I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

Jiang Che didn't speak, resting his chin on her head, his palm outstretched against her back, without moving.

Song Yuqi listened intently for a while, and the frequency was indeed quite fast.

Her lips curled up even higher, hidden against his chest, and her voice came out in a muffled tone.

"Aren't you usually quite composed?"

"Um."

"Why is it unstable now?"

Jiang Che gently pinched her waist with his fingers.

Song Yuqi shrank back and chuckled as she patted his arm.

He glanced down at her, his voice very soft.

"It's your fault."

Song Yuqi buried her face even deeper, her ear tips burning hot, but she stubbornly refused to give in.

"What's it to my fault?"

"I didn't do anything."

Jiang Che didn't respond to her words, but tightened his grip on her arm slightly, holding her even closer.

Song Yuqi felt his body temperature pressed against her entire back, and even her breathing rhythm began to follow his.

She stopped talking.

The two of them stood there, with only the sound of the air conditioner running and the waves crashing against the shore outside the window.

After a while, Song Yuqi finally lifted her head from his embrace. When her nose brushed against his chin, she couldn't help but look up at him.

He happened to be looking at her too.

Song Yuqi immediately turned her face away and pushed against his chest, taking half a step back.

"I'm going to take a shower."

Jiang Che released his grip, took a step back, and his expression returned to normal, neither particularly impressive nor disappointing.

"Go."

Song Yuqi picked up her change of clothes from her suitcase and walked towards the bathroom. She paused at the door and glanced back at the velvet box on the bedside table.

"Don't touch that thing."

"it is good."

Song Yuqi closed the bathroom door and leaned against it, catching her breath.

I covered my face with both hands, feeling that the temperature on my face was enough to stir-fry a plate of shrimp.

When she came out after taking a shower, Jiang Che had already changed into pajamas and a short-sleeved shirt, and was sitting on a single sofa next to the French windows, the light from his phone screen shining on his face.

Song Yuqi dried her hair and walked over, glancing at the screen.

Is he turning the pages of sheet music?

"Still looking at sheet music at a time like this?"

"I'm used to it."

Jiang Che locked his phone and put it on the coffee table. He stood up, grabbed a dry towel, and walked behind her.

"Hair wasn't dried."

He took the towel from Song Yuqi's hand and replaced it with a thicker bath towel.

He stood behind her, his technique not particularly delicate, but his strength was just right, gently patting the moisture out of her hair.

Song Yuqi sat on the edge of the bed without moving, her shoulders slightly tense, before slowly relaxing after a few seconds.

In this ambiguous atmosphere, their eyes met.

The two of them looked at the 2.2-meter-wide bed at the same time.

The atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

Song Yuqi spoke first.

"Are you sleeping on the floor again today?"

Jiang Che glanced around the room. "If you mind..."

"I don't mind," Song Yuqi replied quickly, as if she were answering a question beforehand.

She was stunned after saying that, her toes curling up inside her slippers.

Jiang Che's lips curved slightly, but he didn't laugh out loud.

"Then we won't sleep on the floor."

He lifted a corner of the blanket and lay down on his right side, the movement as natural as if he had done it for a hundred nights.

Song Yuqi stood there for three seconds, picked up her pillow and placed it on her left side, then slowly crawled into the blanket, her body taut.

The two people were at least forty centimeters apart.

On a 2.2-meter bed, those 40 centimeters seem heartbreakingly vast.

Song Yuqi stared at the ceiling, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see him lying on his side with his back to her.

After a while, she spoke.

Jiang Che.

"Um."

Are you asleep?

"Do you think anyone could fall asleep when you said that?"

Song Yuqi pursed her lips, her heart pounding against her ribs.

"Tell me the truth, was the box Wu Zheng sent... part of a scheme with you?"

Jiang Che turned over to face her, with only half of his face showing on the pillow.

What do you think?

I think so.

"Then you guessed wrong."

Song Yuqi looked at him with a mixture of belief and doubt.

"Really not?"

"If I could have conspired with Wu Zheng to send you pajamas, would I have needed to wait until today?"

"It was delivered to Chongqing on the very first day."

Song Yuqi clicked her tongue and forcefully turned her back to him.

"Can't you say something serious?"

