The door burst open, and before he could see clearly, the petite figure had already rushed into his arms, clutching him tightly.

Ji Dongyang was startled, holding his hands out. He narrowed his eyes and looked down at the girl buried in his chest. It had only been a few days. Did she miss him that much?

Zhou Yining gently rubbed her head against his chest, as if seeking some kind of security.

After a moment, Ji Dongyang slowly lowered his outstretched arms. She was wearing a thin white knit sweater, her long hair cascading down her back. He stroked her hair and asked softly, “Aren’t you cold?”

She shook her head, tightening the embrace.

A Ming, standing behind them, scratched his head and reminded them awkwardly, “Uh, Dong-ge… could you two maybe go inside before you hug?”

Only then did Zhou Yining realize A Ming was there. Feeling embarrassed, she pulled herself out of Ji Dongyang’s embrace and lowered her head, ready to turn back to her apartment. Ji Dongyang stopped her. “Come to my place.”

Zhou Yining obediently walked back to his side. Ji Dongyang reminded her, “Close your door first.”

She turned back and simply slammed her door shut. Ji Dongyang didn’t have time to stop her. He looked down at her empty-handed, clearly having forgotten her key, and sighed helplessly. He turned back to A Ming. “Open the door.”

A Ming quickly entered the code and opened the door. Ji Dongyang pulled the girl inside with him. A Ming placed all the bags on the dining table and started unpacking. Ji Dongyang looked at her. “I’m going to shower. Sit with A Ming for a bit.”

She nodded, so unusually compliant that Ji Dongyang was a little suspicious. Had his girlfriend been switched out? He smiled faintly and tossed his coat onto the sofa.

A Ming called out to Zhou Yining, “Miss Zhou, have you eaten dinner? I brought back lots of food. My mom made it, it’s super delicious.”

Zhou Yining rubbed her stomach, only realizing she was hungry after smelling the aromas. She walked over to look. There were pre-packed dumplings, braised pork, small fried yellow croaker, dried beef, and more. She picked up a little fried fish and popped it in her mouth, her eyes brightening. “Wow, it’s good.”

A Ming grinned cheerfully. “Of course it’s delicious. Dong-ge came to my house for dinner tonight. My mom prepared it specially.”

Zhou Yining looked back at Ji Dongyang in surprise, but he had already walked into the bedroom. “He went to your house for dinner?”

A Ming: “He goes occasionally. My mom and grandma are especially fond of Dong-ge. After he went once a few years ago, they kept asking me to invite him back for meals. Even if Dong-ge doesn’t say it, he likes our home. Oh, right, he even had New Year’s Eve dinner at our house for two years.”

Zhou Yining nodded, eating another little yellow croaker. A Ming quickly said, “Don’t eat that yet. I’ll heat the dishes for you.”

A Ming put the dishes in the microwave and the dumplings into the freezer, moving incredibly efficiently. Zhou Yining teased him. “You’re so domestic. Any girl who marries you will be lucky.”

A Ming chuckled. “I think so too, but the girl I was dating only followed me around because she wanted to see Dong-ge.”

Zhou Yining was amused. She washed her hands and sat down at the dining table, waiting for the food.

Ji Dongyang came out after his shower. A Ming had already left. The girl was eating, sitting up properly, pecking at her food in small, deliberate bites, like a cat.

She turned to look at him, put down her chopsticks, and brought over the bowl of small yellow croaker. Her smile was very sweet. “Want some?”

Ji Dongyang thought she genuinely looked like a cat now. He couldn’t help but curve his lips. “No, you eat it.”

She said “Oh,” and went to sit on the sofa with the bowl. She turned on the TV and watched while eating the fish.

Ji Dongyang casually wiped his hair and tossed the towel aside. He sat down beside her. She finished the fish, took the bowl back, and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Ji Dongyang had a gut feeling that something was wrong with her. He frowned, but ultimately followed her.

Zhou Yining finished the dishes and dried her hands. When she turned around, she saw him leaning against the wall, staring at her with a profound gaze. She smiled and walked over. The next second, she was pulled into his embrace. He wrapped one arm around her waist and gently rubbed her soft, fluffy hair with the other. He lowered his voice. “What’s wrong?”

She rubbed her head against his chest, looking up with a hint of confusion. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Ji Dongyang didn’t believe her. His sharp gaze tried to discern something in her eyes, but they were as clean and pure as a child’s. He couldn’t figure anything out.

Zhou Yining buried her head in his chest again and whispered, “Can I sleep here tonight?”

He looked down at her. “Yes.”

She happily pushed him away and darted off. “Then I’m going to shower.”

Tonight, without him saying anything, she obediently put on his tracksuit, covering herself completely, and didn’t try to take advantage of him. She was like a child, just needing company.

At 11 p.m., Ji Dongyang shooed her back into the bedroom to sleep. Just as he was about to turn away, she tugged at his sleeve.

He turned back and looked down. The girl was looking up at him, timidly. “Can I sleep with you?”

Not long ago, she had said the same thing with a challenging and flirtatious tone. Tonight was completely different. Ji Dongyang stared at her for a few seconds, rubbed her head, and lifted the quilt, half-lying on the bed. “Go on, sleep.”

She quickly dove under the covers and snuggled into his arms, holding him with both her hands and feet. There was no kiss, just a sweet “Good night.”

