Waaah, I'm being forced into loving my yandere wife's brain.

Lin Zhiyao felt so ashamed that she wanted to cover her face with her hands.

"Does it hurt?" Shen Jin stopped what he was doing and looked up at her.

"No, no, it doesn't hurt." Lin Zhiyao's voice was a little weak. "It's just... a little cold."

Shen Jin glanced at her, but didn't expose her lie. He lowered his head and continued to spread the last bit of ointment evenly.

He gently pressed his fingertip against her leg through the cotton swab, as if to make sure the ointment was absorbed, before withdrawing his hand.

"alright."

Shen Jin threw the cotton swab into the trash can, screwed the cap of the ointment on, and said, "This is an anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory ointment. It should take effect quickly. Observe it. If it gets worse or you have any other reactions, tell me and I'll take you to the hospital."

After saying that, he picked out a few more bottles of medicine. "These are cold and anti-inflammatory medicines, and also fever reducers. I'll put them in there as a precaution."

Lin Zhiyao quickly pulled down her trouser legs, knees together, her ears still burning, and whispered a thank you.

The skin on my leg is indeed much cooler now. The burning sensation and faint stinging have subsided considerably, leaving only a faint minty aftertaste.

"Tell me earlier if you feel unwell next time."

Shen Jin closed the first-aid kit, his tone as natural as if nothing had happened, "Don't hold it in."

After saying that, he joked in a relaxed tone, "After all, we're roommates. If there's a pest infestation, or if it really is a viral infection, I'll be stuck with you."

"Um."

Lin Zhiyao thought Shen Jin's words made a lot of sense, nodded in agreement, and her face turned even redder.

She realized that it might affect Shen Jin's normal life, and since she had just been a little unfriendly to him, she felt even more embarrassed and added a sincere thank you.

"Thank you so much, Shen Jin."

Shen Jin waved his hand to indicate that he was welcome, stood up, put the first-aid kit aside, sat back down on the sofa, and glanced out the window.

"By the way, the Christmas holidays are almost here, and Christmas trees should be selling everywhere. I'm planning to buy one to decorate. Do you want to come along? We can also buy some New Year's goods so we can have something to eat on New Year's Eve."

Lin Zhiyao was taken aback: "Spend the New Year together?"

"Yeah, it's just the two of us anyway."

Shen Jin picked up his now-cold bagel, took a bite, and stared at her impassively. "What, any other plans?"

No, no.

Lin Zhiyao quickly shook her head, a strange, indescribable feeling suddenly welling up in her chest, warm like soaking in a hot spring. "I used to spend the Lunar New Year alone..."

The moment she said those words, she regretted it, feeling like she was trying to gain sympathy. She quickly added, "Well, my home is quite far away, and plane tickets are expensive. I don't usually go back during my short holidays."

Shen Jin paused chewing his bagel for a second, glanced at her, and without asking any further questions, simply said, "Well, we have someone to go with us this year. Let's go after breakfast."

Lin Zhiyao's eyelashes trembled, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Shen Jin, only softly humming in agreement.

The procurement process went smoothly.

Shen Jin drove her to a large supermarket in the suburbs. The Christmas tree section had several rows of different varieties. It was the first time Lin Zhiyao had picked out a Christmas tree by herself. She was so excited that she stood on tiptoe to look at each one carefully, and even smelled them, saying that this one had a strong pine scent and that one had a nice shape.

Shen Jin pushed the shopping cart behind her, stopping and waiting for her to choose from each tree she stopped in front of.

Finally, she chose a medium-sized Norbert pine, which Shen Jin moved to the trunk of the car, and then took her to buy decorations.

Colorful balls, string lights, star-shaped decorations, ribbons, and little bells—Lin Zhiyao wanted to grab a handful of everything, and Shen Jin let her have her way. By the time they checked out, the shopping cart was almost overflowing.

Next, I went home to decorate.

Shen Jin set up the tree in the corner of the living room, Lin Zhiyao knelt on the carpet and hung colorful balls on the tree branch, and Shen Jin stood on the ladder and wrapped the string lights around.

Sometimes when she couldn't reach the top, she would pass the ball to Shen Jin, who would bend down from the ladder to catch it. The two worked together seamlessly.

