Who could believe that?
Jiang Li certainly didn’t believe a single word of it.
They stayed like that for ten minutes.
This position was just too uncomfortable.
She needed an excuse.
Jiang Li simply sat up.
“Can’t sleep?” Huo Yan’s voice came from behind her.
“Obviously! What’s the difference between this bed and a torture device?” Jiang Li rubbed her shoulder.
Huo Yan fell silent for a few seconds.
Then he lay flat on his back, folded his arms behind his head, and patted his chest.
“The bed’s hard. Sleep on me and you won’t feel it.”
Was this guy crazy?
Sleep on him?
How was she supposed to fall asleep like that?
“Huo Yan, is your brain full of water?”
“No. I’m serious.” Huo Yan turned his head to look at her. “Didn’t Baby say the bed was hard? I can be your mattress.”
“Who wants you to be my mattress?”
“Then Baby can keep getting poked by the hard bed?”
Jiang Li was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
If she refused to sleep, it would mean she was afraid of him.
But if she really climbed on top of him…
Whatever. Things had already gone this far. How much worse could it get?
Jiang Li crawled over and lay on her side beside him.
“Didn’t you say you’d sleep on me?” Huo Yan’s voice was muffled.
“I’m sleeping right here!”
“Won’t you still feel the hard bed?”
Jiang Li didn’t answer.
The next second, Huo Yan reached out and pulled her straight into his arms.
“Huo Yan, you—”
“Baby, don’t move around,” he murmured.
He pressed a hand to the back of her head, guiding her face into the crook of his neck.
His chin rested on the crown of her head.
His heartbeat thudded so loudly it made her eardrums buzz.
“Why is your heart beating so fast?” Jiang Li whispered.
“Baby, don’t you know why?” Huo Yan’s voice sounded right above her, low and slightly hoarse with restraint.
Jiang Li fell silent.
The only sounds in the air were their breathing.
She wanted to move back, but Huo Yan’s arm was like an iron band. She couldn’t break free.
“Huo Yan, you’re holding me too tight.”
“I’m not.”
“I can’t breathe!”
“Then don’t.” Huo Yan’s fingers slid down the back of her head and stopped at her neck. “Mine will be enough for both of us anyway.”
Jiang Li’s face was burning.
Was he taking advantage of the situation to act like a pervert?
“Huo Yan, I’m warning you—”
“Baby,” he cut her off, “just go to sleep like this. Otherwise, I can’t promise this bed will hold up until morning.”
Jiang Li understood what he meant.
It wasn’t the bed that couldn’t hold up.
It was him.
She behaved herself.
Closing her eyes, she forced herself to sleep.
But how could she possibly sleep in this position?
All she could smell was his scent.
“Baby,” Huo Yan suddenly said.
“Hmm?”
“When you were insulting that rich kid earlier,” he paused, “you said I had an eight-pack.”
Oh no. Had she let something slip?
The original host wouldn’t have noticed a detail like that, would she?
“What about it?” she asked, pretending not to care.
“When did Baby count them?”
“…I saw them when you were taking a shower. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing wrong with it, of course.” His hand slid down her spine. “Baby can look as long as she wants. She can touch them, too.”
“Who wants to touch you!” Jiang Li lifted a hand and slapped his chest.
His heartbeat was even faster than before.
Jiang Li tried to pull her hand away, but Huo Yan caught her wrist and pressed it firmly against his chest.
“Baby, listen,” he said hoarsely. “Feel how fast it’s beating.”
“Huo Yan, are you sick?”
“I am.” He lowered his head and rested his forehead against the crown of her head. “You’re the cause.”
Jiang Li didn’t know what to say.
Her mind went blank.
In the original novel, Huo Yan had said something similar to the heroine.
But that had been after the two of them had confirmed their relationship.
At this point in the story, he shouldn’t be saying things like that to the original host.
Could her actions have thrown the plot off course?
“What are you thinking about, Baby?” Huo Yan noticed she’d drifted off.
“Nothing.”
“Then why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Because I’m sleepy and want to go to bed.” Jiang Li closed her eyes.
Huo Yan said nothing more.
His hand stroked her back slowly.
His touch was gentle, like he was soothing a child.
Jiang Li’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Her consciousness began to fade.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard Huo Yan whisper something in her ear.
“Baby, don’t leave tomorrow.”
…
When she woke up, Jiang Li realized she was still in the same position as the night before.
Lying on top of Huo Yan.
His arm was still around her waist.
His other hand was tucked beneath her head.
Jiang Li moved, and Huo Yan’s eyes flew open at once.
“You’re awake?” His voice was still rough with sleep.
“Mm.” Jiang Li tried to climb off him.
But Huo Yan didn’t let go.
“Baby, my arm’s gone numb,” he said.
“Then let go!”
“I can’t. You have to kiss me first, then I can.”
“Huo Yan, are you ever going to stop?!”
“Nope.” He was utterly shameless. “I let you use me as a mattress all night. A kiss isn’t too much to ask, is it?”
Jiang Li gritted her teeth.
Fine. A kiss it was.
It wasn’t as if they’d never kissed before.
She pushed herself up and quickly pecked him on the lips.
“There. Happy?”
“No.” Huo Yan lifted his head and chased her lips, kissing her again.
This time, it wasn’t a fleeting peck.
It was a real, deep kiss.
The kiss left Jiang Li’s mind completely blank.
By the time she came to her senses, Huo Yan had already let her go.
“Baby, I’m going to make breakfast.”
With that, he rolled out of bed, stepped barefoot onto the concrete floor, and walked out without even putting on his slippers.
Jiang Li watched his back, then belatedly touched her lips.
He’d kissed her too hard…
She pressed a hand to her burning cheek.
No. She couldn’t let herself get carried away.
The most important thing now was staying alive, not losing herself in his good looks.
Jiang Li got up and rummaged in the bedside table drawer for a small mirror.
One corner of the mirror was broken, but she could still see herself clearly.
She stared at her reflection.
Her lips were swollen, and there was a watery sheen at the corners of her eyes.
She looked exactly like someone who’d been thoroughly manhandled.
Jiang Li tossed the mirror back into the drawer and started looking for clothes.
A few dresses hung in the wardrobe, all cheap market-stall stuff.
She pulled out a black spaghetti-strap dress and slipped it on.
The fabric was rough, and the straps dug into her shoulders a little.
But she had no choice. She couldn’t exactly go out naked.
Jiang Li walked into the living room. Huo Yan was busy in the tiny open-plan kitchen.
He was wearing an apron and holding a spatula.
The frying pan sizzled, and the smell of fried eggs drifted over.
Jiang Li went to the dining table and sat down.
Two bowls of plain congee and a plate of pickles were already on the table.
Huo Yan plated the fried egg and brought it over.
“Baby, eat while it’s hot.”
Jiang Li glanced down at the fried egg.
Its edges were browned, and the middle was still a little runny.
It didn’t look particularly good, but it smelled all right.
She picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and the yolk spilled out, so hot she nearly spat it out.
And the taste…
There was way too much salt.
Jiang Li frowned and put the bitten egg back on the plate.
“Huo Yan, what is this supposed to be? It’s so salty.”
“Is it? Let me try.” Huo Yan stood in the kitchen doorway, watching her.