overnight stay

The meal ended amidst the relief of surviving the ordeal and a lesson for Qingran. The atmosphere at the table finally returned to its usual lively state, with Qin Zhou and Song Yungui offering to stay and keep an eye on Qingran as well.

Xiao Jue and Lin Ye held hands and returned to their own little home. Although Sister Jin was still a little scared, she saw that Qing Ran was indeed frightened and knew that she had learned her lesson, so she didn't say anything more, but just hugged her and gently patted her back.

Everyone had left, and the living room fell silent. Qi Shuo stood in the entryway; he was supposed to go straight back to his factory dormitory, as he had to go to work early the next morning.

But when he looked at the deep night outside the window and then at Tan Huaiyu standing quietly beside him, a strange sense of resistance rose in his heart—he didn't want to go back to that cold, empty dormitory where only the roar of machines left a memory.

Tan Huaiyu took out her phone, ready to call a taxi, and looked up at him: "Qi Shuo, where are you going? Back to the factory or...?"

Qi Shuo's gaze fell on Tan Huaiyu's face, paused for two seconds, then shifted away, looking out the window. His voice was flat and emotionless: "Your home."

Tan Huaiyu was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard. He hovered his finger above the phone screen, blinking blankly, "...What?"

Qi Shuo turned his head and looked at him again, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, his fingers curling slightly in his pocket, his tone still calm, yet seemingly carrying a very faint, barely perceptible awkwardness: "What? Can't I go to your house now?"

"Of course not!" Tan Huaiyu immediately shook her head, as if afraid he would change his mind. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she couldn't help but smile, revealing a bright smile with her eyebrows curving. "Of course you can! You can go whenever you want!"

Seeing his eager and happy expression, Qi Shuo's inexplicable awkwardness dissipated somewhat, and he responded with a soft "hmm".

Tan Huaiyu quickly placed an order on his phone, then went downstairs with Qi Shuo. The tail end of the evening rush hour hadn't completely passed, and the roads were still very congested. The taxi crawled slowly through the traffic, and what usually took a maximum of twenty minutes was stretched to nearly an hour.

The carriage was quiet, with only the faint sound of music coming from the driver's radio. The neon lights outside the window shimmered, reflecting on Qi Shuo's somewhat tired profile.

He leaned back in his seat, watching the slow-moving traffic and flashing lights outside the window. After a long day of tension, he finally relaxed completely once he confirmed that Qingran was safe and the storm had passed. What followed was a deep, almost overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

It wasn't just physical, but also mental. The exhaustion from losing and regaining something, from extreme sorrow to great joy, made it difficult for him to even lift his eyelids.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Tan Huaiyu sat next to him, stealing glances at him from the corner of her eye. Qi Shuo's breathing was light, his brows slightly furrowed, and even with his eyes closed, he couldn't hide his deep weariness.

Tan Huaiyu felt a subtle, persistent pain in his heart. He wanted to say something to break the silence, to ask if he was alright, or to start a conversation, but the words caught in his throat. He felt that anything he said would be superfluous and might even disturb his rest.

He simply pursed his lips, lowered his head, and silently fiddled with the fabric of his jeans.

Just as he was hesitating, his shoulder suddenly felt heavy.

A warm, weighty substance, carrying a faint scent of tobacco and soap, gently pressed against me.

Tan Huaiyu froze instantly, his blood seemingly congealing for a moment before suddenly boiling and rushing to his head. He was like a stone statue suddenly struck by a pressure point, forgetting even to breathe. It was Qi Shuo… Qi Shuo's head rested on his shoulder.

He could clearly feel Qi Shuo's soft hair brushing against the skin on the side of his neck, smell the unique and reassuring scent of Qi Shuo, and even hear his even and shallow breathing so close to him.

The breath brushed gently against his neck, sending a slight shiver through his body like an electric current.

"Take a nap," Qi Shuo's voice rang out, slightly hoarse as if he had just woken up, and filled with a deep weariness.

