Holding Hands to Sleep

11:20 p.m.

Wen Xi was squatting alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, drawing circles on the glass.

She had managed to touch it, but the man absolutely refused to let her help him all the way.

He had simply grabbed her by the waist and set her back down on the sofa.

At that moment she had been half-curled on the couch, her doe-like eyes lifting upward as she looked at Jiang Jibai standing up from the sofa.

Before she could properly see his tall figure—his expression cold but his posture strikingly upright—a thin air-conditioner blanket carrying a faint mint scent dropped over her head.

Her vision went dark.

By the time she pulled the blanket off, the tall figure in front of her had already disappeared.

Jiang Jibai had gone to the bedroom.

Wen Xi didn’t dare follow him.

That massive Samoyed was locked inside his bedroom.

After getting off the sofa, she crouched in front of the window in frustration.

She really should’ve gone all the way just now.

If she had persisted until he surrendered, things would’ve been different.

But frustration was just frustration.

Wen Xi knew very clearly that this kind of thing could never succeed in one step.

Unless she poured an entire bottle of aphrodisiac down his throat, the only way forward was gradual progress.

The fact that Jiang Jibai had even let her touch him today already counted as an act of mercy.

After lingering by the window for nearly twenty minutes, Wen Xi finally calmed down and walked back toward the sofa.

She picked up the bottle of cold water and drank several mouthfuls.

The heat on her face slowly faded.

The living room was extremely quiet.

Wen Xi sat on the couch waiting for Jiang Jibai.

She didn’t know whether he was currently taking a cold shower to calm himself down or… handling things on his own in the bedroom.

But she didn’t dare go near the bedroom with the dog inside.

So she could only wait patiently.

As time passed second by second, Wen Xi became unbearably bored.

She started wandering around Jiang Jibai’s apartment.

Before she came here, Zou Jiayun had told her a little about this place.

Jiang Jibai had moved out of the family residence at twenty and into this apartment.

The reason was that he had rescued a dog that had been abandoned by the roadside after a car accident—the very Samoyed living here now.

Because Zou Jiayun was severely allergic to dog hair, Jiang Jibai couldn’t keep the dog at home.

So he bought this apartment near the university and moved in with the dog.

That meant he had lived here for six years.

Logically speaking, there should have been many personal belongings and traces of daily life here.

But after taking a quick look around, Wen Xi realized that wasn’t the case.

Other than the bar area and wine cabinet—which made it clear someone lived here—the apartment felt unusually empty.

There were very few signs of everyday life.

The apartment had one master bedroom, four guest rooms, and a study.

The master bedroom was occupied by the dog, so she didn’t dare go in.

The study probably contained private documents.

So Wen Xi only checked the living room and guest rooms.

The first two guest rooms near the living room were ordinary.

Just a bed and a wardrobe.

The third guest room wouldn’t open.

She tried turning the handle and realized Jiang Jibai must have locked it.

She didn’t know what was inside, but she wasn’t particularly curious.

So she moved on to the fourth guest room.

This one wasn’t locked.

Inside, someone had clearly stayed there before.

The bed was made with bedding, and a few shirts and coats hung messily in the wardrobe.

“I’ve never heard of Jiang Jibai living with someone…”

Wen Xi muttered in confusion.

Curious, she walked around the room.

Then she noticed a box sitting on the bedside table.

She picked it up and read the label.

“Fully automatic silent male invisible adult pleasure… device… airplane cup…”

After finishing the words printed on the packaging, Wen Xi finally realized what it was.

Slowly, she placed the box back where it had been.

Her expression became slightly strange as she turned around to leave the room.

The moment she turned, she saw someone standing at the doorway.

“!!”

Wen Xi nearly jumped.

Looking closely, she realized it was Jiang Jibai.

His hair was damp—probably from a cold shower.

He had changed into casual home clothes.

“Come out. I’ll drive you back,” he said.

“Oh.”

