Yan Nianyi leaned back against the soft cushions, a look of utter satisfaction on her face. Her gaze wandered around the room, taking in every single item within sight.
On the pure black bedside table sat a small animal-shaped object. Curious, Yan Nianyi picked it up and examined it, discovering a small button on the base.
Her long, curled eyelashes fluttered as she turned the object over in both hands, her fingertips brushing against the button, though she lingered for a long time without pressing it.
“Is this a little lamp?” Yan Nianyi murmured uncertainly. She clicked her tongue softly, ultimately deciding not to press it.
Before long, a faint clicking sound came from the door. Yan Nianyi instantly straightened up, her hands resting folded over her bent legs with the blanket in between.
Her eyes locked onto the closed door, her brown-black pupils catching the tall, straight figure of the person stepping inside.
Light-colored pajamas wrapped around the woman’s superior figure, the skin exposed to the air tinged with a faint flush left behind by residual heat.
The top two buttons of her pajama shirt were left unbuttoned, exposing a generous expanse of fair, delicate skin as well as well-defined, undulating collarbones that extended straight into the collar.
Yan Nianyi stared unblinkingly at the woman for a few seconds, then forcefully tore her gaze away from Yueyi’s neck and collarbone, forcing it to land instead on the woman’s exquisite facial features.
“The toner and essence are on the vanity, you can use them,” Yueyi said, raising a hand to adjust her pajama sleeve.
“I will use them tomorrow morning,” Yan Nianyi answered softly.
After stepping out of the bathroom, she had already noticed the items on the vanity. Initially, she had thought about using the same skincare products as Sister, but a second thought reminded her that whether someone had used those items or not was instantly noticeable by smell, meaning she should at least ask first.
“You are not doing skincare at night?” Yueyi walked over to the desk by the window with a chuckle, organizing the documents scattered across the surface as she asked. “Should not people your age be obsessed with taking care of their skin?”
“One night will not make a difference,” Yan Nianyi replied with a smile.
“Mm.” Yueyi finished organizing the documents and walked over to the side of the bed. She glanced at the spot Yan Nianyi was lying in and asked gently, “Are you sleeping on the left side or the right side?”
“The right side, I suppose.” Yan Nianyi shifted a bit further to the right, clearing up the left side of the bed for Yueyi.
“What does Sister plan to do tomorrow?” The quilt on one side was lifted, and the clean scent of the person beside her, mixed with the faint fragrance of skincare products, immediately rushed into her senses.
Feeling Yueyi’s body heat drawing closer, the sense of satisfaction deep within Yan Nianyi’s chest swelled even higher.
“I am meeting up with some friends tomorrow,” Yueyi replied simply.
“Oh.” Yan Nianyi nodded. Seeing Yueyi take out her phone, she instinctively looked away, avoiding looking at the screen contents.
“Sending a message to my younger sister to let her know,” Yueyi explained, noticing her small gesture.
“Is Sister’s younger sister an art student?” Thinking back to all the paintings she had seen earlier, which she had also occasionally heard people mention in passing without looking into too deeply, Yan Nianyi now found a natural topic of conversation.
“Yes.” Mentioning Yuebai, the smile on Yueyi’s face widened uncontrollably as she proudly boasted about how exceptional her little sister was. “She already passed the university-administered examinations for A University. As long as her standard college entrance exam scores meet A University’s requirements, she will be admitted.”
“She is indeed very impressive,” Yan Nianyi praised. “Her paintings are lovely.”
“My expectations for her are not actually that high, as long as she is happy,” Yueyi shifted the topic, overflowing with maternal pride. “But she never needs me to worry about her; she always manages her own affairs well.”
“As long as she is happy,” Yan Nianyi repeated softly. She lowered her eyelids, the gold-rimmed glasses catching the light and casting shifting reflections across different surfaces. “Sister protects her very well.”
Hearing this, Yueyi’s smile remained unchanged as she checked the time. “It is getting a bit late, let us get some rest early.”
“Alright,” Yan Nianyi replied.
“Turn on the little lamp on the bedside table,” Yueyi instructed, resting her hand on the lamp’s switch.
“The little lamp on the bedside table?” Yan Nianyi picked up the small animal-shaped object from earlier. “Is it this one?”
“Yes, turn it on,” Yueyi said.
Yan Nianyi pressed the switch on the base, and a soft, gentle glow emanated from inside the object. She placed the little animal lamp on the side of the bedside table closest to the wall.
With a soft click, Yueyi pressed the wall switch, plunging the room into darkness save for the warm glow radiating from the bedside table.
“Does Sister sleep with a small lamp on?” Yan Nianyi slid lower down the bed, straightening her legs and placing her hands over her lower abdomen.
The light from the small lamp was dim, barely illuminating a single corner of the room.
Yan Nianyi wanted to turn her head to look at the person beside her, but knowing she could not be too obvious, she only tilted her head slightly.
“I am a little afraid of the dark,” Yueyi admitted.
“Afraid of the dark?” Yan Nianyi narrowed her eyes slightly. Back at the cinema, for a split second when the screening started and the hall plunged into absolute darkness, Yueyi’s reaction had indeed been a bit off.
So she was afraid of the dark.
“If you are afraid of the dark, turning on a small lamp definitely helps a lot,” Yan Nianyi nodded in small, measured motions.
“Mm, good night,” Yueyi said.
“Good night, Sister,” Yan Nianyi replied.
Desolate moonlight filtered through the window, spilling across the desk surface in irregular shapes.
The breathing of the person beside her gradually grew steady and even. Yan Nianyi half-opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling.
“Sister,” Yan Nianyi whispered softly after a long moment had passed.
The person beside her showed no reaction.
Waiting a bit longer to ensure the other was fast asleep, Yan Nianyi carefully propped herself up on her elbow. She slowly maneuvered her hand to secure the blanket over Yueyi’s chest, making sure her movements were not too wide so as not to startle the sleeping woman.
The soft lamplight cast a gentle glow over Yueyi’s profile, softening her sharply defined contours.
Yan Nianyi leaned her upper body closer, looking down at the woman from above. She lowered her head slightly, tracing the sleeping woman’s features with her eyes.
The image already deeply carved into her mind was reinforced over and over again. Still unsatisfied, she wanted to look at her just a little longer, as if doing so could make the person before her entirely her own.
Yan Nianyi lowered her head further, their faces gradually drawing closer. The warm current of Yueyi’s breath brushed against her cheek, bringing an indescribable intimacy.
She gazed at the object of her deepest yearning, biting her lip. Her elbow grew numb from maintaining its balance for so long without daring to move.
Her gaze burned into Yueyi’s face, while her clenched hands squeezed tightly together to ease her inner tension.
Inch by inch, she closed the distance to Yueyi, her soft lips brushing against the other’s the moment she reached her, leaving a fleeting, dragonfly-kiss of a touch.
Her heart spiked into a frantic rhythm, the strength supporting Yan Nianyi’s body seemingly drained away by that single kiss.
She lay back down on the bed, listening to the pounding thunder of her heart and the sound of her own heightened breathing in her ears.
She cautiously turned her head sideways. The person beside her remained in the exact same sleeping posture. Exhaling a breath, she worked on calming her restless heart from the stunt she had just pulled.
The tip of her tongue grazed across her lips, lingering on the fleeting, delicate softness of that kiss.