“…Okay.” Tan Huaiyu heard himself reply in a trembling voice. He was stiff all over, not daring to move, afraid that any slight movement would disturb the sudden, precious, and unbelievable “closeness” on his shoulder.

He could feel his heart pounding like a drum in his chest, his ears and cheeks burning hot. He even wondered if he would faint from his rapid heartbeat.

He gripped his pants tightly, his knuckles turning white, his teeth clenching the inside of his lower lip, trying to use the pain to keep himself awake and calm down.

Tan Huaiyu, stay calm. He repeatedly told himself. Stay calm, don't move, don't wake him.

He forced himself to take a few deep breaths to barely calm his racing heart.

Then, he slowly and carefully turned his head and looked at Qi Shuo's face, which was leaning on his shoulder.

Qi Shuo seemed to be truly asleep, or at least half-asleep. His eyes were closed, his long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them, his brows relaxed, shedding the coldness and aloofness he displayed when awake, revealing a rare, unguarded gentleness.

The streetlights shone through the car window, flickering across his face and outlining his clear features.

Tan Huaiyu watched quietly for a long time, as if trying to etch this moment deeply into his mind and into his very bones.

The car continued to move slowly through the congested traffic, stopping and starting intermittently. Suddenly, an absurd yet incredibly devout wish arose in Tan Huaiyu's heart—that this road would never end, that this train would never reach its destination.

In this way, he could keep Qi Shuo leaning against him and staying by his side forever.

Unfortunately, the road of reality eventually comes to an end. More than an hour later, the car finally stopped in front of that familiar old building in Yucaiyuan.

Tan Huaiyu took a deep breath, suppressing the surging reluctance in her heart, and gently patted Qi Shuo's leg, speaking very softly, as if afraid of shattering a beautiful dream: "Qi Shuo, we've arrived."

Qi Shuo's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still filled with lingering confusion and drowsiness. He glanced out the window, then at Tan Huaiyu, before finally reacting. "Hmm," he responded, sitting up straight and removing his shoulder from Tan Huaiyu's support.

The warmth and weight suddenly disappeared, and Tan Huaiyu felt a void in his heart, but he hid it well, quickly paid the fare, and got out of the car with Qi Shuo.

The two walked silently into the dimly lit stairwell and went up to the third floor. Tan Huaiyu took out his key and opened the door.

The furnishings inside were almost unchanged from when Qi Shuo last visited five years ago. There was still that dusty old sofa, that low coffee table, and those few plastic chairs piled in the corner.

The kitchen remained spotless, as if it had never been used. Only a large bookcase against the wall, crammed with thick law books and literary works, added a touch of scholarly elegance to the otherwise humble space. But overall, it was far from "comfortable" or "decent"; in fact, it could be described as "shabby."

Qi Shuo stood at the door, glanced around, and frowned slightly. With Tan Huaiyu's current income, he could easily rent an apartment ten times better than this. But he said nothing, simply took off his shoes, and went inside.

Tan Huaiyu's home has only one bedroom.

The reality was staring them in the face, and the atmosphere instantly became somewhat awkward. If it weren't for sleeping on that narrow, old sofa, it would mean…

Qi Shuo's gaze swept between the bedroom door and the sofa. He had shared a bed with Qin Zhou and Xiao Jue many times before and had never felt anything was wrong with it.

But at this moment, the thought of sharing a bed with Tan Huaiyu made him feel inexplicably choked up. An indescribable emotion was churning within him, making him somewhat uneasy.

"I'll sleep on the sofa." Qi Shuo spoke first, breaking the silence, his tone calm, as if stating a given fact.

Tan Huaiyu immediately shook her head: "No, the sofa is uncomfortable, and you have to get up early for work tomorrow. You should sleep in the bed."

"No need." Qi Shuo refused decisively.

Tan Huaiyu pursed her lips, looked at him, and said with a determined look in her eyes, "You sleep in the bed."

Looking at his stubborn appearance, Qi Shuo felt a surge of inexplicable irritation.

