Lu Xian’s fingers were held by her, the soft and delicate warmth burning from her fingertips all the way to her chest.
The heat that had just been doused by cold water was threatening to flare up again.
Lu Xian tried to pull her hand back. “It’s late. Let’s sleep, okay?”
Ling Tingyu nestled against Lu Xian, her chin resting on Lu Xian’s collarbone as she looked up at her. “Lu Xian, don’t you want to?”
The crisp scent of white tea from the Omega, with a faint sweetness detectable up close, was overwhelming.
No matter how much self-control Lu Xian had, she couldn’t withstand Ling Tingyu’s teasing.
“I do want to,” Lu Xian said softly, gently prying her hand away. “But you’re injured today. You really should sleep early. Be good, okay?”
Ling Tingyu’s hand was left empty, so she wrapped her arms around Lu Xian’s waist instead. “Then hold me while I sleep tonight.”
The Omega nestled softly against her, and Lu Xian was nearly driven mad. The cold shower she’d just taken was useless her whole body was burning up.
“How am I supposed to sleep like this?” Lu Xian placed her hands on Ling Tingyu’s slender shoulders and gently pushed her away. “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”
If this kept up, neither of them would get any sleep.
Before Ling Tingyu could react, Lu Xian had already walked to the couch and squeezed herself onto it, looking aggrieved.
“Lu Xian.” Ling Tingyu sat up, pressing her palms against the bed, her loose sleepwear slipping off her fair shoulders.
Lu Xian leaned against the back of the couch and glanced over. “What is it?”
“Why won’t you sleep with me?” Ling Tingyu couldn’t understand why Lu Xian would rather squeeze onto the tiny couch than share the bed with her.
Lu Xian closed her eyes briefly. “No reason.”
“Lu Xian.” Ling Tingyu clenched her fists. “Come here.”
When Lu Xian didn’t move, Ling Tingyu got out of bed barefoot and walked over to the couch, sitting directly on Lu Xian’s lap, facing her.
Lu Xian had been sitting on the couch with her long legs slightly bent, and now the Omega was perched on her right knee.
Lu Xian was wearing summer shorts after her shower, and the bare skin of her knee could clearly feel Ling Tingyu’s damp heat.
Meanwhile, Ling Tingyu was only wearing a long silk nightgown, her fair, pink-tinged legs completely exposed.
“W-what are you doing?” Lu Xian stiffened, slowly straightening her back from the couch, not daring to move her legs for fear of touching her.
Ling Tingyu shifted slightly forward, wrapping her arms around Lu Xian’s neck and pleading, “Sleep with me, okay?”
The bedroom was quiet.
Ling Tingyu’s dark, glistening eyes looked at her expectantly, as if she might cry the moment she was rejected.
Lu Xian’s throat tightened. “…Okay.”
The scent of white tea grew stronger, warm breaths brushing against her, and Lu Xian’s ears turned an uncontrollable shade of red.
Ling Tingyu pinched Lu Xian’s earlobe lightly and whispered, “I’m sleepy.”
“Okay.” Lu Xian didn’t dare move recklessly now, carefully carrying her back to the bed.
Ling Tingyu scooted over, curling up under the covers.
“…” Lu Xian suddenly felt her knee burning.
Ling Tingyu wasn’t sure if this was normal, but she was utterly embarrassed.
After a long while, she finally peeked out from under the covers with just her eyes. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Lu Xian lifted a corner of the blanket and lay down beside her, reaching over to turn off the dim bedside lamp.
Only after switching it off did she remember that Ling Tingyu was afraid of the dark and usually slept with a light on, so she turned it back on.
The flickering amber glow illuminated the contours of Lu Xian’s profile her sharp jawline, her distinct eyelashes making her look even more alluring in the dim light.
Ling Tingyu scooted closer and took Lu Xian’s hand.
The next day, sunlight streamed through the heavy curtains, casting a slanted beam across the bed.
The bedside lamp had long been turned off.
Ling Tingyu woke up and reached for the person beside her. The spot where they had slept was cold, Lu Xian must have gotten up long ago.
Ling Tingyu lay in bed, her cheek pressed against the pillow, still drowsy. “Lu Xian…”
She called out a few times, but there was no response. Frowning, she forced her eyes open. “Where is she?”
