Counting Eyelashes

After Tang Ziyun lay down, Su Yang got up and turned off the light.

The bedroom was instantly plunged into darkness. Neither of them reached for their phones, nor did they bother to undress, simply lying there stiffly—both too embarrassed to make the first move.

Tang Ziyun lay motionless, her heartbeat uncontrollably quickening, her breaths growing shallow.

Normally an outgoing girl, she now seemed like a startled little bird.

Su Yang wasn’t faring much better. He was equally nervous, after all, lying beside a beauty on par with Pan Ning and Lu Yun.

Though he’d had his fair share of encounters since acquiring the "system," and while he couldn’t claim to be a seasoned veteran, he wasn’t exactly inexperienced either.

Yet, every time he faced someone new, he reverted to being as awkward as a beginner.

This, in a way, was why playboys stayed playboys—the thrill of novelty with each new person.

To dispel the awkwardness, they began chatting idly.

Su Yang suddenly remembered the new company he’d recently acquired, one specializing in nurturing live-streamers. He turned his head toward Tang Ziyun and asked, "Hey, Ziyun, you’re a professional singer, right?"

"Not really. I wouldn’t dare call myself ‘professional’ in front of you," she replied modestly.

"Don’t be so humble. Ever thought about live-streaming your singing? With your talent, you’d be a hit as a singing streamer."

Tang Ziyun nodded. "I did consider it before, but after getting scouted by my current company, I dropped the idea."

"So, would you still want to try it?"

"I’m open to it, as long as I don’t have to clock in daily. My current company’s pretty flexible, so it works for me."

Su Yang grinned. "I own a company in Haicheng that specializes in building streamers. If you ever want a change, just reach out. I’ll turn you into a mega-influencer."

Tang Ziyun giggled. "Deal. If I quit, I’ll come running to you."

"No problem."

Su Yang checked his phone—2:40 a.m. He set it down and sighed. "Almost 3. We should sleep, or we’ll never wake up tomorrow."

"It’s that late already? Let’s get some rest, then."

"Yeah." Su Yang pulled the blanket over Tang Ziyun. "Here, cover up. You’ll catch a cold otherwise."

"Oh… thanks." A warm feeling bloomed in her chest as she tucked herself in.

They fell silent, letting their minds drift toward sleep.

Then, Su Yang suddenly thought of something and mentally called out:

—System, show me Tang Ziyun’s stats.

[Tang Ziyun, Age: 23]

[Height: 168cm]

[Weight: 56kg]

[Appearance: 90]

[Figure: 90]

[Relationships: 1, Currently Single]

[Experience: 0]

[Traits: Emotionally perceptive, Appearance-conscious]

—Got it.

Ten minutes later, Tang Ziyun’s breathing steadied into the rhythm of sleep.

Su Yang, too, was on the verge of dozing off.

But just as he was about to slip into dreams, Tang Ziyun suddenly rolled over and draped an arm over him.

Startled awake, Su Yang lifted his head to look at her.

Tang Ziyun’s lips curled into a faint smile, as if lost in a pleasant dream.

"What’s this girl dreaming about, smiling like that in her sleep?" he muttered, gently moving her arm away.

Yet, within seconds, she reached out again, this time wrapping her arm around his neck and mumbling, "Don’t… don’t go…"

"Go where? But if you’re holding me like this, don’t blame me for what happens next!"

With that, he turned to face her, shifting closer.

Tang Ziyun’s beauty was now mere inches away. Su Yang swallowed hard, his throat dry.

Their faces were barely five centimeters apart.

Breathing in her subtle fragrance, Su Yang lightly rested a hand on her waist.

He considered letting her sleep like this, resisting the urge to take things further—it felt too underhanded when she was unaware.

He preferred doing things openly; sneaky advances weren’t his style.

Still, it didn’t stop him from admiring her flawless features up close.

Compared to Pan Ning and Lu Yun, Tang Ziyun had a unique charm. From a distance, her face looked slender, but up close, it carried a soft, youthful roundness.

Her bare skin was nearly impeccable, with almost no visible flaws. The only nitpick? Her nose wasn’t as delicately sculpted as Pan Ning’s or Lu Yun’s—but that was only noticeable under scrutiny.

Just as Su Yang was lost in his observations, Tang Ziyun’s eyes fluttered open.

Their gazes locked. Her heart raced anew.

Blushing, she lowered her head—only to realize one of her legs was draped over his.

She yanked it back, her mouth opening in a silent gasp.

Before she could make a sound, Su Yang swiftly covered her lips with his hand and whispered,

"Shh. Not a good time for screaming, you know."

"Mmm… I—I didn’t mean to," she stammered.

"Mean to what? It’s just a leg. No big deal," he chuckled.

"But why’d you wake up so suddenly? Scared me half to death."

"I don’t know. I felt someone watching me in my dream, so I woke up."

Su Yang grinned sheepishly. "Well, I couldn’t sleep, so I was counting your eyelashes."

Tang Ziyun: "......"

Before she could overthink it, Su Yang added, "Don’t dwell on it. Let’s just sleep."

"O-okay."

She closed her eyes again, but their positions remained unchanged—faces still close.

Su Yang resumed his admiring.

A slight twitch of her facial muscles betrayed her awareness. She opened her eyes once more.

This time, instead of looking away, she mustered the courage to meet his gaze shyly.

Unconsciously, they stared at each other for a solid thirty seconds.

The distance between them shrank until their lips were almost touching.

Tang Ziyun’s breaths grew ragged, her body trembling. She quickly shut her eyes.

......