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

Shi Qiao was blow-drying her hair while playing on her phone when she noticed Xia Heng's chat window suddenly appear.

There was no notification.

strangeness.

Without much thought, Shi Qiao clicked to reply to Xia Heng.

[Shi Qiao: You are the one who should be angry. Don't be mad at Pei Jingnian. He's not actually that bad; he just has a sharp tongue.]

My phone vibrated again; it was a transfer from Xia Heng.

[Xia Heng: Transferred 1891.45 yuan]

[Xia Heng: I took a look at it at the time, and it seems the screen and the outer casing were damaged. The money I have isn't enough to replace it with an original part, but I'll try to raise the money for you in the next few days.]

Shi Qiao stared at the string of numbers, some whole and some broken, and didn't know what to say for a moment.

So...so pitiful.

She silently clicked "refund".

[Shi Qiao: Really, really, really, you don't need to!]

[Shi Qiao: If I had to say, it was my own fault for not holding the phone steady enough; the metal casing is prone to scratches.]

Honestly, since it's a custom-made machine, the color of the casing can't be repaired at a regular store. It would be faster for her to find an art student to mix acrylic paint of the same color and apply a layer.

[Shi Qiao: So you really don't need to take it to heart. You said yourself that we're friends, right? Friends don't need to worry about these things.]

[Xia Heng: Shi Qiao, you're such a nice person.]

[Xia Heng: Well... shall I treat you to a meal?]

[Xia Heng: Otherwise, I'd really feel bad.]

Since Shi Qiaojian had already gone this far, she couldn't refuse any longer.

[Shi Qiao: Okay, no problem.]

Xia Heng sent a voice message directly, his voice carrying a youthful air and a distinct raised tone.

"Okay, how about this weekend? Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

[Shi Qiao: I don't have any dietary restrictions.]

She then recalled the 1891.45 that Xia Heng had just sent, and silently added a sentence:

[Shi Qiao: But I'd really like to try some of the local specialties in the port city, like curry fish balls or something.]

Xia Heng's hand, which was about to press the voice button, paused above the screen, locking onto that sentence, before he finally spoke the next sentence.

"Okay, let's contact each other again this weekend, what a coincidence."

Get some rest early, goodnight.

What a kind-hearted young lady.

[Shi Qiao: OK.jpg]

Just as Shi Qiao exited the chat window with Xia Heng, she saw that Jiang Youran had shared a bunch of videos with her on Xiaobian.

[Jiang Youran: What a coincidence! Our once-a-year blogger, Cat, has finally updated! Such delicious short food!! And it's sandwich cookies again!!! How can she eat so much?!]

[Jiang Youran: Quick! Go! Look!]

[Shi Qiao: I don't want to talk to you, you ungrateful bastard! You were bribed with just a signing ticket!]

[Jiang Youran: You... you knew all along? (crying kitten emoji)]

[Jiang Youran: Qiaoqiao~ Qiaobao~ Meiqiao~ Qiaomeili~ I was wrong, how about I treat you to milk tea tomorrow?]

[Shi Qiao: This is a one-time exception!]

[Jiang Youran: Okay, now, pause everything! Stay dry! Go watch Cat's latest masterpiece!]

Shi Qiao replied "Okay," and then opened a certain app to access her subscription list.

A devastating opening screen attack.

Brother's Rice Bowl!

How bold people are and how productive they are.

Shi Qiao ate with great relish, thankfully the sound of the hairdryer masked her arrogant aunt-like laughter.

She commented as she watched:

[Qiaoqiao is hungry, Teacher Fanfan: I marked a must-try place in 0.01 seconds, you should try it too!]

[Qiaoqiao is hungry, Teacher is hungry: Cat's mother's male protagonist still has the highest level of service awareness! It made my lower abdomen tighten.]

[Qiaoqiao is hungry, Teacher is hungry: Ha, just two]

Before I could type the character "根" (root), a drop of cold water landed on the back of my neck.

Shi Qiao's mind went completely blank.

She silently turned off the hair dryer.

The breathing behind me suddenly became much clearer.

Shi Qiao tilted her head back and leaned against the back of the sofa.

Pei Jingnian was wearing a gray house bathrobe, loosely tied at the waist, revealing more skin than ever before.