He stared at Tan Huaiyu for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of probing that he himself was unaware of: "Then...sleep together?"

Tan Huaiyu: "..."

The air froze instantly.

Tan Huaiyu's face flushed bright red instantly, the red spreading from her cheeks to her ears and neck, even the skin exposed outside her collar turned a thin layer of red.

He seemed to have been burned by those words, his eyes widening suddenly, his amber pupils filled with disbelief and panic at being caught off guard.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His mind was blank, with only the three words "sleep together" buzzing in his ears.

What do you mean by sleeping together? How can we sleep together? In the same bed? So close? We can hear each other's breath?

Seeing his sudden flustered and helpless state, Qi Shuo's irritation strangely dissipated, replaced by a hint of...amusement.

He twitched the corner of his mouth, looked away, and didn't continue the topic. His tone returned to its usual calm: "Fine, I won't tease you anymore. I'll sleep on the sofa. Do you have any extra toiletries?"

Tan Huaiyu's mind was still blank. Upon hearing this, she just blankly said "Oh," and then walked awkwardly to the bathroom. She rummaged through the cabinet and found a brand new toothbrush, towel, and mouthwash cup. She also took a soft, pure cotton T-shirt that she hadn't worn much and a new pair of underwear, and handed them to Qi Shuo. Throughout the whole process, she didn't dare to look Qi Shuo in the eye.

Qi Shuo took the things and went into the bathroom. The warm water washed over him, relieving some of his fatigue.

He changed into Tan Huaiyu's T-shirt, which had a faint, sun-dried grass scent—clean and pleasant. Qi Shuo looked in the mirror, at his reflection in the T-shirt, which was clearly a size too small and had a tight neckline. He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily. He quickly looked away, splashed cold water on his face, and forced himself not to think about it anymore.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Tan Huaiyu had changed into his pajamas and was sitting on the sofa, looking restless. Seeing Qi Shuo come out, he immediately stood up and pointed to the bedroom: "Well... I'm going to sleep. The blanket is in the closet, get it yourself. Goodnight."

"Good night." Qi Shuo nodded.

Tan Huaiyu practically fled into the bedroom and closed the door.

Qi Shuo walked to the sofa and lay down. The sofa was indeed very narrow, and his tall frame felt a little cramped. The T-shirt he was wearing, which belonged to Tan Huaiyu, carried a faint scent of grass, lingering around his nose.

Qi Shuo closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, but his senses seemed unusually sharp. The house wasn't well soundproofed, and he could hear a very faint rustling sound of fabric coming from the bedroom, probably Tan Huaiyu tossing and turning in bed.

In the stillness of the night, every tiny sound is magnified.

He subconsciously pursed his lips, swallowed softly, turned over, faced the back of the sofa, buried his face in the sofa cushions that smelled of detergent, and forced himself to clear his mind and fall asleep quickly.

In the bedroom, Tan Huaiyu's condition wasn't much better.

He lay stiffly on his single bed, eyes wide open, staring at the dim light and shadows on the ceiling. His heart pounded like a drum, and his mind replayed everything that had happened that night—

The weight and warmth of Qi Shuo leaning on his shoulder, Qi Shuo's earth-shattering words "Let's sleep together," and now, Qi Shuo is sleeping on the sofa outside, wearing his clothes, breathing the same air.

This realization sent a rush of energy through his veins. He pinched his thigh hard, but not too hard, and the pain brought him back to his senses.

Tan Huaiyu! He roared inwardly.

Calm down! Behave yourself! Don't overthink things!

He took deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart and chaotic thoughts. After a while, he slowly closed his eyes.

However, with his eyes closed, his senses became even clearer. He seemed to "hear" Qi Shuo's even breathing in the living room, and "smell" the faint scent of Qi Shuo in the air, mixed with the grassy fragrance on his own clothes...

Separated by a thin door panel, the two lay on their respective "beds," each harboring their own complex and unspoken yet subtly connected thoughts, unable to fall asleep for a long time in the quiet of the night.