No? Can I read the mind of my mortal enemy?

Looking up, one could see Pei Jingnian standing by the door frame, his black silhouette standing out clearly.

Shi Qiao was so frightened that she was instantly wide awake.

"No, um, I..." Shi Qiao was so embarrassed that her brain went blank, and she wished she could dig a hole and disappear. "I just wanted to help you straighten your clothes, and then..."

Her body was tightly embraced, and the man's weight naturally pressed her back onto the soft mattress.

Behind her and in front of her, everything was filled with her favorite scents.

The fabric rubbed against his ear, rustling softly. Pei Jingnian leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Like a little bird."

It was nestled in the crook of my neck. The smell was different from usual; there was a faint smell of disinfectant.

"What do you mean?" she replied softly.

Pei Jingnian twirled his shirt with his fingertips, then pinched his waist. "Birds will choose their favorite branches to build their nests."

As he spoke, he bit his lip lightly. The room was dimly lit, with only a little light filtering in through the door that was never fully closed.

She had no idea where Pei Jingnian's next bite would land.

Shi Qiao was stunned, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she stammered, "I didn't... I really didn't..."

Warmth covered the back of his hand, and his thin lips kissed it incessantly.

"Don't cover your face, honey."

"Let me see you." He gently rubbed his nose against a gap between his fingers.

Shi Qiao shrank back, revealing her eyes tinged with a rosy hue, flustered and unable to look him in the eye.

Her eyelashes fluttered gently, and streaks of light shone into her watery eyes. Her dark hair cascaded down like a waterfall, flowing through the folds of the sheets.

She was wearing her shirt inside out, with the buttons undone, and the sleeves were so long that only her fingertips were barely visible.

But her small shoulders were subtly visible, and her fair skin couldn't hide her healthy complexion.

"Stop looking, Pei Jingnian..." Shi Qiao hooked her foot and gently pushed his body.

And she said such cute things.

Really.

Her ankle was suddenly clamped, and she was brought to rest against a broad shoulder. Stray hairs were stuck to her toes, and she couldn't help but tremble.

He tilted his head and bit the small ankle bone, mixed with a kiss.

He raised one eyebrow slightly, unusually looking down at her disheveled face with his lowered gaze.

"My wife is so cute right now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I don't look at her."

"I miss you too, my wife, I miss you so much I'm going crazy."

"Wife..."

He spoke with intermittent low gasps, and at first he patted his ankle.

Next, the calf, the knee, and finally, it went in...

"I need it too..." He hid under the hem of the shirt that was too long on Shi Qiao, "the scent of my wife."

Her tongue and teeth bit down, and the toes of her feet, which were resting on his back, suddenly gripped his clothes tightly, creating wrinkles.

At this moment, it's like a kitten again.

She hurriedly pushed away the head that was getting deeper and deeper.

"Wait...wait a minute, Pei Jingnian, didn't your lab have a really serious problem?"

"Is it permissible for you to come back now? Why didn't you reply to my messages?"

Pei Jingnian smiled and said, "It's a shift system anyway, so now I can rest for four hours."

"I didn't reply because electronic devices aren't allowed inside; I put them in the bag by the door."

"I came back in such a hurry, so..."

Shi Qiao bit the back of her hand lightly, her body trembling. "I, I know, but don't... talk to me like that, you..." bastard.

Before he could finish the last two words, his tongue continued to probe through the fabric.

The fabric separating them only made him bury himself even deeper.

The tip of his straight nose also bears deep marks.

Shi Qiao instinctively wrapped her calves around the spot where she usually rested her hands.

"Pei Jingnian...it's only four hours, you should rest quickly...for a while...ah."

Pei Jingnian brushed off his clothes, raised his eyes, and stared intently at her with his slightly narrowed phoenix eyes, his tongue playing with the outline of his lips.

[Taking a break is such a waste.]

[My wife's legs don't seem to want me to stop, do they? Hmm?]

My wife needs my scent, and I need my wife.

During this period, both my wife's and my scents have faded.

So just re-dye it and it'll be fine.

I will make sure my wife smells completely like me.

[Wife, you have to work hard too... dye all the dye for me!]

"abnormal."

"asshole."

"Bad guy."

*

Pei Jingnian kept the duration under control, knowing that he couldn't go too far or be too ostentatious because of the performance the next day.

Therefore, all the traces were hidden in a place that only he could see.

He sat in the bathtub with Shi Qiao in his arms, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder. "Wife, now we taste the same."

"Shut up." Shi Qiao tilted her head back a little, blushing as she pressed herself even closer to him.

He buried his face deeper, giving it only a light kiss. "Want a hug?"

The person in my arms was really tired. She didn't nod, but her body language clearly indicated her intention to move.

Pei Jingqing chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "Hug me."

Shi Qiao turned slightly and hugged Pei Jingnian as well.

The man was clearly taken aback for a moment, then, realizing what was happening, he helped her sit on his lap. "Honey, why have you suddenly become so clingy?"

Shi Qiao puffed out her cheeks, "Fine, if you don't like it, then forget it."

Pei Jingnian quickly tightened his grip, afraid she would slip away. "I love it, I love it so much."

The rising steam enveloped the two of them, and the only sounds were the ripples of water and the mingling of their heartbeats.

Shi Qiao raised her head slightly and looked at Pei Jingnian. "I've realized that you used to always call me stupid, but you're actually the stupid one."

"You only get four hours of rest. Wouldn't it be better to stay in the lab and get some proper rest?"

"So now... you can only sleep for another two hours at most."

Pei Jingnian gently rubbed the tip of his nose against the small water droplet on her nose.

"Because I miss my wife."

Shi Qiao was stunned, her cheeks flushing even hotter from the coaxing. "So?"

"So I went home to find a wife."

"Idiot, are you a three-year-old?" Shi Qiao moved even closer. "Then tomorrow..."

"I'll get some rest." Pei Jingnian gently stroked her nose. "Although the reagents had a problem and caused quite a bit of disruption, it's just a repetition of an experiment we did before."

"Experiments with prior experience will progress much faster, and I won't need to monitor them all the time."

"I'll catch up on sleep at the lab tomorrow, don't worry."

"Besides, I'm someone who doesn't need much sleep; four or five hours of sleep is enough for me."

Shi Qiao knew that this was something called short sleepers or high-energy people.

She's different; she's someone with extremely low energy who feels like she's wasted her whole day if she doesn't get at least ten hours of sleep.

Some people really are just born to be chosen.

He reached out and brushed aside the stray hairs from the corner of Shi Qiao's eye, then pecked at her slightly bulging lower eyelid.

Shi Qiao weakly hummed in agreement, "You're really amazing, it's like you have a clone, you have to rehearse, do experiments, and go to class."

"Thank you for the compliment." Pei Jingnian smiled. "However, my wife forgot to mention one thing."

Shi Qiao pondered carefully, then looked up and asked, "You don't have any other business, do you?"

"Yes, I finally managed to make it today."

"What?"

"Go to bed with your wife."

"This is the thing I have the most energy for."

Shi Qiao: ...

She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it directly onto Pei Jingnian.

"Get lost."

*

The whole Victoria Harbour University was filled with the atmosphere of the arts festival, with posters plastered everywhere.

Shi Qiao was a little nervous.

Three more hours until the official performance on stage...