When they finally left the chaos of the arena behind, a eunuch came to escort them through a long marble corridor.
The silence that followed the crowd’s deafening cheers felt strange.
Almost unreal.
Chen Yue walked beside Wei Ran, her hands folded in front of her, her head slightly lowered.
Her heart was still racing.
Every time she remembered her leap into the abyss and the moment he had caught her, her stomach twisted.
And most of all…
She kept seeing their bodies pressed together.
Their breaths mingling.
Their faces so close that the slightest impulse would have been enough to erase the distance between them.
The eunuch stopped before a heavy carved wooden door.
He bowed respectfully.
“Your room.
Your meal will be delivered shortly.
Rest well.
Tomorrow, the final trial awaits.” Wei Ran nodded.
Chen Yue shifted awkwardly.
Your room.
The words echoed in her mind.
One room.
For a couple.
One bed.
Wei Ran pushed the door open and entered first.
Chen Yue followed hesitantly.
The room was spacious, with high ceilings, dark wooden pillars, pale silk curtains, and a large canopy bed occupying the center of the chamber.
But it was the bed that immediately captured her attention.
A bed.
Only one.
Enormous, certainly.
But still only one.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Wei Ran took a few steps through the room, calmly inspecting the surroundings.
His gaze swept from the bed to the window before returning to her.
He said nothing.
Yet Chen Yue could tell he had perfectly understood what was troubling her.
“There…
there’s only one bed,” she murmured.
Her voice sounded much higher than usual.
Wei Ran inclined his head slightly, as though acknowledging an obvious fact.
“We’re registered as a couple.
They were never going to give us two rooms.” Heat rushed to her cheeks.
A couple.
Here, in a real room.
In front of a real bed.
Everything suddenly felt far too real.
A knock sounded at the door.
Servants entered carrying steaming trays, bowls of rice, fragrant dishes seasoned with spices, hot soup, and tea.
The table was set within moments.
Wei Ran sat down and invited Chen Yue to do the same with a simple motion of his chin.
They ate in silence at first.
Chen Yue was hungry.
Yet every bite seemed to get stuck in her throat.
From the corner of her eye, she watched him.
Straight-backed.
Calm.
Composed.
Every movement precise.
Nothing about him betrayed the fatigue or tension of the day.
We’re going to sleep here…
together…
Suddenly, she felt his gaze settle on her.
Heavy.
Deep.
Impossible to ignore.
Despite herself, she looked up.
“You stopped eating,” he said simply.
She jumped.
“I-I am.
I was just…
thinking.” The corner of his lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
“About what?” She lowered her gaze to her bowl.
“Tomorrow’s trial,” she lied.
“There’s no point tormenting yourself before it even begins.” He set down his chopsticks.
“You did well today.” Chen Yue abruptly raised her head.
What?
Wei Ran was not someone who handed out compliments.
Least of all to her.
“You jumped,” he said simply.
“Without knowing whether I would be there to catch you.” “I trusted you,” she replied softly, almost without thinking.
A gentle shadow passed through his eyes.
He said nothing more.
When the servants removed the trays, the room fell quiet once again.
Moonlight streamed through the window in silver rays.
Chen Yue stood for a long moment staring at the large bed.
“You should sleep,” Wei Ran said as he turned toward her.
“You need to rest.” “You too.” The reality of the situation hit her all at once.
There really was…
Only one bed.
Her eyes fell upon an extra pillow folded neatly beside a screen and a blanket placed next to it.
She practically rushed over, grabbed both, and hugged them tightly.
“I’ll sleep here,” she announced, pointing to the floor beside the bed.
“It’ll be perfectly fine.” She spoke quickly.
Panicking.
The floor was clean.
Smooth wooden planks polished to perfection.
She knelt down and carefully spread out the blanket, as though her entire concentration depended on that task.
Wei Ran watched her without interrupting.
She placed the pillow.
Fluffed it several times.
Adjusted the blanket.
Then wrapped herself inside it up to her chin, leaving only her head exposed.
She looked like a tiny cocoon resting on the floor.
Stubbornly staring at a single spot on the carpet.
Don’t turn around.
Don’t look at him.
Behind her, the bed creaked softly.
Wei Ran climbed onto it, apparently completely unconcerned by the situation.
Silence filled the room.
A tension so delicate it almost seemed to vibrate in the air.
Curled tightly within her blanket, Chen Yue remained perfectly still.
Then a soft sound broke the silence.
Wei Ran had tapped the edge of the bed.
As if saying: Come here.
Chen Yue froze.
“I-I…
I prefer sleeping here,” she said quickly.
Silence.
Then again.
More firmly.
More clearly.
A shiver ran down her spine.
“I said I’m staying here,” she repeated, clutching the blanket like armor.
No response.
No words.
Only footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Approaching.
Chen Yue felt Wei Ran’s shadow looming over her before she even dared look up.
“Wait…” She never got the chance to protest.
