159: Chapter 158 The Obedient Lin Qiaoyou

Su Bai lay in bed, tossing and turning.

He couldn't sleep.

He sat up, picked up his phone, and glanced at it: 1:40 AM.

He sat up again, threw off the quilt, got out of bed, and stepped onto the carpet with bare feet.

The floor was cool, a chill traveling from the soles of his feet all the way up to his calves.

He walked to the door and pulled it open. The hallway was very dark, with only a sliver of gray moonlight filtering in from the window at the end, illuminating the floor.

He stood in the hallway, listening to the sounds of breathing behind the various doors.

He listened for a while, then walked to Lin Qiaoyou's door. It wasn't locked, so he pushed it open and stepped inside.

The room was dark, the curtains drawn. Only a tiny bit of light squeezed through the gap, painting a thin white line on the wall.

Lin Qiaoyou was lying on her side, wrapped in the quilt, her face buried in the pillow. Her breathing was light and even.

Her hair was loose, spread out on the pillow like an open fan.

One foot poked out from under the quilt, bare, with rounded toes painted in pale pink nail polish.

Su Bai stood by the bed, looking at her.

She was fast asleep and didn't know someone had entered.

He crouched down to look at her.

Her face was buried in the pillow, revealing only one side. Her eyes were closed, and her long eyelashes cast a small shadow on her eyelids.

Her lips were slightly parted, her breath moving in and out, very light and slow.

Su Bai reached out and gently touched her fingers.

Lin Qiaoyou didn't wake up.

He touched them again; she still didn't wake up.

He took her hand; it was small, soft, and cool.

He interlaced his fingers with hers, holding hands.

Lin Qiaoyou's fingers twitched, but she didn't wake up.

Su Bai let go of her hand, stood up, kicked off his shoes, lifted the quilt, and lay down beside her.

The bed wasn't large, and it was a bit cramped with the two of them lying together. Her body pressed against his; through their thin pajamas, he could feel her body heat, warm and soft.

He reached out to wrap his arm around her waist and buried his face in her hair.

Her hair was silky, fragrant, and sweet.

Lin Qiaoyou shifted and let out a muffled hum.

She turned over to face him, her eyes still closed, but her hand had already reached out to rest on his waist.

"Su Bai?" Her voice was raspy, as if she were in a dream.

Su Bai didn't speak.

Lin Qiaoyou opened her eyes, squinting at him. She looked for two seconds, then closed them again.

"You came." Her voice was very soft, as if she had known he would come all along.

Su Bai still didn't speak.

Lin Qiaoyou buried her face in his chest, her hand moving up from his waist to wrap around his neck.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Her voice was muffled.

Su Bai said, "I can't sleep."

Lin Qiaoyou hummed an "Mm" and didn't say anything else.

Her breathing slowly became light and even again.

Su Bai held her without moving.

Her body was so soft and warm, pressed against him like cotton that had been baked in the sun.

His heartbeat slowly calmed down, and the chaotic images in his mind began to fade.

He closed his eyes, but he didn't fall asleep.

Lin Qiaoyou's breath brushed against his neck, hot and ticklish.

His hand slid down from her waist and came to rest on her leg.

Lin Qiaoyou's body tensed, but she didn't pull away.

She buried her face in his neck, her arms tightening around his neck.

"Su Bai." Her voice was very soft.

"Mm."

"Do you have something on your mind?"

Su Bai didn't speak.

Lin Qiaoyou waited for a while; when she didn't get an answer, she didn't ask again.

Her hand gently caressed his neck, her fingernails brushing against his skin, making it ticklish.

Su Bai's hand slid up from her leg, wrapped around her waist, and turned her over to lie flat on her back.

Lin Qiaoyou opened her eyes and looked at him; there was a glimmer of light in her eyes, leaking in from the gap in the curtains.

Her face was flushed, her lips slightly parted.

"Su Bai," she called him.

Su Bai lowered his head.

She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling.

Lin Qiaoyou's breathing became rapid.

She bit her lip to keep from making a sound.

Su Bai buried his head in her neck.

Lin Qiaoyou's hands gripped the sheets, her knuckles turning white.

Her body was trembling slightly.

Su Bai's hand slid down from her shoulder to her back, lifting her up so she was lying on top of him.

Lin Qiaoyou lay on his chest, burying her face in his neck.

Her heart was beating fast, so fast it felt like it might jump out of her chest.

Moonlight leaked in through the gap in the curtains, falling onto her face; her eyes were very bright.

"Are you done?" she asked.

Su Bai looked at her.

"No."

Lin Qiaoyou's face flushed; she lowered her head and buried her face back in his neck.

"Then... continue." Her voice was as small as a mosquito's hum.

Su Bai turned over.

Lin Qiaoyou closed her eyes, her lashes trembling.

Her hands gripped the sheets, her fingertips turning white.

After a long while, Lin Qiaoyou lay on Su Bai's chest, her fingers lightly drawing circles on him.

Her face was flushed, her eyes half-closed, her lips slightly swollen, and the quilt had slipped to her waist.

Her hair was spread out on the pillow, a dark, black expanse.

"Su Bai," she called him.

"Mm."

"What's wrong with you today?"

Su Bai didn't speak.

Lin Qiaoyou waited for a while, then raised her head to look at him.

"Did you have a fight with Chu Yi?"

Su Bai said no.

"Then what's wrong?"

Su Bai thought for a moment.

"It's nothing."

Lin Qiaoyou looked at him for a few seconds, then buried her face back in his chest.

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to," her voice was muffled. "But if you can't sleep in the future, you can come find me."

Su Bai looked down at her. Her face was buried in his chest, revealing only half of it, her ears flushed red.

"Okay," he said.

Lin Qiaoyou nodded and nuzzled against his chest, like a spoiled cat.

The two of them lay there, neither speaking.

The clock on the wall ticked on, tick-tock, tick-tock.

"Su Bai," she called him.

"Mm."

"Will you come again?"

Su Bai looked at her.

"Do you want me to come?"

Lin Qiaoyou didn't speak; she buried her face deeper.

Su Bai smiled.

He turned over.

Lin Qiaoyou's eyes brightened; they held the moonlight, her own reflection, and something else.

"You..." she didn't finish.

Su Bai lowered his head.

After the second time, Lin Qiaoyou was completely exhausted.

She lay on the bed, her face buried in the pillow, not wanting to move a finger.

Su Bai lay beside her and reached out to stroke her hair.

Her face was flushed, her eyes bright, and her lips slightly swollen.

She reached out, took his hand, placed it on her face, and nuzzled it.

"Hold me while you sleep."

Su Bai pulled her into his arms.

She curled up in his arms, her face pressed against his chest, her hand on his waist, her legs wrapped around his, the whole of her clinging to him like an octopus, soft and yielding.

Su Bai reached out and turned off the light.

The room darkened, leaving only a sliver of moonlight leaking through the gap in the curtains, thin and faint, painting a white line on the wall.

Lin Qiaoyou's breathing slowly became light and even.

Su Bai looked at her.

She was asleep, fast asleep, her brows relaxed, her lips slightly curled, not knowing what sweet dream she was having.

He reached out and pulled the quilt up to cover her exposed shoulders, then closed his eyes.

This time, he fell asleep very quickly.