The sound of the hair dryer kept buzzing in her ear until Xu Yan was almost dozing off.
She rubbed her eyes, "Is it done?"
Ye Jin stroked her hair, "Yes, go to bed now, sweetie."
Xu Yan groggily glanced at the time and suddenly became a bit more alert, "No way! It's not even 10 o'clock yet. I want to play a bit more!"
Ye Jin didn't stop her, just ruffled her hair and said, "Alright."
Xu Yan clutched her phone and crawled onto the bed. Before she could settle in, she saw a message from Xu Mo.
"Little Yan, no staying up late. Go to bed early."
Xu Yan replied with a voice message, keeping a straight face, "Don't worry, bro. I definitely won't stay up late."
Xu Mo didn't reply, probably because he didn't believe her and couldn't be bothered to respond.
Xu Yan didn't dwell on it and simply lay on the bed, swinging her legs as she played with her phone.
After some time, she heard the bathroom door open, and Ye Jin walked out wearing a gray bathrobe.
Xu Yan rolled over, "Ye Jin, Ye Jin!"
Ye Jin tossed a towel over her head, covering her eyes, "Turn your head away, no peeking."
Xu Yan pulled the towel off her head, "Why not? I've seen it all before!"
Ye Jin grabbed his pajamas and walked back to the bathroom, "Didn't you say you didn't see anything back then?"
Xu Yan grumbled, "That's because I was too young then, always being teased by you."
Ye Jin's voice came from the bathroom, "So who corrupted my little Yan? Now you're the one always being naughty."
Xu Yan put on an innocent face, "Who's always being naughty? I'm just... occasionally! Occasionally a bit excited, that's all."
Ye Jin came out after changing into his pajamas, only to see Xu Yan sitting on the bed, swinging her legs.
He felt utterly exhausted.
As soon as Xu Yan saw Ye Jin come out, she tried to pounce on him. Ye Jin was quick, grabbing a blanket and wrapping her up in it, "Come on, sweetheart. Time for bed."
Xu Yan looked up at him, "You're cheating! If you're so capable, let me go!"
Ye Jin kept a straight face, "I'm not capable at all."
He carried Xu Yan to the bed, then seriously placed a comforter in the middle of it, "You sleep on that side, I'll sleep on this side. Neither of us is allowed to cross the line."
Originally, this was exactly what Xu Yan had in mind, but since Ye Jin had been keeping her at arm's length since earlier, she now felt rebellious.
She wriggled out of the blanket, rolled over, and swung her leg over Ye Jin's body, "I won't comply!"
Ye Jin: "..."
This naughty girl!
He tried to coax her, "Yan Yan, be good. Let's go to sleep, okay?"
Xu Yan looked at him with a hurt expression, "You've been keeping me away since earlier!"
Ye Jin sighed, then suddenly reached out and hugged Xu Yan tightly.
Xu Yan was stunned for a moment, then heard Ye Jin say in a slightly hoarse voice, "I'll hug you, and then we'll go to sleep early, okay?"
Xu Yan was a bit confused, "Ye Jin, what's wrong?"
Ye Jin didn't speak. He closed his eyes for a moment, then held Xu Yan's chin and suddenly kissed her forcefully.
Xu Yan panicked for an instant, suddenly realizing something, and her little face turned bright red.
This time seemed different from before. Xu Yan could clearly sense Ye Jin's self-control on the verge of crumbling.
It was a long while before Ye Jin released her. Xu Yan instinctively pushed him away a little. She bit her lip, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
Ye Jin's long fingers gently brushed over Xu Yan's moist, reddened eyes. His voice was still a bit hoarse, "Yan Yan, are you scared?"
Xu Yan sniffled, looking a bit pitiful, "N-No, I'm not scared!"
Ye Jin couldn't help but smile. He hugged Xu Yan tightly before letting her go, "Alright, go to sleep now. I'm going out for a bit."
Xu Yan sat up, supporting herself, "Will... will you come back later?"
Ye Jin's eyes were gentle, "I will. I'll come back after you fall asleep."
Xu Yan didn't dare to rebel now. She hugged the quilt and said weakly, "Okay."
Perhaps due to the shock, the little troublemaker fell asleep quickly.
But when she woke up the next morning, the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Ye Jin's face.
Xu Yan didn't dare to wake Ye Jin up. She tried to get out of bed carefully. However, before she could get up, a hand suddenly pulled her back down.
"Yan Yan, let's sleep a bit more." Ye Jin's sleepy voice sounded above her head.
Xu Yan looked up in a daze, only to see that Ye Jin hadn't even opened his eyes.
Thinking that he might have come to bed very late last night, Xu Yan felt a bit guilty. She said softly, "Okay."
After lying with Ye Jin for a while longer, the two finally got up, dawdling.
Xu Yan, with her hair in a mess, was brushing her teeth and mumbling, "Ye Jin, what time did you go to bed last night?"
Ye Jin, smoothing her hair, replied, "Around two or three. I had a bit to drink downstairs."
Xu Yan finished brushing her teeth and haphazardly washed her face with a towel, "Hmm... I should go back home to live from now on. Otherwise, you won't sleep well with me here."
Ye Jin smiled and ruffled her hair, "Really? Yan Yan, actually, I wouldn't mind if you lived here from now on."
Xu Yan poked him, "No way!"
They walked downstairs, chatting and laughing, only to see Xu Mo sitting in the lobby with a dark face.
Xu Yan waved cheerfully, "Bro, why are you here?"
Xu Mo narrowed his eyes, circling around Xu Yan once, then around Ye Jin, "You two... didn't do anything last night, did you?"
Ye Jin looked completely at ease, but Xu Yan, remembering Ye Jin's behavior last night, unconsciously blushed, "We... we didn't do anything."
Xu Mo paused, "Are you sure? You look very suspicious."
Ye Jin tactfully reminded him, "Are you sure she understands what you're talking about?"
Xu Mo's face darkened, "...You have a point. Looks like I wronged you guys."
He frowned, "Little Yan, are you coming home tonight?"
Xu Yan nodded eagerly, "Yes, I am!"
Xu Mo patted her head, "Have Mom teach you some useful things at home. You're so grown up now, but you still don't know anything, like a child."
Xu Yan looked puzzled, "What don't I know?"
Xu Mo waved dismissively, "Mom will tell you tonight. I just came to bring you breakfast. I have to go to the company now."
Xu Yan was still a bit confused. She waved absentmindedly, "Oh, bye-bye, brother."
