Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

Is he about to wake up?

The thought exploded in Li Chen's mind. His hand froze in mid-air as if struck by an electric current, less than a centimeter away from Yan Xi's delicate cheek.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of my throat.

Oh no, I got caught peeping. Now I'm in deep trouble.

He could even picture Yan Xi opening her eyes, looking at him with those always teasing eyes, and then lazily asking, "Junior, what do you want to do to me?"

However, the expected trial did not take place.

Yan Xi did not open her eyes.

She simply turned over gently, adjusting to a more comfortable position, and buried her face deeper into the soft cushions.

Her slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she uttered a very soft murmur, like a kitten.

"...Don't move."

The voice was very soft and indistinct, filled with a deep sleepiness.

Li Chen's heart skipped a beat once again.

Was she talking in her sleep? Or... was she actually already awake?

Li Chen dared not move, and even his breathing became soft.

He remained in that half-squatting, half-kneeling position, like a statue frozen in place, carefully observing Yan Xi's reaction.

A few seconds later, her breathing became steady and long again, and her peaceful sleeping appearance did not seem fake.

Li Chen then let out a long, silent sigh of relief.

Thankfully, it was just a false alarm.

He slowly withdrew his stiff hand, the fingertips still retaining the warmth he had felt when they were so close.

He slowly stood up, took two steps back, and created a safe distance.

In the office, the only sounds were the air conditioning and the slight hum of the computer towers.

He glanced at Yan Xi, who was fast asleep on the sofa, and then at the clock on the wall.

It's almost eleven o'clock.

What should we do now?

Should I wake her up and take her back to her dorm?

The moment the thought popped into his head, Li Chen rejected it himself.

He could tell that Yan Xi was truly exhausted. From the welcome party to this ancient architecture project, she hadn't been able to relax. This moment of sleep was incredibly precious to her.

He couldn't bear to disturb him.

Then...let her sleep here?

Li Chen looked around the spacious office.

Although there is a sofa, it is not a bed, so it would definitely be uncomfortable to sleep on for a long time.

Moreover, with the air conditioner blowing like that all the time, even if he's covered with his coat, he's likely to catch a cold.

Or should we just carry her back to the dorm?

This idea is bolder and more tempting.

In Li Chen's mind, the scene was still vivid: he carried her, who was fast asleep, through the quiet campus, and safely brought her back to her home amidst the shocked gaze of the dormitory supervisor.

No, that's too risky.

What if she wakes up halfway through? Where will I put my face then?

He'd probably be mistaken for a pervert and kicked away.

Li Chen was undergoing a fierce internal struggle.

Ultimately, the safest, but also the most clumsy, option prevailed.

Stay by her side.

We'll stay here and wait until she wakes up naturally.

He made the decision, and then he felt at peace.

He didn't return to the computer; the task there was already completed.

He looked around, and finally dragged an ordinary office chair from the corner and placed it not too far from the sofa.

This is a great location.

It allows me to detect her movements immediately without making her feel pressured by being too close.

You can also clearly see the night view outside the window.

Li Chen sat down and leaned back in his chair.

He didn't play on his phone, nor did he look at Yan Xi again.

His gaze drifted out the window.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, one can see the bustling night view of Linjiang City.

Countless lights converge to form dazzling rivers, flowing silently in the darkness.

The bridge spanning the river in the distance looks like a giant, glowing dragon lying across the water.

Very beautiful.

But Li Chen's mind wasn't on the scenery.

All his senses were focused on the sleeping person behind him.

He could hear her soft breathing and imagine her peaceful sleeping face.

Time seemed to stretch out at that moment.

The unusually quiet atmosphere in the office did not bore him; instead, it brought him an unprecedented and strange tranquility.

This is a very new experience.

No need to speak, no need to interact, not even need to exchange glances.

He simply knew that she was there, not far from him, sleeping peacefully.

This is enough.

Li Chen felt that his previous elation from his amazing performance in class had completely subsided at this moment.

That illusory sense of accomplishment from being the center of attention seems so insignificant in the face of this tangible reality right before your eyes.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he began to feel sleepy.

Several hours of intense mental work had exhausted all his energy.

My eyelids are getting heavier and heavier.

He tried to hold on, but his consciousness inevitably began to slip towards the edge of blurring.

His last thought before he fell completely asleep was:

I must wake up before she does tomorrow morning.

……

The first rays of morning sunlight streamed into office 501 through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

Dust particles danced silently within the beam of light.

Yan Xi's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She woke up.

I wasn't woken up by an alarm clock, nor by the glare of sunlight.

I woke up naturally.

This is a feeling I haven't had in a long time.

She opened her eyes, and was confused for a few seconds.

What came into view was an unfamiliar ceiling.

The air was filled with a clean and refreshing scent, a scent that belonged to a man.

She moved her body and realized that she was covered with two coats.

One of them was the light blue jacket she was very familiar with from the student council.

The other one... was a black hooded sweatshirt that still had body heat.

She recognized the sweatshirt too.

Yan Xi's gaze moved slowly.

Then, she saw it.

On a chair not far from the sofa, a figure was curled up in an extremely awkward position.

It's Li Chen.

He probably wanted to sleep on his desk, but there was a distance between the chair and the desk, so he could only barely drape his upper body over the edge of the desk and rest his head on his arm.

Even in his sleep, his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were not sleeping soundly.

The sunlight fell precisely on half of his face, outlining his distinct features in a soft yet three-dimensional way.

Yan Xi just stared at him quietly, without moving.

The office was so quiet you could hear each other breathing.

She noticed he was only wearing a thin T-shirt, and his shoulders were unconsciously hunched over in the cool morning air.

She saw his arm, which was resting on the edge of the table, and was red from the pressure of the weight for so long.

She saw his face, which always carried a hint of playfulness and sunshine, now filled with an unguarded weariness.

Yan Xi's gaze softened considerably.

The lake, which was always covered in frost, melted completely at this moment.

She carefully sat up.

She picked up the hoodie that belonged to Li Chen, still warm from his touch, as gently as if she were handling a rare treasure.

She bent down and gently draped the hoodie over Li Chen again, carefully tucking in the edges.

After doing all this, she stood up without making a sound.

She glanced at the clock on the wall.

It's 6:30 in the morning.

The cafeteria should be open by now.

She picked up her phone and wallet, and tiptoed out of the office.

She closed the door gently without making a sound.

About twenty minutes later.

Li Chen was awakened by the aroma of food.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and his first instinct was to look at the sofa.

empty.

Yan Xi has disappeared.

His heart sank instantly.

When did you leave? How come I was sleeping so soundly?

He rubbed his aching neck in frustration and stood up from the chair.

Then, he saw it.

On the desk where he was slumped over, there was a lunchbox that had appeared out of nowhere.

Next to the lunchbox was a cup of steaming soy milk.

The lunchbox was open, and inside were two golden and crispy fried dough sticks and a clean, white tea egg, with not a trace of its original skin left.