With one precise, unwavering motion, Wei Ran slipped his arms beneath the blanket and lifted her up along with it.
“AAAAAH!?” The next thing she knew, she was slung over his shoulder.
Wrapped up like a parcel.
Her feet dangling helplessly in the air.
“Put me down!
Put me down!
Wei Ran, I-I can sleep on the floor just fine!
The floor is perfect!
Very comfortable!” Wei Ran didn’t answer.
He simply walked calmly forward.
As though she were nothing more than a particularly noisy pillow.
When he reached the bed, he gently set her down.
Chen Yue practically rolled across the mattress.
Her hair was a mess.
Her cheeks were burning.
She was utterly flustered.
She pushed herself halfway upright— Too late.
Wei Ran was already above her.
His hands framed her head.
His body overshadowed hers.
Dark strands of hair fell across his face.
Chen Yue felt every muscle in her body tense.
“Wei…
Ran…
I…
this isn’t…
you…
I mean…” She never got to finish.
The blanket he had stripped away from her unfurled through the air— Then fell directly over both of them.
In an instant, they were covered.
Hidden away.
Close.
Sharing the same warmth.
Chen Yue felt as though her heart exploded.
Beneath the blanket, everything felt more intimate.
Warmer.
More dangerous.
Their bodies almost touched.
Wei Ran’s breath brushed against her skin.
He leaned slightly closer.
She immediately pressed a trembling hand against his chest to stop him.
The heat beneath her palm was scorching.
Wei Ran lowered his gaze to her hand.
And stared.
For a long time.
A very long time.
Then he leaned closer still.
His breath glided along her neck.
Chen Yue felt her skin shiver.
Tighten.
Tremble.
And when the tip of his nose brushed the curve of her neck— She barely swallowed a startled sound.
“Wei…
Ran…” His deep voice murmured against her skin.
“Why is your heart beating so fast?” A shock raced through her entire body.
Her fingers tightened around his robes.
She wasn’t even sure she was still breathing.
He remained there for one more second.
Just long enough for his breath to burn against her skin.
Then he straightened.
With a calm but firm motion, he lifted the blanket away and let it fall back onto the bed.
Chen Yue remained frozen.
Unable to move.
Her cheeks blazing.
Her hands trembling.
Wei Ran picked up the blanket.
Took the pillow from the floor.
Then simply declared: “You’ll sleep on the bed.” He calmly placed his own pillow on the floor.
“I’ll sleep down here.” Without another word, he settled onto the floor as though nothing had happened.
As though the scene moments ago had never existed.
Chen Yue stared at him.
Completely unable to understand how he could remain so calm while she was still burning from the inside out.
A hand slowly rose to her neck.
The place where his nose had brushed against her skin.
The warmth.
The shiver.
The sensation.
Everything was still there.
A smile appeared on her lips before she even realized it.
Immediately, she buried herself beneath the blanket so he wouldn’t see.
Silence settled over the room once more.
Chen Yue lay in bed, clutching the blanket tightly.
At the foot of the bed, Wei Ran lay motionless on the floor.
But…
The more she looked at him, the more something felt wrong.
She sat up slightly.
“Wei Ran…” No response.
Biting her lip, she hesitated before speaking softly.
“The floor is hard, you know…
And it’s cold.
You’ll catch a chill.” Nothing.
Only the slow rhythm of his breathing.
She frowned.
“Even someone like you will—” She never finished.
Wei Ran shot upright instantly.
“Huh—!?” Without saying a word, he grabbed the pillow from the floor, walked over to the bed, lifted the blanket slightly…
And lay down right beside her.
On the bed.
Next to her.
Only a few inches away.
He closed his eyes as though everything were perfectly normal.
“Now sleep.” Chen Yue froze.
“W-What…?
Here…?
Beside…
you…?” She scooted backward, nearly falling off the bed.
“Weren’t you supposed to sleep on the floor…?” “You were talking too much.
It was impossible to sleep like that.” Her mouth fell open.
So this is my fault?
Wei Ran shifted slightly to get comfortable.
“Sleep,” he repeated in a low, deep voice.
She swallowed nervously.
“O-Okay…” Slowly, she turned onto her side with her back facing him.
Calm down.
We’re just sleeping.
It’s only…
Wei Ran…
She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing.
Several moments passed.
Then slowly.
Very slowly.
Wei Ran opened his eyes.
He turned his head slightly.
His gaze settled upon her.
The curve of her back.
Her hair scattered across the pillow.
The way her fingers nervously clutched the blanket.
A gentle light passed through his eyes.
The corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly.
A rare smile.
Subtle.
Precious.
Invisible to the world.
Yet real.
He watched her for another moment.
Then slowly closed his eyes again.
This time, he truly fell asleep.
Beside him, Chen Yue felt her heartbeat gradually calm.
She pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
Closed her eyes as well.
And finally allowed herself…
To fall asleep.