When Xue Ji woke up, the morning sun greeted her.
She tried to get up but found herself still held tightly in Ling Xiaoxiao’s embrace.
Ling Xiaoxiao had wrapped all her limbs around Xue Ji, clinging to her like an octopus.
With her arms and legs pinned, Xue Ji, now fully awake, realized just how intimately glued together they truly were.
“Why are you holding on so tight?” Xue Ji tried to struggle, but Ling Xiaoxiao didn’t budge an inch.
“Because I’m afraid you’ll run away,” a voice full of affection sounded less than five centimeters from Xue Ji’s ear.
Pulling Xue Ji even closer, Ling Xiaoxiao snuggled against her, gently inhaling her sweet scent.
Ling Xiaoxiao’s body temperature was slightly higher than Xue Ji’s, causing Xue Ji to steadily absorb the other’s warmth.
At her core, she still had a man’s soul. This kind of tenderness made Xue Ji’s heart beat restlessly.
“Xiao Ji, what’s wrong? Your heartbeat is so fast~”
“I don’t know, maybe it’s too hot,” Xue Ji answered, her words not matching her true feelings.
“What are you talking about? Your body is noticeably colder than most people’s, you have a naturally cold constitution. Are you saying I can’t even hold you?” Ling Xiaoxiao’s voice was full of playful grievance as she gently shook Xue Ji in her arms, her tone almost like a coquettish whine.
This scene was something you’d typically only see between deeply enamored lovers. Seeing it come from Ling Xiaoxiao made Xue Ji’s heart flutter intensely.
Ling Xiaoxiao’s devastatingly beautiful face, combined with her ethereal, fairy-like aura, gave her an irresistible allure all on its own.
Her attitude towards Xue Ji was one of limitless, almost unreasonable fondness, which she very naturally put into action.
Xue Ji admitted she couldn’t bring herself to dislike Ling Xiaoxiao, even though she still felt a lingering fear about the obsessive actions Ling Xiaoxiao had taken before.
Searching her heart, Xue Ji knew that if things continued like this, she would surely fall for her soon.
But she didn’t want that. Inside, she was still a man’s soul.
Ling Xiaoxiao’s intense feelings frightened her; she was confused.
Xue Ji didn’t believe their relationship had reached that stage yet.
‘Is my current girlish body the main reason we can be this close…?’
After becoming a girl, she felt the distance between herself and others had effortlessly shortened.
If Xue Ji were still a boy, could Ling Xiaoxiao approach her so freely and without hesitation like she did now?
She didn’t know the answer. And because of that, the affection she so easily received反而 put Xue Ji on guard.
She didn’t want Ling Xiaoxiao to get hurt again because of these ambiguous feelings.
She couldn’t afford to grow attached to this vague warmth.
“Stop holding me, it’s time to get up,” Xue Ji complained with a laugh, ‘I’m not a body pillow, you know.’
Hearing this, Ling Xiaoxiao held on even tighter, took a deep, deliberate breath of Xue Ji’s scent, and only then released the blushing girl from her embrace.
“Today’s dose of Xiao Ji is complete,” Ling Xiaoxiao said in high spirits, making a joke as she stretched languidly.
Ever since Xue Ji had kicked her out of the house, it had been a long time since she’d slept so soundly.
Before, Ling Xiaoxiao had always felt that mortal life was far too long, just a dull cycle of days and nights, seasons and years.
Even though she handled almost everything in her life personally to maintain her sense of time’s passage, emptiness had still been the main theme of her thousand-year existence.
But last night’s sweet, dreamlike evening made her feel the flow of time once again.
‘Thank you…’
She watched as Xue Ji frantically slipped on her slippers and hurriedly left the bedroom, unable to suppress a smile.
…
For breakfast, Ling Xiaoxiao personally cooked lean pork congee and eggs, and also prepared a dish of fried peas with pork floss.
Although they were just very ordinary things, made by Ling Xiaoxiao’s hands, they became incredibly delicious.
