Xie Zhiyan couldn't resist, gently lowered his head and kissed her between the eyebrows, then carried her upstairs.

Whether it was the kiss that woke her up, or the sudden movement upstairs, Shu Ying shifted uncomfortably in Xie Zhiyan's arms, opened her eyes groggily, hummed twice, and asked in a slightly hoarse voice—

What time is it?

After saying that, I saw the numbers that the hour and minute hands of the clock on the second-floor stairwell were pointing to.

Shu Ying instantly became more alert.

"Why is it so late? Did you just get back?"

Xie Zhiyan gave a soft "hmm": "Did I wake you up?"

Shu Ying squinted and patted him on the shoulder.

“That’s not what I meant. I just felt sorry for you coming home so late again.”

"Do you have to go to early morning training tomorrow? You won't get more than a few hours of sleep."

"Don't you get tired of this all the time?"

With Shu Ying's arm around his neck, Xie Zhiyan held Shu Ying firmly with one hand and gently stroked her long hair with the other.

"Don't worry about me, I only need a few hours of rest, I'm used to it."

"When we're on a mission, we sometimes stay up all night."

"We're physically fit, it's okay."

Shu Ying frowned and gave him a serious look.

"That's pseudoscience. Even the strongest people need enough sleep, otherwise they are prone to various diseases."

"Don't do anything else later, just wash up and go to bed. Get some rest as much as you can."

Xie Zhiyan had already pushed open the bedroom door, but upon hearing this, he paused, looked down at her with a half-smile, his eyes deep.

"Making trouble? You mean..."