Reborn a day later, I emptied my enemy's possessions beforehand.

Moonlight seeped in through the cracks in the window, spilling onto the mosquito net and enveloping the two people's shadows in a hazy, silvery-gray halo.

His hand gently stroked her back, his fingertips brushing against the protrusions of each vertebra through the thin fabric.

It was like counting the seeds he had pressed into the soil, counting them section by section, from below his neck all the way to his waist.

Her back arched slightly beneath his palm, like a fully drawn bow, then slowly relaxed.

Breathing, which had been rapid and fragmented, became a continuous line, sinking deeper into the darkness. The rise and fall of the chest slowed down, but it was still fast and heavy.

Like a fledgling bird tentatively extending its foot out of the nest, hesitating whether or not to take that step.

The skin below her collarbone felt slightly warm under his fingertips, and his heartbeat pounded through the thin fabric against her fingertips.

Zhou Haibing did not urge him.

He waited two or three seconds, his breathing becoming light and slow, until the outermost layer of tension in her body relaxed a crack.

The taut muscle in her shoulder relaxed, and then he gently unbuttoned the first button on her blouse.

The button was an old-fashioned cloth-covered button, a small knot. When he pushed the knot out of the buttonhole, he used a little trick with his fingers, and the cloth rubbed against cloth, making a very soft "pop" sound.

His hand stopped beside her, and he felt her breathing gradually calm down before continuing with the second and third pills.

He would pause after each one was solved, waiting for her to get used to it before solving the next one.

The fabric slipped from his fingers like receding tide, revealing the lines of her shoulders and neck.

The moonlight shone on it, giving it a faint luster, like a piece of porcelain soaked in moonlight, warm and slightly glowing.

Her shoulders were rounded, her collarbones were clearly visible, and a small patch of moonlight lingered in the shadows where they were recessed.

Her throat moved, she swallowed, and her gaze did not waver.

She looked at him, at how the moonlight illuminated his profile, casting a clear outline, the bridge of his nose casting a small triangular shadow on his cheek.

Looking into the silvery, earnest, and careful light in his eyes, I saw focus and a deep appreciation within them.

There's also a kind of cautious solemnity, like disassembling something that's easily broken.

She reached out, her fingertips touching the edge of his collar, hesitated for a moment, then mimicked it.

She started unbuttoning his shirt, but her movements were clumsy; one button took her several tries to come loose. Her fingers were a bit slow, and the button got stuck in the buttonhole.

She frowned, pursed her lips, and pushed hard until she finally got the lump out. She let out a soft breath, as if she had accomplished something remarkable.

Her fingers ran through his short hair, her fingertips gently pressing against the back of his head, like holding down a sinking anchor, stopping his weight on her and preventing him from drifting away.

Moonlight filtered through the mesh of the mosquito net, and tiny specks of light fell on the two people's intertwined skin, like a layer of crushed stardust, sparkling and embedded among the fine hairs.

She tilted her head slightly, her lips brushing against his earlobe, her voice soft and fragmented, like a wisp of white vapor about to be blown away by the wind:

"Sea ice...I'm scared..."

The last syllable trembled, like the last ripple on the surface of water, about to dissipate.

His lips touched her forehead, and the beads of sweat on her forehead were wiped away by his lips.

His voice fell from the top of her head, deep and steady, like a stone falling into deep water:

"I'm not afraid."

It was just two words, but the pause between them was drawn out, as if he was deliberately exhaling evenly so she could hear it and know that he was there.

Waiting for her response with the distance of a single heartbeat, so slow that you can count the beats of each other's pulses.