Wen Xi walked out of the guest room.

As she passed him, she paused and looked up.

“Jiang Jibai, now I see why you didn’t let me help you.”

“So you have tools.”

Jiang Jibai glanced at the item on the bedside table.

It had been left there by Jiang Wangzhi during a previous visit.

He looked down at her.

“It’s not mine.”

“If it’s not yours, could it be mine?”

Wen Xi didn’t care.

Her voice remained soft and casual.

“You’re twenty-six and healthy. Having desires is perfectly normal.”

“You didn’t go out hiring prostitutes or keeping young women around to solve your needs.”

“Using tools instead actually makes you a very upright and decent man.”

Jiang Jibai didn’t bother explaining further.

He walked out toward the living room.

“Take your bag. We’re leaving.”

Wen Xi followed the tall figure ahead of her into the living room.

“Jiang Jibai, I suddenly thought of something.”

“Say it.”

“I’m your wife.”

“Can’t I stay here tonight?”

“Aren’t you afraid of the dog anymore?” he asked.

“You can just lock it in the guest room.”

Wen Xi spoke seriously.

“If I go back to the old house alone, the room is too big.”

“The bamboo forest behind the bedroom always rustles like ghosts walking past.”

“If you’re not lying next to me, I’ll be scared.”

“Otherwise you can go back to the old house tonight too.”

“Mom thinks we fought. I told her you were giving me the silent treatment.”

“She knows I came to find you.”

“So if you go back, she’ll definitely lecture you.”

She kept talking nonstop behind him.

Jiang Jibai stopped walking and turned to look at her calmly.

“Wen Xi.”

“You don’t need to say so much.”

“If you’re not afraid of the dog, you can stay.”

“If you just lock the dog in the guest room and stay beside me, I won’t be afraid,” she insisted.

Jiang Jibai didn’t argue further.

It was already late.

“Go hide in the kitchen,” he said.

“I’ll take the dog downstairs for a walk.”

“Don’t let it come back in afterward,” Wen Xi warned.

“Mm,” he replied calmly.

Once Wen Xi hid in the kitchen, Jiang Jibai put a leash on the Samoyed and took it downstairs.

While walking the dog across the lawn, Zou Jiayun called.

“Agù, Xixi drove over to find you. Has she arrived?”

“Mm.”

“That’s good.”

“I’m telling you—if you two argue, you should learn to compromise.”

“You can’t just give her the cold shoulder.”

“She doesn’t even know where you are.”

“She’s staying alone at the old house where she’s not familiar with anyone. Of course she’ll feel lonely.”

“You can’t do this again.”

“Understood,” Jiang Jibai replied.

He didn’t explain anything.

Zou Jiayun paused, then asked seriously.

“You remember what day it is in a few days, right?”

It was almost midnight.

The neighborhood was silent.

Streetlights cast soft light across his face.

For a brief moment, something flickered in his dark eyes.

“I remember,” he said.

“Good.”

“I thought you forgot.”

“When you get the chance, ask Xixi if she wants to go too.”

“Since you’re married now, whether it’s real or fake, she’s still your other half.”

“She should know.”

“She has classes,” Jiang Jibai replied calmly.

“So ask her!” Zou Jiayun said.

“If she wants to go, she can make up the classes later.”

“Or are you two just pretending to be married and you think there’s no need to tell her?”

“That’s not it.”

The Samoyed ran back to his side.

He bent down and patted its head.

“I’ll ask her.”

“Good.”

“Are you two coming back tonight?”

“No.”

“Then sleep early.”

**

At 12:30 a.m., Jiang Jibai returned upstairs with the dog.

He cleaned and wiped its paws before locking it in a guest room.

After finishing a bottle of cold water, he stood quietly by the floor-to-ceiling window.

It was already 1 a.m.

She was probably asleep.

He walked toward the master bedroom and opened the door.

The lights were still on.

At a glance he saw the girl lying on the black bed playing with her phone.

