From the distant street came the faint cries of breakfast vendors and the occasional sound of a passing vehicle, adding a little life to the quiet morning.

At seven-thirty, Lu Yan opened his eyes right on time.

Unlike when he had been single, he didn't roll out of bed as soon as he woke to check whether there were any manuscripts.

In fact, even if he wanted to move now, he couldn't.

Lu Yan could feel that the right half of his body had gone a little numb.

He lowered his head slightly, and his gaze softened immeasurably at the sight before him.

Aemeath was wrapped around him with both arms and legs.

One of her slender, fair legs was sprawled over his thigh, both hands were clamped tightly around his right arm, and her exquisitely beautiful face was pressed against his chest as she slept soundly.

Her long hair lay in disarray across the white pillow, a few playful strands brushing lightly against the tip of her nose as she breathed.

She was fast asleep, her slightly pouting pink lips giving her a touch of childlike innocence. Even her steady breathing could be heard.

Lu Yan didn't dare move, afraid of disturbing this beautiful sight.

He lay there quietly, tracing every inch of her sleeping face with his gaze at such close range.

This was the sight he would wake up to every morning for the rest of his life.

He no longer had to face the cold screen of his phone or confront loneliness alone in an empty room. He only had to reach out to touch the person who loved him most in this world.

On this peaceful morning, Lu Yan felt that even if he had to give up everything he had right now, as long as he could keep looking at her like this, it would still seem like an extraordinarily wonderful thing.

After he had watched her for ten-odd minutes, the person in his arms seemed to notice his gaze on her face.

Aemeath's eyelashes fluttered, and she let out a soft, drawn-out murmur.

She slowly opened her golden eyes, her gaze still a little hazy and moist.

"Awake?"

Aemeath stared at him blankly for a few seconds, her brain apparently still loading its startup program.

As she gradually woke up and realized she was clinging tightly to Lu Yan in a very indecorous position, with even her leg draped over him, and felt that sensation against her leg, her fair cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

But instead of pushing him away in embarrassment like an ordinary girl, she shamelessly rubbed her face even harder against his chest.

"Good morning, A-Yan~" Her voice was thick with sleep, so sweet it made him go weak.

"Morning."

With his left hand, which he could still move, Lu Yan gently tucked the hair on her cheek behind her ear.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Mm..." Aemeath narrowed her eyes in comfort, like a cat being stroked, the corners of her mouth rising uncontrollably. "My dreams were full of you. Even the ribs in my dreams were sweet."

Her words made Lu Yan chuckle, and the vibration of his chest passed through their closely pressed skin.

The two quietly embraced beneath the warm covers, enjoying the morning without any outside disturbances.

Sunlight gradually spread across the bed, illuminating the tiny specks of dust floating in the air.

Just as Lu Yan was about to ask what she wanted to eat that morning and whether she needed him to get up and make a simple breakfast in the kitchen, Aemeath, who had been lying on his chest, suddenly raised her head.

She planted both hands on his chest and lifted her upper body slightly.

Her eyes, which had still been a little hazy, were now completely clear, and a lively smile flickered in their depths.

"A-Yan, haven't you forgotten something?" Aemeath looked straight at him, a playful curve on her lips.

Lu Yan froze for a moment. Looking at the expectation in her eyes, he quickly recalled the wager they had made in the living room the previous afternoon.

From now on, you have to take the initiative to give me a deep kiss every day. And each kiss has to last at least one minute.

"I remember it perfectly," Aemeath said, asserting her rights when he seemed to recall it. "You absolutely can't skip the good morning kiss that starts the day."

Though she tried hard to put on a forceful front, her slightly reddened earlobes and somewhat quickened breathing betrayed her nervousness and anticipation.

Lu Yan looked at her trying to appear calm while unable to hide her shyness, and found it a little amusing.

He said nothing and simply lay back down on the pillow.

With his right hand, which had regained feeling, he gently cupped the back of Aemeath's head, threading his fingers through her soft, long pink hair.

"Okay, I haven't forgotten." Lu Yan's voice softened a little.

He applied a little pressure, and Aemeath obediently fell back into his arms.

Lu Yan tilted his head slightly and found her lips without fail, still soft though she had only just woken up.

The morning sunlight fell across their overlapping figures.

The kiss carried the freshness unique to the morning and undisguised affection, proceeding slowly and deeply at a comfortable pace.

Their breaths mingled, and even the temperature in the air seemed to rise quietly.

Lu Yan silently counted the time in his head. One second, two seconds... one minute.

But he had no intention of stopping so soon, because the new day had only just begun.