Chapter 40 Staying Overnight
Si Yan couldn't drive after drinking beer. The place where they had dinner was not far from Si Yan's apartment, about a ten-minute walk. Seeing that it was still early, Si Yan suggested that they walk back to his apartment to sober up.
When they entered the apartment, Si Yan gave her a pair of new women's slippers, which were a couple's style with the ones he was wearing. They were not there when he came last time.
"I bought it specially, thinking you might come here often." Si Yan saw through the doubt in her eyes, and his tone was calm but attentive.
Su Nian's heart moved slightly: Professor Si is so thoughtful.
Si Yan poured a glass of warm water and handed it to her. Su Nian held the glass with both hands, but sleepiness surged like a rising tide, and she couldn't help but yawn.
"Go to sleep for a while," Si Yan took the empty cup, "I'll take you back later."
A two-month pregnant body is always particularly honest. Su Nian nodded, her body already leaning towards the sofa, but was held firmly by a pair of hands.
"No, go to bed."
"I haven't even showered..."
"Don't be afraid." There was a smile in his voice, as if he was coaxing a child who refused to go to sleep.
There was the scent of laundry detergent mixed with a faint scent of cedar among the bedding - it was Si Yan's scent. Su Nian was trapped in this gentleness and soon fell asleep.
When she woke up again, there was a night light on in the darkness. Su Nian blinked, and the outline of the unfamiliar chandelier gradually became clear - this was not her bedroom.
The moment her memory came back, she sat up suddenly, and the dizziness from early pregnancy forced her to hold on to the headboard.
The phone screen lit up: twelve seventeen.
"Oh my god..." She had actually slept for four hours. Su Nian lifted the quilt and found that the hem of her skirt was wrinkled beyond recognition.
Pushing open the bedroom door, Si Yan was in front of a computer screen in the open-plan study. Blue light reflected on his chiseled profile, like a cold glaze coating a marble statue.
He had changed into pajamas, and the ends of his hair were still damp from his shower, which suddenly reminded Su Nian of the navy blue home clothes in the closet—she had sewn them herself and hadn't given them to him yet.
"Professor Si..." Su Nian cleared his throat, his voice a little hoarse because he had just woken up.
Si Yan's face softened instantly when he turned around, and a hint of doting flashed in his eyes behind his thin black-framed glasses.
"Awake?" He took off his glasses and rubbed his nose.
"It's so late..." Su Nian twisted her fingers, "Why didn't you call me?"
"Stay here tonight." He said it lightly, but the air suddenly became thicker.
"This...this isn't good, is it?"
Si Yan suddenly reached out and gently pulled her along. Su Nian fell onto his lap, feeling the warmth of his chest through her pajamas.
"I called my aunt." His Adam's apple vibrated as he spoke.
"My mom...didn't she say anything?"
"Auntie asked me to take good care of you, Nian Nian," his voice dropped like the lowest string of a cello. "We're engaged and will be getting our marriage certificate soon. You need to get used to my care."
Su Nian's ears felt hot. They were indeed an engaged couple, but such intimacy still made her feel uneasy.
Finally, she nodded gently, like a feather falling on the lake.
After a few seconds of silence, Si Yan said, "I'll go get you some hot milk. Drink it and then go take a shower."
"good."
They both stood up and walked to the kitchen area.
The kitchen light was warm. The sight of Si Yan heating milk reminded Su Nian of the fairy tale illustrations she had read as a child—reliable and gentle.
After drinking the milk, she walked into the bathroom and saw the neatly folded pink home clothes. The lace underwear on top made her face suddenly red all the way to her neck.
Oh my God, even this has been prepared... His heartbeat was completely disrupted, and Su Nian buried his burning face in the towel - a large-scale social death scene.
"I bought them according to your height and weight." Si Yan's voice came from outside the door, as calm as if he was discussing some literature. "They've all been washed and dried."
She could almost imagine the man shopping in the mall—his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes focused, as if he was completing an important experiment, serious and cute.
As the sound of running water began to play, Si Yan stood by the window, looking at his reflection in the glass and smiling. The night sky was dotted with stars, and in his palm, he finally grasped the brightest one.
After taking a shower, Si Yan looked at the person walking towards him. Her pink home clothes made her skin look whiter than snow and more delicate and charming. The size he bought was just right.
"I'll sleep on the sofa." Si Yan said.
Su Nian was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said, "I'll sleep on the sofa. You still have to go to work tomorrow."
Si Yan came over and gently touched her head, like comforting a frightened little animal: "Be good, you are pregnant, you have to sleep in the bed."
Su Nian bit her lip: "But..."
Si Yan interrupted her seriously, but there was a smile in his eyes: "How about we go get the marriage certificate tomorrow, so that we can sleep together legitimately?"
Su Nian's face flushed red, as if it had been splashed with scalding rouge. She turned her face away, but her ears remained perked up, listening to the low laugh that escaped his chest, like a stone dropped into a deep pool, spreading ripples.
"You're not serious." She scolded in a low voice.
Si Yan stopped teasing her and said, "Go to sleep."
He pulled her into the room, his tone as natural as if they had been together like this for a long time, "I'm outside, call me if you need anything."
"Yeah." Su Nian nodded and snuggled into the quilt. The scent of cedar on the bedding mixed with the fragrance of her fresh shower gel, like two plants quietly entwined in the dark night.
Si Yan closed the bedroom door, leaving only a thin crack. Su Nian stared at the hazy shadow of the chandelier on the ceiling, her heart beating rapidly. From outside, the soft clacking of keyboards drifted by, rhythmic like a lullaby. She knew he was still busy at work, yet she felt strangely reassured.
After an unknown amount of time, the keyboard sounds stopped. Su Nian held her breath and heard a slight movement outside. He must have been lying on the sofa. In the darkness, she felt her belly. There, a small life was growing. It was hers and his.
The corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously, and Su Nian buried her face in the pillow. The scent of cedar enveloped her, like a gentle embrace. This time, sleepiness came quickly, and she fell into a sweet dream before she even had time to think about it.
When she woke up the next day, sunlight was already streaming in through the gaps in the curtains. Su Nian sat up, got out of bed, and walked to the door. She saw Si Yan, wearing an apron, busy in the kitchen. The morning light outlined his tall back, like a warm illustration.
"Awake?" He turned around with a faint smile on his face. "Go wash up quickly, breakfast will be ready soon."
There were fried eggs, milk and a few slices of toast on the table, simple yet exquisite.
Su Nian felt warm in her heart, looked up at him, and happened to meet his smiling eyes.
"Si...Yan," she suddenly said softly, "Let's go get the marriage certificate today."
Si Yan paused while pouring milk, looked up at her, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then an uncontrollable smile appeared, like a spring breeze blowing across the frozen lake.
"Okay," he said, his voice filled with suppressed joy. "We'll go after breakfast."
The sunlight outside the window was just right, falling on the two people's clasped hands, so warm that it made people want to stop time at that moment.
It turns out that happiness is sometimes very simple, just a breakfast in the morning and the same expectations in the eyes of the person next to you.
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