Chapter 52: A Young Man’s Heart
As their breathing fell into sync, the warmth of Chen Mo’s ear unintentionally brushed against her chin, sending a ticklish sensation across her cheek.
Her gaze immediately fixed on the wood grain of the coffee table’s edge. At that same moment, she became acutely aware of the back of his hand, hanging unconsciously at his side, resting against the outside of her thigh.
The body heat radiating through her uniform skirt felt like a red-hot branding iron, so intense that a thin sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead.
Five minutes passed in a daze.
Su Yuqing felt that those five minutes were both fleeting and eternal.
When Chen Mo shifted, the rustle of fabric breaking the silence, she felt as if her heart had leaped into her throat, its frantic pounding making her collarbones tremble.
The afternoon sun filtered through the sheer curtains, gilding Chen Mo’s eyelashes. Out of the corner of her eye, Su Yuqing watched the shadow cast by his nose. His steady breathing ghosted across her neck. She stared down at her own tense, pointed toes, suddenly wishing time could freeze forever in this sun-warmed silence.
A cool breeze drifted in through the open glass door, lifting a few loose strands of her hair and carrying them to rest gently on the corner of Chen Mo’s forehead.
Su Yuqing stared at the stray hairs. When she saw Chen Mo’s brow furrow slightly from the tickle, a mischievous smile touched her lips. She reached out, pinched the ends of the strands, and playfully swept them back and forth across his forehead.
The movement, however, only made Chen Mo turn, burying his forehead into her cheek. The shift caused his head to loll forward, resting against her chest.
Suddenly, Chen Mo caught a unique, fragrant scent. He snapped his eyes open, and his vision was filled with fair, pink-tinged collarbones.
His gaze drifted downward. His nose was pointed right at a pair of prominent peaks, and the unique fragrance seemed to emanate from them.
Realizing his position, he shot upright and gave Su Yuqing an apologetic smile. "I actually fell asleep. Sorry, sorry. I swear I wasn’t trying to take advantage."
Seeing his earnest explanation, Su Yuqing just smiled and shook her head, unconcerned. She reached out, gently guided his head back onto her shoulder, and said, "You’re always telling me I don’t get enough rest and have no energy, but you’re not doing much better yourself. If you can fall asleep this fast leaning on me, then sleep a while longer. There’s still over an hour until our afternoon classes. You need to rest properly too."
Feeling the gentle caress of her hand on his cheek and the faint, feminine scent it carried, Chen Mo smiled without another word and closed his eyes again, completely at ease.
’He hadn’t even realized it himself—how could he have fallen asleep so quickly and so soundly?’
In his past life as a criminal police officer, he had too much on his mind. Coupled with the constant need to stay vigilant, his sleep had always been shallow.
This was the first time he’d ever been able to fall asleep so quickly and peacefully with someone else nearby.
As she felt Chen Mo’s breathing grow steady, Su Yuqing tilted her head slightly to gaze at his sleeping face, a warm, gentle smile spreading across her own.
Lulled by the gentle breeze, her head slowly came to rest against Chen Mo’s, and she too drifted into a deep sleep.
The wind lifted the hem of the girl’s uniform skirt before letting it fall again, creating crescent-shaped wrinkles on the boy’s dark blue uniform pants.
Chen Mo’s head, nestled in the crook of Su Yuqing’s neck, tilted to the side. Her fingers, which had been curled and hovering over his shoulder, were unconsciously grasped by his hand.
At some point in their slumber, the boy had slid down, his head now resting on the girl’s soft lap.
The girl’s hand, originally resting on his shoulder, had also unconsciously slipped down to land gently on his firm abdomen.
A moment later, the boy shifted, turning onto his side and pulling the girl’s soft waist into a tight embrace, as if he were holding a pillow.
The girl slowly woke. When she took in the scene, her face immediately flushed red. But instead of resisting, she draped her hand over the boy’s back, gently hugging him in return.
Feeling him cling to her tightly like a puppy, she thought she was seeing a side of him that was more adorable than ever.
Just watching him like this was enough to leave her completely captivated.
Suddenly, RING RING RING! An alarm blared, jolting the girl from her reverie and startling the soundly sleeping boy awake.
The moment he woke, he realized he was holding something soft, warm, and incredibly comfortable. His head was also resting on something just as soft.
Once the situation registered, he was so startled he leaped right off the sofa.
"Be careful!" Su Yuqing exclaimed, reaching out to grab Chen Mo as he nearly crashed into the coffee table.
Fortunately, Chen Mo had always been in good shape. He worked out regularly in high school, so his body control was excellent, and he managed to steady himself instantly.
Chen Mo scratched his head. "When did I start moving around so much in my sleep?" He felt like he must have shifted into a dozen different positions during that one nap.
Seeing his dazed expression, Su Yuqing found it uniquely endearing.
After glancing at the time on his phone, Chen Mo dashed into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He emerged moments later, looking refreshed.
When he saw Su Yuqing looking at him with a bright smile, completely unbothered by what had happened, Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief.
’From Chen Mo’s perspective, Su Yuqing was a girl with nowhere to go, forced to stay in the home of a classmate she trusted, or at least felt favorably toward.’
’But he wasn’t sure to what extent her favorable feelings went.’
’That’s why he didn’t dare do anything too forward. His usual teasing was just to poke fun at her, because he found her shy reactions adorable.’
’When it came to actual, overly intimate contact, Chen Mo was still afraid he might offend her or make her unhappy.’
’Or, even worse, make her feel hurt.’
’She could no longer go back to those two places that had never truly been her home. If his forwardness made her feel hurt or uncomfortable and forced her to leave, then she would genuinely have nowhere else to go.’
Chen Mo didn’t want to back her into that kind of corner. He wanted to keep his interactions with her moderate—within a range that two people with a mutual crush would find acceptable.
’What happened this afternoon—resting my head on her chest, sleeping on her lap while hugging her waist—was definitely crossing the line.’
That was why Chen Mo had such a strong reaction upon realizing the extent of their contact.
It was just like that rainy Friday night; after he’d impulsively hugged her, he felt the need to immediately explain himself, afraid of creating the wrong impression.
However, judging by her reaction now, Chen Mo could tell her feelings for him were quite strong. A smile spread across his face as he opened the door. They walked to school side-by-side, so close they were practically touching.