“Where did she go?” Ling Tingyu fished her phone from under the pillow and sent Lu Xian a message.
Just as the message went through, she heard the sound of a keycard unlocking the door. Ling Tingyu got out of bed and peeked out, spotting Lu Xian entering with grocery bags.
Their twelfth-floor hotel room was a small suite, complete with a bedroom, bathroom, living area, and even a tiny kitchen.
The kitchen was now stocked with ingredients fish, meat, and even pig trotters. So that was where Lu Xian had gone.
A warmth spread through Ling Tingyu’s chest. “I woke up and didn’t see you. I thought you’d left.”
Lu Xian began prepping the ingredients. “Are you planning to use me and then kick me out?”
“I never said that! And…” Ling Tingyu glanced at her hands and muttered, “I haven’t even used you yet.”
“What was that?” Lu Xian didn’t catch the last part.
Ling Tingyu shook her head. “Nothing.”
Lu Xian rolled up her sleeves. “Are you hungry?”
Having slept for so long, Ling Tingyu was starving. She leaned against the kitchen doorway. “Are you cooking?”
As she spoke, Lu Xian opened an app and started following a cooking tutorial.
Her culinary skills were passable enough to make edible food but she still needed practice to whip up anything truly delicious.
Lu Xian asked, “What do you feel like eating?”
“Anything.” Ling Tingyu grabbed an apron from nearby and helped tie it around Lu Xian. “Whatever you make is fine.”
Lu Xian hummed in acknowledgment. “Rest well these next few days. You can get back to work once you’ve recovered.”
Ling Tingyu let out a small “Oh,” her eyes brightening. “So you’ll stay here with me these next few days?”
After successfully advancing to the top fifty last night, she still had a week before the next elimination round. She needed to focus on training.
Lu Xian replied, “I’ll be at the training camp during the day, but I’ll come back at night.”
The other trainees were pushing themselves hard, dedicating nearly all their time to practice. Ling Tingyu knew keeping Lu Xian by her side wasn’t ideal, so she nodded reluctantly. “Fine. Come back at night to stay with me.”
Lu Xian gave another hum of agreement.
Ling Tingyu added, “Come back to sleep with me.”
Lu Xian turned slightly, meeting her gaze. “Got it.”
“You agreed so quickly this time.” Ling Tingyu bit her lip. “Are you just after my body?”
For several seconds, the air seemed to freeze.
“Ahem!” The bold statement nearly made Lu Xian choke.
“Though, I might not be up for it right now.” Ling Tingyu pinched Lu Xian’s cheek. “Let’s wait until my injury heals.”
Lu Xian’s dark eyes deepened. “Professor Ling, don’t say things like that.”
“Am I wrong?” Ling Tingyu stared straight into her eyes. “Then who was it that took a cold shower after I fell asleep last night?”
When Lu Xian had gotten up from the couch, her knee had brushed against Ling Tingyu.
In that moment, her skin had burned.
After Ling Tingyu had settled into bed, Lu Xian rubbed her thumb over her knee, only to find it damp with something slick.
It took her a moment to realize what it was. And just like that, all drowsiness vanished.
Despite having air conditioning in the bedroom, she still felt unbearably hot, taking several cold showers just to barely cool down.
She thought Ling Tingyu was asleep and unaware, but now that it was suddenly brought up, Lu Xian felt the embarrassment of being caught red-handed. Lowering her eyes, her clean lashes cast shadows as she said, “You go freshen up first. I’ll call you when the food’s ready.” The way the blushing Alpha awkwardly changed the subject was utterly adorable, and Ling Tingyu couldn’t resist teasing her.
The hotel kitchen was rarely used, with only a rice cooker and a single pot available.
Lu Xian hesitated, flipping through a recipe book, but after Ling Tingyu’s sudden teasing, her mind wandered, her heartbeat quickening, making it impossible to focus.
After a while of struggling in the kitchen, thick black smoke began billowing out. Lu Xian rushed out, coughing a few times.
Ling Tingyu caught the scent of something burning and saw smoke rising from the kitchen. She hurried over to turn off the stove and stop Lu Xian.
Covering her nose, Ling Tingyu said, “Lu Xian, just go outside. Don’t blow up the kitchen.”
“I won’t, I know what I’m doing.” Lu Xian’s dark, glossy eyes were misty as she wiped her cheek, smearing a streak of black across her otherwise fair, clean skin, making her look even more endearing than usual.
