Chapter 4

On my second night in Shen Chichuan’s room, his walk-in closet was full of my clothes, shoes, and accessories.

There were pajamas, too.

I picked a pair at random and changed.

When I turned around, Shen Chichuan was wearing the exact same pair.

“These pajamas…?”

“Oh, come on. What were they thinking? They bought me a pair when they bought yours. Well, they’re here now. Might as well wear them.”

I had to suppress a smile.

Once in bed, I stared at the ceiling, feeling him inch closer.

“Actually, I don’t teach tomorrow morning. I can sleep in.”

“Mm. Then I can sleep half the day away.”

I had no reply to that.

He was pressed against my arm now, copying the way I lay flat on my back, hands neatly at my sides.

“Shen Chichuan, have you ever liked anyone before?”

He sneaked another inch closer. “Liked? What’s that? There are only two things in my vocabulary: bikes and games.”

He stopped talking.

I’d kissed his forehead.

“A goodnight kiss. Go to sleep.”

He lay there stunned. “Huh? Oh.”

A little later, he said, “I can’t sleep.”

Couldn’t sleep? He’d been out in less than three minutes last night.

His friends could fall asleep the second they encountered a textbook.

“Lin Ye, what exactly are you trying to do? That was my first kiss. Nobody’s ever kissed my forehead before. When I was little, if anyone tried to hug me, I’d shoot them with my toy gun—”

He stopped talking again.

This time, my mouth was over his.

Kissing the little chatterbox quiet made the room feel strangely awkward.

Twenty-nine years old, and here I was getting shy.

“A second goodnight kiss. Can we sleep now?”

Gulp.

Beside me, he swallowed.

Then swallowed some more.

“I still can’t sleep.”

I was getting drowsy.

“What do we have to do for you to sleep?”

He sat bolt upright. “Yes! I want to do it!”

Something hard pressed against my waist.

I cleared my throat, embarrassed.

So he’d finally caught on.

Then he pulled a tiny armored vehicle out of his pocket.

“This is my comfort toy.”

Oh.

It hit me that Shen Chichuan was only nineteen.

At my age, I was actually blushing. I rolled myself into the blanket and turned my back.

“Go to sleep.”

He sat on the bed, dazed.

“N-No more kisses?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t want to deal with any of this.

“You don’t even know how.”

“I can learn!”

He flopped over me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I’ll try really hard,” he pleaded softly. “Can I?”

I had to admit, he was handsome with black hair.

“Give it a try.”

He leaned over me and pressed his lips to mine.

Pretty much what I’d just done to him.

“Like that, right?”

He looked at me, clearly waiting for praise.

“Yes. Very good.”

Seeing him so innocent made me feel guilty all over again. I stroked his hair.

“Can we sleep now?”

“I’m not sleepy yet.”

He kept practicing.

He got better, but he wouldn’t stop. Peck, peck, peck, like a chick after grains of rice.

It had been a long time since anyone had kissed me like that.

It tickled. It was getting on my nerves.

Finally, I cupped the back of his head and coaxed his mouth open with mine.

Then I let him go with a pop.

“Can we sleep now?”

He froze. I could have sworn steam was rising off his head.

I was so tired I was about to roll over and fall asleep.

Then something seemed to click in Shen Chichuan, and he started asking for more kisses.

This time, he didn’t need a teacher.