There's Also Entrapment

This wasn't the first time Shen Nian had held Xia Yanchun's foot like this.

Back when she sprained her ankle, he had cradled it just the same to apply medicine. Truth be told, he had already touched every inch of her foot back then, so him gently holding it now shouldn't have been a big deal.

Yet, she couldn't help feeling shy. Having someone hold your bare foot felt inherently intimate, perhaps even a little embarrassing...

Xia Yanchun's small face tingled with heat, flushing a soft pink like a delicate flower petal.

Shen Nian shifted his squatting position, resting her foot on his thigh. He held her toes, carefully trimming the remaining nails. He cut them short but painlessly, filing down any sharp edges until they were smooth.

He paid extra attention to the corners of her big toes. If those weren't trimmed properly, they could lead to ingrown nails, which made walking painful. Shen Nian was always careful about this with his own feet, so naturally, he was even more meticulous with Xia Yanchun's.

He could be sloppy with himself, but when he was trimming Chunbao's nails, there was no room for carelessness.

"Mmm..." Xia Yanchun let out a soft hum, enjoying the sensation.

The thought of Shen Nian—who once threatened to punch her in the face—now squatting before her like a loyal servant to trim her nails made her hum with satisfaction.

Who wouldn't be smug about that?

Xia Yanchun’s eyes curved into crescents. She reached out and ruffled Shen Nian’s hair, which hadn’t fully dried yet. Taking advantage of the dampness, she molded a tuft of hair into the shape of a cat ear.

It didn't look quite right and quickly fell apart, but she insisted on making another one. She wanted to take a picture, but by the time she grabbed her phone, the "cat ear" had already collapsed into a messy tuft.

"Cut it out. Why are your hands so restless?" Shen Nian shook his head to mess up his hair, preventing her from taking a photo. He didn't need her saving any "blackmail material" to use against him later.

"So what? So what?"

"Say 'so what' again and I'll punch you."

Xia Yanchun wasn't afraid in the slightest. Even though the current Shen Nian was strong enough to punch her into a wall so hard she’d stick, she knew he wouldn't dare. After all, he still wanted to sleep over tonight.

So, she just pretended she didn't hear him.

Squinting her eyes, Xia Yanchun placed her other foot—the one he had already finished trimming—onto Shen Nian's thigh, kneading it gently against him like a kitten making biscuits.

Her mischievous "villainess" persona took over, and teasing Shen Nian became her only thought.

"...Bro, seriously..."

Shen Nian immediately sensed danger. He glanced up at Xia Yanchun and knew instantly that she was doing it on purpose.

He moved her foot onto her slipper and went back to clipping her nails.

But Xia Yanchun’s foot crept right back up.

"...I put your foot down because it smells a little. You should change your slippers; that cheap plastic smell has rubbed off on your feet..."

That froze Xia Yanchun in her tracks. Her face flushed crimson, purely from embarrassment and mortification. If that was actually true, she might as well jump out the window right now.

She yanked her foot back, rubbed the sole with her finger, and—completely abandoning her image—sniffed it. Only after confirming there was no unpleasant odor did she let out a slow sigh of relief.

Putting your foot on someone only to be told it stinks was a horror worse than scoring only a 120 on a math exam.

Thank god he was lying.

"You dare trick me? I'll kick you."

"Then I might just 'accidentally' clip your skin."

"..."

As soon as Shen Nian clipped the last nail, Xia Yanchun pulled her foot from his grasp and immediately kicked him in the thigh.

"Damn it, that's filthy."

Shen Nian didn't bother arguing. He rushed to wash his hands. Even if her feet were clean, he couldn't get over the mental hurdle. He wasn't some foot fetishist from an internet forum.

Xia Yanchun had already wrapped herself into a burrito on the bed, her back to him as she played on her phone.

"You even warmed the bed for me? How thoughtful."

"You're sleeping on the sofa outside."

"Seriously?"

"Yes," Xia Yanchun said without turning her head.

Shen Nian smiled with satisfaction, lifted the covers, and climbed in.

That was how arch-nemeses worked. The more she told him to do something, the more he had to do the opposite. When Chunbao said "go to the sofa," he, as her rival, was obligated to get into the bed. If Chunbao had said "let's sleep together," then they would definitely sleep together, because a Chunbao who invited him to sleep together was the best Chunbao in the world.

Different forms yielded different effects—hadn't she ever played Pokémon?

The lights went out, leaving only the glow of the phone screen. Shen Nian pressed against the girl's back, his hand naturally "spawning" onto Chunbao's lower abdomen.

"Stop looking at your phone. Let's sleep," Shen Nian whispered.

"No rush. It's the weekend tomorrow, no classes."

"Fine."

Shen Nian’s breathing was shallow, his heart beating a little faster. Under the cover of the duvet, his hand fumbled in the dark to undo the bottom button of Xia Yanchun’s pajamas.

The tips of Xia Yanchun's ears burned hot. Her free hand pressed over the back of Shen Nian’s hand, covering it with her smaller palm. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Just touching your tummy, I swear."

"Behave yourself."

"I will."

Shen Nian truly didn't have any ulterior motives. He undid the button simply because he wanted to feel Xia Yanchun’s soft stomach.

Touching her stomach was actually quite comforting. Whenever they slept together, Xia Yanchun never refused him. She would just keep one hand on the back of his, guarding against any sudden, wandering moves he might make while she wasn't paying attention.

Her stomach felt warm, and that warmth spread to her hands and feet. Once Xia Yanchun felt comfortable, her body relaxed completely. The hand covering Shen Nian’s lost its vigilance; what started as a guard against his wandering hands had now become a mere accessory resting there.

Shen Nian’s body heat was intense, instantly dispelling the chill inside the duvet like a hot spring bath. Xia Yanchun breathed out softly, turned off her phone screen, rolled over, and burrowed into Shen Nian’s arms.

"Turn around. I want to touch your stomach too."

"No, no thanks. Let's just sleep, okay?"

"Hurry up!" Xia Yanchun grabbed his shoulder, trying to force him to turn over.

"You..."

Shen Nian sighed, defeated, and chose to turn around.

He felt safe touching Xia Yanchun’s stomach because he trusted himself not to cross the line.

But being touched by Xia Yanchun? He didn't feel safe at all. Guys didn't have as many "off-limits" zones as girls, and he had a feeling Xia Yanchun would actually try something...

Damn it. He could face down three thugs without blinking, but lying in bed with Xia Yanchun, for the first time ever, he felt completely unsafe.

Xia Yanchun felt soft and cuddly against his back. Her hand crept around to his stomach, inching along to map out his abs. She felt bubbly with comfort, like flowers were blooming in her heart.

"I'm going to sleep," Shen Nian said nonchalantly, pillowing his head on his arm.

"Aren't you usually pretty energetic?"

"It varies day by day. I'm really sleepy now."

"Then sleep." Xia Yanchun nuzzled Shen Nian’s neck, deliberately exhaling warm breath against his skin.

Her breathing gradually steadied, but her hand still occasionally grazed across Shen Nian’s lower abdomen.

Shen Nian... was becoming increasingly unnatural. He went rigid, like someone who had been overworked for days.

Xia Yanchun pursed her lips. "You..."

"Maybe... maybe you should go back to your side for a bit? You can come back later."

"Just give it a minute, it'll be fine."

Damn it, Chunbao was practically engaging in entrapment. It was terrifying.

"Oh..."

Xia Yanchun turned away stiffly, lying back-to-back with Shen Nian. Her big eyes blinked in the dark, terrifyingly wide awake.

I didn't do it on purpose.

Goodnight, goodnight.

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