The congee was perfectly cooked with just the right amount of salt, each spoonful lifting the spirits. The boiled eggs were perfectly soft-centered, and paired with the savory fried peas and pork floss, it made for a simple yet deeply satisfying breakfast for Xue Ji.
Watching her look of bliss, Ling Xiaoxiao smiled, her eyes curving, and asked softly, “Is it good?”
“Mhm, especially good,” Xue Ji replied, her face full of contentment.
“You’re so easy to please~” Ling Xiaoxiao said with a radiant smile, watching as Xue Ji carefully peeled her egg.
Xue Ji seemed to have a bit of a compulsive streak; she wanted to peel the egg without breaking the thin membrane inside, much like how some people try to peel an apple in one continuous strip.
She stared intently at the egg, peeling each piece with extreme caution.
Ling Xiaoxiao watched her with great interest. She didn’t know why Xue Ji did this, but she enjoyed watching it nonetheless.
Shaya, sitting nearby, felt quite puzzled. Why go to so much trouble just to eat an egg?
But she didn’t speak, unusually quiet as she watched Xue Ji, occasionally pursing her lips.
‘Mmm, I rubbed too hard last night, my lips are swollen.’
Xue Ji, completely unaware of the others’ attention, was wholly focused on her battle with the eggshell.
Under her mesmerisingly deft fingers, she perfectly completed the ‘unbroken shell challenge’.
After successfully finishing, Xue Ji’s brows relaxed, and she let out a comfortable sigh of relief.
But when she looked up, she found both Ling Xiaoxiao and Shaya staring right at her, making her feel inexplicably shy.
“Why are you both staring at me?” Xue Ji asked, slightly embarrassed, lowering her head a little.
Neither of them replied. Ling Xiaoxiao just looked at her with a smile, while Shaya squinted as if pondering the meaning behind Xue Ji’s behavior.
“Stop looking, let’s eat, just eat!” Xue Ji felt a bit flustered under their gaze, unsure what they were thinking.
Noticing Shaya’s expression, she offered her the peeled egg.
“Here, have it, I’ll give it to you,” Xue Ji’s tone was full of resignation. “If you didn’t want to peel an egg, you could have just said so. Why keep staring at me?”
That wasn’t what Shaya had meant, but opportunities to be fed by Xue Ji were rare. She immediately opened her mouth with an “Ah,” and pointed a little finger towards it, signaling for Xue Ji to pop it in.
Xue Ji felt nothing internally, just thinking Shaya was being particularly affected today.
Shaya stuffed the entire egg Xue Ji offered into her mouth. The free-range egg was a bit small, just the right size for one mouthful.
Her cheeks puffed out, Shaya chewed slowly and raised an eyebrow at Ling Xiaoxiao.
Even though the little vixen was flaunting this in front of her, would Ling Xiaoxiao, as a guardian of human civilization, get angry over such a small thing?
Yes. Yes, she absolutely would.
Ling Xiaoxiao was furious!
“Little fox, why is your mouth so swollen?” Ling Xiaoxiao went straight for Shaya’s biggest current sore spot.
Hearing this, Shaya’s chewing stopped instantly. She even considered spitting it out, but this was something Xue Ji had fed her.
Why had she done something so disgusting last night?
Xue Ji also noticed Shaya’s strange reaction and quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
Seeing Shaya hold the mouthful of egg without swallowing it, looking undecided, Xue Ji couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Shaya, why are you taking so long to eat one egg?”
Shaya truly felt wronged with no one to turn to. She could only steel herself and swallow the egg.
Ling Xiaoxiao looked utterly pleased, laughing at her awkward dilemma.
Looking at the gloating Ling Xiaoxiao, Shaya suddenly had a clever idea. “I ate too many chicken feet at the barbecue last night,” she said.
Ling Xiaoxiao’s face darkened instantly. The peaceful, serene atmosphere at the breakfast table suddenly shifted, thick with unspoken tension.