“I’m going to use the bathroom,” Luo Ming said as she got out of bed, slipped into her slippers, and approached the boy in the darkness.
“Not turning on the light?” he asked, eyes closed, maintaining his sleeping posture.
“No need, I can see.”
In truth, she didn’t want Gu Yu to see her face. She felt that at this moment, her expression must be written with unsightly desire. The boy’s scent in the room was exceptionally strong, coaxing her ugly thoughts to climb higher and higher.
She walked to the door and placed her hand on the handle, but she didn’t press down. After a few seconds, she turned back and stood by the bed, looking down at the boy’s face.
The expected sound of the door opening never came. Curious, Gu Yu opened his eyes and saw Luo Ming sitting on the edge, staring straight at him. In the darkness, that extraordinarily beautiful face was a blur.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you going to the bathroom?”
Luo Ming didn’t answer. She reached out and stroked Gu Yu’s face. In those handsome eyes, she saw confusion and panic. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be a coward anymore. She wondered what would happen if she just devoured him right here—what kind of interesting reaction such an obedient boy would have.
His handsome cheek leaned submissively into Luo Ming’s palm. She leaned in slowly through the dark, logic and impulse warring within her heart. Their faces were suddenly very, very close; their noses were about to touch.
She felt the boy’s warm breath. At this moment, he was like a small animal that had fallen into a trap—lost and helpless, yet not struggling, as if voluntarily immersing himself in a beautiful dream.
Luo Ming licked her dry lips. Suddenly, she pinched Gu Yu’s face and, with a charming, seductive smile, said in a soft voice, “We’re even now. Can I get an advance on the next one? I can let you pinch me somewhere else.”
“Stop fooling around. It’s late, go to sleep. Didn’t you have to go to the bathroom?”
“Hmph, then I’m going.”
Luo Ming puffed out her cheeks, clearly unsatisfied with Gu Yu’s rejection. Her huffy appearance carried a hint of cuteness.
She went into the bathroom, pulled the glass door shut, and locked it. She slumped against the wall and sat down. The sour, itchy ache in her lower body could no longer be suppressed. She recalled the sweetness from a moment ago; the environment was filled with the boy’s clean, sunny scent, like being immersed in the fragrance of sweet, mellow wine.
“Nngh…”
Irrepressible gasps escaped from between her teeth. Her delicate skin burned with a high fever. With her back against the cold wall, Luo Ming’s consciousness became increasingly clouded and chaotic, her bedroom eyes tinged with the hues of an ambiguous dream.
The bright moonlight spilled in, illuminating her figure and casting a graceful, undulating shadow on the wall. Her long hair was scattered behind her head, with a few strands stuck to the side of her face by beads of sweat. A deep crimson flush covered her entire exquisite face.
The thick night masked half of her form like a quilt. In the silent darkness, every tiny sound was crystal clear. She heard her own voice echoing in her ears—ethereal yet demonic.
“Gu Yu… Gu Yu…”
Luo Ming whispered the boy’s name, her mind shimmering with his clean, refined image. He was so well-behaved, rarely refusing her; a tiny bit of intentional or unintentional contact could stir his shyness, making her ache to claim him for her own.
The frantic pleasure peaked and then stopped. Luo Ming sat in silence, leaning against the cold tiles. She lowered her head to hide her disheveled state until her body temperature gradually returned to normal and logic reoccupied her mind.
She stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. The night air after the rain carried an indescribable scent. The cold wind found the opening and drilled in, turning her flushed skin pale with cold. She waited until the love and lust in her eyes returned to tranquility before returning to the room, switching back to that quiet, beautiful Luo Ming.
Gu Yu had already fallen asleep. His curled legs had relaxed quite a bit, and his breathing was steady and fragile.
Luo Ming suddenly wanted to take a gamble—a gamble on who would wake up earlier tomorrow morning, and whether Gu Yu would believe her explanation. Amidst her thoughts, she had already lain down on her side opposite the boy. His youthful sleeping face was right before her eyes.
“Gu Yu? Gu Yu?”
She called his name softly. Confirming that Gu Yu was fast asleep, she cautiously embraced him, burying his head in the crook of her neck, feeling his breath flutter against her slender collarbone.
Luo Ming was tall for a girl, but her frame was still smaller than Gu Yu’s male physique. Since she couldn’t make any large movements that might wake him, the embrace was somewhat laborious.
Suppressing the frantic heartbeat in her chest, she boldly and slowly held him tighter, using her whole body to feel this existence that she loved to the point of obsession.
It wouldn’t be bad to just hold him and drown like this, Luo Ming thought. To possess him completely, to vanish into the infinite darkness and become one—she was very satisfied with such an ending.
But how could she be so selfish? Gu Yu trusted her so much, liked her so much… and yet she maliciously wanted to drag him into the abyss for her own selfish desires, to imprison him forever at the bottom of the valley.
“Sorry, Gu Yu. I shouldn’t think like that. But you can’t fall for anyone else. You are mine. If you dare to betray me, I’ll… devour you.”
Fortunately, Luo Ming woke up earlier than Gu Yu. The feeling of seeing the boy’s quiet sleeping face first thing upon waking up in the morning was very comfortable. She began to long for a future where she could openly share a bed with him, without needing to be secretive like this.
Yet, it was also a bit of a pity not to see Gu Yu’s panic upon waking up first. Luo Ming felt that she seemed to have fallen in love with the thrill of these secretive “crimes” being discovered by the boy. After all, Gu Yu loved her; she was fearless because she had his favor.
Sometimes she thought about whether she should be the first to confess. That way, she could openly demand things from him, and perhaps even taste a sweetness that went down to the bone.
But logic always made her withdraw at the last moment. The boy’s love for her had to be intense enough to be reckless, breaking through the shackles that bound his hands and feet until he took the initiative to declare his love to her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be satisfied, nor would she feel at ease.
The morning light spread across Gu Yu’s face. One last bold thought appeared in her mind. Luo Ming leaned down, and her pale pink lips touched the boy’s.
When Gu Yu woke up, he was alone in the room. The winter lethargy enticed him to sleep a little longer, but he couldn’t let a guest see his unsightly side—especially when it was the girl he liked.
He got out of bed and walked out of the room. On the dining table was a bowl of steaming rice porridge and a few buns. Luo Ming was sitting by a small table by the window, staring blankly at the falling leaves outside.
“You’re up.” She turned her head, the smile on her face natural and pure. “I was just about to go call you. Eat quickly; breakfast won’t taste good once it’s cold.”
“Thanks. As the host, I’m still being taken care of by the guest. I’m so incompetent.”
“Don’t think too much about it. I don’t mind.”
“Mm.”
Gu Yu sat down and began to eat breakfast. Luo Ming turned her head back to continue watching the desolate, bleak winter scene outside. Last night’s heavy rain had left puddles of muddy water on the ground, and the sky had been washed a deep, clear blue.
She took out her phone and scrolled through it, looking at the boy’s sleeping face in a hidden album, as well as the images of them kissing while he was fast asleep. She couldn’t help but smile.