The night was deep.
In the bedroom, the girl lay on top of the man, her eyes half-closed, lost in thought.
The events of the night had been too absurd, her mind was still in a jumble, making it difficult to piece everything together.
The man beneath her seemed to be in a good mood at the moment. One hand held her waist, while the other played with her long hair that was scattered across him.
"Yueyue." He suddenly spoke.
Her thoughts were still drifting far away, and she didn't respond.
Chen Ziming looked down at her innocent and bewildered expression, like a child's, and felt a pang of heartache.
"Baby?"
Indeed, she heard him this time. She looked up, meeting his dark, deep eyes.
"What is it?" She felt a little nervous again, pressing her elbows on him, propping herself up slightly. She looked at him and asked.
"I'm sorry." He apologized earnestly, while reaching out a finger to caress her fair, tender cheek.
Su Yue's face showed a look of confusion. Her thoughts had already drifted to tonight's dance moves, and she was clearly slow to react to his sudden apology.
Seeing this, he smiled gently and said again, "Is my baby so good-tempered that she forgets things before I even coax her?"
"Can you stop calling me that for now..." Her mind was already a mess, and being called "baby" repeatedly by him made her scalp tingle.
Upon hearing this, the man's expression soured slightly, but it was fleeting, and she didn't notice.
"Alright," he replied, still with a smile.
She rested her head on his chest again, wanting to clear her mind, but found it difficult to enter that state.
His apology had disturbed her...
"Can I ask you a question?" she finally couldn't help herself. She propped herself up again to look at him and asked cautiously.
"Mhm, tell me."
"Um... why were you so angry tonight?" She considered it for a moment longer, choosing her words carefully, before posing the question.
Silence...
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he continued to gently rub her cheek with his finger. Seeing her expression become guarded again, he smiled with some helplessness.
"You were being bullied, of course, I was angry."
Just because of that?
Su Yue was taken aback and pressed further, "But... it felt like you were also angry with me."
His fingers on her face stopped moving, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared.
She was right, then.
"Yueyue." He rolled over, holding her, so they were lying on their sides facing each other, her arm still resting under his.
"Mhm?"
"Just remember, even if I'm angry with you, I would never hurt you."
His voice was low, but very serious.
It gave her a great sense of security.
"But... what are you angry at me for? Because I didn't proactively contact you on the weekend?" she continued to ask.
He tucked her hair behind her ear. Seeing her stubbornness in getting an answer, he smiled and replied,
"It's not anger, it's that I missed you too much."
Seeing her confusion, he continued,
"This week, Monday to Friday, I had three night shifts, and today I was busy until nine o'clock. All of this was so I could have more free time on the weekend."
Su Yue's heart trembled. So he had been thinking about her coming to his place on the weekend all along.
But she always misunderstood him.
Sensing her thoughts, he reached out and wiped away the tears that had involuntarily fallen, saying gently,
"Ba... Yueyue, with me, you don't need to be afraid of anything, and you don't need to overthink."
He paused, then added, "I'm serious about you."
He had almost called her "baby" again, but remembering her aversion, he changed his mind at the last moment.
Don't be afraid.
Don't overthink.
I'm serious about you...
She was genuinely surprised by his words, but her heart softened and felt reassured by his words. Feeling ashamed of her own misunderstanding, she dared not look him in the eye again.
So she lowered her head and buried her face in his chest, giving a very soft, very light "mhm."
Seeing this, the man gently kissed her hair.
Even her hair smelled fragrant.
"If you want to call me baby... you can..."
The girl's voice, as fine as silk, drifted up.
A smile spread across the man's face. He reached out and gently stroked her back, saying in a low voice, "Thank you, baby."
He then added, "Goodnight, baby."
Su Yue's face, buried in his chest, was already flushed crimson, but thankfully, it was hidden so it couldn't be seen.
She also whispered goodnight.
Then, the day's fatigue descended upon her like a mountain. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.