Chapter 46 Warming Feet
Huo Nanchen stood there, clutching the heavy quilt.
He looked at Lin Xili's flushed profile; she had her head down, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.
He stepped forward, handed her the blanket, and said in a low, emotionless voice, "Take the blanket."
Lin Xili suddenly raised her head, and she met his deep, dark eyes, where there was helplessness and calm.
She suddenly remembered everything Huo Nanchen had done for her: taking her to pick vegetables, remembering her need for iodine, and protecting her in the Lin family...
I traveled all the way to Hong Kong to celebrate her birthday, and then warmed her hands at the health center in the afternoon…
Thinking of this, a sudden impulse welled up inside her that she herself was unaware of.
An impulse to get closer.
She took a deep breath and took the blanket: "Let's sleep together."
"And... there's only one blanket."
She was referring to the thick blanket on the bed, a reason that sounded irrefutable.
Huo Nanchen looked at her; she was clearly blushing so much that her ears were completely red, but she insisted on trying to remain calm.
His eyes flickered slightly, and he sighed very softly, which was taken as tacit agreement.
After taking a hot shower, Lin Xili changed into her most conservative cotton long-sleeved pajamas.
She hugged her pillow and went into Huo Nanchen's bedroom.
As soon as I entered, I smelled a fragrance in the air—his ambergris perfume.
Huo Nanchen had also finished washing up. He was wearing dark gray pajamas and was leaning against the headboard reading a book.
When Huo Nanchen saw her come in, he didn't say anything, but silently moved to the other side of the bed to make room for her.
Lin Xili silently climbed into bed and lay down on her own side.
She pulled the thick winter quilt over herself and wrapped herself up tightly, with only her head sticking out from under the quilt.
Winter nights in the countryside are particularly unbearable; the damp, cold air seems to seep into your very bones.
There is no central heating in the south, and despite being covered with a thick winter quilt, Lin Xili's hands and feet were still icy cold.
Her feet, in particular, were so cold they were almost numb. She curled up and held her breath.
She tried her best not to make any noise, afraid of disturbing the man next to her who was quietly reading.
Just then, Huo Nanchen moved his leg, as if adjusting his posture.
His ankle accidentally touched something cold.
It was the instep of her foot.
He froze, the chill making him stop moving.
He put down the book in his hand, turned his head, and saw that her eyes were tightly closed, and her long eyelashes were trembling slightly.
She was pretending to be asleep.
"Why are your feet so cold?" he asked in surprise.
Lin Xili had no choice but to open her eyes and meet his probing gaze, feeling extremely embarrassed.
She wanted to bury herself under the covers immediately, and instinctively propped herself up to sit up.
"I...I'll go put on a pair of socks."
She doesn't actually have the habit of sleeping with socks on; the feeling of being restricted makes her very uncomfortable.
"No need," Huo Nanchen said, stopping her.
In the brief moment she was stunned, his next action brought Lin Xili's thoughts to an instant halt.
He stretched out his warm, long legs, rolled up his trousers, and used his calves to clamp her feet, completely enveloping them.
A tight, warm sensation came unexpectedly, causing Lin Xili to tremble and her toes to involuntarily curl up.
The skin on his legs was warm and dry, and a warmth was being transmitted to him continuously.
It was pressed against her cold instep and sole.
This feeling was unfamiliar, yet incredibly comfortable.
"I'll keep it warm for you." Huo Nanchen's voice carried a strange, comforting power.
"Go to sleep. It's starting to drizzle now, and it'll get colder in the middle of the night."
After saying that, he picked up the book again, his expression unchanged.
It was as if I had just done something perfectly ordinary, a necessary task to keep warm.
It has absolutely nothing to do with romance.
The warmth of his skin against her ankle was palpable, a sensation that made her feel flustered and disoriented.
The heat dispelled the chill from her feet, and it slowly traveled upwards along her meridians.
Finally, it reached her heart, melting away the coldness and stiffness there.
She secretly turned her head to the side, and under the lamplight, he was engrossed in reading a book, his profile clearly defined.
He didn't look at her again, but was immersed in his own world.
Lin Xili's tense body gradually relaxed.
She slowly closed her eyes, feeling the warmth emanating from her feet—a warmth that felt real and comforting.
In the latter half of the night, the winter rain indeed began to fall, a fine, continuous drizzle.
The windowpane was tapped, producing a crisp yet lonely sound, and a bone-chilling cold seeped in bit by bit through the cracks.
Lin Xili didn't sleep well; the quilt was thick, and there was a constant warmth beside her.
But she still instinctively curled up in her sleep, seeking a more secure source of warmth.
In a daze, she unconsciously turned over, her body slowly moving towards that reassuring warmth.
Finally, my entire back was pressed against a solid, warm wall.
Huo Nanchen woke up almost instantly. He felt the movement behind him and the soft body pressing against him.
In the darkness, he suddenly opened his eyes and heard another person's warm and clear breathing behind him.
His body tensed up suddenly. He was used to sleeping alone and even more used to keeping his distance from others.
But the person behind him seemed to have found a satisfactory sleeping position.
Her breathing became long and even, and she drifted into a deep sleep.
Huo Nanchen remained silent in the darkness, the sound of her steady breathing and the fine rain outside the window filling his ears.
After a long while, he sighed very softly, with a hint of indulgence that he himself was unaware of.
He carefully adjusted his posture, his arm gently passing under her neck, while his other hand encircled her waist.
He moved gently, afraid of waking her, avoiding her private parts, and pulled her into his arms.
His chest was broad and his body temperature was constant; Lin Xili felt as if he had found the safest nest.
Her body completely relaxed, and she unconsciously rubbed her cheek against his pajamas.
A muffled murmur escaped her throat, and she fell into a deep sleep, never to make a sound again.
Huo Nanchen maintained this posture, the soft breaths of the person in his arms brushing against his chest.
It caused a slight itch; her body was soft and smelled of fresh scent after a bath.
He closed his eyes, but his sleepiness had vanished.
Only the sound of rain and the unfamiliar warmth in his arms accompanied him until dawn.
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