Hot flashes

The folding chair was never repaired.

As night fell the next day, Zhou Heng dawdled back to the main tent and saw the pile of broken wood in the corner still untouched, which made his heart sink.

Xiao Jue was sitting behind his desk reviewing documents. When he heard him come in, he only raised his eyelids slightly before lowering them again, as if the collapsed bed was a trivial matter, or as if he had simply forgotten about it.

Zhou Heng stood at the junction of the inner and outer rooms, looking at the spacious main couch, his feet seemingly rooted to the spot.

The chilling sensation and temperature of last night, which made his scalp tingle and his heart race, along with the "accident" that nearly suffocated him this morning, surged up with uncanny clarity.

To sleep or not to sleep?

Instead of sleeping, he went back to his own little private barracks. He subconsciously touched his neck.

What if that pervert comes again...?

Zhou Heng shivered.

Stay and share a bed with Xiao Jue? Although last night's "accident" was incredibly embarrassing, after all... after all, Xiao Jue seemed completely unaware, and it was morning, so it was just a man's unconscious instinctive reaction.

The lesser of two evils.

Zhou Heng took a deep breath, as if he had made a major decision, and walked over with a stiff upper lip.

Xiao Jue just put down his pen, rubbed his temples, and glanced at him seemingly casually: "What are you standing there for?"

"N-nothing," Zhou Heng replied dryly, walked to the bedside, and began to make his own bedding.

This time, he deliberately moved the bedding further outward, almost touching the edge of the bed, leaving enough space for another person to lie down on the inside.

Xiao Jue took in his subtle movements, his eyes darkening, but he said nothing, got up and took off his outer robe.

The two lay down in silence and blew out the candles.

Zhou Heng had his back to Xiao Jue, his body taut like a board, but his ears were perked up, alertly sensing every slight movement behind him.

It was quiet on Xiao Jue's end; his breathing was steady, as if he had fallen asleep quickly.

Time passed slowly, and his tense nerves gradually relaxed in the darkness and silence, finally drowsiness washing over him. Zhou Heng drowsily thought, "It seems last night really was an accident; everything should be alright tonight..."

Consciousness sank into darkness.

……

I was woken up by the heat again.

That familiar, heart-pounding, burning heat pressed tightly against my back once more.

The moment Zhou Heng regained consciousness, he felt as if he had been doused with ice water, and all sleepiness vanished.

Here we go again?!

He almost couldn't help but curse out loud.

Her waist was tightly encircled, her back pressed against a firm chest, and she could even feel the other person's steady and powerful heartbeat.

Almost exactly the same location as yesterday, with the same feeling of confinement.

Zhou Heng froze, his mind racing with alarm bells. He tried to recall how he had rolled back to this spot from the edge of the bed. He clearly remembered being far away when he lay down!

Could it be that I'm a terrible sleeper and rolled over here?

This realization made him even more ashamed and indignant.

However, before he could recover from this blow, an even more terrifying sensation came clearly.

There is no fabric.

Only skin.

Zhou Heng felt a "boom" in his mind, as if something had exploded.

Where are his pants?!

He was definitely wearing his undershirt and trousers when he slept! Even if the belt wasn't tied too tightly for comfort, it shouldn't have disappeared after just one night's sleep, right?!

Did it rub off in its sleep? How could it have rubbed so clean?!

The shock and absurdity even temporarily overwhelmed his shame and fear. He was completely stunned, his body stiff as if it didn't belong to him.

The person behind them seemed to still be asleep.

Zhou Heng's breathing became completely disordered. He bit his lower lip hard to suppress the scream that was about to escape his throat.

What the hell is going on?!

Could it be that my sleeping posture is so terrible that it's outrageous that I could even fall down my pants and roll right into Xiao Jue's arms? The probability of that is lower than if he were struck by lightning and transmigrated!

Zhou Heng, almost on a desperate impulse, suddenly reached out and grabbed Xiao Jue's arm that was across his waist.

His fingertips were icy cold. He used some force to try to remove the obviously intrusive arm from his body—at least to break the direct contact that made his scalp tingle!

However, he had just exerted his strength, and hadn't even had a chance to move it an inch—

A deep, clear voice came from above, slightly hoarse from just waking up, but with absolutely no sign of sleepiness:

"What are you doing?"

Zhou Heng trembled violently, and the hand gripping his arm jerked away as if burned, his whole body stiffening.

He...he's awake? When did he wake up?!

Now, in this position... Zhou Heng belatedly realized that his action of grabbing Xiao Jue's arm and pushing him to the side, in the dim light and combined with their current position, really looked like... like he had actively hugged the other person's arm and pulled him towards himself!

"I...I didn't do anything!" Zhou Heng's voice changed, he was anxious and flustered. He subconsciously tried to sit up and explain, but the arm around his waist was still wrapped around him. It wasn't very strong, but it carried a sense of not being able to break free.

Xiao Jue seemed to adjust his posture slightly in response to his movements, but the situation of their lower bodies being pressed together remained unchanged.

He froze instantly, his face burning hot enough to fry an egg on.

"Didn't you do anything?" Xiao Jue's voice was close to his ear, his breath brushing against his reddened earlobe, carrying a calm inquiring tone. "Then what were your hands doing just now?"

"I...I just..." Zhou Heng stammered, his mind blank. He couldn't very well say, "My lord, your thing is poking me, and I wanted to push it away," could he?

Just then, Xiao Jue's gaze seemed to sweep downwards, and his tone took on a different meaning as he slowly asked, "Where are your pants?"

boom--!

Zhou Heng felt as if his skull was about to be blown off by those words.