If Shen Wuxiao stayed sprawled out like that all night, he was definitely going to catch a cold. Jiang Huaiyue glanced at the quilt lying on the floor, then stepped forward to pick it up. But just as she reached for it, she noticed something in his hands.
Even while sleeping, he clutched them tightly—two kitchen knives.
Jiang Huaiyue froze.
A strange warmth rose in her heart.
Is he… trying to protect me?
After what had happened earlier in the day, he was probably afraid someone might break in again. That’s why he chose to stay on the sofa with weapons in hand, standing guard.
She figured if he were afraid for his own safety, he could have just taken the knives and gone back to his room. But no—he had chosen to sleep here, on the couch, near her room.
If anyone broke in, they’d encounter him first. Any noise he made would wake her up and give her time to react. Or, knowing his personality, he’d likely tell her to run before even thinking about himself.
After all, he’d done just that earlier. This “ordinary guy” had confronted two fifth-grade masters just to protect her. He had always shielded her.
Thinking about it made Jiang Huaiyue’s heart soften.Her expression grew gentler as she crouched down and picked up the fallen quilt. Carefully, she spread it over Shen Wuxiao.
Shen Wuxiao, of course, was awake the whole time, secretly grinning.
The lighting was dim, with only a faint glow from her bedroom casting soft shadows into the living room. In this kind of light, even the smallest movement wouldn’t seem deliberate.
Just as Jiang Huaiyue reached out to adjust the quilt, Shen Wuxiao suddenly jerked awake. His body trembled violently.
As if startled, he gritted his teeth and shouted in a hoarse, panicked voice, “Damn it, you really came back! You’ve gone too far. You think I’m that easy to mess with?!”
Then, without warning, he swung the kitchen knife toward the person in front of him.
Jiang Huaiyue instinctively reached out and caught his wrist with ease.
But Shen Wuxiao didn’t seem to recognize her.
“You bastard! You came back just to die, huh? I’ll chop you to pieces!” he snarled, struggling with all his strength.
Before she could even respond, he suddenly lunged forward, wrapped his arms around her, rolled, and pinned her to the couch.
He faced her room and shouted, “Yue’er, run! They’re here again!”
Then, as if completely consumed by rage, he picked up the other knife and swung it at her. Jiang Huaiyue immediately caught that hand too.
He was surprisingly strong when “mad.”
Shen Wuxiao laughed inwardly, but outwardly kept up the act.
“I’ll bite you to death!”
He lowered his head, teeth bared, and aimed straight for her neck.
“It’s me! There’s no intruder!” Jiang Huaiyue finally called out, helpless.
She realized this must be trauma from the earlier attack. He was reacting out of fear.
Shen Wuxiao had gotten so close that his teeth grazed her neck—but he hadn’t bitten down. He stopped just in time.
“Huh?” Shen Wuxiao slowly raised his head, squinting in the low light. “Yue… Yue’er? Wait—why is it you…?”
He looked stunned.
Jiang Huaiyue’s face flushed bright red. At that moment, their position was too embarrassing—he was lying on top of her, holding both her wrists.
“Of course it’s me…” she muttered, shifting uncomfortably. “Can you let me go now?”
“Oh, right!” Shen Wuxiao quickly propped himself up—but Jiang Huaiyue was still holding his hand. As he tried to rise, her grip made him stumble, and he fell again—straight onto her body.
“Mm~” Jiang Huaiyue let out a soft yelp, then realized her mistake.
She released his hand immediately.
Shen Wuxiao scrambled up, flustered, while Jiang Huaiyue instinctively shielded her chest and sat upright, her face still burning.
“Yue’er… I-I didn’t know it was you. I woke up and saw a shadow over me,” Shen Wuxiao explained. “You reached toward my neck—I thought someone was trying to strangle me!”
He sounded completely sincere.
Jiang Huaiyue didn’t doubt him. The lights had been dim, and she had reached out with the edge of the quilt, which could easily have looked like a rope or cloth in that lighting. Add in the tension from earlier… it was understandable.
“I was careless,” she said softly. “Try to calm down. You’ve been too tense.”
Shen Wuxiao sighed dramatically. “I wish I could, but what happened earlier really shook me up. If those two masters had bad intentions toward you, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. A rookie like me? I couldn’t protect you…”
Jiang Huaiyue looked at him, hesitation flickering in her eyes. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she suddenly wanted to get closer to this man.
She recalled how—even in that moment of panic—he had shouted toward her room, telling her to run. His first instinct had been to protect her.
“Go back to your room and sleep. Don’t stay out here—you’ll catch a cold,” she said gently.
Shen Wuxiao blinked in surprise. “Huh? That’s not very proper. There are… differences between men and women.”
Jiang Huaiyue was stunned, then immediately realized what he meant. Her face flushed again.
She raised her hand and gave him a light slap on the shoulder. “What are you talking about? I didn’t mean to ask you to sleep in my room! There are plenty of other rooms here!”
“Oh! My bad, I misunderstood!” Shen Wuxiao laughed awkwardly.
He picked up his quilt and the kitchen knives. “Well then… you should rest too.”
Jiang Huaiyue nodded. “Good night.”
Shen Wuxiao didn’t reply and headed upstairs.
Once she watched him disappear, Jiang Huaiyue returned to her room.
Under the bright lights, she walked to the bathroom to wash up. As she looked into the mirror, she noticed a faint mark on her neck.
A bite mark.
She stared at it for a moment, and her cheeks reddened again.
He really bit me…
If she hadn’t spoken up in time, he probably would’ve drawn blood.
She raised her fingers and gently touched the spot before walking back out and turning off the lights.
But before lying down, she found herself walking to the door as if drawn by instinct.
She opened it slightly and peeked outside.
In the faint moonlight, she saw him again—Shen Wuxiao.
He had never gone upstairs. That whole act had just been a show.
He was back on the sofa, sitting with a kitchen knife in one hand and his phone in the other, completely absorbed.
He hadn’t even noticed she was watching.
Jiang Huaiyue smiled faintly.
Oh, this guy…
She shook her head, turned back inside, and slipped under the covers.
The scent of Shen Wuxiao still lingered in her quilt.
She hugged it gently and slowly closed her eyes.