Her pale skin stood out vividly against the dark bedding.

He paused.

She was completely defenseless.

Two long white legs stretched out from beneath the shirt she was wearing.

“Jiang Jibai, you’re finally back!”

Wen Xi turned her head when she heard the door.

“There were no women’s pajamas here.”

“So I borrowed one of your shirts.”

“You don’t mind, right?”

The shirt covered her hips when she stood.

But lying down, it barely covered the tops of her thighs.

Jiang Jibai looked away.

“Cover yourself with the blanket.”

“It’s hot. I don’t want to.”

She turned back to her phone and refused casually.

Jiang Jibai lowered the air conditioner temperature by three degrees and went to shower.

When he came back later, she had finally crawled under the blanket.

He turned off the main lights and got into bed.

Instead of sleeping, he opened his tablet and began reading reports.

“Jiang Jibai, you’re weird.”

He didn’t answer.

“Other men read magazines with pretty women before bed.”

“Why are you reading a financial magazine?”

She held up the magazine she had picked up earlier.

The cover featured a powerful CEO named Shen Yi.

“I think I heard my dad mention him once…”

Before she finished, Jiang Jibai took the magazine from her hand and put it away.

“It’s one o’clock. You should sleep.”

“I don’t have early classes tomorrow,” Wen Xi said.

“I want to stay up.”

She rolled over to face him.

“Let’s chat.”

“No time.”

“…Fine.”

“I just wanted to ask if you could buy me clothes tomorrow.”

“You don’t have anything for me here.”

“Right now I’m only wearing your shirt.”

“Underneath… there’s nothing.”

“So when you sleep tonight, be careful.”

“If you accidentally touch me and get turned on, don’t blame me.”

Jiang Jibai was silent for several seconds.

Then he lifted the blanket.

“I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

“No!”

Wen Xi immediately grabbed his arm.

“What if the dog sneaks in?”

“I might end up running naked through your house!”

Feeling the softness pressed against his arm, Jiang Jibai pulled it free.

“There’s a dryer.”

“Wash your clothes and wear them.”

“But underwear has to be hand-washed,” Wen Xi protested.

“Look at my hands.”

“These hands have never done housework.”

She held them out in front of him.

They were indeed pale and delicate.

After several seconds of silence, Jiang Jibai got out of bed.

“Where did you put your clothes?”

“In your bathroom laundry basket,” she answered.

Watching him walk toward the bathroom, she blinked.

“You’re… going to hand-wash my underwear?”

He didn’t answer.

“Stay awake,” he said calmly.

“Don’t sleep until you put them back on.”

“Okay.”

She watched him go.

Then pulled the blanket over her head and burst into silent laughter.

Teasing a man who wasn’t interested in women was way too fun.

Around two in the morning, Jiang Jibai returned and tossed the dried underwear to her.

She quickly put them on under the blanket.

Both lights went out.

The room became dark.

“Jiang Jibai,” she whispered.

“You even hand-washed your wife’s underwear.”

“You’re an amazingly good husband.”

He said nothing.

“Don’t sleep yet.”

“I suddenly got curious about something.”

“Sleep,” he said.

“If I don’t ask, I can’t sleep.”

She leaned over him slightly.

“You know the tool in your guest room…”

“Can you even use it?”

“I saw you today. It doesn’t seem very suitable for you.”

“….”

No response.

“Jiang Jibai?”

“Are you asleep?”

Finally he answered.

“It was a gift.”

“I never used it.”

“Now sleep.”

“Oh.”

She crawled back under the blanket.

A moment later she quietly wriggled closer to him.

“Sleep on your side,” he warned.

“I’m scared of the dog.”

“I feel safer near you.”

She pressed lightly against his arm.

He didn’t push her away.

A moment later she spoke again, her voice extremely soft.

“Jiang Jibai… I have a small request.”

“Your hand feels really nice.”

“I can’t seem to let go.”

“May I hold it while I sleep?”