Volume One, Chapter 22: Sleep with Him

Dinner was hot pot.

Both Xie Liuzheng and Song Qingyu loved hot pot, so Pei Jingmo ordered takeaway. Xie Liuzheng wanted to drink, but Song Qingyu was still recovering and couldn’t, so only Pei Jingmo could keep her company.

Xie Liuzheng didn’t hold her liquor well. After just a few glasses, she was already drunk.

Pointing at Pei Jingmo, she complained, “You really lucked out. If that bastard Chu Xingzhi hadn’t betrayed Xiaoyu, you’d never have gotten your chance.”

Song Qingyu felt terribly awkward and tried to cover Xie Liuzheng’s mouth, but Xie Liuzheng struggled free.

“There were so many rich heirs chasing after Xiaoyu, but she married you. You’d better work hard, make money, and give her a good life. Otherwise, when I become rich, I’ll have her kick you out and I’ll take care of her myself!”

Song Qingyu forced a laugh and looked at Pei Jingmo. “Sorry, she’s not usually like this.”

Pei Jingmo smiled faintly. “It’s all right. She cares about you a lot. Having a friend like her is a blessing.”

Perhaps the alcohol had magnified her emotions; Xie Liuzheng vented relentlessly.

“Speaking of Chu Xingzhi, he’s really a piece of work…”

“My role was clearly mine, but they replaced me with some stupid foreign woman. Why?”

“Just because she keeps babbling in her broken accent?”

“Anyone can act all coy and delicate… I can do it too, you know?”

Eventually, exhausted from her tirade, Xie Liuzheng fell into a deep sleep.

Pei Jingmo helped Song Qingyu carry her into the master bedroom, then stepped out and said to Pei Jingmo, “Sorry, she’s a bit blunt. Please forgive her if she made you uncomfortable.”

Song Qingyu was, as always, polite, as if she truly saw her as nothing more than a housemate, not anyone special.

It seemed clear—waiting for her to slowly warm up was futile.

“It’s fine. I know she meant no harm.”

Song Qingyu gave him a small smile. “Mm.”

That night, Song Qingyu and Xie Liuzheng shared a bed.

Perhaps because she’d slept too much in the hospital, Song Qingyu found herself a little restless and unable to sleep.

At last, when drowsiness began to overtake her, she was kicked in the waist.

Only then did Song Qingyu remember a problem she’d overlooked—

Xie Liuzheng was a terrible sleeper. Not only did she toss and turn, she liked to hit people in her sleep.

Song Qingyu switched on the bedside lamp to find Xie Liuzheng’s head at the foot of the bed, her body somehow twisted around.

It took some effort, but Song Qingyu managed to pull her upright. No sooner had she lain back down than she received a punch in the back.

Song Qingyu was exhausted. Clearly, tonight she could forget about getting any decent rest.

Finally, reaching the end of her patience, Song Qingyu quietly got up, hugged her pillow, and slipped out, intending to make do with the sofa for the night.

She had just lain down when the door to the guest room opened and Pei Jingmo stepped out.

Thinking he was just getting a glass of water, Song Qingyu stayed put.

But Pei Jingmo came over to the sofa, bent his tall frame, and looked down at her. “Qingqing, why are you sleeping here?”

Song Qingyu had no choice but to open her eyes and sit up.

“Zhengzheng’s drunk and doesn’t sleep well. Sorry, did I wake you?”

“If you don’t mind, you can take my bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“No, no… there’s no need. I’ll be fine here. It’s late, you should rest.”

She had nothing to do tomorrow, but Pei Jingmo had to be at the construction site. He needed his rest.

Clearly, Pei Jingmo wasn’t asking for her opinion. Without another word, he scooped Song Qingyu into his arms.

“Hey—”

“You’ll sleep in my room.”

He carried her to his own bed, no room for argument, and looked at her with deep eyes. “Rest early. Good night.”

Watching Pei Jingmo close the door behind him, Song Qingyu was left speechless.

Forget it. She was already in his bed—no point fussing.

Better not waste time and cut into Pei Jingmo’s rest even further.

In all the time she’d lived here, this was Song Qingyu’s first time in Pei Jingmo’s room.

His room was simply furnished—just a bed, a table, and a chair. Not even a sofa.

He’d made her room so luxurious and cozy, but kept his own so bare.

Thinking back, since marrying Pei Jingmo, he had always favored her.

Was he this considerate to everyone?

Lying in bed, Song Qingyu realized she hadn’t brought her own pillow—she was resting on Pei Jingmo’s.

So, was Pei Jingmo using hers?

Pei Jingmo had a calming, reassuring scent, and his pillow did too.

Song Qingyu had thought she’d be wide awake tonight, but the moment her head touched the pillow, she drifted off without realizing it.

At that moment, Pei Jingmo was burying his face in Song Qingyu’s pillow, taking a deep breath.

It was suffused with her scent, intoxicatingly pleasant.

His mind ran wild, picturing her sleeping on his bed, her head on his pillow, and a certain part of him was impossible to restrain.

Damn it!

Pei Jingmo muttered a curse under his breath, burning with desire, and headed for the bathroom.

The next morning.

When Song Qingyu woke, Pei Jingmo was already gone.

At some point, he must have come in—her pillow was neatly placed by her side.

How strange—

She hadn’t slept well in ages, but last night was dreamless and restful.

Knock, knock, knock…

Hearing the clatter and bustle outside, she guessed Xie Liuzheng must be up and hurried out of the room.

She was met with Xie Liuzheng’s teasing gaze. “Well, well—awake at last!”

Song Qingyu felt her scalp tingle under that look.

“Truly heartbreaking. I thought since I was here, you’d sleep with me. Who’d have thought you’d abandon me for Pei Jingmo’s bed?”

Song Qingyu was speechless.

If ever there was a moment when words failed you, this was it.

“Come on, tell me—how far have you two gotten?”

Given what she knew of Song Qingyu, who had married Pei Jingmo in a flash with no feelings as a foundation, Xie Liuzheng figured nothing could have happened between them.

Song Qingyu couldn’t be bothered to respond. She went straight to the bathroom to wash up.

Xie Liuzheng trailed after her like a little tail. “Come on, tell me. Have you held hands? Kissed? Or… already hit a home run?”

Cough, cough—

Song Qingyu nearly choked on her toothpaste.

“Oh, indulge my curiosity, will you? I need to know if that dirty bun has ruined our sweet mochi yet.”

The words were crude and suggestive.

Backed into a corner, Song Qingyu could only stammer, “We… we just kissed…”

Then she quickly added, “But it was a special circumstance.”

“A kiss is a kiss. What’s special about it? How did it feel?”

Xie Liuzheng’s face was alive with gossip, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I don’t know.”

“Huh?”

Song Qingyu really didn’t know. That day, she’d been so shocked that Pei Jingmo would kiss her, her mind had gone completely blank.

“I swear, you don’t know how good you have it. With Pei Jingmo’s looks and build, if he were in showbiz, people would be lining up to throw themselves at him. And you—you haven’t even slept with him yet.”

Song Qingyu, not wanting to make Xie Liuzheng worry, hadn’t told her about the contract marriage with Pei Jingmo.

So all she could say was, “Let’s just go with the flow.”

“What do you mean, ‘go with the flow’? That’s something you should enjoy as soon as possible. Besides, you’re married—why not sleep with him?”