109: Heavenly Selection Hook

"Sleep together?"

Yu Heng asked quite naturally, but Shen Yueling didn't answer immediately.

Sharing a bed with him didn't seem out of the question.

They had done much more intimate things anyway, not to mention that in their current relationship, nothing seemed excessive.

But... "How do we explain it tomorrow morning?" she asked.

This was a very practical problem. Two people coming out of the same room early in the morning was a different matter from being seen entering one late at night.

However, either scenario would likely lead to speculation, and she didn't really want to lay out such a private relationship in front of everyone.

Yu Heng didn't actually mind, but since Shen Yueling cared, he let it go.

He didn't want to, and felt no need to, force her on such a small matter.

"Alright then," Yu Heng nodded. "Why don't you ask Yu Tong which room she's in and squeeze in with her?"

"Okay, I'll go check," Shen Yueling nodded as well. "You go in and sleep."

Yu Heng walked into the empty room and closed the door behind him.

Too lazy to turn on the main light, he only switched on the bedside lamp.

The room wasn't large, and the light was somewhat dim.

He lay on the bed and let out a long breath.

Could this be considered having fully opened up with Shen Yueling?

From now on, he probably wouldn't have to worry about other women when it came to her anymore.

While he was pondering, his phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from Bai Xinran: "Are you asleep?"

Yu Heng: "No. The room at the very end of the third floor. Come over."

A few minutes later, footsteps stopped outside the door, followed by a cautious knock.

"Come in," Yu Heng said, his voice not loud.

The door was pushed open a crack, and Bai Xinran slipped inside, quickly closing it behind her.

She had changed into pajamas—a light-colored long-sleeved set—with her hair down, having just finished washing up.

Only a small lamp was on in the room, casting a hazy light. She stood by the door, looking a bit constrained. Yu Heng sat up against the headboard and watched her, not getting up.

"Come here," Yu Heng beckoned her to the bedside.

Bai Xinran walked over, stopping a step away from the bed.

Yu Heng didn't speak; he just raised his right hand and tapped the floor in front of him.

Bai Xinran understood. She bit her lip and knelt on the small rug spread beside the bed.

The rug wasn't thick; she could feel the hardness of the wooden floor beneath it.

She straightened her back, placed her hands on her closed knees, and looked up at Yu Heng.

From this angle, she had to look up slightly.

Yu Heng looked down at her; there was nervousness in her eyes.

There was submissiveness, and also a faint, barely detectable hint of anticipation.

"You did great today," Yu Heng said. "You held out for a long time."

The feeling of being acknowledged made her heart skip a beat.

"What kind of reward do you want?" Yu Heng asked.

A reward?

Bai Xinran froze for a moment; she hadn't thought about that.

"I don't know..." she said softly, which was the truth.

A material reward?

There wasn't anything in particular she wanted.

Further physical contact?

She felt she might not be ready yet, and Yu Heng didn't seem to have that intention anyway.

Yu Heng didn't rush her, he just waited.

"I don't seem to want anything," Bai Xinran said softly. "Your praise is reward enough."

Yu Heng stroked her head a few times and said with a smile, "Good girl. Go on back."

"Okay," Bai Xinran prepared to get up, then sat back down as if remembering something. "But, may I ask you a question?"

"What question?" Yu Heng squinted at her.

"When do you plan to officially take me in?" Bai Xinran asked.

She recalled what Yu Heng had said before, though she still only half-understood those concepts.

"Actually, I could at any time, but I want to wait a bit longer," Yu Heng said.

"Why?" Bai Xinran asked subconsciously, then quickly added, "Sorry, I asked another question..."

"Because what I want is a long-term, stable relationship. This is different from a romance where you get together on a whim or a moment of passion. This kind of relationship actually requires a long phase of getting to know each other, because it's different from dating—the concepts before and after establishing the relationship are different." Yu Heng paused and continued, "I need to confirm that you can become what I want, and you also need to confirm that I am someone with an independent personality in real life who can be responsible for my own words and actions. I need to know I won't push things to an irredeemable point and can guide and maintain this relationship in a state both parties agree on. That way, you can truly leave everything to me."

Yu Heng looked at her and asked seriously, "Are you ready?"

"Um..." Bai Xinran looked up. "Thank you for giving me time..."

Yu Heng rubbed Bai Xinran's head again. "Go on back?"

Bai Xinran nodded and pushed herself up from the rug.

Her knees were a bit numb; she rubbed them gently, then glanced back at Yu Heng as she reached the door.

Yu Heng had already lied back down and waved her off.

The door was gently closed. Yu Heng lay with his eyes shut for a while, not feeling sleepy.

Maybe he had talked too much tonight; his brain felt a bit overexcited, and he wanted a cigarette.

Yu Heng sat up and reached into his hoodie pocket. It was empty; the cigarette pack must have been left on the coffee table.

He threw on his hoodie, opened the door, and walked downstairs quietly.

Only a floor lamp in the corner of the living room was on. The coffee table had already been cleared, and his cigarette pack wasn't there.

Yu Heng bent down to look under the coffee table, but it wasn't there either.

Maybe someone had put it away or thrown it in the trash.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure by the balcony.

The sliding glass door wasn't fully closed, leaving a gap.

The balcony light was off, but the light from the neighborhood streetlamps filtered in, revealing the silhouette of a woman.

Was it Qin Lu?

She wasn't wearing a coat, just a knit sweater, standing with her back to the living room.

Yu Heng walked over and slid the glass door open.

Qin Lu turned around at the sound, saw it was Yu Heng, and turned back.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Yu Heng walked up beside her and leaned against the railing as well.

Qin Lu was holding a cigarette, half-smoked.

"You smoke?" Yu Heng was a bit surprised.

In his impression, Qin Lu was a traditional, elegant woman.

And from what he knew of her upbringing, she didn't seem like the type who would smoke.

"Occasionally, very rarely," Qin Lu's voice was soft. "After that whole mess happened, I've been having one whenever I'm stressed."

She brought the cigarette to her lips, took a puff, and slowly exhaled.

Yu Heng raised an eyebrow and then asked, "Any more? Give me one."

"No more. This was the last one from the coffee table," Qin Lu said.

Yu Heng pursed his lips. Well, then that was his cigarette.

"So, what's wrong?" He took the cigarette from her hand and took a puff. "What's bothering you?"