86: Chapter 86 I...spent one night at a friend's place, what happened?

"I... stayed at a friend's place for the night. What's wrong?"

Zhou Waner tilted her head up. Something was shimmering in her eyes under the light. She didn't speak, but she didn't retreat either.

Hu Tian lowered his head.

The moment his lips touched hers, it was extremely light—like a test, and also like a confirmation.

Zhou Waner closed her eyes and raised her hand, her fingers gripping his sleeve. She didn't push him away; instead, she tugged gently, pulling him toward herself.

Feeling this force, Hu Tian chuckled softly. Unable to hold back, he pulled her into his arms, one hand wrapping around her waist, the other cradling the back of her neck. This time, it was no longer a test, but a serious, steady kiss.

Zhou Waner's back was pressed against the entryway wall. Her hand moved from his sleeve, slowly winding upward, her fingertips pressing against the back of his neck, pulling him even closer.

The sensor light in the entryway was on, casting their shadows onto the floor, overlapping them into one.

I don't know how long it had been, but Zhou Waner turned her head slightly and took a soft breath. She lowered her forehead to rest against his chest, her voice a bit raspy, "The light is still on."

Hu Tian looked down at her, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. He raised his hand and turned off the entryway light.

The warm light vanished instantly, leaving only a sliver of light from the end of the hallway. It was dim and hazy; nothing could be seen clearly, but then again, nothing needed to be seen clearly.

Zhou Waner lifted her head from his chest to look at him by the faint light. Hu Tian lowered his head, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, then he bent down and swept her up into his arms.

Zhou Waner gasped softly, her arms instinctively winding around his neck. She whispered, "I can walk myself."

Hu Tian ignored her, walking steadily toward the stairs. He looked down at her, "I'm not letting you walk."

Zhou Waner was silent for a moment, then leaned her head against the crook of his neck, saying nothing more.

He carried her upstairs just like that. The corridor was extremely quiet, save for the soft sound of footsteps, one step after another, steady and firm.

The bedroom door was pushed open. Moonlight from outside filtered in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, coating half the floor in silver-white, illuminating the room faintly with soft silhouettes.

Hu Tian set her down. Zhou Waner's feet touched the floor, and she looked up at him. Moonlight fell on her face, her eyes were very bright, and her eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes.

She raised her hand, her fingers pressing against his chest. The moment she felt his heartbeat, she paused slightly, then slowly unbuttoned the button.

Hu Tian lowered his head, his kisses falling on her forehead, then the corners of her eyes, then her lips—bit by bit, earnestly, conveying all the words that hadn't been spoken earlier in this way.

The moonlight remained outside the window, and the night breeze brushed gently. In the yard, the bougainvillea bloomed quietly in the night, silent and soundless.

The light and shadows in the room flowed slowly in the moonlight, gently, both warm and heavy.

Outside the window, there was the chirp of an insect, distant and thin, sounding for a while in the night before disappearing. All that remained was the sound of the wind, and that long, quiet silence that sank into the deep night.

A long, long time later, Zhou Waner rested in Hu Tian's arms, her cheek pressed against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat slowing down, beat by beat, steady and calm.

She didn't move, her eyelashes drooping gently. Her voice was low and a bit raspy, "Hu Tian."

"Hmm."

"From now on..."

She paused, not finishing her sentence.

Hu Tian lowered his head, resting his chin on the top of her head. He tightened his arms slightly, pulling her closer, his voice deep, "From now on, I'll always be here."

Zhou Waner closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth moving slightly, but she didn't speak again.

The moonlight slowly shifted, moving from the floor to the corner, then fading from the corner into the night. The room grew darker and quieter. Neither of them spoke again, their breathing gradually smoothing out, sinking together into the depths of the night.

Outside the window, the Yunding No. 1 villa area was extremely quiet. Streetlights illuminated the gravel path hazily. The pot of bougainvillea hung its head, swaying gently in the night breeze before falling still again.

The daylight brightened slowly.

First, a bit of grayish-white leaked through the gap in the curtains, landing on the floor, thin, as if someone had accidentally spilled a cup of light water, letting it spread everywhere.

Then came the first bird call from outside the window, thin and crisp, sounding twice in the quiet morning, slicing open the silence that had been buried deep.

Zhou Waner was the first to wake.

When she opened her eyes, she didn't move immediately. She just lay there with her cheek pressed against something warm, feeling that familiar heartbeat still there, beat by beat, extremely steady.

She was stunned for about two or three seconds before realizing where she was.

Then her face began to burn.

She quietly tried to shrink her head into the quilt, but the movement was too small, and she was afraid of waking him up. As a result, she stayed stuck right where she was, her face burning fiercely, her eyelashes trembling slightly, not daring to look up.

Hu Tian's arm was draped over her waist, heavy. She didn't know if he was truly asleep or just pretending, but his breathing was steady, not disordered at all.

Zhou Waner carefully lifted her eyelids and slanted a glance at him.

He kept his eyes closed, his eyelashes drooping. His side profile looked very sharp in the morning light, with faint stubble on his jaw. His breathing was heavy; he looked like he hadn't fully woken up yet.

She quietly let out a sigh of relief and tried to move his arm away. The moment she reached out to touch it, his hand tightened slightly.