Ling Tingyu suppressed a laugh at her messy face. “How did you get so disheveled? Get out of here. I’ll just order takeout.”
“Huh?” Lu Xian sounded confused before deflating. “No need. I can do this. I just got distracted earlier.”
Ling Tingyu smiled. “What distracted you?”
Lu Xian didn’t answer, walking over to open the window for ventilation. The cool breeze swept away the smoke, revealing the charred, unrecognizable ingredients in the pot.
Making such a ridiculous mistake while following a recipe, Lu Xian really felt how easily she got flustered.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Lu Xian regrouped and quickly prepared the fish, then served a collagen-rich pork trotter.
At the dining table in the living room, the two sat facing each other.
Ling Tingyu picked out the fish bones and placed a piece on Lu Xian’s plate. “Try it, see how it tastes.”
Ling Tingyu opened her mouth, biting onto Lu Xian’s chopsticks, her tongue curling around the fish as she chewed.
Lu Xian waited expectantly.
Tender and flavorful, Ling Tingyu’s eyes brightened. “It’s delicious.”
Only then did Lu Xian relax. “Eat more.”
After lunch,
Lu Xian tidied the kitchen, then grabbed her jacket and cap. “Rest well. I’ll head back to the training camp. Call me if you need anything.”
“Wait.” Ling Tingyu handed her a wet wipe. “Wipe your face.”
Lu Xian took it, haphazardly swiping at her cheek.
“Not there, your left cheek.” Ling Tingyu pointed out, watching as Lu Xian kept missing the spot. She pulled out another wipe, leaned in, and reached over to clean Lu Xian’s face herself.
The distance between them closed in an instant. Lu Xian’s fingers hovered mid-air as Ling Tingyu, makeup-free, her long, curled lashes framing her beautiful eyes, focused intently on wiping her face.
“Done.” Ling Tingyu lifted her gaze, meeting Lu Xian’s eyes, realizing how close they were.
Lu Xian let out a soft hum. “Thanks.”
Her low voice, spoken so near, sent a tingle through Ling Tingyu’s ears.
Ling Tingyu gripped Lu Xian’s sleeve. “You still haven’t done one thing.”
Lu Xian thought. “What?”
Ling Tingyu looked up at her. “You haven’t applied my medicine yet.”
“Does it still hurt?”
“A little, but not as much…” Ling Tingyu stepped in front of Lu Xian. “Will you check for me?”
In broad daylight, right in the living room.
Lu Xian breathed lightly: “If it doesn’t hurt, it should be fine.”
“But the doctor said to keep applying the ointment for three days.” Ling Tingyu murmured softly in protest: “You only helped me apply it once, then stopped caring.”
Lu Xian laughed in exasperation: “Who said I stopped caring?”
Ling Tingyu: “Then will you help me?”
“Come here.” Lu Xian grasped Ling Tingyu’s wrist, leading her to the bedroom, and found the ointment on the coffee table.
“Where are the cotton swabs?” Lu Xian found it strange, they were definitely here last night.
“Lu Xian.” Ling Tingyu blushed as she said, “We don’t need cotton swabs.”
“If not cotton swabs, then what?” Lu Xian didn’t immediately understand, thinking cotton swabs would be more convenient.
Ling Tingyu took a wet wipe and carefully cleaned Lu Xian’s fingers.
Lu Xian was momentarily stunned was she supposed to use her hands?
Ling Tingyu silently continued wiping her hands, the implication clear.
“Let me do it.” Lu Xian took the wet wipe.
Ling Tingyu handed it over, watching as Lu Xian slowly cleaned her fingers, her mind involuntarily conjuring up some rather…indescribable images.
After drying her fingers, Lu Xian leaned back on the sofa to help Ling Tingyu apply the ointment.
Ling Tingyu looked down at Lu Xian’s slender fingers, carefully avoiding any accidental contact.
“…” Ling Tingyu suddenly felt a little nervous.
Lu Xian swallowed lightly, spreading the clear ointment on her fingertips before gently gliding them over the Omega’s skin.
Her touch was feather-light, almost imperceptible.
“…” Ling Tingyu bit her lip: “Lu Xian.”
Lu Xian exhaled softly: “Hmm?”
Ling Tingyu whispered: “Am I soft?”!?