I was criticized on a dating reality show, but I retaliated and became an internet sensation.

Gu Yan chuckled softly, carrying her all the way up to the second floor. His steps were steady, but his breathing became slightly heavier.

He used his shoulder to open the bedroom door and gently placed Shuzi on the bed.

"Are you scared?" He looked down at the person beneath him.

Shu Zi looked up at him, her tone firm: "What are you afraid of!"

He chuckled softly and kissed her forehead.

Shu Zi unconsciously gripped his clothes tighter.

Gu Yan noticed her nervousness, stopped what he was doing, looked down at her, his gaze gentle yet restrained:

"Baby, you can stop anytime."

Shu Zi didn't answer, but loosened her grip on his clothes and instead climbed up the back of his neck, silently pulling him a little closer.

Gu Yan chuckled softly, moved his lips to her ear, kissed her, and said something.

His kisses were unhurried and patient, like the drawing of a painting.

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible: "Gu Yan...you..."

He looked up, a faint smile in his eyes, and asked knowingly, "What?"

Shu Zi opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word. She could only glare at him, but that glare was filled with shimmering water and had no intimidating power whatsoever.

……

Afterwards, Gu Yan carried Shu Zi to the bathroom to clean her up.

She was as limp as a puddle of water, letting him do as he pleased, too lazy to even lift a finger.

He carefully washed her clean, then carried her back to bed, covered her with the blanket, and went into the bathroom.

I had just taken off my shirt when there was a knock on the bathroom door.

A muffled voice came from outside the door, tinged with awkwardness: "...Do you need any help?"

Gu Yan paused for a moment, then opened the door.

She stood in the doorway wearing his shirt, the collar hanging loosely on her shoulders, revealing the lingering red marks on her collarbone.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he looked at her, raising an eyebrow: "Are you sure?"

She glared at him fiercely: "Do you want it or not?"

Gu Yan chuckled softly, said nothing more, reached out and pulled the person inside, then closed the door behind him.

Shu Zi's fingertips touched the cold metal buckle, her fingers curled slightly, and her ears burned bright red.

She lowered her head and clumsily fiddled with it a few times, but the buckle didn't budge.

Gu Yan chuckled softly, his chest trembling slightly.

He took her hand and gently pressed it down; with a "click," the belt came undone.

"You've learned it?" His voice was low and husky, with a hint of teasing amusement.

Shu Zi didn't speak, her ears burning even hotter.

……

The water flowed over her reddened fingertips. He turned off the tap, took a towel to dry her, and then lowered his head to place a light kiss on her knuckles.

He put down the towel and his gaze fell on her shirt, which was damp with moisture. The collar hung loosely against her collarbone, and the semi-transparent fabric clung to her skin.

He reached out, his fingertips hooking around the front of her shirt, and unbuttoned it for her, one button at a time.

Shu Zi lowered her eyelashes and didn't move, letting him take the soaking wet shirt off her shoulders.

He casually draped it on the rack, then took a clean bathrobe from the hook, unfolded it, draped it over her shoulders, gathered the front, and loosely tied the tie at her waist.

After doing all this, he picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom, gently placing her back on the bed.

As soon as Shu Zi touched the bed, she automatically curled up under the covers, leaving only her eyes showing. Her voice was tired.

"...What time is it?"

Gu Yan picked up his phone from the bedside table and glanced at it: "It's twelve o'clock."

I'm hungry.

Gu Yan chuckled softly and put his phone back on the table: "I'll go cook. You lie down for a while."

Shu Zi gave a weak "hmm" and buried her face in the pillow, clearly indicating that she didn't want to move.

Gu Yan glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, then turned and left the room.

She listened to his footsteps as he walked down the stairs until she could no longer hear them, then turned over and stared at the ceiling for a while.

Her phone vibrated on the bedside table. She reached out and saw that Fang Ran had tagged her in a group chat.

The sleepiest person within a hundred miles: "@LittleZizi, wanna go shopping this afternoon?"

A little girl said, "I'm not going, I'm tired."

The biggest sleeper within a hundred miles: "?????? What did you do all morning to be so tired?"

Shu Zi stared at the line of text, remained silent for two seconds, then placed the phone screen face down on the bed without replying.

The aroma of food wafted up from downstairs, and her stomach growled in response.

She hesitated for a moment, then got out of bed, grabbed a shirt from Gu Yan's wardrobe, put it on, and slowly walked downstairs, her legs still feeling a little weak.

As she reached the kitchen door, she unconsciously stopped in her tracks.

Gu Yan stood with his back to her in front of the stove, his sleeves rolled up above his forearms, tasting the soup.

He scooped up a spoonful, brought it to his lips, blew on it gently, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed.

She leaned against the door frame for a few seconds, and the scene from the bathroom flashed through her mind at an inopportune moment, causing her face to flush red.

As if sensing the gaze behind him, Gu Yan turned his head, met her figure standing in the doorway, and smiled slightly.

"Why did you come down?"

Shu Zi snapped back to reality, her gaze hastily shifting away from his face: "...I can't sleep."

Gu Yan turned around, ladled a bowl of soup onto the island counter, and waved to her:

"Come here, have some soup to warm your stomach first."

Shu Zi walked over, sat down opposite him, took the spoon, and took a sip, but her gaze involuntarily fell on his hand.

His joints were well-defined, his fingers were long and slender, and his veins were slightly protruding, making him look clean and strong.

Her ears suddenly burned, and she quickly looked away, wishing she could bury her face in the bowl.

Gu Yan watched as she practically buried her face in the bowl, a smile playing on his lips. He turned and took the stir-fried dishes from the stove to the dining table, then served her rice and sat down opposite her.

He didn't rush to pick up his chopsticks, just watched her bury her head in her soup, a faint smile in his eyes.

Shu Zi felt uncomfortable under his gaze, so she looked up and glared at him.

"What are you looking at? Eat your food."

Gu Yan smiled, picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of pork rib in her bowl, and said in a meaningful tone:

"Eat more to replenish your energy."

Shu Zi paused, looking up at him: "...What do you mean by that?"