After all, I'm a dog, I sleep wherever I want.

The sound of running water in the bathroom stopped.

A few minutes later, the door was pushed open.

Chen Zhi walked out wearing a hotel bathrobe, toweling his dripping wet hair.

The cold shower had actually helped a bit; the wicked fire of arousal from earlier was barely suppressed.

But when he saw the sight on the bed, his blood pressure threatened to spike again.

Pei Ningxue had shifted into a more comfortable lounging position on her side, propping her head up with one hand. That black slip nightgown hung loosely on her body.

Seeing Chen Zhi come out, her gaze unabashedly swept over his bare chest before settling on him with a provocative look.

"Three minutes?"

Pei Ningxue clicked her tongue, her face full of mock regret. "Student Chen Zhi, it turns out you really can't last."

"I thought you were going to hide in the bathroom all night."

Chen Zhi paused his toweling.

He casually tossed the towel onto a nearby chair, his eyes instantly darkening.

Why did this woman love to play with fire when she couldn't handle the heat?

He had to teach her a lesson tonight.

"Pei Ningxue."

Chen Zhi strode toward the large, soft bed, his tone menacing.

"Do you really think I wouldn't dare do anything to you?"

Pei Ningxue was startled by his imposing aura and instinctively shrank back, but her mouth remained stubborn. "All talk and no action. If you have the guts..."

Before she could finish, Chen Zhi was already looming over her.

The mattress sank heavily beneath them.

A damp scent, mixed with the fresh fragrance of body wash, instantly enveloped Pei Ningxue.

Before she could react, Chen Zhi had planted one hand by her ear and gripped her chin with the other.

"Didn't you say you were going to help me put out my fire?"

Chen Zhi looked down at her, two balls of flame hiding in the depths of his eyes.

"Perfect. Let's spend tonight studying how to turn that fake baby into a real one."

With that, he gave Pei Ningxue no chance to speak, lowering his head to fiercely seal off that infuriating mouth of hers.

"Mmph—!"

Pei Ningxue's eyes widened.

This kiss was much more aggressive than the last, carrying a hint of punishment.

It was as if Chen Zhi was venting all the frustration he had suffered in the bathroom, invading her senses without mercy.

It wasn't until Pei Ningxue's breathing grew ragged, her cheeks flushed bright red, and she began pushing at him that Chen Zhi finally loosened his grip a little.

But he didn't stop.

His hand slipped under the hem of her silky nightgown, slowly reaching upward.

His fingertips brushed against the delicate skin of her inner thigh.

Pei Ningxue's entire body stiffened.

This time, she truly felt the danger.

Her mind went completely blank.

Even though she usually talked a big game, casually tossing out flirts and teases like an experienced veteran, she was essentially just an armchair expert.

When it actually came down to the wire, she was more cowardly than anyone.

"Chen... Chen Zhi..."

Pei Ningxue's voice trembled. Her hands pressed against Chen Zhi's chest, trying to push him away.

"Don't mess around... I... I was just joking..."

"Joking?"

Chen Zhi sneered. He didn't stop; instead, his hand moved an inch higher.

With one hand, he grabbed both of her flailing wrists and pinned them above her head.

"Too late."

He lowered his head, his nose almost touching hers, their breaths mingling.

"Weren't you acting pretty arrogant just now? Didn't you want to play with fire?"

"Come on, keep going."

"What? Chickening out already?"

Pei Ningxue bit her lip, her cheeks crimson and a layer of mist welling up in her eyes. She looked incredibly pitiful.

She was genuinely terrified that Chen Zhi was going to take her right then and there.

She had feelings for Chen Zhi, maybe even liked him, but she really wasn't mentally prepared for it to happen in a place like this, at a time like this.

At the very least, her first time couldn't be in a place like this.

"I was wrong... bro... I admit I was wrong, okay..."

Pei Ningxue's voice softened, begging for mercy with a tearful edge. "I won't play around anymore, I really won't..."

Seeing her admit defeat like this, more than half of Chen Zhi's anger dissipated.

Little brat.

Trying to mess with me?

You're still too green.

Chen Zhi stopped his movements and stared at her for a moment. Once he was sure she had genuinely yielded, he released her hands.

He rolled off her and lay to the side, pillowing his hands behind his head as he let out a long breath.

He had finally subdued this little demon.

"Since you admit you were wrong, you have to accept your punishment."

Chen Zhi crossed his legs, looking like a lord as he cast a sidelong glance at her.

Pei Ningxue hurriedly sat up, frantically straightening her messy nightgown and pulling the hem down. She looked at him, still a bit shaken.

"Wh... what punishment?"

As long as it wasn't that, anything was negotiable.

Chen Zhi pointed to his somewhat sore calves.

"Today, I ran my legs off picking up you VIPs. Now they're sore as hell."

He had been running back and forth between the airport, the Central Conservatory of Music, Renmin University, and Peking University. His step count had long surpassed thirty thousand. Now that he had relaxed, his legs felt like they were filled with lead.

He turned his head and looked at Pei Ningxue, flashing a bright, toothy smile.

"Didn't you say you wanted to offer some service earlier?"

"Come on, massage my legs."

"Do a good job, and we'll consider tonight's incident swept under the rug."

Pei Ningxue froze for a second.

Then, her exquisite face instantly darkened.

