Don't mess with that Miao boy, he's sickly and perverted.

Wu Li clearly saw her get off the bed, her hands groping aimlessly in the dim light. As she walked around the table, her knee bumped against the corner of the stool, but she still stumbled step by step to him.

Then, she reached out her hand to him.

Chai Xiaomi could only barely make out the outline of the figure, but she couldn't accurately find his hand.

She tentatively explored, and her fingertips suddenly touched a flat, firm...abdomen?

Unsure, I scratched it lightly again.

The area suddenly tensed, rising and falling slightly with the disordered breathing, and the distinct contours of the muscles could be felt even through the fabric.

Yes, those are abs, that's for sure.

Wu Li abruptly stood up and took a step back, his throat tightening, his voice hoarse and almost broken:

"you......"

"Don't......"

He was panting heavily and couldn't even string together a complete sentence.

Chai Xiaomi slowly slid down his abdomen, her fingertips brushing past his waist, and successfully found his hand.

However, his hand was clenched into a fist, trembling slightly, with even the gaps between his fingers tightly sealed.

She simply grabbed his wrist and led him towards the bed, her voice soft and gentle: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Look at the poor child, he's so trembling he can barely speak.

The boy behind her seemed like a puppet being led around, his limbs stiff and his movements slow, letting her lead him.

Chai Xiaomi gently pushed the person down to the edge of the bed, pulled up the blanket, and urged softly, "Quickly get under the covers, you won't be scared if you're under the covers."

Afraid that her hand would touch him again, Wu Li didn't make a sound. She obediently shrank into the quilt and quickly moved to the innermost side of the bed, close to the corner of the wall.

His previously disordered breathing had not yet returned to normal. He tried to regulate his breathing in this quiet corner, but unexpectedly, a soft and fragrant body came close to him the next second.

Two slender arms gently encircled his shoulders, pulling his head towards the crook of her neck.

A soft, sweet voice came from above: "What's the use of hiding in a corner? You might as well hide in your sister's arms."

As she spoke, she gently patted his back.

Wu Li froze.

My forehead rested against the side of her delicate neck, and I could clearly feel the gentle pulsation of the blood vessels beneath her skin. Below the tip of her nose was her slender collarbone.

He instinctively held his breath.

Otherwise, those hot, suppressed breaths would all brush against her neck.

It's as if it would reveal some deeply hidden secret.

"Lili," Chai Xiaomi gently patted him as she asked softly, "Are you afraid of enclosed spaces?"

Wu Li has always been arrogant. If it were any other day, he would have already started arguing with her and making sarcastic remarks. But from the moment he was told to cover himself with the blanket, he obediently covered himself and then shrank into the corner against the wall after getting into bed.

He was completely out of character.

Chai Xiaomi held him tighter, gently stroking his back with her palm, patiently waiting for his answer.

She recalled that Wu Li seemed unwilling to close the window last night; he only closed it after she pretended to be drunk and fell asleep. No wonder he left the room later.

After waiting for a long time without receiving a response, she called out softly out of curiosity, "Lili?"

Wu Li held his breath, unable to speak, but inwardly he thought: Why bring your face so close when you're just asking a question?

She seemed to be trying to discern in the darkness whether he was still awake.

It's pitch black, what can you see?

She naturally couldn't tell.

But... his heterochromatic eyes allow him to see clearly in the dark. To him, there is no difference between day and night.

Most people fear the dark, but he prefers it.

Because of this ability, he could remain calm and disdainful when others were filled with fear.

Like a beast lurking in the deepest part of the night, silently watching and observing its prey.

But as the girl's face drew closer, the lurking beast, for the first time ever, lost its composure.

Her eyelashes were thick and curled, and her eyes were as dark and bright as grapes soaked in water. Perhaps because she couldn't see, they were veiled with a thin layer of confusion, making her appear both innocent and curious.

"Lili...?"

Could she be asleep? Chai Xiaomi deliberately kept her voice very soft, like a breath, drifting into the eardrum, like a mischievous cat's claw scratching at the heart, making one tremble with itch.

I could no longer hold my breath.

Wu Li suddenly turned his head, greedily inhaling the air, and exhaling a burst of scorching breath into the darkness.

He didn't want his breath to touch her; only he knew how hot it was.

His rapid breathing caused his chest and shoulders to heave violently, and it took a while for it to gradually subside.

"What's there to be afraid of in a confined space?" He tried to find his voice, though it was still terribly hoarse. "I think you're the one who's scared, which is why you didn't sleep all night and went out with two dark circles under your eyes. That's why you insisted on dragging me along tonight."

His tone carried back that usual faint mockery.

At this moment, the only way to appear less abnormal is to become colder and more indifferent.

He used to hate being touched by others.

At first, when I carried her on my back or in my arms, it was with a sense of forced distance.

But without realizing it, he had already gotten used to her closeness.

Even when she kissed him and wrapped her arms around him so intimately... he didn't even try to avoid it.

This realization made Wu Li panic.

It's as if I'm sinking into a swamp; the more I struggle, the more I sink.

He should have pushed her away, right...?

But just as she raised her hand, Chai Xiaomi let go on her own.

The warm, cozy temperature suddenly vanished.

He suddenly felt an indescribable emptiness and discomfort, as if a fire was burning fiercely inside him, while his skin was always cool to the touch.

Ice and fire tore and tormented him between his bones and blood, and only that warm and sweet embrace from just now could calm this strange tearing and bring him peace.

But she let go.

Right after he said "I'm not afraid," he let go without hesitation, without the slightest regret.

Yeah.

He was going to push her away too.

After a moment of silence, Chai Xiaomi asked again, "If you're not afraid of enclosed spaces, then... are you afraid of the dark?"

As she asked the question, she shook her head inwardly.

She recalled their first encounter, when Wu Li was alone in the dark pool of a mountain cave, showing no fear, but rather a languid and composed demeanor.

Perhaps she was wrong?

Judging from his tone just now, he didn't seem afraid.

Just then, she heard a low sound.

"......Um."

It was so light it was like the flapping of a mosquito's wings; you could hardly hear it unless you listened very carefully.

It also exudes a subtle, indescribable softness.

"Who?" Chai Xiaomi's expression sharpened, and she instantly pricked up her ears, peering into the void. "Who's speaking?"

"Did you hear that?" She nudged Wu Li, her little face scrunched up. "Could it be... that ghost child is here...?"

"..." Wu Li felt an extreme dryness in her throat, her knuckles clenching tighter and tighter, her thoughts seemingly frozen, and she said as if possessed, "I'm the one speaking... I said 'hmm,' didn't you understand?"

Chai Xiaomi was taken aback: "Huh?"

I simply can't believe that such a soft tone came from him!

Wait, what was he saying again?

She racked her brains for a moment before remembering that she had asked herself, "Are you afraid of the dark?"

The source of the confusion has finally been found.

Who would have thought that such a formidable villain would be afraid of the dark!

"Just admit it already, why insist on being stubborn?" Chai Xiaomi suppressed a laugh, reached out and hugged him again, her voice soft and gentle, "Are you feeling better now?"