A moment of silence.
Ying Yunsheng seemed to have regained consciousness, his voice becoming much clearer: "I can't sleep."
Ji Li felt the other person's hand moving around in the blankets and instinctively tried to stop it, but instead touched something square.
He instinctively reached for the box and, by the moonlight streaming through the window, made out the words on it.
Ying Yunsheng's hand suddenly froze.
Ji Li glanced at him: "Did you bring this over?"
"Um."
When was it bought?
Ying Yunsheng clutched the corner of the blanket: "When you said I could sleep with you."
Ji Li reached under the covers and pulled out another one.
Ying Yunsheng's face was burning: "I heard it was two people..."
He couldn't continue.
The air remained quiet for a long while.
Ji Li stared at his flushed face for several seconds before lowering her head to open the box.
Waiting for a ghost.
I can't wait any longer.
Hearing the commotion beside him, Ying Yunsheng looked up and a shadow fell before his eyes.
Ji Li braced himself on the edge of the bed beside his neck and lightly touched his lips: "I'll go slower."
Ying Yunsheng didn't react immediately: "Huh?"
Ji Li: "If you feel you can't accept it, you should call a halt immediately."
Ying Yunsheng was stunned. Before he could speak, the other person's kiss landed on him again.
Unlike the previous half-hearted attempts, this time it came down to a raging storm.
Ji Li easily pried open his lips and teeth.
Ying Yunsheng's heart was pounding, and his grip on the bed sheet tightened, tighter and tighter.
Sweat soaked the folds.
.
Ji Li couldn't remember the last time she had slept in.
When he woke up, it was already bright outside. He sat up from under the covers, his pajamas were creased, and his hair was sticking up in a mess.
Ji Li stared blankly for a few seconds, then threw off the covers and got out of bed.
Ying Yunsheng happened to come out of the kitchen, his gaze wandering uncomfortably. He forced him to straighten up: "I made breakfast. Remember to come and eat after you've washed up."
Ji Li glanced at him.
Ying Yunsheng had changed into long sleeves and trousers, and even his shirt had a collar. Apart from his face and hands, he didn't reveal a single bit of skin.
If the temperature in the capital city weren't just right this month, Chong Liu would probably attract a lot of attention if he went out wearing this outfit.
When Ji Li saw him, she was reminded of what she had done last night: "Why are you up so early?"
"I need to attend online classes."
Ji Li thought for a moment, then asked, "Does it hurt?"
"Well……"
"Was he able to walk when he first got up?"
"Well……"
"Are your hands sore? Are your legs numb? Is your back...?"
Ying Yunsheng quickly covered his mouth: "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine!"
Ji Li said "Oh," and continued, "This is my first time too. I don't know what it's like on your side, but in the novels I've read, they all say it's very..."
Ying Yunsheng reached out and pulled him into the bathroom, saying, "Come and have breakfast after you wash your face."
The door slammed shut.
There was warm water in the basin and cup on the marble countertop, and the toothpaste had already been squeezed out; it was probably all prepared by Ying Yunsheng.
Ji Li looked in the mirror and couldn't help but chuckle. He then lowered his head and picked up his water glass and toothbrush.
.
Ying Yunsheng sat on the sofa, looking down at his phone screen aimlessly.
It would be a lie to say he felt no discomfort, but thankfully it was still within his tolerance. Looking back now, he still felt mostly happy, and the rest was the feeling of his chest being filled with emotion after getting what he wanted.
In the morning, when watching recordings of his biomedical course, he would feel something strange in his body whenever he made a movement, which would remind him of what happened last night. Especially since he could still hear the teacher's voice, he would have the illusion of having an affair. A strange excitement and a guilty conscience would swirl in his mind, causing his study efficiency to reach an all-time low that morning.
No wonder people always say that dating affects academic performance.
Ying Yunsheng turned off his phone and sighed with a hint of worry.
The doorbell rang just then.
Ying Yunsheng put down his phone, opened the door, and heard someone outside call out "Xiao Li." Before he could stop holding the doorknob, he came face to face with the old lady standing outside.
