Chapter 143 A Step Away This is a novel and thrilling adventure. ...

Although she was lying in bed, her heart was in her throat, constantly watching for any movement outside.

The shower stopped, the bathroom door opened and closed, and then scattered footsteps could be heard through the crack in the door. Zhu Liu's pupils contracted slightly, and almost reflexively, she immediately pulled the blanket up higher.

The maroon silk quilt, smelling of sun-dried silk, enveloped her completely.

She, on edge, huddled inside, looking like a trembling rabbit.

At this moment, the rabbit is torn between two options: should she pretend to be asleep, or should she openly and confidently await his arrival?

Just as she was hesitating, He Ming pushed the door open and came in.

He was wearing a dark blue cotton pajama set, and his body smelled of the same shower gel as hers.

Zhu Liushuang wasn't pretending to be asleep, but that didn't mean she was free of tension.

At best, it's just "putting on a brave face"!

The man who had just entered was taken aback when he saw her looking so ready for anything.

"Shuangshuang?" He called to her softly from a few meters away.

Zhu Liushuang blinked her misty eyes, her face flushed, and turned her head to look straight ahead, as if she hadn't heard him call her.

He Ming could tell she was embarrassed, and a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

He stopped calling her, and instead strode to the other end of the bed, lifted the silk quilt, and lay down comfortably.

The bed in the room wasn't big, only 1.5 meters wide.

In the past, when Zhu Liushuang and Tian Xingyu squeezed together to whisper secrets, the bed felt just the right size. But tonight, when He Ming lay down, it suddenly felt a bit cramped.

Her eyes remained fixed straight ahead, but her body quietly moved toward the edge of the bed.

She thought she had done it "without anyone noticing," but someone had sharp eyes and immediately saw through her.

"Shuangshuang, come closer." The man looked at her with his phoenix eyes and smiled, "If you move any further to the side, you'll fall..."

Her deliberately light breathing suddenly became rapid and shallow. Zhu Liu gripped the edge of the bed stiffly with both fingers, stubbornly saying, "I didn't move to the side..."

“Okay, you don’t.” He Ming continued, “I misread it.”

Zhu Liushuang hummed in agreement and buried herself in the covers. "We have to get up early tomorrow, so let's go to bed early tonight." With that, she turned around, leaving her slender back to him.

The bedside lamp cast a dim glow. He Ming silently turned his head, only able to see her dark, hairy back of the head. Thanks to her efforts, the bed was no longer cramped. The space between them was so large it resembled the "Chu River and Han Border."

The man looked at her quietly for a while before asking, "Won't it be cold with the air conditioning off?"

Zhu Liushuang shrank her neck and said, "It's not cold. It's so stuffy with the air conditioner on, so I turned it off..." The first half of her statement was a lie, but the second half was true. As for why she felt like she couldn't breathe, even she probably couldn't be sure.

No sooner had she finished speaking than an arm suddenly appeared on her chest.

"Your hands are so cold, and you still say you're not cold..." the man said helplessly. "Move over a bit, I'll warm them up for you."

Zhu Liushuang moved her body slightly, taking an inch closer to him.

"Come a little closer, Shuangshuang..." he coaxed her gently.

So, like a snail, Zhu Liushuang slowly approached him with some hesitation and trepidation.

Finally, her back touched his side.

"Shuangshuang, turn around," He Ming continued to coax. "Give me your hand."

Zhu Liushuang endured the itch on the back of her neck and slowly rolled over.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw He Ming's dark, bright phoenix eyes gazing at her with deep affection. His gaze was so intense that it made her heart tremble.

She instinctively tried to avoid eye contact, but as if bewitched, she couldn't look away.

“Ah Ming…” A subconscious restlessness drove her, “I’m cold.”

"Give me your hand." The man pulled her red, frozen hand and held it firmly.

She tickled his fingertips and whispered her truest feelings to him: "I...want a hug."

"Okay." He Ming obeyed her, slowly slipping one hand under her neck and the other around her shoulder, pulling her close and encircling her in his chest.

His chest was as firm as a rock, and Zhu Liushuang nestled against it, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat.

"Are you still cold now?" He Ming pressed her even tighter.

Even through two layers of pajamas, the man's body heat still powerfully penetrated every part of their embrace. Zhu Liushuang raised her hand, drawing circles on his back as she murmured, "I'm not cold anymore... A-Ming, you're so hot! Like a furnace..."

Because of her unconscious little movement, a storm instantly raged in the man's dark eyes. He gave a muffled reply, his hand climbing up her soft waist.

Zhu Liushuang was taken aback at first, but then followed suit and found his side waist as well.

A thought crossed her mind, and she couldn't resist giving that firm muscle a gentle pinch.

That was a truly unexpected response.

The string of reason in He Ming's mind snapped. His emotions surged, and he lowered his head to kiss her full, pink lips.

The air grew warmer rapidly, and she became hopelessly engrossed in the chase of their lips and tongues.

Their bodies drew closer and closer, like waves crashing against rocks.

The large hand that gave her warmth had unknowingly strayed from its intended path.

It parted the thick fog and eagerly plunged into an extremely hidden world.

From winding canyons to soft, moonlit dunes, and then to verdant, secluded marshes, it traverses them with boundless abandon, relentlessly pursuing its goals. Wherever it goes, flowers bloom, and rain falls silently…

This is a novel and thrilling adventure.

Yu Heming is one, and so is Yu Zhuliushuang.

Her broken breaths filled her mouth, and she couldn't help but lean back, like a reed bent by the wind.

“Ah…Ah Ming…”

"I am here--"

“Ah Ming…I…”

"I love you, Shuangshuang."

