"This bed is only four feet wide, it won't fit both of us," Song Xinya said.
"I want to sleep with you," Qin Yuhe replied.
Song Xinya didn't say no again, but instead said, "Let me think of a way."
In this hospital room, besides the bed Qin Yuhe was sleeping on, there was another four-foot-wide hospital bed.
A hospital bed, naturally, was prepared for patients.
Song Xinya wasn't a patient right now, but she had been sick before, so she used to be one.
Rounding it up, this bed was basically prepared for her.
She happily decided to sleep on this bed tonight.
The four legs of the bed had wheels attached. Without breaking a sweat, Song Xinya pushed the bed right next to Qin Yuhe's.
The two single beds were pushed together, forming a makeshift double bed.
Song Xinya lay on the bed, her pillow resting against Qin Yuhe's pillow, her body pressed against his.
Qin Yuhe buried his face in her neck. His short, slightly stiff hair brushed against her tender skin strand by strand, sparking a distinct, shallow, tingling itch. He took a deep breath of her scent and said in a low, husky voice, "Mrs. Qin, you smell so good."
Song Xinya was always hearing him say she smelled good. Curious about what exactly she smelled like to him, she asked, "What kind of scent?"
"A milky scent," Qin Yuhe replied.
"Why would it be a milky scent? I'm not a milk-drinking baby," Song Xinya said.
"You don't drink milk now, but you can produce it," Qin Yuhe said.
Song Xinya was speechless for a moment. "What are you talking about? Stop talking nonsense, I'm not a cow."
"I'm stating an objective fact," Qin Yuhe replied. "As a woman with normal bodily functions, when you have a baby in the future, you will naturally produce milk."
"Even so, you can't use the word 'produce'. You make it sound like I'm an animal," Song Xinya argued.
"Then what word should I use? Lactate?" Qin Yuhe asked.
Song Xinya paused. "That doesn't sound much better."
"Anyway, that's what it means," Qin Yuhe continued. "Because of a woman's unique biological functions, after giving birth, her breasts produce milk to feed the next generation. It's a truly miraculous design. Every mother in the world goes through a lot and is truly great."
"You're absolutely right about that," Song Xinya agreed.
Still, how did their conversation suddenly shift to this topic?
It was both highly inappropriate and surprisingly serious at the same time.
Blushing, she almost wanted to shout out loud: A toast to every mother in the world!
Qin Yuhe rested his head against her neck, continuously taking deep breaths. His tall nose rubbed against the sensitive skin of her neck, back and forth, sending electric tingles all over her skin.
Song Xinya's breathing grew uneven.
He murmured into the snowy hollow of her neck, "In the future, when you give birth and are nursing, the milky scent on you will probably be even stronger, right?"
"Probably. I've heard that nursing women have a milky scent," Song Xinya replied.
"Then wouldn't it smell even better?" Qin Yuhe asked.
"Do you really like this scent that much?" Song Xinya asked.
"No man can resist the scent of milk," Qin Yuhe stated.
"Why?"
Qin Yuhe gave a highly justifiable reason: "Because every single one of us grew up drinking milk. That is where we came from. A person shouldn't forget their roots."
"I think you just like drinking milk," Song Xinya said.
"Those who didn't like it wouldn't have survived until now; they would have starved to death in infancy," Qin Yuhe countered.
"Everything you say is right," Song Xinya sighed. "But, can you stop lying on me and sniffing?"
"No. Milk helps you sleep, and the scent of milk does too," Qin Yuhe said.
Song Xinya felt like he was full of twisted logic, yet at the same time, none of his twisted logic seemed entirely wrong.
She lay perfectly straight, letting him bury his face in the crook of her neck to sniff, acting as his personal sleep-inducing artifact.
Song Xinya originally thought Qin Yuhe's theory about the milky scent helping him sleep was just an excuse to coax her, but before long, she heard his steady, long, and even breathing.
A bright moon hung high in the sky. Its pure, silvery light filtered through the window lattice and spilled onto the hospital room floor. Late at night, the hustle and bustle of the mortal world faded away, and the entire world seemed to slow down and grow quiet.
On the makeshift double bed formed by the two single beds, the two of them slept with their heads resting against each other. Their soft breathing intertwined, falling into each other's ears. Instead of disturbing one another, it soothed their minds, making them feel even more secure and allowing them to sleep soundly.
The next day, the two youngsters who had voluntarily taken on the duty of buying food, Jian Yiyi and Jin Ruizhi, walked into the hospital room carrying breakfast.
The two of them saw Song Xinya and Qin Yuhe on the bed.
Their heads were pressed together, their hair intertwined, snuggling affectionately like a pair of lovebirds.
With tacit understanding, Jian Yiyi and Jin Ruizhi both took a step back and retreated from the room.
Standing in the corridor, a look of longing appeared in Jian Yiyi's eyes. "My sister and brother-in-law seem to have a really good relationship."
Seizing the opportunity, Jin Ruizhi chimed in, "In the future, you will also have a husband who dotes on you and protects you. Like me, for example."
Jian Yiyi's fair, clean face suddenly flushed red. She turned around, putting her back to him. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Jin Ruizhi pulled a pink dessert out of the bag. "I bought you your favorite strawberry snow mochi. Talk to me."
The young girl lowered her head, her cheeks flushed. Her slender, graceful figure stood elegantly as her soft pink lips pouted, "I won't."
Jin Ruizhi bent down to meet the gaze of the girl who was a head shorter than him. He fed the strawberry snow mochi to her delicate, moist red lips. "Fine, don't talk to me then. But whatever you do, don't be hard on yourself. You have to eat the things you like."
He opened his mouth, "Ah—"
Jian Yiyi followed suit, "Ah—"
After saying it, she felt a little silly.
Looking up at Jin Ruizhi again, she noticed a roguish, teasing, and playful smile spreading across his handsome face.
Jian Yiyi's face turned as red as a ripe cherry.
She turned around again, facing the other side, her back to him.
Jin Ruizhi followed her and stood facing her once more.
He placed the strawberry snow mochi in her hand. "Eat up. No matter who you mistreat, you can't mistreat your own mouth."
Jian Yiyi was amused by him. She parted her lips and took small, delicate bites of the snow mochi. As her cherry lips chewed, her cheeks puffed gently with the movement. Her way of eating was quiet and well-behaved. Watching her, Jin Ruizhi was reminded of a little white rabbit he had kept as a child.
At the end of the corridor, three old acquaintances suddenly arrived and walked toward the hospital room.
Hearing that Qin Yuhe was injured, Song Xuanli had brought Li Cuirou and Zhang Yingying all the way from Jingbei City specifically to visit him and curry favor.
When Li Cuirou saw Jian Yiyi in the hallway, she abruptly grabbed Zhang Yingying, who was walking ahead.
She leaned close to Zhang Yingying's ear and whispered, "Yingying, look at that young girl. Why does she look a bit like Song Xinya? Could she be Song Xinya's younger sister?"
"Impossible," Zhang Yingying replied. "Back then, we colluded with human traffickers and sold Song Tingyou deep into the mountains. There is no way Song Xinya could have found her."