His movements froze instantly.
Ying Yunsheng had heard Ji Li talk about his current family situation before, and knew that his grandmother lived in the capital. Coupled with the way the old man addressed him just now, it was obvious what the other party's identity was.
The old lady never expected things to turn out this way.
She had already learned from Ji Li that he had rented a place outside this semester, and the day before she learned that he was now living in an apartment. She made a special trip over to see her grandson, but when she opened the door she saw a completely unfamiliar boy.
Ying Yunsheng's stiffness was only visible for a moment before he quickly composed himself, saying, "You are..."
A voice suddenly rang out from the side: "Grandma?"
Ji Li had just stepped out of the bathroom when he heard a noise coming from the entryway. He quickly ran over and saw the old lady outside the door: "Why are you here?"
Ying Yunsheng couldn't help but glance at him.
Ji Li pulled him back and said to the old lady, "Please come in first."
While welcoming the old man inside, Ying Yunsheng glanced at Ji Li several times.
As Ji Li turned to the side, she asked him, "Why are you looking at me?"
Ying Yunsheng simply pulled up the collar of his pajamas.
Ji Li was stunned for a few seconds. Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind of the ambiguous marks he had seen on his neck and collarbone half-hidden in the bathroom mirror a few minutes earlier. He almost fainted and his heart raced.
Ying Yunsheng: "Go change your clothes, I'll take care of the guests."
Ji Li could only return to her room first.
The old lady had already sat down on the sofa, took the teacup Ying Yunsheng brought her, and said kindly, "Don't stand, sit down. You're Yunsheng, right?"
Ying Yunsheng stood ramrod straight: "Hello."
"Hey, don't be so serious. You and Xiaoli are the same age, so you can just call me Grandma."
Ying Yunsheng, his face burning with embarrassment, called out, "Grandma Xu."
He had heard Ji Li mention before that the old man's real name was Xu.
The old lady asked, "Are you and Xiaoli classmates?"
Ying Yunsheng nodded: "We were classmates in high school and college, so we moved out together."
Actually, it was the same in elementary school. He added to himself.
"You two have known each other since high school?"
Ying Yunsheng hummed in agreement.
The old lady wasn't as nervous as he was. In fact, aside from her initial surprise, she actually quite liked him afterwards. The teenage boy was fair-skinned and clean-cut. When he was with the old lady, his usual aloofness disappeared. Wearing glasses, he looked exceptionally well-behaved with his head down and eyes lowered.
Seeing that the other person had their head down, she jokingly asked, "Do I look scary?"
Ying Yunsheng could only raise his head: "No."
The old lady smiled and said, "You've been living together for almost a month now, how are things going?"
Ying Yunsheng realized that the other person wasn't simply asking about their relationship.
The atmosphere had just eased when the topic immediately shifted to the main point: the old lady in front of them was clearly no ordinary elderly woman.
He said, "Very good."
The old lady said, "Did I cause you any trouble?"
Ying Yunsheng shook his head: "He usually takes care of me more. Only when he gets sick occasionally do I get to help him."
"Are you aware of his health condition?"
“I know,” Ying Yunsheng said. “He told me.”
The old lady's brow relaxed: "That's good."
She said, "I didn't have a chance to take care of this child when he was little, and now that he's grown up, he's never been very close to us. He said he wanted to rent a place outside, and I've always been worried about what would happen if something happened to him. But now that you have someone to look after him, I feel a little more at ease."
Ji Li came out after changing her clothes.
The old lady declined the offer to stay for dinner, putting down her things and saying, "The driver is still waiting downstairs, so I won't bother you any longer."
Just as he stepped out the door, he suddenly turned around and said, "By the way, Yunsheng."
Ying Yunsheng had barely managed to breathe a sigh of relief when he was immediately hoisted back up.
The old lady smiled and said, "It's Xiaoli's aunt's birthday this weekend. Would you like to come to our house for a meal?"
Ying Yunsheng paused for a moment.
The old lady immediately made the decision: "Okay, it's settled then. I'll tell you to add a seat for me later."
The door was closed.