After the breakup, I was taken in by a group of trendy young women.

Her voice was very low, so low that only two people could hear it.

"I'm going to sleep. What about you?"

Shen Na hesitated for a moment before stepping out through the crack in the door.

She walked barefoot on the floor, her steps very light.

The hem of her knitted cardigan swayed gently with her steps, and a small section of her collarbone and a very thin silver necklace were revealed at the neckline of her light blue nightgown.

"I have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds."

She walked up to Lin Ye and stood still, looking up at him.

The light from the corridor spotlights shone down from above, illuminating her features and making her look seven parts similar to Shen Qing, but even more radiant.

"I heard a noise in the hallway and wanted to come out and see what was going on."

Lin Ye looked down at her.

She was half a head taller than Shen Qing, which was considered tall for a girl, but she still had to look up when standing in front of him.

Her eyes shone brightly in the dim light, just as beautiful as Shen Qing's, but with a touch of shrewdness that Shen Qing lacked—the shrewdness that came from years of experience in the real world.

But at this moment, her capable demeanor was greatly diminished by her loose hair and cotton nightgown, making her look much softer.

Are you worried about your sister?

Lin Ye leaned against the wall, fiddling with the empty cigarette pack in his hand.

Shen Na shook her head.

"Shen Qing is sleeping so soundly, she wouldn't even wake up if there was thunder next door."

She paused for a moment, then took another small step forward.

The distance between the two people has shrunk to a distance that is not quite like that of ordinary friends.

She tilted her head back, her lips moved, and then she spoke in a soft, sticky tone that was completely different from her usual manner.

"Actually—last time in the fitting room, I asked you if it was true for my sister. You said it was. Then I touched your chest. That—it wasn't just a casual touch."

Her voice grew softer and softer until the last few words were almost squeezed out in a breath.

"I just wanted to touch it. I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to touch it. Then I got scared and ran away."

Her face flushed, the blush spreading from her neck to her ears, and even the skin above her collarbone, half-covered by the neckline of her nightgown, turned pink.

But she didn't back away. She just looked up at him with an expression that said, "I'm not afraid of anything now that I've gone all out."

Lin Ye crushed the empty cigarette box and threw it into the trash can.

"So, do you still want to touch it now?"

Shen Na's eyelashes trembled rapidly twice.

She did not answer.

She simply extended her hand.

Her fingers first gently touched the fabric of his chest—the loose-fitting white T-shirt had been washed too many times, and the cotton fibers had become very soft.

Her fingertips paused for a second right in the middle of his sternum, then she placed her entire palm on it.

Her palms were warm and soft, and through the thin fabric of his T-shirt, she could clearly feel the contours of his pectoral muscles and the steady, powerful heartbeat in his chest.

Her fingers were slightly spread apart, as if measuring something, and then slowly moved upwards—from his sternum to his collarbone, from his collarbone to his shoulder, the warmth of her palm seeping through the fabric into his skin.

Her breathing became rapid, and with each rise and fall of her chest, the neckline of her light blue nightgown was gently tugged.

"Last time in the fitting room—"

She spoke, her voice hoarse and soft, the last syllable trembling slightly.

"You were wearing a shirt, so I couldn't touch you. This time—I finally touched you."

After she finished speaking, she seemed to have used up all her courage, burying her face in his chest, her forehead pressed against the shallow indentation in the middle of his sternum.

Her fingers were still gripping the hem of his T-shirt, her knuckles turning white.

"Brother, tell me, am I really useless? My sister has so openly admitted that she likes you, but all I dare to say is that I want to touch you—"

Lin Ye reached out and pressed down on the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair, which still smelled of shampoo.

Her hair was slightly coarser and stiffer than Shen Qing's, and it felt different to the touch, but it was just as smooth.

"You stayed up all night just to tell me this?"

"There are others."

Her voice muffled in his chest.

"I want to say—I'm happy that you're good to Shen Qing, but could you—occasionally—be good to me too—just a little bit—like this—?"

She didn't continue.

Because she noticed Lin Ye's fingers were gently rubbing the back of her head.

The pressure was just right—neither too light nor too heavy, like soothing a cat that was so tense it was about to explode.

She trembled slightly in his arms, then went limp, burying her face even deeper, her nose brushing against his collarbone.

When he came out of the house, Shen Na followed behind him.

The way it walks is like a duck.

Her two long legs moved slowly and awkwardly, her knees slightly turned inward, pausing for half a beat with each step.

The hem of the light blue cotton nightgown brushed against the hallway floor, making a soft rustling sound.

Her cardigan slipped down her shoulders, and she reached out to pull it up, but after trying for a while, she couldn't hold it back, so she just let it hang there.

Lin Ye stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back at her.

She stood directly under the corridor spotlight, her black hair draped loosely over her shoulders, with a few stray strands clinging to the side of her neck.

The collarbone necklace was askew to one side, and her face still had a lingering flush.

Her eyes were slightly red, the tip of her nose was also slightly red, and her lips were a little more swollen than usual.

She looked like a rag doll that had just been pulled out of the water and dried in the sun.

"Can't walk anymore?"

Lin Ye leaned against the stair railing, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and a tiny smile curved his lips.

Shen Na looked up and glared at him.

The glare probably meant "What do you think?", but because her eyes were still red, her legs were still weak, and she was still in a daze, it had no power to hurt her.

"no."

She's stubborn.

Then he took a step, his knee buckled, and he almost crashed into the corridor wall.

Lin Ye reached out to support her.

My hand rested on her elbow, and through the thin fabric of her cardigan, I could feel the lingering heat on her skin.

After he helped her up, Shen Na didn't break free; instead, she leaned against him half an inch.

"elder brother--"

When she spoke, her voice was hoarse and sweet, with the last syllable drawn out.

"What you just did—"

"What just happened?"

"That was too fierce."

She buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder, her nose brushing against the skin above his collarbone.

"Didn't you say it would only be a little bit? Your 'little bit' is way too long."

Lin Ye put the cigarette back in his mouth and helped her walk towards the stairwell.

Shen Na clung to his arm, walking extremely slowly with each step.

She paused at the top of the stairs, looked down at the wooden steps of the spiral staircase, and her expression was as if she were looking at Mount Everest.

"This staircase—why is it so long?"

"Why didn't it feel long when I came here?"

"My legs weren't weak when I came."

Lin Ye bent down, put one arm around her shoulder, and put the other arm under her knees, lifting her up in his arms.

Shen Na instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, and her whole body lifted into the air.