He returned to the empty, cold study, yet his chest felt as if molten lava were surging within.
The delicate sensation lingering on his fingertips, the image of her tear-filled, panicked face they kept colliding in his mind, over and over.
He closed his eyes, trying to meditate, to dispel this unprecedented turmoil.
But he realized that the composure he had always prided himself on was utterly fragile in front of her.
Don’t avoid me.
And don’t look at anyone else.
Those two lines half a humble plea, half a domineering declaration still echoed in his ears.
He knew some things had changed. Ever since he had lost control and grabbed her wrist, pulled her nearly violently into the room to question her, everything had been different.
He, Song Qingzhi, the supreme Immortal Lord of Yunmiao Peak, had developed improper thoughts for a woman of unknown origin, someone who might even have ulterior motives.
And he couldn’t pull himself away.
Night deepened, yet he could not remain in the study.
A strong, almost irresistible impulse he had to confirm she was still there drove him again toward the sleeping chamber.
Su Tiantian was still sitting on the floor, hugging her knees, her mind a tangled mess.
The side of her neck seemed to still bear the heat of his breath, that unfinished, narrowly averted kiss.
It felt like a feather, constantly teasing the tip of her heart, making her fidget and unable to sit still.
“System… just now, did he want to kiss me?”
She touched her still-warm cheek and murmured the question to herself.
(System: Based on target’s physiological indicators, pupil response, and muscle tension at that moment, probability of intent to kiss is 98.7%. The deviated action can be interpreted as strong restraint in the final moment.)
98.7%!
Su Tiantian felt her heart skip a beat.
At that moment, very light footsteps sounded outside.
Her heart jumped to her throat as she suddenly looked up.
The door opened gently Song Qingzhi had returned.
He seemed to have bathed, now wearing snow-colored sleepwear. His black hair fell loose.
His expression had returned to its usual calm.
Yet his deep eyes flickered almost imperceptibly when they landed on her sitting on the floor.
He said nothing, just walked to the edge of the bed.
With a natural motion, he folded back the outer quilt and turned to lie down.
He closed his eyes, as if he had always belonged there.
Su Tiantian gaped, stunned by the fluidity of his actions.
Her mind couldn’t keep up.
He… he’s just lying down?
On the outer side? Then where does that leave her? Inside?
(System: Target behavior analysis: Declaration of shared-bed authority, occupying outer side to form a protective/constraining posture.)
Su Tiantian swallowed hard.
Using hands and feet, she clumsily climbed up from the floor, edging toward the bed.
She looked at the man on the bed, pretending to sleep yet radiating an invisible pressure.
She felt like a small rabbit entering a predator’s den.
She moved carefully, trying not to touch him.
Climbing to the inner side, she pressed herself against the wall.
Pulling over the inner quilt, she wrapped herself like a cocoon.
In her mind, she panicked: Help! Sharing a bed!
Even though they were sleeping fully clothed, this advance felt like it had rocketed forward!
System, do you call this a “strategic retreat” side effect?!
The chamber was silent, only the sound of their uneven breathing.
Su Tiantian’s back was to him, her whole body stiff, not daring to breathe too loudly.
She could clearly feel the warmth and clean, crisp aura of the other person beside her.
The presence was so strong she could not ignore it.
Time passed or maybe it was only a moment until Su Tiantian thought they might just stay frozen like this until dawn.
Then, behind her, she suddenly heard a soft rustling.
Her whole body tensed.
In the next instant, a warm hand lightly rested on her waist.
Su Tiantian shivered violently, frozen as if a pressure point had been struck.
The hand did not move further, only hovered around her.
It held her with a gentle, irresistible force, nudging her slightly toward the center of the bed.
Away from the cold wall, and… closer to him.
“Sleep.”
His low, husky voice sounded from behind, almost within reach.
Su Tiantian’s heart felt like it had been grabbed by an invisible hand.
Then released, racing wildly.
She was stiff as he half-encircled her in his arms, her back almost pressed against the outline of his chest.
Her nose filled with his clean, crisp scent.
How… how is she supposed to sleep like this?!
Yet, perhaps due to sudden relaxation after heightened tension (aka, heart too big!)
Under this thrillingly intimate constraint, Su Tiantian’s eyelids grew heavier…
Just as her consciousness blurred, on the verge of slipping into sleep, an extremely soft, tentative touch landed on the back of her neck.
Slightly cool, fleeting.
Like a snowflake drifting down, melting instantly.
His lips?
Her muddled mind couldn’t make a clear judgment.
The thought, like a stone dropped into a lake, only caused faint ripples before being drowned by the overwhelming drowsiness.
She unconsciously pressed back into the warm source behind her, finally sinking fully into dark, sweet dreams.
Once he confirmed her breathing had evened and she was deeply asleep,
Song Qingzhi slowly opened his eyes.
In the darkness, he gazed at her slender back and the small patch of pale neck revealed.
His eyes were as deep and dark as night.
He carefully tightened the arm around her waist, drawing her even closer, holding the defenseless girl tightly against him.
His chin rested lightly on the top of her head, feeling the warmth and softness in his arms.
His restless heart, agitated all day, strangely and slowly settled at last.