He swept his wet hair up, his brows sharp, his dark eyes fixed on his thin lips pressed into a straight line.

Being in a backlit area, it's impossible to see the emotions clearly.

The V-line became the track for water droplets to slide along, soaking the letters on the edge of the black inner layer.

"Just two what?"

Shi Qiao's face flushed crimson, and she stammered, "I...I don't know, what are you talking about..."

Pei Jingnian leaned back on the sofa, his right hand reaching over her shoulder to slide the second half of the short story for her.

A simple movement, yet it accentuated the depth of the shadows on his body.

His face was pressed against her ear without any hesitation, and the sound of his breathing filled her ear, making her feel more and more guilty.

Shi Qiao's mind was in turmoil.

It's one thing for her to get caught red-handed, but what does it mean for this man to just join in?

"Okay, stop looking."

Shi Qiao calmly scrolled to Cat's homepage, and then her subscription page refreshed.

It's even more unbearable to look at.

Pei Jingnian lowered his eyelids, his face instantly darkened, his eyes swirling with an unfathomable gloom, and his chest heaved noticeably.

I laughed in exasperation.

"Quite a few people have subscribed, Shi Qiao."

"Why are there so few people wearing shirts?"

"Honey, is this enough?"

So... you'd rather watch these than use what's readily available from me?

Two more...

Shi Qiao immediately turned off the screen and hid the phone behind her back. "Human nature is inherently good... Who gave you the right to look at my phone like that!"

"Besides, I don't have a partner, and I haven't done any practical work, so what's wrong with just looking at these things!"

She put the hairdryer aside, feeling like she was about to faint from her own pounding heart.

"I've finished blow-drying my hair, I'm going to sleep."

Holding her phone, she immediately wrapped herself tightly in the blanket as soon as she got back to bed.

The burning redness that had initially been concentrated at the base of her ears gradually spread throughout her entire body.

For Shi Qiao, there are three things in life she needs to protect: her Blacklist subscription, her private photo album, and—

Even if she suddenly died right now, she would still need an adrenaline shot to get up and delete the chat history with her best friend.

Fortunately, she wasn't chatting with Youyou at that time, otherwise she wouldn't even have the strength to hang herself.

It's so embarrassing.

After a while, even after Pei Jingnian had already lain down on the single bed next to her, Shi Qiao's body temperature still hadn't come down.

I don't know if it was shyness that drew me in or if it was Cat's short story that inspired me.

The room was dark, and she had half her face buried in the blanket, her legs instinctively clamping the blanket between them.

The warmth from my body seeped into the blanket, mingling with the numb scent, and upon closer inspection, carrying a hint of bergamot sweetness.

Plus the smell of Pei Jingnian's pajamas...

It felt like being held tightly in his arms.

She turned over again, unconsciously pulling the entire blanket over her head.

Pei Jingnian suddenly stirred. He turned up the bedside lamp a little, went out to tidy up for a few minutes, and then returned to the room.

A cup of hot cocoa appeared in my hand.

"If you can't sleep, you can drink some hot cocoa; it helps you sleep."

His tone was flat, as if he hadn't caught her looking at those suggestive things at all.

Shi Qiao felt like she'd been caught doing something wrong, so she quickly stood up, took a sip, and said, "Thank you."

The mug was a bit too big, and she was also a little distracted, so Cocoa spilled from the corner of her lips, down her chin, and onto her slender white neck.

By the time I realized it, it was already almost dripping onto my clothes.

"Paper…"

Pei Jingnian picked up a tissue from the bedside table, but instead of handing it to her, he threw it further away.

Ok?

He lowered his body, placing his hands on either side of Shi Qiao's ears, with a few stray hairs hanging down due to gravity.

"I remember this scene from the short story you just read."

He lowered his head, finding the path to the hot cocoa, his stray hairs tickling her.

With a gentle lick of the tip of his tongue, he stopped one end of her tongue.

The hot liquid curled upwards, accompanied by soft sucking sounds, finally settling at the corner of the lips.

Cocoa was dried.

"So sweet." Pei Jingnian's eyes held a hint of ambiguity.

He slightly parted his lips, kissing her neck again with lingering affection, then lazily lifted his eyes to stare at her, his gaze filled with mischief.

"If you like it that much, how about... trying to remake it?"

Consider it an immersive bedtime story.