The waves crashed relentlessly, churning up white foam. The sound of the tide pierced through the rocks and echoed through the sky.

Her body swayed with her thoughts, and she felt every pore on her body screaming for it.

A loud rumbling sound suddenly came from outside the window.

Zhu Liushuang opened her eyes blankly, the shadows of distant green mountains stretching endlessly in the night. Through a half-open glass window, she saw a cluster of dazzling fireworks bloom atop the mountains. The fireworks, like shooting stars, flashed with countless golden lights as they suddenly plummeted, also landing in her oxygen-deprived mind.

Losing consciousness, Zhu Liushuang closed her eyes again.

In her hazy state, she heard a faint noise beside her.

Her forehead was damp, and a loving, husky voice said "Goodnight" to her.

————

Zhu Liushuang has been having trouble sleeping lately, often waking up earlier than her alarm clock.

On the morning of Lunar New Year's Eve, she was still too sleepy to open her eyes when the alarm rang.

"It's so noisy!" she muttered irritably, reaching haphazardly to her side. After searching for a while, she couldn't find her phone at all, but instead touched a hard wall.

How could there be a wall?

Isn't she sleeping in her own bedroom?

Wait, something's not right!

He Ming went home with her.

They kissed passionately on the living room sofa, and then in bed...

Fragments of beautiful memories came flooding back, and Zhu Liushuang's brain, which had just been turned on, instantly crashed.

Last night... they seemed to have unlocked a completely new way of exploring.

Most importantly—she lit the fire first.

Although it's still a step away from the "home run" that her best friend Tian Xingyu was hoping for, it's actually pretty close.

Thinking of this, Zhu Liushuang's mind went blank for a moment, and her blood rushed to her head.

Although she was conscious, she dared not move her body any further. She was afraid that even blinking slightly would easily reveal that she was awake.

What should I do now? Should I continue pretending to be asleep?

It seems like I have no choice but to pretend to be asleep!

After all, she hadn't figured out how to face him yet...

She kept her eyes tightly shut, thinking her disguise was successful.

Little did they know that their attempt to bury their heads in the sand like ostriches had already been seen through by their spouses.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, dappling the old wooden floor.

He Ming propped his head up on one side, gazing at the woman so close to him with great interest. He deliberately remained silent, watching her pretend to be asleep, his eyes revealing undisguised doting affection.

His gaze lingered on the woman's fair, rosy face for a moment. Seeing that she was determined to pretend to be asleep, He Ming finally made his next move. He lifted the arm that she had pinned beneath him, applied a little force to his wrist, and pulled that thin, stiff body into his arms.

He Ming's actions caught Zhu Liushuang completely off guard.

She was like a pebble that suddenly fell from the hillside, landing squarely in a crevice at the foot of the mountain. And what blocked her path was precisely his strong and broad chest.

"Thump, thump, thump..." Her face was buried in his body, and the man's clear and steady heartbeat surrounded her.

"Thump, thump..." The heartbeat seemed contagious, making her heart beat along with it.

My cheeks were burning, my heart was racing, and even my breathing became unsteady.

If she keeps pretending to be asleep, she'll soon be unable to breathe!

Zhu Liushuang had no choice but to deliberately twist her arms, pretending to have just woken up: "Aming... what time is it?" She yawned repeatedly with a heavy nasal tone, and slowly opened her eyes.

The head resting on her head shook slightly, and He Ming's smile broke out from his chest: "Awake?"

"Hmm... I'm so sleepy." A thin mist obscured her vision, making it difficult for her to see his face clearly.

The man pinched her cheek and asked, "It's only seven o'clock, do you want to sleep a little longer?"

"No..." Zhu Liushuang shook her head and said slowly, "The food won't be fresh if we go too late."

“I can go buy it by myself, you…” The man holding her hesitated.

He had stayed up late last night, and he probably wanted her to get some more sleep because he cared about her. But Zhu Liushuang was definitely worried about letting He Ming go alone to buy groceries for the New Year's Eve dinner. So, she forced herself to stay awake and shook her head: "How can that be... I want to go with you."

“Okay—” He Ming knew he couldn’t refuse her, so he replied, “Then go catch up on your sleep in the car. Do you want to eat breakfast at home or should I go buy it for you?”

Zhu Liushuang rubbed her eyes and wriggled free from his embrace: "There's a soup dumpling shop near the market that's really good. They steam them with pine needles underneath the steamer, one bite at a time, and they're juicy..." She perked up when talking about food.

"Then let's have soup dumplings for breakfast." Upon hearing this, He Ming lifted the corner of the blanket and got up.

The man was tall with long legs and a handsome face; he was a sight to behold as he stood by the bed.

Zhu Liushuang was completely mesmerized by what she saw.

She admired this man who belonged only to her as if he were a work of art.

My gaze lingered on his high nose bridge, then on his chiseled jawline and sensual Adam's apple.

Her gaze drifted down, and the man's slender fingers unbuttoned the first button on his chest, then the second, the third... When his upper body was completely exposed before her, Zhu Liushuang let out a soft "Ah!" and immediately covered her flushed face.

"Why...why are you changing clothes here?"

He Ming asked in surprise, "If I don't change here, where should I change?"

“The bathroom…” Zhu Liushuang immediately replied.

"Too much trouble, this place is fine too," He Ming joked. "Still shy? Don't cover your eyes, it's not like you haven't seen it before..."

That's what it means...

But daytime and nighttime are not the same.

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Author's note: Happy first day of school! I'm so happy, but I'm also exhausted! [shrug]

Let me write some super sweet plot to lighten things up [droopy-eared bunny head]