The warmth of another person filled the blankets, and the sound of faint breathing became exceptionally clear in the silent atmosphere. Gu Yu noticed Luo Ming watching him, her eyes filled with an indistinguishable, murky chaos. She didn’t look away for even a second.
His urge to help her had been subconscious. When Luo Ming said she was cold, he felt he had to give her all the warmth he possessed. Everything else, in that moment, was no longer important.
A girl’s fragility was something he would lose all rational perception to protect.
“Are you still cold?”
“Yes, a little bit.”
Paleness and a deep flush intertwined on Luo Ming’s face. Strands of hair clung to her cheeks, messy and disheveled. She did not look like the perfect, meticulous version of herself that she usually presented.
“Can you… hold me?” Luo Ming opened her arms and spoke in a soft whisper, requesting the boy to pull her into his embrace.
“…Okay.”
Gu Yu closed the distance he had intentionally maintained between them. The girl’s body was slender and fragile, carrying a lingering cold that was slowly being melted by his own body heat.
Numerous questions drove Gu Yu to speak. He felt the ambiguous atmosphere gradually stabilize as Luo Ming’s body reached a normal temperature. After hesitating for a moment, he asked softly, “Did something happen?”
“Cold, it’s so cold, Gu Yu… I think I’m sick.”
“Sick? What kind of sickness? Is it serious?”
Luo Ming did not respond. She looked up at the boy’s concerned expression, wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, and kissed him again. She indulged in the sweet sensation that made her nerves go soft, acting willfully and abandoning all concerns.
The sweetness was inexhaustible, and the boy did not resist, as if he had sunk into a drunken dream. She was insatiable, her actions tinged with a madness that reached deep into her bones.
After a long time, she pulled away from Gu Yu’s lips and offered a smile that could just barely be described as beautiful. “I feel a bit better now.”
“Wh… why? Even when you first arrived, you were… Luo Ming, you…”
“Can you… let me sleep first? I’m so tired… so sleepy.”
“Fine, I won’t ask.”
Luo Ming closed her eyes, her long eyelashes no longer trembling. Casting aside all her defenses, she fell into a deep sleep in Gu Yu’s arms.
Gu Yu could not sleep, though he tried his best. The soft, fragrant beauty in his arms made it impossible for him to calm down. The girl’s body was like a piece of finely carved, flawless jade. She wore only thin clothing, and her exposed skin was as white as frost or snow—so beautiful it was beyond description.
This level of temptation was far too difficult for a shy, adolescent high school student to resist.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to relax, maintaining a rare sense of composure.
He assumed something must have happened at Luo Ming’s home. He had never heard the girl mention her family background; he could only vaguely sense that it wasn’t good, a kind of shared distress that made them kindred spirits.
Everything that happened tonight was too sudden. He had simply been thinking about Luo Ming before bed and wanted to chat with her. The girl’s actions were entirely unexpected—braving the murderous, terrifying cold to come to him, kissing him, and stirring his desires as if she wanted to light a great fire to burn herself up.
However, her movements had been savage and clumsy. He had barely managed to maintain his rationality to make the right decision at the critical moment, using all his tenderness to quiet Luo Ming down.
‘What do I do now?’ Gu Yu was curious, yet he couldn’t bear to disturb the girl’s peaceful sleeping face. He suppressed his confusion and waited for the dawn to arrive.
—
He woke up earlier than Luo Ming.
The white light of early morning woke Gu Yu. He carefully climbed out of bed and glanced at the girl who was still fast asleep. In the light, her sleeping face looked fragile and exquisite; it felt as if all the beauty in the world could not compare to this sight.
Gu Yu tucked the blankets around Luo Ming, put on his shoes, and went out to the street to buy breakfast.
The morning alleys were filled with the white mist of the mundane world. Since Luo Ming was here, he couldn’t just throw together a random breakfast. She was the person he was closest to now, and he had to do his best to take care of her.
Gu Yu bought breakfast and headed back. As he walked through the hallway and approached his front door, he saw Yun Qianxin holding the key he had given her, about to open the door. He remembered that she usually came over to prepare breakfast for him.
“Xiao Yu? You’re up so early today? You even went out for breakfast?” She asked with a smile when she saw Gu Yu coming up from the corner.
Gu Yu froze for a moment, lying awkwardly. “I… I set my alarm wrong. I woke up early today and didn’t want to trouble Sister Qianxin, so I just went out to buy some myself. You don’t have to do it today. Sister Qianxin, you can go back and sleep a bit longer. I can handle it myself.”
“That’s quite a surprise. Is Xiao Yu hiding something from his sister?”
“No, no. I just… simply woke up early. Truly, it’s nothing. Go on back, Sister Qianxin.”
“Alright then, your sister is going back.”
“Okay.”
It would be difficult to explain if Yun Qianxin saw Luo Ming sleeping at his place. It would be bad for the girl’s reputation. Even though Yun Qianxin was certainly not the type of woman to gossip, he still didn’t want her to know.
Gu Yu watched Yun Qianxin turn and return to her own house. He hurriedly opened his door and entered, putting down the steamed buns he had just bought. Then, he went back to the room to wake Luo Ming.
Luo Ming was already awake. She had tidied her messy long hair and was sitting by the bed, looking out the window at the morning light. The faint glow of the warm sun traced bright, soft lines onto her face. The madness and fragility of last night were gone; she was once again that dazzling, eye-catching girl.
“You’re awake. You must be hungry. Come and eat breakfast; I just bought it.”
“Thank you.”
Luo Ming put on the slippers Gu Yu had placed by the bed when he woke up. She sat down at the table and took small bites of the buns, her gaze occasionally falling on Gu Yu, meeting his eyes.
“Gu Yu… do you have a lot of things you want to ask me?”
“Yes. Last night, you…”
“My head was too messy last night. I’m sorry, I lost control a bit.” Luo Ming lowered her eyes, and her hands stopped moving. Her thick eyelashes cast a large shadow over her face as the color seemed to drain away. “I can’t tell you all the details. I’m sorry for acting out.”
“It’s okay. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask. In the future, if you’re cold, you can tell me anytime. I’ll help you.”
“Thank you, Gu Yu. You really are… so gentle.”
“Well, you are my best friend, after all. My social circle is so small; I have to cherish everyone in it.”
Gu Yu was honest with her. Even if he didn’t love Luo Ming, this friendship would still be enough for him to act this way. If it were He Yu or Yun Qianxin, he would also want them to be well and help keep them warm.
“At the very least… can I ask why you kissed me? Just that one thing—I really want to know.”
Gu Yu desperately wanted the answer to this. Even if he and the girl didn’t end up together, he would be happy knowing that the person he had an unrequited love for liked him back. It felt like his unrequited love might receive an early answer.
“Because it’s you. You’re my most special person. Besides, I’ve never seen you get angry. If I want to get warm, I’ll just steal it from you. Am I being a bit bad?”
“No. If you need it, you can do whatever you like.”
The heartbeat in his chest felt like it had gone mad. Gu Yu foolishly repeated the words ‘most special person’ in his mind. There was a very obvious implication in those words, yet it wasn’t a total confirmation.
He couldn’t stop thinking that Luo Ming liked him too, yet he just couldn’t get a definitive answer.
“I’m still very sorry for disturbing you so much last night. Do you want me to do anything to make it up to you?” Luo Ming’s face regained its luster as she tilted her head to ask him.
“Then… ask the Boss for a day off. I want to go window shopping. Can you accompany me?”
“Sure.”
—