Ji Dongyang used the warm, orange glow of the bedside lamp to look down at the girl whose eyes were already closed. Her long lashes cast soft shadows on her pale, flawless face. He watched her for a long time, until her breathing became soft and steady, and she was truly asleep.

He couldn’t sleep. His gaze shifted forward, staring at the ceiling, frowning, while his hand gently stroked her soft hair again and again.

Sometimes, he genuinely didn’t understand her. When she was clingy, she could drive him crazy with desire. He had A Ming tell her his schedule, and she stopped chasing him around. She wasn’t angry, only sending him an occasional teasing message. When he came home, he thought she would be her usual relentless self.

Yet, she was so well-behaved that it left him feeling unsettled.

He even suspected that this might be her alternative way of expressing displeasure.

Was she truly in love with him, or was this just a whim?

Or what if they got together, and then she didn’t want him anymore?

Ji Dongyang thought this was a ridiculous line of thought, but he truly couldn’t figure her out or guess what she was thinking.

…

Zhou Yining woke up in Ji Dongyang’s arms the next morning. The room was pitch black; she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. She felt around on his chest. The muscle beneath his shirt was hard and firm. She couldn’t help but feel it again, but a large hand soon grabbed hers and pressed it to her side.

In the dark, she curled her lips into a smug smile. She crawled over him and reached out to grope around. She remembered there was a lamp here, but, unfamiliar with the surroundings, she accidentally knocked something off the nightstand.

The clatter fully woke the man up.

He roughly pressed her back to her spot, his hand accurately finding the touch switch for the lamp. The orange light enveloped the bedside, creating a warm, intimate glow.

Zhou Yining was tossed back onto the other side of the bed. She wasn’t annoyed. She looked down at the man, who was wearing a black eye mask and pressing his thin lips together. She changed her position, resting on her stomach, and stared at him. He was extraordinarily handsome, which was why he had such a massive following. His high nose, sexy jawline, and prominent Adam’s apple made his entire profile a smooth, flowing line.

She reached out and lightly touched his Adam’s apple.

He seemed annoyed, pulling the blanket up to cover half his face.

She pouted. How long was he going to sleep?

She didn’t know that the man had stayed up extremely late last night because of her abnormal behavior.

After waiting a moment, she grew impatient and climbed back onto him, leaning down for a kiss. Her soft lips pressed against his. When he didn’t cooperate, she wasn’t very skilled; it was mostly just biting and licking. Ji Dongyang was now fully awake. Rationally remembering who had interrupted his sleep, he suppressed his anger, pushed her back, and propped himself up to sit against the headboard.

Zhou Yining immediately followed, straddling his lap, cupping his face, and kissing him again.

She started by taking his lip between hers, turning and lightly licking it, then gently biting it with her sharp teeth. Her fingers slowly slid into his loose black hair. Her body pressed close to him. She thought she was being incredibly seductive, but she didn’t even know how to regulate her breathing. She was soon gasping for air and glared at him in frustration.

Unfortunately, he was wearing the eye mask and couldn’t see her expression or her glare.

She raised her hand to rip off the eye mask. Just as she touched his face, her hand was seized and pressed against his chest. A large hand controlled the back of her head, fiercely pressing it down. Her lips crashed into his, right on target.

This was the second time he had kissed her, and it still made her feel intoxicated.

Just like last time, he only truly erupted after she had provoked him to his limit.

She really wanted to see the look in his eyes behind the eye mask. She reached out, but he caught her hand again, pressing it to his chest.

She looked at the man wearing the eye mask. His black hair was slightly messy, and his whole demeanor was one of extreme abstinence, yet he was kissing her harder and harder, nearly taking her breath away. She slowly melted into his arms, finally becoming obedient.

His hand found the soft, supple skin of her waist and instinctively tightened its grip. Zhou Yining was hurt and pushed him away.

He seemed to snap back to his senses. The next second, he abruptly pushed her off to the side, stood up from the bed, and ripped off his eye mask, his back to her. He strode quickly into the bathroom.

Zhou Yining stared blankly at his retreating figure until he disappeared. Had things gotten out of hand just now?

She sat on the bed for a while, then suddenly chuckled. She followed him and was about to knock on the bathroom door when it opened.

A black figure covered her face with a towel. Ji Dongyang’s voice was deep and steady. “Wash your face. Come eat breakfast later.”

Zhou Yining: “…”

She pulled the towel off. He was already gone.

By the time she cleaned up, Ji Dongyang had already cooked the dumplings and was placing them on the table. He glanced at her and beckoned her over.

Zhou Yining walked over, adjusting her pants. She was pleasantly surprised to see chili sauce and vinegar already set out. “Did you buy these?”

Ji Dongyang pulled out a chair. “The chili sauce is A Ming’s mother’s. The vinegar is A Ming’s.”

She pouted, then started mixing the dipping sauce. The chili sauce smelled incredibly fragrant. “Are these the dumplings A Ming’s mom made? They taste much better than the last ones.”

Of course. Frozen supermarket dumplings couldn’t compare to A Ming’s mother’s homemade ones.

While Ji Dongyang was washing the dishes, Zhou Yining snuck up on him again, hugging him from behind, her finger lightly tracing his back. Ji Dongyang paused, realizing she was turning back into the persistent little devil.

After he finished the dishes, he turned around, looked down, and scrutinized her with dark eyes. “Are you really okay after last night?”