Sweetie, don't look at him, kiss me.

When Lin Qingmian woke up the next morning, the light coming through the gap in the curtains was already quite bright.

She rolled over and saw Ji Linzhou leaning against the headboard looking at his phone, his shirt only half-buttoned, revealing a muscular chest. He must have already showered; his hair was still half-dry, with a few stray strands falling across his forehead, making him look several years younger than when he usually styled his hair. She lay on her side and looked at him for a few seconds. As if sensing her gaze, he turned his head to meet her eyes.

"woke up?"

"Mmm." Her voice was still groggy from just waking up. "What time did you get back?"

"A little past one." He put down his phone, reached out and pressed down her spiky hair. "Last night you held my hand and wouldn't let me take a shower."

She paused for a moment, then the tips of her ears slowly turned red. "I was asleep... I don't know."

He looked at her flushed face, a slight smile playing on his lips, but didn't call her out on it. He threw back the covers and got out of bed. "Breakfast is ready, get up and eat."

She lay on the bed watching his retreating figure, sunlight streaming in through the window and falling warmly on the blankets. She squinted and lingered for a while before getting up, changing her clothes, and going into the living room.

There was porridge and steamed buns on the table, along with a dish of pickles. When she pulled out a chair and sat down, she noticed that he wasn't wearing a suit today, but only a dark gray pullover and black trousers, and he looked much more relaxed than usual.

"You don't have to go to the company today?" She took a bite of her steamed bun.

"I have a meeting this afternoon, so I don't need to go this morning." He sat across from her, holding a cup of coffee, his gaze fixed on her face. "Do you have classes this morning?"

"I have a class at ten o'clock." She lowered her head and took a sip of porridge. "I'll go out after I finish eating."

He nodded and didn't ask any more questions. The two finished their breakfast quietly. When Lin Qingmian was clearing away the dishes, he took the cups and plates from her and said, "I'll wash them." She stood at the kitchen doorway, watching his back as he bent down to wash the cups, still holding the chopsticks she hadn't put down. She watched for several seconds before turning around to change her shoes.

As she was leaving, she squatted in the entryway tying her shoelaces. He had already come out of the kitchen and was leaning against the doorframe watching her. After she finished tying her shoelaces and stood up, he followed her to the door, reached out and gently turned up the collar of her coat for her—a very light and natural movement.

She looked up at him; he was looking down, so close he could count the individual eyelashes. "Let's go," she said, taking a half-step back.

"Hmm." He withdrew his hand and stood in the doorway watching her walk into the elevator. Before the elevator doors closed, she saw him still standing in the entryway, his hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed, and he didn't turn around to go back inside.

Lin Qingmian listened attentively to the morning classes, but her mind wandered a couple of times.

One moment her phone vibrated. She looked down and saw a photo sent by Ji Linzhou. It was a picture of the design draft she had left on the coffee table the night before, with a pen lying next to it. His hand holding a coffee cup was visible in the corner of the photo.

She glanced at the photo, pursed her lips, and put her phone away.

When the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class, my phone rang first.

Lin Qingmian glanced at the screen; it was an unfamiliar number.

A polite female voice came from the other end of the phone: "Is this Ms. Lin Qingmian? We would like to confirm with you whether you would like to participate in the Paris Fashion Week show next month? The misty blue shirt you designed has been selected for the exhibition, and we need your presence to assist with some promotional activities."