A Restless Night

The air was silent for a long time. Ye Xingmian naturally didn’t believe a word she said. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, “Can I refuse?”

“No～” Qin Haiyue, of course, didn’t care whether Ye Xingmian agreed to her request or not. She had already made up her mind.

Her professed fondness for the girl was, of course, a lie. From start to finish, she had only one goal: to make the girl completely her toy. The so-called lover was merely a means to legitimize that end.

“…” After a long silence, the girl could only nod stiffly.

It wasn’t as if she had any room to refuse. Agreeing sooner might at least save her from some suffering.

Though her heart felt inexplicably heavy, she had no choice.

“Fine…” she said, closing her eyes as if to accept Qin Haiyue’s demand.

“Mm! Well then…” Qin Haiyue’s tone suddenly turned excited. She flipped the girl over and pinned her beneath herself.

A mischievous smile spread across her face. Her golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and she gently stroked the girl’s cheek.

“Let’s do something lovers should do～”

“Wh–what…?!”

The girl froze, then struggled violently, but her hands were pinned by Qin Haiyue, completely immobile.

“Let me go…! What are you doing?”

She thrashed desperately, trying to break free from Qin Haiyue’s grip, gritting her teeth but unable to move an inch.

“Don’t move!” Qin Haiyue’s tone grew much colder, her brow furrowed. But this didn’t stop the girl’s resistance. She felt an unprecedented panic from the other’s words.

“No… you… don’t touch me…”

Forced into a corner, Qin Haiyue finally let go. Seeing this, the girl immediately wrapped herself in the blanket, shutting Qin Haiyue out of her sight.

“I want to go home…” came a muffled voice from under the blanket. Qin Haiyue grew irritated.

She had never been so patient with anyone before. Yet the girl not only didn’t appreciate it but kept resisting her. She didn’t even know what she was resisting—it wasn’t like she was going to take her now. She knew the time wasn’t right; at least she had to wait until the moment was ripe.

“Come out!” she said coldly.

The girl trembled under the blanket but didn’t move.

“I’ll count to three. If you don’t come out, I’ll make you regret it.”

“One—two—”

The girl’s body visibly shook. Finally, just before she reached three, she came out from under the blanket. Her hair was a mess, her eyes red, as if she had been crying.

Seeing this, Qin Haiyue’s expression softened slightly. She realized the girl had misunderstood her intentions. With a sigh, she sat beside her.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to you. Since you’re not going home tonight anyway, just sleep with me.”

“Just sleep? Really?”

“Mm.” Qin Haiyue felt a little strange herself. Why was she being so patient with Ye Xingmian? The girl was just a toy anyway. Even if she did do something to her, it wouldn’t really matter, would it?

“O-okay…” Though still uneasy, the girl agreed.

****

There really was nothing else—just sleeping with Qin Haiyue.

Lying on the bed in the pajamas Qin Haiyue had given her, hugged tightly like a pillow, the girl gazed absentmindedly out the window.

Tonight was different from last night; the sky was clear, and moonlight drifted down like a ribbon, reflecting off the pure white snow.

To be honest, the hug was too tight. It made the girl uncomfortable, unable to breathe easily. She tried to shift her position, but the person behind her, who should have been asleep, suddenly moved, startling her into stillness.

“Don’t move…”

The voice was very soft, exceptionally quiet in the silent villa. It was the first time the girl had heard such a gentle tone from her. Only when the breathing behind her became even and steady again did the girl relax, though she dared not move anymore.

The person still held her tightly, making her whole body ache. Silently, the girl adjusted her sleeping position slightly to make it less unbearable.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Qin Haiyue behind her. Honestly, she looked quite beautiful when asleep, especially under the clear moonlight. Her naturally fair skin had a healthy pink glow, and her golden brows were slightly furrowed. If not for her nasty personality, many people would probably like her.

But there was no “if.”

Having this plague god lying beside her—although tonight’s events had slightly improved her impression of Qin Haiyue—still made it hard for the girl to sleep. Despite trying to close her eyes and fall asleep, every time she thought of Qin Haiyue beside her, she couldn’t help but open her eyes to check if that person was asleep or plotting something strange.

Under this torment, the girl suffered from insomnia.

Her mind replayed the day’s events: from the morning when Lin Ziyan suddenly dragged her into a room and exposed her identity, the confusing request to “sleep over,” to the chaotic mess at the class monitor’s place—realizing her true feelings for the monitor, the monitor’s approach and her own deliberate distancing, those painful and guilty moments—and now, Qin Haiyue’s strange attitude towards her.

She felt her life was becoming more and more chaotic. Like a bucket of paint sucked into a whirlpool, dyed in all colors while being spun like a top, utterly exhausting both body and mind.

So… what was Qin Haiyue’s intention in asking her to be her “lover”? She couldn’t be serious, could she?

She couldn’t understand, but a bad feeling lingered. She had a sense that tomorrow would bring a lot of trouble. As she thought about it, she began to feel drowsy and decided to stop worrying. Though Qin Haiyue had a rotten character, being held by her actually felt quite nice—warm and soft. The girl had rarely been hugged since childhood; the few memories of embraces dated back to when her mother was still around. And Qin Haiyue was nearly twenty centimeters taller than her, a big sister figure. The feeling was somewhat nostalgic.

Maybe it reminded her of her mother. But that memory was from so long ago, and it felt ironic to think of her mother because of Qin Haiyue. She ultimately dismissed those idle thoughts and fell into a deep sleep.

****

Xu Ming and Lin Cheng had worked overtime late into the night, braving the cold to rush home by car. They knocked on the cold steel door; the light inside was on, meaning Lin Ziyan was still awake.

Soon, Lin Ziyan opened the door. The black-haired girl’s face was cold, and she showed no smile upon seeing her parents return.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah. It’s really cold tonight. Ziyan, have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Huh? Didn’t Xingmian cook for you?”

“No. She’s not coming back tonight.” Lin Ziyan turned away, her tone as cold as ice.