A Lap Pillow and a Promise

Ling Yan was stunned for a moment. The blush on her face gradually faded, and her soft features turned rigid.

“Am I doing something wrong?”

She withdrew her hand, clasped them together in her lap, and straightened her body, which had been leaning toward me, before speaking softly with her head slightly lowered.

“Ah, no, no, it’s just that I was a bit too surprised just now. I’m overjoyed that you would treat me this way, Ling Yan.”

Seeing her uneasy expression, I realized how abrupt my reaction had been and hastily scrambled to explain myself.

“Is that so?”

Ling Yan tilted her head to look at me while still bowing. Her half-dried black hair obscured part of her delicate face, but she didn’t brush it aside, giving her an adorably dazed look.

“Mm, it’s just a little unfamiliar, that’s all.”

I scratched my head in embarrassment and shifted my gaze away slightly.

“Unfamiliar? …So does that mean I’m troubling Zhou Chen?”

She straightened her head and tucked a stray strand behind her ear, revealing a fair, delicate ear, and spoke softly.

For some reason, when she said that, I sensed a hint of sadness in her voice, and it made me hotheaded.

“Of course not! I’ve dreamed of you treating me like this, Ling Yan. You could never trouble me.”

I grabbed her shoulders excitedly and forcibly turned her toward me, speaking without thinking.

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized what I’d done. Cold sweat broke out on me. Ling Yan stared back at me blankly, her eyes wide, as if she had lost her soul.

(I’m doomed. How could I do something like this? When she comes to her senses, she’ll definitely look at me with disgust, and she might even keep her distance from me.)

“…Mm, I understand. So, Zhou Chen, could you let go of me first?”

But to my surprise, after a brief frozen moment, Ling Yan just averted her gaze slightly, crossed her arms over her chest, and said softly.

This snapped me back to reality—I still had my hands on her shoulders. I quickly let go.

“Sorry.”

I scratched my head awkwardly.

“Mm.”

She answered lightly, then sat up straight on the bench, her head bowed, lost in thought.

Seeing her so calm, I felt a mix of relief and disappointment.

Her earlier enthusiasm was probably just a fleeting impulse after waking up. Now that she had calmed down, she was back to normal.

(Ah, so I had been overthinking it. Why would I ever deserve to be treated so gently by Ling Yan?)

Once I convinced myself of this, I relaxed and stopped worrying about her unusual behavior.

For the rest of the time, Ling Yan and I sat silently on the bench, with an empty seat between us, not exchanging another word.

But maybe it was my imagination—I kept feeling like someone was glancing at me. The club members nearby were training hard, and Ling Yan wouldn’t do that, so I eventually chalked it up to my own heightened nerves.

I emptied my mind and stared blankly ahead, trying to unwind.

Perhaps because I had been mentally sparring with Xiao Lu and Ling Yan earlier, I soon felt drowsiness clouding my consciousness.

Training was still far from over, so I figured I’d just doze off for a bit while sitting here.

Sleep gently caressed my eyelids as I slowly closed them.

…

“…Zhou Chen? Zhou Chen, wake up. Training is over.”

Through the haze, a gentle, delicate voice roused me from my slumber.

I slowly opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was Ling Yan’s slightly flushed, delicate face, looking down at me tenderly.

“Huh? Ling Yan? Training is over… Wait, training is over?!”

The last vestiges of sleep vanished instantly, and I hurriedly tried to sit up.

But to my surprise, only my head lifted—literally lifted.

What’s going on? My still-foggy brain couldn’t process it.

“Zhou Chen, it’s fine. Everyone saw you were sleeping and packed up for you. Also, sitting up so suddenly isn’t good for you. It’s better to lie down a bit longer.”

Just as my head rose halfway, Ling Yan gently pressed her hand on my forehead and pushed me back down.

The soft, springy sensation beneath my head and the fragrance around my nose made my muddled brain even more confused. But one thing was clear: somehow, my head was resting on Ling Yan’s lap.

No wonder I saw her looking down at me when I opened my eyes. So what exactly did I do while I was asleep?!

“Uh, I see. I’ll make sure to thank them properly later. So, can I get up now?”

My head felt stiff, and I didn’t dare meet her eyes. I just wanted to get up quickly. Even though I had dreamed of this scenario, now that it was real, I was terrified.

“Mm…”

I heard her hum in agreement, my heart leaped, and I eagerly tried to lift my head.

But Ling Yan gently pressed my forehead down again and replied softly.

“I said you should thank everyone. But you can’t get up yet.”

“Is that so? Haha…”

I laughed awkwardly, my body rigid on the bench, not daring to move an inch, afraid of touching something I shouldn’t.

In front of me, her full chest and delicate face kept stimulating my senses.

I was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, desperately trying to figure out how to get off her lap.

“Um, Ling Yan, how did I end up resting on your lap?”

I really couldn’t figure it out. Given her nature, even if I accidentally lay on her lap, she would have silently moved my head back to the bench, right?

“I put you here.”

Ling Yan draped the coat I had thrown off earlier back over me, and her exhaled fragrance kept invading my senses, making me feel light-headed.

I had never been treated like this by her before, and I almost sank into this tender trap.

But I still needed to clear things up. I didn’t want to remain confused.

“Why did you do that?”

I forced out the question with my last shred of rationality.

“Because you’ve been working hard…”

Hard?

What have I been working hard at?

I let her continue.

“You get up early every day to prepare things for our training. So when I saw you nodding off, I thought maybe I could do something for you. Then this idea came to me. And after training ended, everyone saw you sleeping and didn’t disturb you. Instead, they all cleaned up together.”

Hearing her gentle words, my lightheadedness vanished, replaced by guilt.

She had been so gentle and considerate to me, and the lap pillow was just another form of her kindness. Yet here I was, always harboring lecherous thoughts toward her.

(I’m really despicable. No, I must never think that way about Ling Yan again.) I silently swore to myself.