When the string lights were turned on, the warm yellow light shone on Lin Zhiyao's face. She looked up, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling like a dreamy stained glass window or a beautiful kaleidoscope. A small pine needle was stuck on the tip of her nose, but she didn't even notice it.

"Lower your head a little," Shen Jin said.

Lin Zhiyao lowered her head, and Shen Jin raised his hand to remove the pine needle from the tip of her nose. When his fingertip brushed against the tip of her nose, she blinked, and her heart skipped a beat for no reason.

But Shen Jin had already withdrawn his hand, taken a half step back, and taken out his phone.

"Stand by the tree, let me take a picture of you," Shen Jin said.

"Huh?" Lin Zhiyao was taken aback, took a half step back, a little embarrassed. "Why are you taking pictures...?"

"Many girls take a picture with the Christmas tree and post it on their WeChat Moments," Shen Jin said casually, his phone already raised. "Just stand there."

Lin Zhiyao was somewhat tempted by what she heard. She had indeed seen many beautiful Christmas photos posted by her classmates. So she obediently stood in front of the tree, unsure of what to do with her hands. In the end, she could only hold the ends of her scarf and giggle foolishly.

Shen Jin pressed the shutter button a few times.

"Okay. Take a look."

He handed her his phone, and Lin Zhiyao leaned over to look. In the photo, she was standing in warm light, with the Christmas tree's colorful balls and lights becoming the background, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

The composition and angle are both very pleasing.

Unaware that the reflection in the window of the photo vaguely revealed Shen Jin holding his phone, though blurry, it was clear that he was a tall man with handsome features.

Lin Zhiyao: "I didn't expect you to be such a good photographer. These photos are so beautiful."

"Post it on WeChat Moments." Shen Jin put away his phone and added without looking up, "It's a good photo, it'd be a waste not to post it."

Lin Zhiyao thought about it and realized that it was indeed rare to take such beautiful photos, so she might as well share them.

She saved the photo Shen Jin sent, along with a Christmas tree emoji and the caption, "First time decorating a Christmas tree by myself."

After sending it, she glanced at it twice, locked the screen, and continued to hang the remaining little bells.

*

The rest of the Christmas holidays passed by in a very regular manner.

During the day, Lin Zhiyao would read documents and write emails at the dining table in the living room or kitchen. Shen Jin would sometimes handle his own work in the study, and sometimes sit on the sofa in the living room with his computer.

The two went about their own business, occasionally exchanging a few words. For example, when Shen Jin asked her what she wanted to eat for lunch, Lin Zhiyao looked up and said anything was fine. Shen Jin then got up, put on an apron, and started cooking.

Lin Zhiyao discovered that Shen Jin's cooking was quite good. Although it was mostly simple, home-style Western food, such as pasta, salad, and sandwiches, the seasoning was just right for her taste, and the recipes were also very healthy.

Later, she also learned to make breakfast herself, while Shen Jin took care of dinner.

The two have a clear division of labor and work well together.

Shen Jin even took Lin Zhiyao for a walk around the campus beforehand to familiarize her with the routes and landmarks.

Life went smoothly and peacefully, and Lin Zhiyao was very happy, feeling that she had truly met a wonderful person.

The only thing that bothered her was that she always felt sticky and sweaty when she woke up every morning.

At first, Lin Zhiyao thought the heating was too strong, so she changed the blanket to a thinner one, but she still sweated the next day.

So she simply stopped covering herself with anything and only put a thin blanket over her stomach at night, but when she woke up she was still sticky all over.

The pajamas felt uncomfortable against my skin, making me sweaty, and my face was flushed, probably from the heat.

The nightgown is often not very neat.

Sometimes I wake up to find my bra straps slipped onto my arms, sometimes my skirt was rolled up to my waist, and sometimes I was lying sideways on the opposite side with my pillow tilted to one side.

She's usually a very quiet sleeper, I don't know why she's been so restless lately.

New Year's Eve was fast approaching.

That morning.

Lin Zhiyao woke up still feeling sticky all over.

She racked her brains for a day and finally concluded that the knee-length cotton nightgown was probably too thick.

Just in time for a new year and a fresh start.

Lin Zhiyao decided to try sleeping half-naked to see if she was still hot.