She grabbed a nearby pillow and smashed it hard against Chen Zhi's face.

"Chen Zhi! You bastard!"

"I practically took off my... ahem, and you're just making me massage your legs?!"

This jerk was actually treating her like a massage therapist?!

Chen Zhi moved the pillow aside, looking completely innocent.

"What else? What did you want to do?"

"Did you really want to have my baby?"

He looked Pei Ningxue up and down, then shook his head. "I suppose that's not impossible, but you'll have to get in line. There are two ahead of you."

"Get lost!!!"

Pei Ningxue was driven mad with anger.

But seeing Chen Zhi's shameless expression that clearly said if you don't massage me, I'll continue what we were doing, she gritted her teeth and swallowed her pride.

Even though she was telling him to get lost, Pei Ningxue huffily scooted over.

She knelt beside Chen Zhi, reached out with her well-manicured hands, and gave his calf a vicious pinch.

"Hiss! Not so hard! Are you trying to murder your husband?!" Chen Zhi gasped in pain.

"Shut up! Keep talking and I'll rip your leg off!"

Pei Ningxue cursed through gritted teeth, but the force of her hands lightened, turning into a proper kneading motion.

Under the lights.

The young man lay on the bed, his eyes closed in enjoyment, a punchable smirk hanging on his lips.

The young woman knelt beside him. Despite her reluctant expression and the muttered curses of I hope it hurts to death, her movements never stopped.

After massaging for a while, Pei Ningxue's hands started to ache.

She paused and looked at Chen Zhi's relaxed face, feeling a bit unbalanced.

Why was this happening?

She was the one who tricked him into coming here, so how did it end up with her serving him?

"Chen Zhi."

"Hmm?" Chen Zhi responded lazily without even lifting his eyelids. "Why did you stop? Technician No. 8, your service attitude is terrible. Careful, or I'll leave a bad review."

"Bad review my foot!"

Pei Ningxue slapped his leg. "I'm tired. I'm done massaging."

"Fine, I suppose it was acceptable."

Chen Zhi stretched his legs, feeling that they were indeed much looser.

He opened his eyes and checked the time. It was almost twelve.

"Let's go to sleep."

Pei Ningxue sat on the bed without moving, her gaze a bit unfocused.

"Chen Zhi."

"What now?"

"Where are you sleeping tonight?"

That was a good question.

Chen Zhi looked at the two-meter-wide king-size bed, then at the single sofa next to it—which looked very expensive but was absolutely impossible to sleep on—and finally at the carpet.

Make him sleep on the floor? Impossible.

Make Pei Ningxue sleep on the floor? Even more impossible.

"Isn't there a bed right here?"

Chen Zhi scooted over, freeing up half the space, and patted the empty spot beside him.

"We each get half. Whoever crosses the line is a dog."

After saying that, he pulled the blanket over himself, wrapping it up tightly, and turned his back to Pei Ningxue, giving off a strong "I'm going to sleep, don't bother me" vibe.

Pei Ningxue looked at the empty spot, her eyes darting around.

A sly smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"You said it yourself."

She suddenly lifted the blanket and slipped inside like an eel.

Then, she quickly rolled over to Chen Zhi's side, hugged his arm, and pressed her entire body against his.

"Woof."

A crisp bark.

Chen Zhi: "..."

His whole body stiffened as he felt the soft sensation pressing against his back.

"Pei Ningxue, have you no shame?"

"What is shame? Is it edible?"

Not only did Pei Ningxue not let go, but she also threw a leg over him and buried her face in the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath of the body wash scent on him.

"Anyway, I'm a dog, so I can sleep wherever I want."

Chen Zhi felt a bit helpless.

He tried to push her away, but the woman was like glue sticking to him; he couldn't push her off at all.

Coupled with the fact that he was indeed exhausted today, he couldn't be bothered to struggle anymore.

"Fine, fine, fine. You're a dog, you win."

Chen Zhi sighed and gave up resisting.

The room fell silent, leaving only the sound of their breathing.

After a while.

"Chen Zhi."

"What is it now?" Chen Zhi kept his eyes closed, his voice laced with exhaustion.

"I want to eat hotpot."

"..."

Chen Zhi opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling, utterly speechless. "Are you crazy? In the middle of the night?"

"I'm not crazy. I just smelled the scent on you and got a craving."

Pei Ningxue lifted her head, resting her chin on his shoulder, her eyes sparkling. "I didn't notice it earlier, but now that I'm hugging you, you smell exactly like Haidilao hotpot. The more I smell it, the hungrier I get."

Chen Zhi: "..."

"Tomorrow." Chen Zhi reached out and pushed her head back down. "I'll take you to eat tomorrow, okay?"

"Really?"

"Really. If I lie, I'm a dog."

"Well, you're already my dog anyway," Pei Ningxue rubbed against him contentedly. "I want beef tripe, and shrimp paste too."

"Eat, eat, eat. I'll buy the whole restaurant for you to eat."

Chen Zhi reached out and turned off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

"Go to sleep. You can have whatever you want in your dreams."

In the dark.

Pei Ningxue didn't let go; instead, she hugged him even tighter, as if afraid he would run away.

She found a comfortable position in Chen Zhi's arms, the corners of her lips turning up slightly.

"Chen Zhi."

"Shut up."

"Goodnight."

"...Goodnight."