Zhou Waner: ...

She slowly pulled her hand back, turned her face, and didn't move again. Her ears were hot enough to fry an egg.

Hu Tian slowly opened his eyes and looked down at her. His voice still carried the heaviness of just waking up, raspy, "Awake?"

"Hmm."

Zhou Waner responded, her voice also a bit raspy. She cleared her throat, not daring to look at him, her gaze falling on some unimportant spot on his chest, staying there without moving.

Hu Tian looked down at her, and after a while, the corners of his mouth twitched upward.

Feeling that curve, Zhou Waner turned her face to glare at him, "What are you smiling at?"

"I'm not smiling."

"You clearly are."

Hu Tian straightened his face, his expression serious, "I'm not."

Zhou Waner stared at him for two seconds. His serious expression actually made her unable to hold back, and she let out a small laugh, then immediately pursed her lips, turned her face away, and pretended to look at the curtains.

"It's dawn."

She said.

"Hmm."

"Time to get up."

Hu Tian didn't move, his arm still draped over her waist, "Lie down for a while longer."

"No."

Zhou Waner pushed his arm, her voice still a bit soft, "What time is it already? Get up."

Hu Tian was silent for a moment, then let go and sat up. He casually stretched the back of his neck and turned to look at her. His hair was a bit messy, and the morning light hit his face. His expression was indifferent, but there was something in his eyes—something not usually visible, something soft, as if the entire morning had sunk into them.

Zhou Waner felt her ears burning again from his gaze. She sat up, tidied her hair, and lowered her head, "I'm going to wash up."

As soon as she finished, she was about to get out of bed, but Hu Tian reached out and caught her wrist, gently, without force, just holding it.

Zhou Waner stopped and turned to look at him.

Hu Tian looked at her, paused, and then said, "I'll make breakfast."

Zhou Waner was stunned for a second, then nodded, "Okay."

She pulled her wrist from his palm, got out of bed, and walked to the bathroom door. She stopped, looked back at him, and found Hu Tian watching her. The two locked eyes for a second before Zhou Waner was the first to look away. She pushed the bathroom door open and went in. Before the door closed, she heard a soft laugh behind her.

It was very soft, suppressed, but she heard it.

She closed the door tightly and stood in front of the mirror, looking at the flush from her earlobes to her cheeks. She couldn't help but press the back of her hand against them, then took a deep breath and turned on the tap.

The cold water flowed with a splash, the chill spreading from her fingertips to her palms. She lowered her head, cupped a handful of water, and splashed it gently on her face. It felt a little better.

Just a little bit.

When Hu Tian went downstairs to make breakfast, Zhou Waner leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching him crack the eggs into the pan. He adjusted the heat perfectly, the oil sizzling gently around the edges of the pan, the white egg whites solidifying bit by bit, the aroma drifting out, filling the entire kitchen.

"You cook really well."

She said happily.

"It's alright."

"You're being modest."

Hu Tian turned his face to look at her, said nothing, and handed her the plate, "Hold this."

Zhou Waner took it, and the two set the breakfast on the table. They sat down and ate facing each other, not saying anything, just quiet. But that quiet was different from before; it had a little something more, something both real and comforting, like something neither of them had said out loud but both knew, quietly placed on that table, not going anywhere.

Just at this moment, Zhou Waner's phone rang.

She looked down and saw two characters on the screen: Mom.

She was stunned for a moment and instinctively looked at Hu Tian. Hu Tian was holding his bowl, his expression calm, his gaze falling on her phone, but he didn't speak.

Zhou Waner took a deep breath, answered, and whispered, "Mom?"

"Waner, you didn't come home last night?"

On the other end of the line, Zhou Waner's mother, Lin Xiulan, had a clear and bright voice. She sounded in high spirits, but there was a hint of meaning in her words, taking a roundabout way, saying it in a way that was neither too light nor too heavy, just enough for one to realize she knew.

Zhou Waner paused, her voice involuntarily dropping lower, "I... stayed at a friend's place for the night. What's wrong?"

"Which friend?"

"...A friend."

On the other end, Lin Xiulan paused for a beat, then chuckled softly. Zhou Waner was very familiar with that laugh. From childhood until now, whenever she wanted to hide something, her mother had this reaction—smiling gently, but the meaning was already all in there, "It's at that boy Hu Tian's house, isn't it?"

Zhou Waner put down her bowl, propped her elbows on the table, covered her face with her other hand, and whispered, "Mom, how did you know?"

"Your dad said so."

Lin Xiulan's tone was somewhat nonchalant, understated, "He said Waner must be over at that boy's place. I didn't believe it, but I didn't expect it to actually be true."

Zhou Waner looked up and saw Hu Tian sitting opposite her. His expression was still flat, but there seemed to be something suppressed in his eyes. She glared at him secretly and lowered her voice, "Mom, don't..."

"Waner,"

Lin Xiulan interrupted her, her tone becoming a bit more serious, but still warm, "Your grandfather, you know, at home, he has been praising that boy Hu Tian again and again. I haven't met him yet. Take advantage of today, you two come over for lunch. I'll make dumplings, and let Mom also take a look at this young man, how about it?"

Zhou Waner didn't speak for a moment, her grip on the phone tightening slightly.