Slow to mature after marriage

The old lady muttered a few more words, then pulled Bo Ning outside.

"Take good care of yourself, Grandma will come to see you again tomorrow."

Bo Ning blinked at Mu Siwan, then waved her fist at Bo Yan.

"Brother, take good care of your wife, don't always make others peel apples for you."

The door closed.

The ward fell silent.

The bedside table was piled with things—a thermos, a fruit basket, several dolls, and magazines that Bo Ning had stuffed into it.

Bo Yan was still peeling an apple.

The movement was slow and leisurely, with a ring of fruit peel hanging down, swaying, but never breaking.

Mu Siwan turned her head and stared at him.

The light from the window fell on his profile, deeply outlining his features. His eyelashes drooped, and he was very quiet. But the bluish-gray under his eyes couldn't be hidden, and a faint weariness spread down his brow bone.

"Bo Yan, when did you get back?"

The man paused, and the peel snapped off. He handed over the peeled apple.

"4:30."

Mu Siwan took the apple, somewhat stunned.

4:30 a.m.

So the figure I vaguely saw last night wasn't a dream.

He really did come back at that time.

She lowered her eyes, then raised them again.

"Do you... want to take a nap?"

Bo Yan looked up in confusion at the single bed.

"How do you sleep?"

"I can use a wheelchair," she said, pointing to the bedside. "Then you can sleep in the bed."

Bo Yan: "..."

He put down the fruit knife, raised his hand to rub his temples, and found it amusing.

"Mu Siwan, do I look like an animal?"

Mu Siwan looked up in confusion, not understanding why he suddenly scolded her.

"It doesn't look like it."

"Then I'll sleep in your bed?" He put down the fruit knife. "If the old lady comes back and sees me occupying the hospital bed while you're in a wheelchair, I'll have to peel apples for the entire Yanhe International tomorrow."

Mu Siwan thought about that scene—

Bo Yan sat in the conference room, a mountain of apples piled in front of him, peeling them expressionlessly.

She gave a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

"Why don't you go back to Muyan Garden to sleep? I can manage on my own here."

"Too lazy."

The man lazily lowered his eyes, his gaze sliding over the pile of gifts before finally settling on the single bed, where he lingered for a few seconds.

He spoke slowly.

"or……"

A very deliberate pause.

"Shall we squeeze in together?"

Mu Siwan was stunned for a moment.

She looked down at the bed—it was 1.2 meters wide, spacious enough for one person, but could comfortably accommodate two…

She looked up at him again.

Bo Yan leaned back in his chair, his face expressionless, only his eyes fixed on her, waiting for an answer.

Mu Siwan stared at the bed, carefully considering her options.

"According to ergonomic data, the average shoulder width of an adult is 45 to 50 centimeters. Two people lying side-by-side need at least 90 centimeters of contact surface. This bed is 1.2 meters wide, which is theoretically barely enough." She paused, looking down at her left foot, "But with the space taken up by the cast, turning over, lying on my side—"

Before she could finish speaking, Bo Yan stood up, walked to the bedside, and sat down.

The mattress sagged in a bit.

He turned his head to look at her, and the corners of his lips curved into a smile.

"Forensic pathologist, we'll have to try to find out if it will work."

-

The curtains were drawn tightly, and the door was closed, so not a single ray of light could get in from the corridor.

The ward was quiet. Only the second hand of the wall clock ticked away. The faint smell of disinfectant mingled with the delicate fragrance of the flowers on the windowsill.

Bo Yan carried her to the inside of the bed, with the plaster side facing outwards, just hanging over the edge. He then went around to the other side and lay down.

The bed shook, then fell silent.

The bed is too small.

A 1.2-meter single bed is spacious enough for one person, but just enough for two people to squeeze in.

Mu Siwan's back was pressed against the man's chest, and she could feel the warmth through the thin hospital gown.

Scalding hot.

His breath fell on the back of her neck.

Low and gentle.

too close.

So close that she could feel the warmth on every inch of her skin.

Mu Siwan remained stiff and motionless.

She didn't know where to put her hands, and dared not move her feet. She stared at the wall in front of her, her breathing becoming shallow, afraid that she might accidentally touch something she shouldn't.

The person behind them, however, felt quite at ease, even developing a sense of craving satisfaction.

He could feel the woman's stiff back, smell the faint scent of disinfectant in her hair, and see the small patch of skin behind her ear slowly turning red in the dim light.

Before, at home, she would always curl up in the corner of the bed, her back to him, half a meter away. Outside of work hours, she would keep her distance from him, as if that half meter was a line drawn in stone.

She held firm, refusing to yield an inch.

Now it's finally gone.

Bo Yan closed his eyes, but the slight smile on his lips was impossible to suppress.

His hand rested on her waist, unconsciously caressing it.

Mu Siwan flinched.

"Thin inkstone".

Her voice came from the front, muffled.

"Um?"

Are you asleep?

"without."

She was silent for a moment.

"I don't have any either."

Bo Yan chuckled softly, the sound landing near her ear.

"What should we do then?"

She didn't answer.

After a while, she spoke softly.

"Your breath feels so close."

"Um."

"Could you...stop rubbing my lower back?"

"I can't sleep, it's a bit unusual."

Bo Yan remained silent for a moment, then moved his hand up from her waist to her shoulder and patted it gently.

It's like coaxing a child.

"It's okay, you'll get used to it eventually."

Mu Siwan froze, her body stiffening even more.

He patted her back gently, again and again.

Slowly, her body relaxed.

I don't know how much time passed, but my breathing gradually became steady.

Bo Yan opened his eyes and looked at the woman's slender and soft back.

Her hair was spread out on the pillow, revealing a small section of the back of her neck. It was white and soft, right in front of him.

He stared at it for a long time.

Then he put his arm around the woman's waist again, resting his chin on the side of her neck.

Slowly close your eyes.

That night, they both slept very soundly.

-

The knocking on the door startled the two of them awake.

Mu Siwan opened her eyes, her consciousness not yet fully returned, and the first thing she felt was warm breath on the side of her neck.

Very close.

too close.

Her body tensed instinctively, and she tried to back away, but found herself being held by a hand around the waist, nestled in a warm embrace.

She paused for a moment, then turned her head away.

Bo Yan's breathing was right above her head, her eyelashes drooping quietly, she was fast asleep.

She stared at his face for a few seconds.

I still can't get used to it.

There was a second knock on the door.

Bo Yan's eyebrows twitched, and he opened his eyes.

He met her gaze.

The two people were so close that they could see themselves reflected in each other's pupils.

He didn't move.

She didn't move.

"Who?" Bo Yan asked, his voice hoarse from just waking up.

"Doctor, it's time for rounds." A voice came from outside the door.

Bo Yan sat up, straightened his wrinkled shirt, and got out of bed to open the door.

Mu Siwan propped herself up on the bed and looked down at herself—her hospital gown was wrinkled and her hair was a mess.

She raised her hand to straighten it, but couldn't get it right.