At the next moment, she felt someone gently holding her. Shen Zhaoli’s voice was tender and patient as he said, "Don’t be afraid, I’m here for you." Wen Jiao knew, he was there for anything. This was the confidence she now had to show her vulnerability and helplessness. She let Shen Zhaoli hold her for a long while before speaking again, her voice hoarse and choked, "I’m really not a good person." "Hmm," Shen Zhaoli said, "You are a blockhead." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel⚑fire.net Wen Jiao stiffened and raised her misty eyes to look at him, discontentedly saying, "What blockhead! Shen Zhaoli, your mouth is so mean!" Shen Zhaoli just watched the vivid expressions of Wen Jiao as she indignantly cursed him. His heart eased slightly, and his smile became playful and careless, "Oh, your skill of turning against someone has improved even more than before." Wen Jiao got up, wiping the tears on her face. This distraction made her lose the mood to be sad, she asked with a nasal voice, "Which side of the bed do you plan to sleep on tonight?" Shen Zhaoli slightly restrained his smile. He stared at Wen Jiao’s face and asked indifferently, "Which side do you want me to sleep on?" Wen Jiao was more puzzled, frowning at him, "Which side do I want you to sleep on? Left or right, isn’t it all the same?" Only then did Shen Zhaoli understand that Wen Jiao intended to let him sleep in the bed. The progress was faster than he anticipated. That Wen Jiao took the initiative to let him come home was already a pleasant surprise to him. Five years ago, his eagerness frightened Wen Jiao away, like a startled bird flying far off. Now, Shen Zhaoli didn’t want to repeat the same mistake, so he paused, the smile in his eyes disappearing, as he seriously looked at Wen Jiao, "Are you planning to sleep with me?" Wen Jiao startled and coughed unnaturally, "Yeah." "Jiaojiao," Shen Zhaoli smiled subtly, lifting his hand to gently touch Wen Jiao’s face with a persuasive tone, "Do you know this is very dangerous?" His voice and demeanor tinged with a subtle sensuality, yet under his dark and deep gaze, those words seemed very profound. Wen Jiao just felt the coldness of Shen Zhaoli’s hand on her face and instinctively shivered, whispering, "I know..." "You know yet you dare to provoke me?" Shen Zhaoli chuckled lightly, his words casual, "Wen Jiao, you don’t have to force yourself, I’ve already waited five years." With that said, he smirked self-deprecatingly, let go of her hand preparing to leave, "Go to sleep early, I’ll sleep on the floor." Wen Jiao grabbed Shen Zhaoli’s hand. Her actions were quick, almost the instant Shen Zhaoli’s hand was lowered, she urgently grabbed it. She stared unwaveringly at Shen Zhaoli, her eyes bright and clear, and softly said, "Don’t go, let’s sleep together." Shen Zhaoli paused, surprise in his eyes. He lowered his head to look at Wen Jiao’s hand clinging to his own. Her skin was very pale, her hands small and delicate, seemingly without much strength, yet Shen Zhaoli felt a spot in his heart get tightly squeezed in that instant. He breathed softly, feeling a piercing, chilling pain in his chest. That night, Wen Jiao lay in bed, hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, her eyes tightly closed. She had turned off all the lights beforehand, as determined as Shen Zhaoli was to stay, she was equally nervous now. Yet Wen Jiao carefully felt that, apart from nervousness, there was no aversion. Maybe in day after day of being together, all the care from a thousand miles away was meticulously counted and stored by her, neatly put away. It’s hard to know how much time had passed when the sound of water in the bathroom finally stopped. Wen Jiao heard Zhaoli’s footsteps, slowly approaching in her direction. The edge of the bed sank. Wen Jiao smelled the wooden scent of Zhaoli’s body wash. His figure was hidden in the darkness, with only a vague silhouette visible. Wen Jiao heard him ask, "Why did you turn off all the lights?" Her throat felt dry, and she blinked her eyes, saying, "It’s quite awkward to suddenly lie together after not seeing each other for so long." Zhaoli gave a light laugh, probably thinking her thought process was really cute. Not convinced, Wen Jiao retorted, "Aren’t you nervous?" "Not nervous." Zhaoli raised his hand, touching Wen Jiao’s short-cut hair. "How come you thought to cut your hair short?" This question was abrupt. Wen Jiao, pulled from her thoughts, paused before responding, "I wanted to start a new life. I saw many people online who, when they make up their mind to leave the past behind, will cut their hair as a kind of ceremony." Zhaoli was silent for a moment. He ruffled Wen Jiao’s hair and smiled, "It looks pretty good." Wen Jiao’s hair got messed up, she hurriedly attempted to tidy it, while speaking, "You’ve messed up my hair." "Really? Let me turn on the light and see." Zhaoli, with a teasing intent, said this as he bent over to check. Wen Jiao was scared and quickly grabbed his wrist, her voice more urgent, "No! Don’t turn on the light." "Is it really that awkward? You don’t even want to look at me?" Zhaoli said with a smile, "Wen Jiao, it’s been five years, how did you become so timid?" "You’re the one who became timid! I’m now a career woman! A strong woman!" Wen Jiao was always stubborn. Zhaoli had a busy day, and he was indeed tired now. He patted Wen Jiao’s head and said, "Alright, I’ll stop teasing. Move a bit, make some room for me." "Why do you want to sleep on my side! I just warmed up the bed!" Wen Jiao complained, but still obediently moved aside. Zhaoli laid down as a result, closing his eyes, he touched Wen Jiao’s hand in the darkness and asked, "Can I hold your hand while I sleep?" Wen Jiao’s nerves had just relaxed, and were suddenly stirred again. In the darkness, her eyes widened. "You can..." Zhaoli then held her hand in his. Wen Jiao waited for his next move. From their conversation just now, he should have understood what her willingness to let him come up meant. But Zhaoli really just fell asleep. Wen Jiao waited for a long while, only hearing the stable breathing next to her. She was somewhat surprised and blurted out, "Really just sleeping ? Zhaoli, are you asleep?" "Aren’t you tired?" Zhaoli, awakened from his sleep by her, remained calm and said, "You haven’t had a good night’s sleep these days, have you? Go to sleep." Wen Jiao instinctively tightened her grip on Zhaoli’s hand, asking, "Are we... are we sleeping just ?" Zhaoli, amused by Wen Jiao’s cute tone, teased, "What, you want to sleep more ’meatily’? You’ll have to wait. I’ve been drained from traveling these past few days." Wen Jiao’s face turned red, but fortunately, the dim room hid it. She still tried to maintain her composure and said, "Go ahead and be weak, but why say such flattering things! Besides, men really do start declining after the age of 25!"