The way Jiangg Ning and Chen Yuan interacted seemed incredibly harmonious. It felt as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to be lying in his arms, the two of them whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Chen Yuan told her how much he had missed her while he was back home. He also shared stories about his small hometown, telling her about the things he'd recorded.

Playing basketball with friends, setting off firecrackers on the frozen lake, and lighting more fireworks.

You rarely saw firecrackers being set off everywhere in the city, so Jiangg Ning was amazed by the somewhat crude-looking fireworks. She worried that Chen Yuan might have hurt himself setting them off.

He just said, "How could I?" and explained that it was fine as long as you were quick... As Chen Yuan spoke, Jiangg Ning laughed beside him.

The corners of her eyes crinkled when she laughed, her pupils reflecting only Chen Yuan. She was lying lazily on the bed, cushioned by a large, soft comforter. With just one flick, Chen Yuan could wrap her up in it like a spring roll.

Chen Yuan stared at her smiling face, momentarily stunned.

'This personality switch is a little absurd,' he thought.

It was the exact same smile, yet the feeling it gave off was so different. It made Chen Yuan suddenly feel as if Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao weren't the same person at all.

This startling thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, causing him to freeze for a moment.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to see you too. Now that I'm finally seeing you, it feels like a dream." Jiangg Ning gently caressed his cheek, her breath sweet.

In an instant, the flames Chen Yuan had suppressed flared up again.

It was hard to imagine. This more mature version of her was devastating with just the slightest display of allure. The crimson blush on her cheeks made her look as if she were drunk, and a single strand of hair curled by the left side of her face.

The sight made Chen Yuan's breath catch in his throat.

If one had to describe Jiangg Ning's aura, she was like a cup of light tea. But when she cast off her inhibitions and poured her entire being into someone, that tea became molten lava.

You didn't even have to drink it; just standing nearby, you could feel the heat.

After a brief hug, Chen Yuan held Ningning's waist. They began whispering shameless, flirtatious words to each other, and in just a moment, both their faces were hot enough to fry an egg on.

The atmosphere in the bedroom seemed to be filled with pink bubbles. She pressed her forehead against Chen Yuan's, and he pressed his back. Their lips were about to touch when she retreated like a gentle breeze, leaving him with a lingering sense of wistful longing.

"Hey, don't go."

"No, I know what you're trying to do..."

Her refusal was as good as no refusal at all. Her words were so light and airy, her beautiful eyes shy as she tidied her slightly messy hair.

Chen Yuan studied Ningning for a moment.

'The door is shut tight, the bed is warm, and Ningning is practically served up on a platter. What am I hesitating for?!'

"I haven't even done anything yet, and you're already hiding."

"If you catch me, who knows what might happen..." Jiangg Ning quickly lowered her gaze. "You were just holding my waist, and your hands weren't behaving."

She pursed her lips and shot Chen Yuan a fierce look.

But with her pearly white teeth showing slightly, how was that fierce at all? It was like a kitten showing its pink paws—so cute it could make a person faint.

Chen Yuan's heart instantly sped up.

"Who knows what might happen, what?"

"N-nothing."

"Come on, tell me."

"Don't... Don't tickle me! I'm super ticklish," Jiangg Ning said, laughing as she tilted her head back, dodging Chen Yuan's hand that had suddenly darted to her waist. "Seriously, stop!"

"Aren't you hot wearing so much?"

"I'm not... If you pull my strap, I'm going to get angry!"

"Then get angry for me. I'm begging you, Ningning."

Chen Yuan yanked the comforter out from under her. Already partially wrapped, she was now completely rolled up like a spring roll, lying horizontally on the bed.

Only a pair of small, fair feet peeked out.

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, studying them.

Ningning sensed danger and instinctively tried to pull her feet in.

But Chen Yuan immediately reached out and grabbed them. Unable to move enough to resist, she could only kick a few times before obediently letting her feet rest in his palm.

"Don't look..."

Her face was a frightening shade of red now, the blush spreading all the way down to the base of her neck, glowing with an unusual rosiness.

What girl wouldn't be shy having her feet stared at like that?

Ningning could even feel how scorching Chen Yuan's gaze was, as if it could singe the fine hairs on her delicate feet.

"They're so pale, I can even see the capillaries."

"You're such a pervert... How can you really just stare at them?"

"Okay, I'm a pervert."

Since the mood was already set, Chen Yuan decided to drop the act. One moment he was squeezing her toes, the next he was brushing against her toenails. He simply couldn't get enough of playing with her perfect feet.

Strangely, even the soles of Ningning's feet had turned red.

"I'm begging you~ Ah!"

A whimper, on the verge of tears, escaped Jiangg Ning's throat.

Because Chen Yuan had tickled the sole of her foot.

"Are you still going to hide?"

"N-no more hiding."

"So, what should a proper girlfriend do right now?"

"I don't know... Ah!"

"You don't know?"

"I do, I know."

Jiangg Ning bit her lip and shuffled forward a bit, still wrapped in the comforter. She gave Chen Yuan a resentful look, her hint of indignant anger utterly adorable.

Chen Yuan found it incredibly fun to make Jiangg Ning angry. The sight of her face—eyebrows furrowed, biting her red lip, a mix of shyness and vexation—made his heart hammer in his chest. When she kicked him, his mind went completely blank, like a balloon suddenly deflating.

Her hair was a mess. She had Chen Yuan help free her from the confines of the comforter.

"Time for your kiss, then."

"Mhm." Chen Yuan nodded.

"And I can hug you, right? That's what a girlfriend should do, isn't it?"

"You pass!"

Jiangg Ning thoughtfully brushed the hair from his forehead, stared into his eyes for a long moment, and then gently leaned in to kiss him.

'Is this love?'

'This has to be love.'

In that second, he felt as if he'd been hit by a freezing spell, completely unable to move. He felt Ningning's earnest yet clumsy inexperience, and the pulsing of a full, throbbing heart.

THUMP-THUMP—

THUMP-THUMP—

Never-ending.

"I like you so much. I need to tell you. Every day I wasn't by your side, I dreamed of this moment..."

Jiangg Ning hugged her beloved tightly. She was willing to make this risky decision, to throw herself into this situation that could end in either bliss or disaster, all for the future they envisioned together.

Her words were whispered against his ear, soft and gentle.

Chen Yuan instinctively wrapped his arms around her too.

Ningning's waist was so slender and soft he could circle it with one hand. Her unrestrained hair cascaded over both their shoulders. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"You'll treasure me, right?"

She pulled back from the hug, tilted her face up, and asked Chen Yuan seriously.

"Of course I will."

"I believe you."

Jiangg Ning suddenly broke into a smile, a mix of relief and emotion. An irrepressible joy surged within her.

What could possibly make her happier than those words?

She gave Chen Yuan a firm kiss, then awkwardly lowered her head.

"Was that right? Are you happy, baby?"

Jiangg Ning asked in a low voice.