A Fumbled Encounter

Bai Xia’s heart pounded faster with each passing moment. Her long, snow-white hair fanned out across the pillow as she absently scrolled through her phone screen.

Yet, her gaze frequently darted towards her bedroom door, her ears straining to catch any sound of Mo Bai outside.

Once Mo Bai went to sleep, she could make her move!

‘After all, in the dimly lit room, with just a little bit of coaxing, Mo Bai probably wouldn’t make things difficult for her…’

****

Coincidentally, as Bai Xia pondered her strategy, Mo Bai, in his own room, was also contemplating how to make Bai Xia fall into his trap.

The little one was incredibly shy, after all. If he were to directly ask her to come to his room, she’d likely be scared away before he could even coax her into bed.

Mo Bai leaned back against the headboard, idly tapping the open book with his fingertips. He considered whether he should send Bai Xia a message or something, though that was just one option.

If possible, he was rather keen on simply going to Bai Xia’s room to check on her.

‘That girl has been holed up in her room ever since her shower. I wonder what she’s doing…’

After another half an hour, his patience wore thin. Mo Bai put down his book, opened his door, and walked to Bai Xia’s room.

****

Suddenly, hearing the footsteps of her deskmate outside the door, Bai Xia in her room instantly became like a startled fawn.

She fumbled to shove her phone under the pillow, then burrowed completely under the covers, feigning sleep.

‘Mo Ge… Is Mo Ge coming to find me?’

At this thought, the young girl’s heart immediately began to thump. The tips of her ears, peeking through her snow-white hair, were a vivid crimson.

The intensity of her nervousness made Bai Xia’s body tremble slightly. She could only tightly close her eyes, straining to catch any movement from her deskmate outside the door, until a knock echoed through the silence.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

Bai Xia: “???”

‘No! This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen! Shouldn’t Mo Bai just push the door open?!’

The moment she heard the knocking, Bai Xia felt her cerebellum shrivel a bit.

After all, in her imagination, Mo Bai should have slowly pushed the door open, then leisurely walked to her bed and climbed in. But this knocking completely threw Bai Xia off.

For a moment, she didn’t even know whether to continue pretending to sleep or to respond.

“Bai Xia, are you asleep?”

Seeing no response from the young girl, Mo Bai gently knocked on the door again, deliberately lowering his voice as he asked. If Bai Xia was truly asleep, he didn’t want to wake his little maid, especially since they had school tomorrow.

‘Could she really be asleep?’

Just as Mo Bai sighed and prepared to turn away, a muffled thud suddenly came from inside the room, followed by the young girl’s soft cry of pain: “Ugh~!”

Mo Bai quickly pushed the door open. He found Bai Xia kneeling on the floor, half of her quilt pulled down with her. Her snow-white hair was disheveled, and the strap of her pink nightgown had slipped to her arm, revealing a large expanse of her fair skin.

It was clear she had accidentally tripped on the quilt while getting out of bed.

“Mo… Mo Ge, I was just about to open the door…” Bai Xia explained softly, her face flushed, as she frantically pulled up her slipped shoulder strap.

‘No, this is just too pathetic! How could I trip on the quilt just getting out of bed?!’

Bai Xia wailed internally. Her plan had been perfect, but not only was it disrupted by the knocking, now she had fallen so clumsily.

As the young girl flusteredly adjusted her nightgown, she noticed the boy who had opened the door was now slowly walking towards her. He finally stopped right in front of her.

This simple action instantly flustered Bai Xia beyond measure. Not even her slightly disheveled long hair could conceal her crimson cheeks and flickering gaze.

“Mo… Mo Ge…” Bai Xia was extremely flustered. For a moment, she could even hear the violent thumping of her own heart in her chest.

Despite all the mental preparation she had done beforehand, now that Mo Bai was so close, all her preparations vanished into thin air. Her snow-white hair gently rose and fell with her rapid breathing, and her ruby-like eyes were filled with panic and helplessness.

The closer Mo Bai came, the more nervous Bai Xia became. Eventually, she shrank back against the bed, lowering her small head and tightly closing her eyes.

Her pale hands protectively covered her chest, making her look just like those girls about to be violated in TV dramas, until Mo Bai gently stroked her small head.

“Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”

Feeling the gentle touch on her head, Bai Xia cautiously opened her eyes. Mo Bai was now squatting beside her, comforting her, his deep voice filled with indulgence.

This instantly calmed Bai Xia’s nervous heart considerably.

“N-no… I’m fine, it’s nothing…” Bai Xia gently shook her head, her snow-white hair swaying softly with the movement.

However, Mo Bai seemed not to have heard. Instead, his large hand gently lifted her delicate foot, clad in a ruffled ankle sock. The small, jade-like foot was adorable, almost entirely enveloped by his hand.

He could even faintly smell the scent of their own bath gel on it. Still, the immediate priority was to check if her ankle was twisted.

Her sensitive, white-socked foot was enveloped by his warm palm, causing Bai Xia’s calf to tremble uncontrollably. She shyly tried to pull her foot back, but Mo Bai gently held it firm.

This made Bai Xia so embarrassed she wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.

‘Who plays with a girl’s foot like that in front of her?! This is too shameful!’

“Mo… Mo Ge…”

“Seems like nothing serious. Just be more careful next time.”

Fortunately, Mo Bai did not do anything more inappropriate. He merely released her adorable, white-socked foot, then swept her into his arms and carried her back to the large bed.

This finally allowed Bai Xia’s racing heart to calm slightly. She burrowed into the quilt, her small face flushed crimson, only her head peeking out.

‘My deskmate is indeed a pervert, a foot fetishist!’

Though she cursed him inwardly, seeing that Mo Bai actually liked her little feet so much, Bai Xia inexplicably felt a surge of indescribable excitement and joy.

“Were you asleep just now?” Mo Bai sat on the edge of the bed, his fingertips gently twirling her snow-white hair that lay scattered on the pillow. Considering Bai Xia’s clumsy actions, he felt he might have disturbed her rest.

“N-not resting…” Bai Xia shook her head, offering a casual excuse: “I was just watching videos. I accidentally tripped on the quilt when I got out of bed.”

“……”

“……”

The momentary silence plunged the room into an awkward quiet. Mo Bai’s fingertips still twirled her hair, but his gaze fell on her reddened ear tips. Bai Xia, meanwhile, was flushed and shrank into the quilt, her small, exposed eyes constantly evading Mo Bai’s gaze.

‘So what do I do now?!’

Bai Xia was stomping her foot in frustration internally. The plan had been to sneak over after Mo Bai fell asleep, but now, she had essentially delivered herself to him, and she was too shy to even know what to say.

‘Even if I used to be a boy, I’m a girl now. Shouldn’t the boy be the one to make the first move in these kinds of things?’

‘Ugh… This bad guy, how could he make me speak first!’

Bai Xia’s fingers, clutching the corner of the quilt, trembled slightly. Her rosy lips parted and closed, but she finally mustered the courage to reach out her small hand and gently tug on Mo Bai’s sleeve.

This tiny action instantly brought a knowing smile to Mo Bai’s face. He slowly leaned down beside her, gradually drawing closer to the young girl’s adorable face.

“Are you sleepy?”

“N-no… I, I’m not sleepy yet…”

“Then…”

“Hey, hey, hey!!! Mo Ge! You, you, you… Don’t… Mmph!!”