"I'm quite serious," Jiang Che's voice came from behind her, with a hint of a smile.

"Don't move this way."

"I didn't move."

"Your breath is hitting my neck!"

"That's the return air from the air conditioner."

Song Yuqi elbowed him from behind, hitting something but not knowing where, and heard him hiss.

"Where did they hit?" She couldn't help but turn around and glance back.

"rib cage."

Song Yuqi withdrew her hand, her tone a little guilty.

"You got too close yourself."

"Yes, it was my fault." Jiang Che rubbed the spot where he had been bumped, but didn't make a fuss.

The two of them quieted down again.

The sound of waves pushed in layer by layer from outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, slowly smoothing out the remaining tension in the room.

Song Yuqi didn't know how much time had passed; it could have been five minutes or even longer.

She turned over, facing Jiang Che.

His eyes were closed, his breathing was even, and he looked like he was really about to fall asleep.

She stared at his profile for a while, then whispered something.

"Good night."

Jiang Che didn't open his eyes, but his lips moved slightly.

"Good night."

Song Yuqi pulled the blanket up, curled up, and closed her eyes.

She slept soundly that night.

-

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, cutting a narrow beam of light onto the carpet.

Song Yuqi woke up groggily, and the first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes was that something was wrong.

Her head rested on Jiang Che's arm.

She nestled close to him, almost touching his shoulder, her right hand resting on his chest.

His left arm slipped under her neck, his palm lightly resting on her shoulder.

Song Yuqi's brain went blank for a full five seconds.

Then she swiftly withdrew her hand, turned over, pulled the blanket over her head, and covered her head—all in one smooth motion.

"..."

Under the covers, her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

Who approached first?

She tried to recall the events while burning her face, but her memory was a complete blank.

Footsteps sounded outside the covers, followed by the sound of the curtains being pulled open, letting in a flood of sunlight.

"Awake?" Jiang Che's voice was very close, as if he were speaking in your ear.

Song Yuqi poked half her head out from under the covers.

"When...when did you wake up?"

"Ten minutes earlier than you."

"and you……"

Song Yuqi's words caught in her throat. What she wanted to ask was, "Then why didn't you move me away?" But no matter how she asked it, it didn't sound right.

Jiang Che's profile, with his back to her and as he drew the curtains, was outlined in a warm color by the sunlight.

He turned around and saw her huddled under the covers, only her eyes showing, and a slight smile curved his lips.

"I'm hungry, let's go downstairs for breakfast."

"it is good."

......

In the restaurant downstairs.

Chen He curled up in the corner, hugging a pillow, his eyes half-open and half-closed.

Deng Chao sat at the other end with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking awake but not quite there yet.

Lu Han ate bread slices at the dining table, chewing quietly and rhythmically.

Chen He sat up straight as soon as he saw Jiang Che come downstairs.

"Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!"

He leaned close to Deng Chao's ear and poked it twice.

"Look, look at his expression."

Deng Chao looked up and sized up Jiang Che for a couple of seconds. "What's wrong?"

"Didn't you notice that the corners of his mouth are turned up?"

"I haven't looked away since the second I saw him."

Deng Chao turned his head and glanced at Jiang Che again.

Jiang Che walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of mineral water, and his expression and actions were no different from usual.

"I think you're overthinking it."

Chen He was unconvinced.

"My micro-expression observation skills..."

Deng Chao reached out and covered his mouth.

Lu Han paused in chewing her bread, glanced up at Chen He, and then continued chewing.

Chen He lowered his voice and leaned forward.

"Believe it or not, when Yuqi comes down, her face will definitely be red."

No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps echoed down the stairs.

All three people turned their heads at the same time.

Song Yuqi, dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts, with her hair casually tied in a ponytail, walked down step by step.

Her face was indeed red.

Her cheeks turned red all the way down to her ears.

Chen He sprang up from the sofa, turned around, and silently opened his mouth at Deng Chao: "See that? See that!"

Deng Chao put down his coffee cup, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Song Yuqi and Jiang Che in the kitchen, before picking up his cup again and taking a sip.

"I don't know anything."

Lu Han finished eating the bread, stood up, and patted the crumbs off her hands.

"The weather's nice; we should have a new mission today."

"I suggest everyone conserve their energy."