Zhao Yazu was just thinking about Chen Cheng when a message from him arrived.

Zhao Yazu glanced at her phone and gave a helpless smile. "He really doesn't want me to rest."

...

Qiao Xichen returned to the master bedroom. As soon as she entered, she saw Chen Cheng leaning against the headboard, his hands flying across the laptop keyboard.

Hearing the movement, Chen Cheng looked up at her with a gentle smile playing on his lips. "Is she asleep?"

"Mm~ Just fell asleep. She was crying and laughing; she's probably exhausted," Qiao Xichen nodded.

She walked to the bedside, leaned over to glance at Chen Cheng's computer screen, and then looked at his hands in shock. "Your hand speed is way too fast, isn't it?"

"What are you writing?"

"A novel~" Chen Cheng smiled faintly, but his hands on the keyboard didn't slow down.

"You write novels too?" Qiao Xichen was quite surprised.

Chen Cheng nodded with a smile and made up a casual excuse. "Mm~"

"I write whenever I have inspiration~."

"Actually, this is a script."

Qiao Xichen blinked and asked, "Can I read it?"

"Of course~"

Qiao Xichen suddenly perked up. Just as she was about to get into bed, she remembered she hadn't showered yet and smelled like alcohol.

"I'll go take a shower first."

About twenty minutes later, Qiao Xichen hurried out of the bathroom.

Well, twenty minutes, including washing her hair, was considered fast for her.

Carrying a hairdryer, she walked over to Chen Cheng with a smile on her lips. "Help me dry my hair."

Chen Cheng pressed save, set the laptop aside, and got out of bed.

Qiao Xichen happily hopped onto the bed, picked up the laptop, and sat by the edge.

Chen Cheng plugged in the hairdryer and unhurriedly began drying Qiao Xichen's hair.

Qiao Xichen leisurely started reading the script Chen Cheng had 'written'.

Chen Cheng warned her with a smile, "Read slowly, just the beginning will do. Otherwise, you won't be able to sleep tonight."

"Why?" Qiao Xichen was a bit puzzled.

"It's a harem palace drama; the plot is very addictive."

Chen Cheng was modeling it after a TV series, so the beginning might not be that intense yet.

But if she read about ten chapters, Qiao Xichen could forget about sleeping tonight.

Fortunately, Qiao Xichen's hair wasn't long, and it was dry in five or six minutes.

Chen Cheng put the hairdryer back in the bathroom, returned to the room, and smilingly snatched the laptop from Qiao Xichen's hands.

"Alright, you can read it tomorrow when you have time."

"Ugh..." Qiao Xichen smacked her lips, looking a bit aggrieved. "I was just starting to find it interesting, and you took it away."

Chen Cheng closed the laptop, set it aside, and lay back down on the bed.

Qiao Xichen pulled up the thin quilt and naturally burrowed into Chen Cheng's embrace, pressing her cheek against his chest, feeling his warm body temperature and steady heartbeat.

"Sister Nanjia and I..."

Qiao Xichen gathered her thoughts and gave Chen Cheng a rough overview of the story between her and several friends.

"Alright, don't think too much about it," Chen Cheng reached out and tightly hugged Qiao Xichen's waist, comforting her in a gentle tone.

He knew that the matter with Hu Jingjing hadn't passed for Qiao Xichen yet.

She was in a lot of pain; if she had paid more attention to Hu Jingjing's emotions that day, Hu Jingjing might not have...

After a long while, Qiao Xichen squeezed her eyes shut, pushing the tears out of her eyes.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but Chen Cheng had already leaned down and gently kissed her lips, melting all words of comfort into that kiss.

Qiao Xichen was slightly startled, then slowly closed her eyes, raising her slender arms to encircle Chen Cheng's neck, gently responding to his kiss.

...

In the middle of the night, Xu Yan woke up in a daze, feeling a surge of pain and a throat that was tight with dryness.

Xu Yan looked around; in the darkness, she didn't even know where she was.

One thing was for certain: this wasn't her rented apartment.

She reached out to find the switch by the bed, turned on the light, saw the water glass on the nightstand, picked it up, and took a large gulp. Gulp, gulp.

She put down the glass and lay back down. Under the dim yellow light of the bedside lamp, Xu Yan stared at the ceiling, finally remembering where she was.

A sudden urge to use the bathroom hit her, and Xu Yan subconsciously thought of the bathroom she had used last night.

Her consciousness wasn't fully awake yet as she propped herself up, climbed out of bed, and walked out of the guest bedroom with sleepy eyes.

Just as she reached the door of the public bathroom, her best friend Qiao Xichen's voice suddenly reached her ears, sounding somewhat soft and suppressed.

Xu Yan froze, instantly stopping in her tracks, and instinctively looked toward the direction of the sound.

She saw that the door to the master bedroom wasn't closed tightly, and a tiny crack revealed the dim yellow light from inside.

And Qiao Xichen's voice was drifting out through that very crack.

Xu Yan's brain, which had been a bit groggy, was instantly jolted awake by that melodious and charming voice.

Her throat, which had just been quenched with water, suddenly felt dry again.

At this moment, Xu Yan had forgotten her earlier intention to use the bathroom. Her legs seemed to be under a spell as she ghosted toward the master bedroom door as if possessed.

The closer she got, the clearer Qiao Xichen's voice became.

That melodious and charming, even somewhat suppressed tone, caused a flush to unconsciously rise on Xu Yan's cheeks, and a small flame ignited in her chest.

Her heart raced. Trembling, she reached out her hand and gently pushed the originally small crack open a bit more.

Her movements were gentle throughout, applying pressure bit by bit, for fear of disturbing the two people inside who were lost in each other.

Through the gap, her gaze passed the glass wardrobe, catching a hazy glimpse of the situation inside.

That man was shirtless, kneeling at the head of the bed, while her best friend Qiao Xichen...

Xu Yan held her breath, her pupils contracting, her cheeks burning hot, and even the tips of her ears turned red.

In the midst of his pleasure, Chen Cheng suddenly felt as if he was being watched. He turned his head and saw those watery eyes behind the crack in the door.

In an instant, two gazes pierced through the obstacles and met in the air.

When Xu Yan noticed Chen Cheng's gaze, a flash of panic crossed her eyes, and she immediately fled the spot at top speed.

Chen Cheng withdrew his gaze, a playful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Xu Yan tiptoed back to her room, closed the door, and leaned against it, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Now she was completely awake.

After a long while, the urge to use the bathroom returned. Drinking alcohol really did make it hard to hold, but she didn't dare go out again.

Leaning against the door, she anxiously thought of a solution. Just as she was about to turn around and head out again, she turned her head and realized the walk-in closet was to her left.

This room...

A memory flashed through Xu Yan's mind of when she had helped Qiao Xichen move and toured this apartment.

This room seemed to have a bathroom.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Xu Yan's anxious face, and she quickly walked in.

Sure enough, she saw a bathroom—a large one with a bathtub.

After Xu Yan took care of her business, she wanted to go back to the room and continue sleeping.

However, there was a fire in her chest that was gradually burning brighter.

Xu Yan tried a few times, but found to her dismay that the fire simply could not be suppressed or extinguished.

After a long while, Xu Yan went to the walk-in closet, found a bathrobe, and placed it on the bathroom counter.

When they moved last time, Qiao Xichen had proudly introduced this room as being specifically for guests.

All the necessary items were well-stocked.

Sure enough, Xu Yan found towels, shower caps, and other supplies in the bathroom cabinet.

She let out a breath, took off her tank top and hot pants, and stepped into the shower.

...

"Ah~"