New Year's Day extra-2

*The timeline is for this lifetime.

Night had fallen, and all was quiet except for the intermittent chirping of unknown insects from the depths of the valley, which made the room feel even more tranquil.

Bu Jiu leaned against the headboard, holding a yellowed bamboo slip in his hand. He read it word by word in the soft light of the glass lamp beside the bed, his brow furrowed slightly, as if he was stumped by some ancient rune or record.

Ji Wang dried his hair, climbed into bed, and naturally snuggled up to Bu Jiu, resting his chin on his shoulder: "Still haven't figured it out?"

Bu Jiu tilted his head slightly and replied briefly, "Mm."

He then tapped a coiled character with his finger: "The spiritual energy circulation path recorded here seems to differ from the currently used demon race cultivation methods, but considering the context, it appears to be some kind of older and more effective shortcut..."

His tone was calm, with the focus of someone deep in thought, completely unaware that Ji Wang was practically pressed against him.

Ji Wang, however, seemed somewhat distracted.

The scent of Bu Jiu lingered at the tip of her nose, and her gaze slid from the bamboo slip to his profile, which was so close to hers.

Looking at a beautiful woman under the lamplight, especially one from his own home, has a unique charm. The shadow cast by her long eyelashes, her straight nose, and her fox ears that occasionally twitch slightly as she ponders… all of these captivate his heart.

He stared at Bu Jiu's parting lips, his thoughts drifting. He hadn't had enough kisses during the day, so tonight… he should make up for it, right?

Thinking this, he quietly moved closer and softly whispered, "Bujiu..."

Bu Jiu was deep in thought when Ji Wang interrupted him, breaking his train of thought. His brows furrowed even more. He turned his head and glanced at Ji Wang with displeasure at being disturbed: "What are you doing?"

Ji Wang immediately put on an innocent yet slightly aggrieved expression: "You've been looking at this for so long... my neck is sore." As he spoke, he symbolically moved his head resting on his shoulder.

Bu Jiu was too lazy to expose him, and simply said, "Then go lie down over there and go to sleep first."

"No." Ji Wang refused decisively, not only not backing away, but pulling the person closer to him, "It's cold sleeping alone."

“…Ji Wang.” Bu Jiu felt a little itchy from being rubbed by him, and his hand slipped from the bamboo scroll. His tone carried a warning.

"Yes, yes," Ji Wang replied quickly, his face beaming with a smile, showing no sign of hiding his true feelings.

His free hand first twirled a strand of Bu Jiu's dark hair that fell beside his cheek, then slowly slid down, seemingly unintentionally touching Bu Jiu's fingers that were holding the bamboo slip.

Bu Jiu suddenly turned his head, his eyes glaring at Ji Wang, clearly saying, "Try causing trouble again."

Ji Wang felt a shiver run down her spine under his gaze. Instead of being afraid, she took advantage of the situation and hooked her fingertips around his little finger, gently shaking it. Her voice became even more affectionate: "Sweetheart... stop looking at me, okay? I promise I'll be good and won't move around."

That utterance of "my darling" was so sweet and cloying that Bu Jiu's ears instantly turned red.

He pulled his hooked fingers back, along with the hand holding the bamboo scroll, and shrank back into the bed, trying to create some distance. He said, embarrassed and annoyed, "What are you yelling about? Shut up and go to sleep!"

As he spoke, he placed the bamboo slips on the low table by the bedside in a flustered manner, then quickly threw off the covers, lay down with his back to Ji Wang, and even made sure to wrap the covers up tightly.

Ji Wang watched his series of attempts to cover up his embarrassment, and his heart was filled with joy. He knew that Bu Jiu was shy and annoyed, but he also knew that there wasn't much real anger in his annoyance.

He wasn't in a hurry at all. He slowly moved over and lay down behind Bu Jiu. He didn't hug him immediately, but gently poked Bu Jiu's back through the blanket.

"Are you really asleep?" he asked softly.

Ignore him and wrap the blanket around myself even tighter.

"Alright then." Ji Wang sighed, sounding quite disappointed. "Goodnight, my darling."

After he finished speaking, he indeed fell silent and made no further movement.

Bu Jiu turned his back to him, listening intently to the sounds behind him. After a while, the person behind him seemed to have truly become obedient, remaining completely still.

Is she really asleep? Usually, she has to be clingy and clingy to me before she'll stop.

Just as his thoughts were drifting, he suddenly heard a hissing sound behind him, like the whimpering of a small animal.

"Ugh..."

The voice was very soft, with a slightly trembling ending, as if it were trying its best to suppress a great grievance.

Bu Jiu's body stiffened.

"Ugh..." came another sound, clearer than before, mixed with a sound like sniffing.

Bu Jiu's fingers tightened suddenly around the corner of the blanket. He held back for a moment and didn't turn around.

"Waaah...it's so cold..." Ji Wang's voice came through indistinctly, "No one's hugging me, they won't give me a blanket...my darling isn't paying attention to me either...waaah..."

As Bu Jiu listened to those feigned pitiful sobs and cries of "my darling," he felt the veins on his forehead throbbing.

He knew, of course, that Ji Wang was most likely faking it; that bastard was the type to push his luck, resorting to any means necessary, from whining to begging and pleading. But… the tremor in his voice, the sniffling, and that tearful “So cold…”

Even though I knew it was fake, something inside me still tugged at my heartstrings.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and told himself not to pay attention, not to fall for it, that this guy just needed to be taught a lesson.

But the voices behind him didn't stop; instead, they became even more engrossed in their performance, even adding self-pitying lines: "It's my fault, I made my sweetheart angry... I deserve to be unwanted..."

Bu Jiu finally lost his temper and suddenly turned around to look at Ji Wang, only to meet a pair of wet, dark eyes.

Ji was lying on her side, curled up, her face buried in half of the pillow, only her eyes and a little bit of her nose showing. She was blinking at him, and there seemed to be some suspicious water droplets on her long eyelashes.

Their eyes met.

Ji Wang's sobs stopped abruptly, but the grievance and accusation in her eyes became even more obvious as she stared at him quietly.

Bu Jiu's chest heaved. After watching for a while, he suddenly reached out with a mix of frustration and resignation, and forcefully pulled Ji Wang, along with the blanket on his side, into his own blanket. Then, he stretched out his arm and pulled Ji Wang tightly into his embrace. His tail also peeked out from under the blanket and habitually rested on Ji Wang's leg, the tip of which gently hooked.

"Shut up." Bu Jiu's voice was harsh. "Go to sleep. Make another sound and I'll throw you out."

Ji Wang held the warm body in his arms with satisfaction, his nose filled with the scent of his beloved, feeling that life could be more perfect than this.

Those little tricks of acting cute and spoiled were just to get a little closer to the warmth and indulgence that belonged only to him.

The night is gentle, perfect for sleeping in each other's arms.