Planting Strawberries

The iodine swab rubbed against the scraped knee, bringing a chill and a slight sting.

Lin Wanwan shrank her leg back, letting out a sharp hiss, but she didn't pull away. Instead, her big eyes stared straight at Chen Zhi.

Under the light, the young man's profile was serious and focused. His movements were very gentle, as if he were afraid of hurting some rare treasure. With every dab, he would gently blow on it.

The little grievance Lin Wanwan felt from getting hurt while climbing over the balcony was instantly blown away by his breath. It was like gulping down a huge mouthful of honey water, cloyingly sweet, flowing straight into her heart.

"All done."

Chen Zhi threw the used swab into the trash can and capped the iodine bottle. "Don't do something so stupid next time. Don't you have the key to my house?"

As soon as he finished speaking, without giving Lin Wanwan time to react, he bent down, slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her back, and with a slight lift, scooped her up steadily.

The moment her body left the ground, Lin Wanwan let out a subconscious gasp and wrapped her arms tightly around Chen Zhi's neck, clinging to him like a koala.

"Where are we going?" she asked, knowing the answer perfectly well. Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a hint of naive charm.

"To sleep."

Chen Zhi was concise, carrying her straight toward the bedroom.

The air conditioner was on in the bedroom, making it quite chilly.

Chen Zhi walked to the side of the bed and tossed the person in his arms right onto it.

Lin Wanwan bounced twice on the soft mattress. Before she could even adjust her posture, a thin summer quilt was thrown over her head. Immediately after, the bed sank beside her as Chen Zhi slipped in as well.

The two were pressed very close together.

So close that Lin Wanwan could clearly hear the steady, powerful beating of Chen Zhi's heart in his chest, so close that their breaths intertwined, indistinguishable from one another.

Lin Wanwan's heart began to race, thumping so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.

Even though the two had grown up together and it wasn't like they hadn't shared a bed for afternoon naps before, that had been pure friendship back then. The nature of things was completely different now!

She was his official girlfriend now!

Lin Wanwan swallowed hard. By the faint moonlight seeping through the gap in the curtains, she looked at the face so close to hers.

With the atmosphere built up to this point, wouldn't it be a letdown if they didn't do something?

She quietly shifted closer into Chen Zhi's embrace until their bodies were pressed together with almost no gap between them.

Then, she slowly closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. She tilted her head up and puckered her pink lips, looking entirely docile and ready to be kissed.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The warm touch she anticipated never landed.

Instead, a large hand reached over and pressed her head down, tucking her right into his chest.

"Go to sleep."

Chen Zhi's voice came from above, carrying a hint of helplessness and obvious sleepiness. He even casually tucked the corner of the quilt around her.

Lin Wanwan: ???

She snapped her eyes open. Her line of sight was blocked, leaving her staring only at the collar of Chen Zhi's gray pajamas.

You've got to be kidding me?

We're just going to sleep?

On such a perfect night, with a lone man and a lone woman sharing a room, you're just going to purely sleep?

Lin Wanwan ground her teeth in frustration.

"Chen Zhi..." she whined unwillingly against his chest.

"Be good, we have to get up early tomorrow." Chen Zhi kept his eyes closed, rubbing his chin against the top of her head. He tightened his arm slightly, as if coaxing a child.

Lin Wanwan nuzzled into his embrace. With her cheek pressed against his warm chest, listening to that steady heartbeat, the little bit of resentment in her heart slowly dissipated.

Whatever, there's plenty of time in the future.

He was already hers anyway, it wasn't like he could run away.

She lifted her head, and by the dim light, her gaze landed on Chen Zhi's neck.

The young man's neck was long and fair, his Adam's apple protruding slightly, exuding an indescribable sexiness.

Lin Wanwan rolled her eyes, and that little mischievous urge popped up again.

I'll teach you to act like a perfect gentleman! I'll teach you not to kiss me!

She leaned in, opened her mouth, aimed right at the most conspicuous patch of skin just above Chen Zhi's collarbone, and sucked hard.

"Hiss..." Chen Zhi frowned in his sleep, his Adam's apple bobbing. His palm patted her back soothingly a couple of times as he mumbled something indistinctly, but he didn't wake up.

Lin Wanwan released her mouth. Looking at the freshly made, bright red strawberry mark, she licked her lips in satisfaction.

This was her personal seal.

Now that he was stamped, he was her man.

Chen Zhi was indeed sleepy.

For the past few days, his nerves had been taut because of the college entrance exams. Today, he had also gone through the grand drama of Lin Wanwan's confession, taking his emotions on a roller coaster. Now, holding this soft, fragrant body in his arms, sleepiness washed over him like a tidal wave.

In his daze, the familiar scent of shampoo lingered around his nose.

