Conquer the other worlds with abandon, they've fallen in love with me!

late at night--

Moonlight streamed in through the window, temporarily bathing the bed in a silvery-white hue.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, leaving a gap. A breeze slipped in through that gap, carrying the coolness of the dew on the grass outside.

The room was quiet, with only the clock ticking away in the living room. The sound of the second hand was very faint here, like someone walking on snow from afar.

Arya lay on her side, facing the window. Moonlight fell on her face, making her skin almost transparent.

The shadows of her eyelashes fell on her cheekbones, fine and dense, like a small, closed fan.

Her breathing was light and even, her chest rising and falling gently. The blanket slipped down to her waist, revealing a section of her shoulder clad in a spaghetti strap nightgown.

Lin Yu is still awake.

He lay on the other side of the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Moonlight cast shadows of trees on the ceiling.

The branches of the old locust tree outside the window swayed in the wind, and the shadows swayed along with them, as if floating on the water.

He glanced at Arya.

She was asleep. Or rather, he thought she was asleep.

"Lin Yu," she suddenly said.

The voice was very soft, a sleepy hoarseness, like a cat meowing as it just woke up in bed.

"Um."

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I can't sleep."

Arya rolled over, facing him. Moonlight fell on her back, casting a silvery sheen on her nightgown. Her face was buried in the pillow, only one eye showing, bright and reflecting the moonlight from the window.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Lin Yu remained silent for a few seconds.

"What will be covered in tomorrow's training?"

Arya chuckled softly, the sound muffled by the pillow, sounding like a cough.

"Thinking about this in the middle of the night?"

"What else are you thinking?"

"You miss me."

After she finished speaking, she realized that what she had said was a bit shameless, so she buried her face in the pillow, leaving only her red ear tip showing.

Lin Yu looked at the pointed ear and his lips twitched slightly.

"I'm thinking about it too," he said.

Arya's ears turned even redder.

She lifted her face from under the pillow, and the moonlight shone on her face, revealing a somewhat unconvinced expression.

"What do you mean by 'also thinking about it'? The word 'also' here makes it sound like you're thinking about it casually."

"So what do you want me to say?"

You should say, "I've been thinking about you. Let's talk about training tomorrow."

"It's so fake."

"you--"

Arya grabbed the pillow from behind her and threw it at his face.

Lin Yu reached out and caught it. The movement was effortless, just like catching the pine cone during the day. He put the pillow aside, turned to face Arya.

The two lay facing each other, with an arm's length between them. Moonlight fell on the sheets between them, making that area appear white.

"Come here," Lin Yu said.

"No."

"come over."

"Who just said 'it's too fake'?"

Lin Yu didn't say anything more. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her towards him. Arya didn't struggle; she was pulled along easily, her nose bumping against his chest, the stinging sensation almost bringing tears to her eyes.

"Be gentle—"

Lin Yu placed his palm on the back of her head and pressed her against his chest. His chin rested on the top of her head, and his voice came down from above her head, resonating in his chest.

"Stop fooling around. Go to sleep."

"You started this whole thing..."

She mumbled softly, but didn't move. His heartbeat was right under her ear, thump, thump, thump, neither fast nor slow, like a lullaby. Her fingers rested on his waist, and she could feel his body heat seeping through his clothes.

The shadows of the trees outside the window were still swaying. The moonlight slowly changed from silvery white to milky white, probably because some clouds had drifted by.

Arya's eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

She held on for a while, and then for a while longer, but in the end she couldn't hold on any longer.

On the verge of losing consciousness, she felt Lin Yu's lips touch her forehead.

Very light. Very short.

Like a leaf falling on the water.

She wanted to ask, "Did you just kiss me?" but her mouth wouldn't obey her. That question lingered in her dream, mingling with the moonlight, the shadows of the trees, and his heartbeat, becoming a warm, indescribable mass.

Lin Yu felt her breathing slow down and become heavier. The fingers that were on his waist loosened, and she leaned against him softly, like a piece of butter that had been baked by the sun.

He pulled the blanket up from below her waist and covered her shoulders.

Arya hummed in her dream, nuzzling her face against his chest to find a more comfortable position.

Lin Yu didn't move again.

He stared at the shadows of the trees on the ceiling for a while, until the swaying shadows slowly stopped—probably because the wind outside had died down. Then he closed his eyes, rested his chin on her head, and fell asleep.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the two figures lying side by side on the bed. The blankets covered their shoulders, and the folds of the sheets cast varying shades of shadow in the silvery light.

The clock in the living room was still ticking, the second hand striking each mark of midnight.