At some point, light snow began to fall outside again, while indoors it was warm like spring.
When Shang Chenyán pushed the door open, Shang Niàn had already fallen asleep in Shí Yíng’s arms.
The two of them were squeezed together on a small sofa. Shí Yíng had just taken a shower, her hair loose over her shoulders, the ends still slightly damp.
She was still wearing the same clothes she arrived in. A beige knit sweater wrapped around her slender body, and resting against the gentle rise and fall of her chest was a small head.
Both of them had their eyes closed. Shí Yíng’s face was flushed, whether from the warmth or the alcohol.
Shang Chenyán slowed his steps and first lifted Shang Niàn out of her arms.
Shang Niàn was a light sleeper. The moment she was moved, she opened her eyes.
Realizing she was being taken away from that warm embrace, she flailed her limbs unhappily, stretching out her small arms to reach for Shí Yíng.
“If you keep moving, you’ll wake her up,” Shang Chenyán said in a low voice. “If she wakes up, she’ll leave.”
Shang Niàn stopped moving.
She pouted, her eyes filled with grievance.
Shang Chenyán didn’t indulge her this time. He pinched her cheek. “Be good and sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, you’ll still see her.”
He placed Shang Niàn on the bed and tucked her in.
Just as he was about to stand up, Shang Niàn grabbed his hand.
He rubbed her head. “When have I ever lied to you? Close your eyes and sleep.”
Only then did Shang Niàn obediently close her eyes, curling up under the blanket and naturally grabbing a doll to hug.
After she fell asleep, Shang Chenyán walked over to the sofa and lifted Shí Yíng into his arms.
Shí Yíng couldn’t handle alcohol well. Earlier, Shang Chenyán had poured her wine so elegantly that she accepted it without thinking, and a single glass had already made her dizzy.
She still remembered that she had been holding a child. When she felt the emptiness in her arms, she murmured softly and reached out.
Just as Shang Chenyán bent down to pick her up, her soft arms wrapped around his neck.
A faint, sweet scent lingered at his neck, thread by thread, making his skin tingle unbearably.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he held her even tighter.
Thinking Shang Niàn had returned to her arms, Shí Yíng sank into sleep with satisfaction.
Half-asleep, she seemed to hear low breathing surrounding her.
She felt warm, as if drifting under the sun with ocean waves. A faint woody scent mixed with heat filled her breath, tinged with something musky.
Damp, burning—it made her dizzy.
After a long while, the heat surrounding her faded, and she felt a chill, curling up instinctively.
In the darkness, only the faint light from the streetlamp outside illuminated the tall figure reflected on the window.
Shang Chenyán braced his hands on either side of her, suppressing his heavy breathing.
Sweat slid down from his dark hair, tracing along his sharp jawline and dripping onto the bed.
He turned and sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze fixed on her without blinking.
She was sleeping soundly, unaware that her lips had been kissed swollen.
His eyes reddened as he reached out, gently tracing her brows and eyes. His hoarse voice carried deep desire:
“Yíngyíng…”
“My wife… you’re back…”
“You really came back…”
He slowly leaned down and embraced her, holding her tightly, murmuring her name again and again.
That night, the insomnia that had plagued him for five years seemed to disappear. Breathing in her faint scent, he slept deeply.
In his dream, he saw the Shí Yíng from that year again.
It was autumn in Jiangcheng. The ginkgo trees on campus looked like sunlight scattered across the branches. When the wind blew, the leaves fell everywhere, crunching underfoot.
Shang Chenyán had always been a loner. The excitement of the sports day on the field couldn’t move him, and the cheers of his classmates only felt noisy.
He sat alone under a tree in the distance, quietly gazing far away.
“Shang Chenyán!”
A soft, sweet voice called from behind him.
He had never known his name could sound so sweet.
He turned around and saw a girl in a white shirt and navy pleated skirt running toward him with a bright smile.
Her skin was fair as snow, her round eyes like clear water. Her long ponytail swayed in a beautiful arc as she ran.
Her name was Shí Yíng, the class monitor, though they had never spoken before.
She ran up to him. “Why are you sitting here alone? Are you feeling unwell?”
He shook his head.
“If you’re not feeling well, remember to tell me. You can go back and rest early.”
As she spoke, she took out a small transparent box from behind her, her eyes curving with a smile:
“Have some strawberry cake.”
Dappled light fell across her face, even her hair seeming to glow softly.
One glance—forever.
Shí Yíng was awakened by her alarm. With her eyes closed, she fumbled around under the blanket and finally turned it off.
Rolling over, she fell asleep again.
Two minutes later, the screen lit up again. Before the alarm could ring, a slender finger pressed it off.
Shí Yíng slept peacefully for a while longer.
Warm winter sunlight filtered through the curtains and fell on her face. She stretched lazily and opened her eyes.
It was already bright outside.
She suddenly sat up and grabbed her phone—it was already 10:30.
She hurriedly threw off the blanket and jumped out of bed, but as her feet sank into the soft carpet, she suddenly remembered—she had slept at Shang Chenyán’s house last night.
And today was her day off!
She flopped back onto the bed.
Opening her phone, she saw a few messages from Jiang Mingxue. After replying, she checked her alarms—they had all gone off.
Strange, how had she not heard any of them?
She usually set four or five alarms to make sure she woke up. Today, none of them worked.
She decided she would set seven next time.
Rolling around comfortably on the bed, she finally got up to wash.
At that moment, the door opened slightly, and a small head peeked in.
Shang Niàn, wearing fluffy rabbit-ear pajamas, saw that she was awake and ran in.
Shí Yíng crouched down and hugged her. “Niànniàn, don’t you have school?”
Shang Niàn shook her head, pressing her face against her neck, and in a very soft voice said:
“Mom…”
Shí Yíng froze, wondering if she had misheard.
“Niànniàn, can you talk?”
Shang Niàn didn’t speak again, just stared at her with big, innocent eyes.
Shí Yíng patted her head. “Niànniàn, you can’t call someone ‘Mom’ so casually. Your real mom would feel sad if she knew.”
Shang Niàn lowered her head but still held onto her hand.
Shí Yíng sighed and took her to wash up, then changed clothes and went downstairs.
“Strange, didn’t I sleep with you last night?” she asked while walking.
Shang Niàn blinked, opening her mouth slightly but making no sound.
Shí Yíng scratched her head, puzzled.
After placing Shang Niàn on the sofa, she looked around for Shang Chenyán. If he wasn’t here and she didn’t have his contact information, how would she get home?
“What are you looking for?”
The sudden voice startled her. She stumbled and nearly fell.
An arm wrapped around her waist.
“Careful,” a deep, mellow voice sounded above her.
Instinctively, she grabbed his shirt.
His handsome face was suddenly very close. When she looked up, she met his dark, unreadable eyes.
A faint woody scent lingered at the tip of her nose. Heat crept up her ears, and the temperature around them seemed to rise.
Shang Niàn peeked over the back of the sofa, watching them with wide eyes.
“P-President Shang…”
Shí Yíng shivered and quickly pushed him away.
“Ding-dong—”
The doorbell suddenly rang.
She ran off as if escaping. “I’ll get it!”