The scent made him a bit spaced out.

His memory rewound like a tape, going back to a night many years ago.

That little girl, dragging a pink suitcase, crying with snot and tears streaming down her face, standing at his front door.

"Zhizhi, Mommy and Daddy don't want me anymore..."

"I'm not going to live with them anymore, I want to live with you!"

"I can be your maid. I know how to fold blankets, and I can sweep the floor..."

The Lin Wanwan back then was just like this. At night, she insisted on squeezing into his small bed, wrapping around him like an octopus, constantly muttering, "Zhizhi, don't send me away."

In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed.

That little crybaby had now grown into a beautiful and graceful young woman.

But that dependence and trust seemed to have never changed.

Chen Zhi tightened his arm, holding the person in his embrace even closer, and sank completely into dreamland.

...

Listening to the breathing above her head gradually become long and steady, Lin Wanwan knew that this pig was truly asleep.

She carefully poked her head out from Chen Zhi's embrace.

The bedroom was very quiet, with only the faint humming of the air conditioner running.

A warm yellow nightlight by the bed emitted a soft halo, casting their overlapping shadows onto the wall, looking exceptionally warm and intimate.

Lin Wanwan felt no sleepiness at all.

She was so hyped up right now that she could go run five kilometers on the track.

She quietly reached out and fished her phone out from under the pillow.

Unlocked it, turned down the screen brightness, and opened the camera.

Switched to the front-facing camera.

Lin Wanwan adjusted her posture, rested her head on Chen Zhi's shoulder, and found the perfect angle.

In the frame, the young man's sleeping face was peaceful, his features looking especially striking under the dim yellow light. But the most eye-catching thing was undoubtedly the bright red hickey on his neck.

Lin Wanwan faced the camera, showing half her face, and made a cute peace sign.

Click.

To avoid waking Chen Zhi, she had purposely turned off the shutter sound.

Looking at the photo in her album, the corners of Lin Wanwan's mouth curled up wildly, revealing a row of neat, little white teeth.

If she posted this photo, it would definitely blow up her entire circle of friends.

But she didn't plan on making it public to everyone.

Some things were meant to be seen by specific people.

Lin Wanwan opened WeChat Moments, tapped the camera icon in the upper right corner, and imported the photo.

Editing the caption.

Her fingers tapped away on the screen, typing and deleting.

Finally, she left just one simple sentence:

[Finally waited for you, glad I didn't give up. Goodnight, my big idiot.]

Then came the essence of this whole operation.

She tapped on [Who can see].

Selected [Partially visible].

Scrolling through the contact list, Lin Wanwan found that person—Pei.

Pei Ningxue.

Lin Wanwan checked Pei Ningxue, tapped [Done], and then pressed [Post] without any hesitation.

The moment the successful post notification popped up, Lin Wanwan felt like an absolute genius.

Didn't that Bad Woman like to post photos to provoke her? Didn't she like playing those passive-aggressive tricks?

Today, this young lady would show her what the aura of the main wife looked like!

After doing all this, Lin Wanwan contentedly stuffed the phone back under the pillow.

She burrowed back into Chen Zhi's embrace, found the most comfortable position, and rubbed her cheek against the spot next to that strawberry hickey.

"Goodnight, Zhizhi."

She murmured in her heart, closed her eyes, and soon drifted off to dreamland.

...

Chen Zhi slept exceptionally deeply.

When he opened his eyes again, the sunlight from outside the window had already spilled in through the gap in the curtains, forming a bright band of light on the floor.

Chen Zhi subconsciously reached out to touch the space next to him.

Empty.

The bed was still warm, and the faint, sweet fragrance still lingered in the air, but she was already gone.

"Wanwan?"

Chen Zhi called out, his voice hoarse from just waking up.

No response.

It seemed she had already gone back.

After all, their houses were right next door. If their parents caught them coming out of each other's rooms early in the morning, even though it wasn't a big deal, it would definitely lead to an interrogation.

Chen Zhi rolled over and stretched lazily.

That sleep was truly refreshing.

Sure enough, sleeping while holding a girlfriend had its bonuses.

Humming a little tune in a pretty good mood, he reached for the phone on the bedside table to check the time.

His finger had barely touched the screen and lit it up.

The next second, Chen Zhi froze.

Remark: [Bad Woman].

Unread messages: 99+.

Chen Zhi's hand trembled, almost dropping the phone.

What was going on?

What kind of crazy fit was Pei Ningxue throwing this early in the morning?

With an ominous premonition, Chen Zhi took a deep breath, unlocked the screen, and tapped into the chat box.

What met his eyes were neat, densely packed question marks.

[Bad Woman: ?]

[Bad Woman: ?]

[Bad Woman: ?]