Gu Yu finished washing up, changed into his slippers, and walked to his bedroom door. He knocked politely and only turned the handle to open the door after hearing a response.
Luo Ming was still awake. She was sitting at the head of the bed with her legs tucked under the covers, clutching her phone and staring at the screen. Hearing the door open, she looked up at Gu Yu.
“Is the blanket cold? Do you need an extra one?” Gu Yu asked concernledly, leaning against the doorframe.
“No need, it’s very warm like this.” Luo Ming shook her head and set her phone aside. “Come chat with me. I can’t sleep this early anyway.”
“Alright then.”
Gu Yu closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed at the opposite end.
Luo Ming glanced at his feet. He wasn’t wearing socks, and even with cotton slippers, he would get cold quickly. “Come sit up here. Your feet must be freezing, right?”
“… Is that okay?”
“This is your bed, after all. Why are you being so reserved?”
Gu Yu lifted the blanket and slid his feet inside. He and Luo Ming sat at two different corners of the bed. The rise in the blanket revealed the outlines of the girl’s legs, which were long and slender.
“Gu Yu, have you planned for the future? What do you want to do?” Luo Ming asked him with her head tilted slightly, her face as calm as still water.
“I don’t have many plans. Just… the National College Entrance Examination. I’ll try my best to get into a good university, work while I study, and after graduation, I’ll probably just lead a busy, hardworking life. I’d like to have some kind of brilliant or exciting experience, but in the end, stability will definitely be my priority.”
“That sounds quite plain. When do you plan on getting a girlfriend?”
“Probably much later. I at least have to settle down first. I’m so clumsy with my words and such a boring person; I doubt any girl would even look at me.”
“Why are you so insecure? You have a lot of strengths. Why wouldn’t a girl like you?”
“Even if I have them, they’re mostly meaningless strengths. My IQ is average, my EQ is in the negatives, and I’m poor. I have plenty of self-awareness,” Gu Yu said with a bitter smile. He didn’t consider it self-deprecation; it was simply the truth.
“Are they meaningless? You’re so strong, diligent, well-behaved, and good-looking. I like you quite a bit.”
“Like?! … Me?” Gu Yu pointed at himself in surprise. Luo Ming’s words, which sounded almost like a confession, couldn’t help but make his heart race. The young man’s feelings began to sprout like grass in early spring.
Luo Ming wore a gentle smile and explained calmly, “Yeah. If I hated you, why would I have become such good friends with you?”
“Right… yeah… friends…”
Gu Yu realized he had misunderstood. Luo Ming still felt nothing but pure friendship for him, yet he had let his thoughts wander and lost his composure over such a normal sentiment.
The night grew thicker, casting a veil over the world outside. The rain was still falling, though it had lightened. Countless water droplets meandered down the windowpane, leaving behind crooked trails.
Luo Ming smiled as she watched his flustered state. She felt an uncontrollable joy and wanted to tease him even more. “So, Gu Yu, do you like me? What am I like in your eyes?”
“I… I do like you. You’re so pretty, you have a great personality, and you take such good care of me. I definitely… like you.”
Gu Yu lowered his head as he spoke, trying his best to hide his face so Luo Ming wouldn’t see it. He knew very well that his “like” meant something different from hers. Even if she wouldn’t think of it that way, he couldn’t force himself to be composed or pretend to be calm.
“Is that so? You like me too? No wonder you always like to sneak looks at my face. You even reached out to touch it today.”
“I — that wasn’t — sor —”
“No need to apologize, I’m not angry.” Luo Ming interrupted him, her smile deepening. She suddenly found that being a bad woman wasn’t so bad; the boy looked so cute like this. “You haven’t answered my other question yet, Gu Yu. What am I like in your eyes?”
Gu Yu looked up, meeting Luo Ming’s soft, smiling eyes, and spoke seriously. “You’ve been the recognized School Beauty for these past three years, your grades have never dropped out of the top five in our grade, and you’re kind and easy to talk to. To me, you are a partner, a Desk-mate, and a very good friend.”
“It sounds like you have a pretty good impression of me. No wonder you like me.”
“… Yeah.”
Gu Yu couldn’t deny it. While the words still carried that layer of pure friendship, he couldn’t help but think of them in terms of romantic love. Admitting it was almost no different from a confession, but he had no choice but to agree.
“It’s late. I’m going to sleep first.” He made an excuse, preparing to retreat like a deserter.
“How about… you just sleep here? You can sleep at that end. I don’t mind, and we can keep chatting.”
“That wouldn’t be appropriate. You’re a girl…”
“When a girl says it’s okay, don’t be so hesitant. Otherwise, you’ll lose impression points.”
Luo Ming stared at him, watching his every subtle expression and movement. She saw his awkwardness, his hesitation, and his shyness, and a greedy desire began to stir within her.
“Alright then.”
“So, are you going to sleep now? I’m turning off the lights.”
“Um… okay.”
The light surrendered to the darkness, and the room instantly dimmed. The moonlight from outside was as white as snow, perfectly framing Luo Ming’s face and draping her in a hazy, bright veil. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Do I look good?” She watched Gu Yu as he shrank into the blanket, his shy gaze sneaking glances at her face. “Do you want me to sit up a bit longer so you can see more?”
“No… there’s no need. It’s cold, so you should get some sleep too.”
Gu Yu covered himself completely with the blanket. His uncontrollable thoughts piled up in his heart. A few minutes later, he lifted a small corner of the blanket and saw that Luo Ming had already lied down.
His legs instinctively began to bend as he tried to find a more comfortable sleeping position. In doing so, he bumped into the other pair of feet under the covers. The skin of her ankles was slender and soft. He pulled back as if struck by an electric shock, his mind falling into even greater chaos.
He curled his legs and shrank into the corner to avoid another accidental touch.
“Gu Yu, your feet are so cold,” a gentle voice sounded in the darkness. She sounded as if she didn’t mind the contact at all, yet it tugged at the young man’s already trembling heartstrings.
Gu Yu didn’t know how to respond, only letting out a dazed “Um.”
The night grew quiet as the sound of the rain completely stopped. The world outside the window was blurred by water droplets. Inside the warm bedding, Luo Ming could smell his scent everywhere. She felt an impulse within her body, and an unbearable thirst began to rise frantically.
She began to touch her own body, which was flushed with a dazed heat. Her feet wandered under the covers, attempting to manufacture another “accident” like the one from before.
To the boy who liked her, this would be a cruel tease — wicked and far from demure — but none of that mattered anymore. She simply wanted to touch his body, using a small bit of pleasure to suppress her restlessness.
When she couldn’t find him where she expected, Luo Ming sat up. She saw Gu Yu curled up at the other end of the bed with his legs tucked in. The impulse became even more terrifying, urging her to directly seize that sweetness and feast upon him.
The movement disturbed Gu Yu. He wasn’t asleep yet and looked toward the center of the bed, where Luo Ming was sitting.
“What’s wrong? Can’t you sleep?” Gu Yu asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Yes.”