Lin Xi stared blankly ahead. How on earth had she ended up sleeping in the same bed as Song Xu?

With his eyes still closed, Song Xu leaned over and pressed his lips against her bare back, murmuring sleepily between kisses, “Xixi, I’m kissing you right now… Don’t rush. I’m going to cover your entire body in kisses.”

Every single spot his lips touched sent a violent shiver right down her spine. It was only then that Lin Xi realized her entire upper body was completely bare. With trembling hands, she reached down to check herself. Feeling the familiar fabric of her underwear, she let out a massive sigh of relief. Thank goodness, at least the bottom half isn’t bare.

“What’s wrong, Xixi?” Noticing her subtle movements, Song Xu slid his hand flat against her lower abdomen, his voice dropping into a husky whisper. “Is kissing the top half not enough? Do you want it down here too?”

Lin Xi tried to drive her elbow back to force him away, but Song Xu was already one step ahead. Not only did she miss her mark, but he smoothly pinned both of her arms, locking them completely under his control.

“Song Xu, let go of me!”

“I won’t,” Song Xu murmured, lightly rubbing his stubbled chin against her shoulder. “You weren’t nearly this fierce with me last night. You were practically begging me to hold you and kiss you.”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?” Lin Xi didn’t believe a single word coming out of his mouth. If he claimed she had spent the night cursing him out, she might actually believe it. “There is absolutely no way I would ever say something like that.”

“Do you want to watch the video I recorded of you?” Song Xu nipped lightly at her shoulder. “It’s incredibly scandalous.”

Lin Xi panicked completely. “Song Xu, have you lost your mind?! How could you record a video of something like that? What if someone hacks your phone and leaks it online?”

“Sweetheart, what are you panicking for?” Song Xu looked at her with an amused grin. She had just been fiercely denying everything, yet the mere mention of a video sent her into absolute terror. “We didn’t actually do anything.”

Lin Xi genuinely couldn’t recall whether anything definitive had happened between them last night. She was thoroughly disgusted with her own lack of restraint. She knew perfectly well that she blacked out whenever she drank too much, yet after so many times, she still couldn’t learn her lesson.

We didn’t do anything? While Lin Xi was lost in her own thoughts, Song Xu’s lips smoothly migrated to a new patch of skin, causing her to suddenly let out a soft gasp.

Terrified by the sound slipping from her own throat, she instinctively tried to cover her mouth, only to realize both of her wrists were firmly handcuffed behind her back by a single one of his hands.

“Song Xu, stop it right now!” Lin Xi snapped, her face burning with a mixture of intense embarrassment and fury.

Song Xu raised his head slightly, his eyes dark with desire. “Sweetheart, you were the one who demanded I kiss you last night. You told me to kiss you right here, and right here…”

As he spoke, his lips lowered to press against yet another spot.

“Song Xu…” Lin Xi desperately wanted him to stop, but the moment she opened her mouth, she was terrified she would make an even more embarrassing sound. Left with no choice, she bit her lower lip, forcing herself to stay completely silent.

Gradually, her rigid, tense body began to melt under his touch. She felt so dizzy from his onslaught of affection that she didn’t even notice when he finally released his tight grip on her wrists.

Song Xu simply couldn’t get enough. For the very first time, he fully understood the ancient poetic weight behind the phrase: The spring night was short, the sun rose high, and from then on, the emperor no longer attended the morning court. He had absolutely no desire to get out of bed; he wanted nothing more than to stay locked in her embrace forever.

However, at the absolute critical moment, a sudden jolt of sobriety hit Lin Xi. She slammed her hand down, firmly clamping it over his fingers just as he went to slide off her underwear. “No!”

Summoning every ounce of her strength, she forcefully shoved Song Xu off her body and scrambled out of bed. But her legs were completely weak and failed to support her weight, causing her to drop straight onto her knees. Fortunately, the floor surrounding the bed was covered in a thick, plush carpet, so she didn’t bruise herself.

“Xixi!”

Song Xu immediately moved to help her up, but Lin Xi scrambled away as though he were an infectious plague. Crawling forward a few paces, she quickly pushed herself to a stand and sprinted out of his bedroom without looking back.

Song Xu slammed his fist against the mattress in pure frustration. Lin Xi really loves to run away.

If only they were old enough to legally marry, he would have dragged her to the registry office this very day. Once a marriage certificate locked her down, he would see how she could possibly run away from him again.

—

Lin Xi bolted straight back into her own bedroom and darted directly into the bathroom.

Standing beneath the showerhead as the cool water sprayed over her skin, her racing thoughts finally began to quiet down.

How on earth had she and Song Xu progressed to this point?

