Too Far Gone...

Held comfortably by Shen Nian, a little flower bloomed in Xia Yanchun's heart.

"Are we going to say goodnight?" Sensing Xia Yanchun's sleepiness, Shen Nian whispered in her ear.

"Goodnight..." Xia Yanchun's voice was husky.

"Yeah, goodnight."

A peaceful night.

When she woke up from her dreams, the sky was just barely getting light.

Xia Yanchun was woken up by the clucking of free-range chickens from some unknown household across the street.

In her groggy state, she saw an equally groggy Shen Nian. It seemed those free-range chickens were truly formidable, actually managing to wake even a pig.

"Why are you up..." Shen Nian murmured softly.

"I got woken up... I'm going back to sleep for a bit."

"Alright, I'll sleep too."

"Aren't you going to work out?"

"Nope, my body is a hundred times healthier than yours, I don't need morning workouts anymore."

"Hmph, you still had to take a jab at me before sleeping, I hate you."

Xia Yanchun turned her head to sleep, ignoring Shen Nian.

Today wasn't Shen Nian's birthday, and she had decided to sulk and make Shen Nian guess why. Later, when she woke up, she would ask Shen Nian if he would still love her if she turned into a caterpillar.

The air conditioning was cool, the blankets were warm, and going back to sleep was the most comfortable feeling.

The morning light slipped in through the crack in the curtains, drawing a pale golden line across the floor.

The air was cool with a hint of quiet drowsiness. Outside the window, there were only a few soft bird chirps, and the room was so quiet that breathing could be heard.

A lost bird perched outside the window, singing a waking song. A groggy Xia Yanchun opened her eyes and saw Shen Nian sleeping soundly.

Yay, she woke up before Shen Nian!

Having woken up once in between, Xia Yanchun felt even more satisfied with her sleep. Now she had no sleepiness left, and waking up earlier than Shen Nian became something to be happy about.

What should she say later...

'You were just talking in your sleep, saying you super like sister Xia Yanchun...'

'You drool when you sleep, so silly...'

'You're not even well-behaved when sleeping, your hands are always touching me, and you still claim you're not a pervert.'

Many thoughts popped into her head, and as Xia Yanchun was going through them one by one, she didn't notice that Shen Nian had already opened his eyes. Caught off guard, she was pulled into a full embrace by Shen Nian.

"Ah!"

"What are you giggling about so early in the morning instead of sleeping..." Shen Nian yawned, his leg directly pressing onto Xia Yanchun, hugging her like a body pillow.

"I am not, I was just thinking about things."

"Oh, go back to sleep."

"Okay..."

Xia Yanchun, who was completely wide awake now, decided to lie with Shen Nian for a little longer.

So Shen Nian also needed to sleep for seven or eight hours at a time...

During their senior year of high school, even when he accompanied her to sleep, Shen Nian would always wake up at five and never take naps, basically sleeping only four hours a day.

The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached for Shen Nian. To go from scoring five hundred and fifty points to becoming the provincial top scorer, the sweat and effort involved went without saying.

Shen Nian must have been super exhausted every day...

But it was precisely because of this hard work that Shen Nian was able to get the same score as her, attend the same university, choose the same major, be the same top scorer, and receive the same scholarship.

She loved him so, so much.

Xia Yanchun secretly bubbled with happiness in Shen Nian's arms.

It wasn't until nine o'clock that Shen Nian woke up again.

Sleeping on his side had almost wrecked his body; he was so numb he couldn't move.

"Hah—" Xia Yanchun breathed out.

"...Don't you know that breath smells a bit in the morning before brushing teeth?"

"I know, I breathed on you on purpose."

"..."

This sweet beautiful girl was just too sweet.

Shen Nian rarely couldn't help but roll his eyes, completely speechless.

Pulling a stunt like this right after waking up, Xia Yanchun definitely needed to be disciplined.

Waiting for the numbness in his body to dissipate, Shen Nian struggled to sit up. The blanket naturally pressed against his thighs. He smacked his lips, feeling a tiny bit parched.

It hadn't rained much lately and it was sunny every day; even in the south, it felt a bit dry.

"Time to get up, let's go practice riding the two-wheeler and then come back?"

"Whatever works." Shen Nian muttered.

"Then why aren't you getting up?"

"..."

Xia Yanchun smiled slyly, placed her small hand on Shen Nian's thigh, slipped it under the blanket, and gently scratched his thigh.

"Haji-Chun, you rascal..."

"Time to get up and brush teeth."

Teasing and then running away was Xia Yanchun's favorite thing to do.

Just as her feet landed on her slippers and she was about to stand up, her hand was grabbed by Shen Nian. She could feel him drawing near, and in a flash of distraction, she was already wrapped in his arms.

Shen Nian's breath fell by her ear, his entire body pressed close. It was hard to say what kind of thoughts Shen Nian had right now.

Teasing and running, but it seemed she couldn't run away...

Feeling shy, Xia Yanchun hesitated for a moment, then kicked off her slippers, shifted back onto the bed, and gave Shen Nian a light peck on the lips.

"Is that enough...?"

"Who are you trying to dismiss." Shen Nian laughed wryly, rubbing his cheek against Xia Yanchun's.

This was probably the punishment for not escaping.

Xia Yanchun hummed softly and relaxed in Shen Nian's embrace.

Annoyed by the rubbing, Xia Yanchun gave him a muffled pat, signaling that cuddling for a bit was enough and they still had to go practice driving.

Shen Nian ignored her, wanting to bully her a little more, bullying her more than usual.

Xia Yanchun had a moment of panic, "Ah, you, you..."

"Xia Yanchun, don't move..."

"Wu..." Xia Yanchun was too shy to open her eyes, nestling in Shen Nian's arms without daring to move an inch. In her nineteen years, she had never experienced such feelings, a rush of shyness turning her mind into a jumbled mess.

After a good while, the young girl's thoughts gradually cleared up.

Something bad is going to happen!

"Get lost, get lost, get lost!" Xia Yanchun struggled, yanking Shen Nian's misbehaving hand out from under her, and fled the room as if escaping, hiding in the bathroom and not daring to come out.

The girl subconsciously squeezed her legs together, feeling like the sky had fallen. After recovering for a few minutes, the shyness still wouldn't dissipate, and she only felt much better after splashing cold water on her face.

She played... played too far...

In the room.

Shen Nian sat there with a red face, like an old monk in deep meditation, staring at his own hand blankly and foolishly.

He suddenly felt like he was such a pervert...

Not knowing how long he had sat there, upon hearing the noise outside, Shen Nian finally put on his slippers and walked out.

Xia Yanchun, who had just calmed down and was preparing to brush her teeth, saw Shen Nian's awkward and foolish look and immediately glared at him fiercely.

"Come here!"

"What's wrong?"

"Hold out your hand." Xia Yanchun put her hands on her hips. At the thought of what had just happened, an unnatural alluring flush crept onto her face again.

She got even angrier.

When Shen Nian reached out his hand, she viciously slapped the hand that had just misbehaved.

Forces are mutual.

Xia Yanchun's hand hurt a lot, but she couldn't show that it hurt, so she hid her hand behind her back.

"You, who told you to mess around like that? Did you get my permission? If you dare to mess around like this today, I can't even imagine what you'll do tomorrow!"

"I'm sorry Chunbao, to make it up to you, I will pledge myself to you..."

"I don't want that!" Xia Yanchun huffed angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hurry back and brush your teeth, we're going to practice driving later. If you dare make me wait even one second, I'll punch you."

"Looks like I'll have to show off my super speed."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Shen Nian scurried away quickly.