First, then, love.

In the darkness, her expression was obscured, but she could feel his gaze fixed intently on her face.

"What exactly do you want?" His tone was tinged with impatience.

The main reason is that I'm afraid I won't be able to resist the soft, squishy feel of it.

"If you leave, what if your mom suddenly decides to check up on you tomorrow morning and video calls you, only to see you sleeping in the living room? How am I supposed to explain that?" Shu Yao made up a lame excuse.

"I can just not answer, and my mom doesn't check up on me."

"No! Lie back down!" Shu Yao started to act spoiled, gripping his arm tightly.

He Zheng stared at the small hand she was holding on his arm.

Fair-skinned, slender, and not very strong.

He sighed and tossed the clothes he was holding back onto the chair.

He turned around, got back into bed, lay down, and covered himself with the blanket.

"Sleep," he uttered, closing his eyes.

Shu Yao breathed a sigh of relief and lay down as well.

However, my nerves remained on edge.

I still can't sleep.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes.

She started to tossing and turning in bed again.

"He Zheng," she couldn't help but call out again.

"explain."

"I still can't sleep."

A long, helpless sigh came from the darkness.

He Zheng suddenly turned to face her.

He stretched out his right arm directly, across the middle of the cushion that served as the "Chu River and Han Border".

A large hand landed precisely on her back in the darkness.

Through the thin silk quilt, the man's palms were large and burning hot.

Shu Yao froze, her hair standing on end.

"What are you doing! We agreed not to cross the line! Are you a dog?!" she roared in a low voice, preparing to kick him down.

"Shut up, don't move."

He Zheng's voice was irresistible.

His hand made no further move, simply resting steadily on her back.

Then, begin to pat rhythmically and gently.

The force was very light, the speed was very slow, and it carried a strange, soothing power.

Just like when Lin Shufen used to coax her to sleep when she was little.

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old...?" Shu Yao protested through gritted teeth, but her body honestly relaxed.

"The police dogs in the team have insomnia, so I filmed them like this too." He Zheng said frankly, without any sentimentality.

"..."

"He Zheng! You son of a bitch!"

Shu Yao was so angry she wanted to bite someone.

"Quiet, close your eyes,"

He Zheng ignored her outburst and continued his steady, unhurried movements.

The scalding heat was transmitted through the blanket, making it feel warm and cozy.

This rhythmic tapping is like a hypnotic beat.

Shu Yao's originally tense nerves miraculously relaxed slowly in this extremely safe rhythm.

My heartbeat returned to normal, and my breathing gradually became even.

Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and drowsiness washed over her like a tide.

Prepare to unload.

She unconsciously leaned closer to the heat source and rubbed her face against the pillow.

A few minutes later.

The patting motion stopped.

He Zheng withdrew his hand.

He looked at the woman beside him, who had finally quieted down, in the dim light streaming in from the window.

She was breathing heavily and sleeping soundly, her long eyelashes casting two shadows in her eye sockets.

When it's asleep, it loses its arrogant and unruly demeanor from the daytime and looks quite well-behaved.

He Zheng lay back down, putting his hands behind his head.

Listen to the even breathing sounds around you.

He closed his eyes.

After a long night, I can finally get a good night's sleep.

*

Seven o'clock in the morning.

His biological clock woke He Zheng up on time.

He opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright, without a trace of the grogginess of just waking up.

The bedroom was dimly lit with blackout curtains drawn.

He turned his head and glanced at the seat next to him.

A long, cylindrical throw pillow lies across the center of the bed, like a dividing line.

On the other side of the pillow, Shu Yao was curled up in the silk quilt with her back to him, only her fluffy back of her head showing. A few strands of black curly hair were scattered on the white pillowcase. She was breathing evenly and sleeping soundly.

He Zheng lifted the blanket over his side, rolled out of bed very quietly, and stepped barefoot onto the floor without making a sound.

He grabbed the black athletic t-shirt draped over the back of the chair, put it on, and walked out of the master bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"Click," the door lock snapped shut, the sound barely perceptible.

In the living room, the God of War had already woken up.

Upon hearing its owner's footsteps, it immediately stood up from its dog mat, wagged its tail, and rubbed against He Zheng's legs.

The "princess" on the sofa rolled over, not even opening her eyes, and continued snoring.

He Zheng walked to the entrance and changed into his running shoes.

Pick up the traction rope on the wall and fasten it to the God of War's collar.

"Come on, let's go for a run," he said in a low voice.

A man and a dog pushed open the door and went out.

The rain stopped, and the air was cool and smelled of earth.

He Zheng led the War God, running along the riverside path around the perimeter of the residential area.

Five kilometers, at an extremely fast pace.

War God is a retired military dog ​​with excellent physical fitness. It stays close to He Zheng's feet, without barking or making a fuss, and moves in sync with him.

When He Zheng reached the turnaround point, he was slightly out of breath, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He stopped and stood in front of a breakfast stall by the roadside.

The stall owner was a plump woman who was scooping fried dough sticks out of the oil pan.

"Hey Xiao He, just got back from your morning exercise?" The older woman greeted him warmly. He Zheng had been living here for several years and would occasionally come to buy breakfast on weekends.

"Okay," He Zheng nodded, "Two baskets of xiaolongbao, four youtiao, two cups of soy milk, to go."

The older woman quickly packed the buns into bags. "You bought so many today? You usually only have one basket of buns. Did you have guests over?"

He Zheng took out his phone and scanned the QR code to pay.

"No customers, no need for more mouths to feed," he replied casually, without further explanation.

Carrying a plastic bag and leading the dog, I walked back.

*

Eight o'clock in the morning.

He Zheng returned to the large apartment.

When I opened the door, the house was very quiet, and the door to the master bedroom was still closed.

He placed breakfast on the island platform and loosened the leash of the God of War.

The God of War ran to his water basin and licked the water in large gulps.

The sound is a bit noisy.

"Cluck, cluck"

He Zheng went into the kitchen and washed his hands.

He walked to the TV cabinet and took out the cat food container and automatic feeder that Shuyao had brought over yesterday.

The princess smelled the noise, jumped off the sofa, and walked over with her cat-like steps. Her tail stood straight up, and she circled around He Zheng's legs, making sweet meows to urge him to eat.

He Zheng looked at the "hero" who had just slapped the God of War four times yesterday, bent down, opened the cat food bucket, grabbed a handful of imported freeze-dried cat food, and threw it into the cat bowl.

The particles made a clinking sound as they hit the stainless steel bowl.

The princess immediately leaned in and started eating voraciously, making loud "smacking" noises.

After finishing his water, the God of War came over and stared longingly at the freeze-dried food in the cat bowl, swallowing hard.

He Zheng turned around, took out a large bowl of dog food from the cabinet, and poured it into the God of War's food bowl.

"Eat your food, don't look at it," he patted the God of War's head, establishing the rule, "If you dare to steal its food, I'll break your legs."

The God of War whimpered pitifully and obediently lowered his head to gnaw on his dry bowl of dog food.