They had been so close. Just a fraction of an inch away. Lin Xi clutched her chest, taking deep, ragged breaths. She had almost completely lost herself in the moment.

What exactly did she and Song Xu count as right now? She hadn’t even formally agreed to be his girlfriend yet, so how had they ended up in bed together?

This won’t do. I need to keep my distance from him for the next couple of days.

Lin Xi quickly finished her shower and stood before the mirror to dry herself off. The moment her eyes locked onto her reflection, she instantly closed them in utter despair.

Song Xu, you absolute dog of a man! Look what you’ve done!

Right at the base of her neck, Song Xu had left a seamless, solid ring of dark hickeys, wrapping entirely around her throat like a vivid purple necklace.

She fiercely suspected he was enacting revenge—revenge for the time she had scraped his forehead to relieve his heatstroke, leaving him with seven bright red stars.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she began frantically digging through her walk-in closet for anything with a high collar. Finally, she managed to unearth a high-necked, sleeveless maxi dress.

After pulling it on, she checked her reflection once more, cursing Song Xu eight hundred times in her mind. There were clear bite marks over her shoulders as well.

Left with no choice, she had to throw a light cardigan over the top, wrapping herself up as tightly as humanly possible.

She was in absolutely no mood to cook a proper breakfast. She simply toasted a few slices of bread and warmed two glasses of milk. The moment she finished swallowing her own portion, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and fled the apartment, heading straight to Jiangcheng University for her lectures.

Since she had taken a full day of leave yesterday, she needed to put in extra effort to catch up on the missed course material.

—

Arriving exceptionally early to her first lecture hall, she was thoroughly surprised to find someone already sitting inside the empty room.

“Tiantian, why are you here so early?” Lin Xi asked, sliding into the seat right beside her.

Bai Tiantian looked up, equally startled to see her. “Xixi! Why are you here so early too? Didn’t you and Song Xu go a full three hundred rounds in bed last night?”

“What on earth are you talking about?!” Lin Xi shoved her friend’s shoulder, her face instantly exploding in a deep crimson flush. “Absolutely nothing happened between us!”

“Huh?” Bai Tiantian’s jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. “Don’t tell me Song Xu is actually impotent? This is a lifelong matter of happiness, Xixi, you can’t let him ruin your future!”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Lin Xi’s face burned even hotter. Song Xu was actually… incredibly capable. She had caught a fleeting glimpse of it this morning, and it was solely thanks to her quick reflexes that she had managed to escape in time to attend class today.

“Tiantian, how did you get home last night anyway?” Lin Xi asked, trying to steer the conversation away. Her memories of the latter half of the night were incredibly hazy; she only remembered being carried away by Song Xu.

“Hehe, Professor Song actually drove me home personally,” Bai Tiantian said, giving her a sly, meaningful wink. “And guess what? His apartment is directly above mine! Don’t you think that’s pure fate?”

“That’s such a coincidence?” Lin Xi felt genuinely happy for her friend. “This means you’ll have countless opportunities moving forward. Professor Song really is an incredible man, you have to lock him down.”

Bai Tiantian let out a smug, confident laugh. “The man I set my eyes on is bound to be top-tier. Don’t you worry, he won’t be escaping the palm of my hand.”

“So, what’s the real reason you showed up so early today?” Lin Xi asked, her eyes tracing over Bai Tiantian’s attire. It was a full athletic tracksuit. “Why aren’t you wearing a skirt today?”

Bai Tiantian practically lived in skirts of every shape and color. Even on the rare occasions she wore pants, they were always ultra-short denim shorts designed to put her long legs on full display.

It was the first time Lin Xi had ever seen her wearing a literal athletic set to class.

Bai Tiantian rubbed her nose sheepishly. “I came early because our very first lecture today is Professor Song’s class. I wanted to claim a spot in the front row and preview the material we’re covering today.”

As for why she was wearing a tracksuit, Bai Tiantian let out a heavy, miserable sigh. “I think I might have pushed things a little too far yesterday. Last night, Professor Song specifically warned me that I absolutely must wear pants today. I think he’s planning to inflict some corporate punishment on me.”

Hearing her explanation, a sudden wave of guilt washed over Lin Xi. She couldn’t help but worry whether she would end up getting dragged into the crossfire as well.

Silently opening her textbook, she began frantically cramming at the last second.

The morning bell rang precisely on time, and Song Chen stepped into the lecture hall with flawless punctuality.

His gaze swept across the room, locking instantly onto Bai Tiantian sitting dead-center in the front row. Bai Tiantian stealthily raised her hands to flash him a cute finger-heart.

Song Chen let out a cold, chilling smirk inwardly. Let’s see if you still have the energy to flash me hearts in a few minutes.