The night was not too late yet.
The window in the room was open for fresh air.
Unfamiliar bird calls drifted in from the garden.
The night breeze gently swayed the sheer curtains, rippling like lake water.
It also brushed against Xie Guanyan’s body, but he barely felt it.
His deep-set eyes paused slightly as he looked at the girl on the bed, his voice laced with disbelief. "What?"
Did she mean what he thought she meant?
His heart pounded like thunder, his mind uncontrollably wandering in directions it shouldn’t.
He had always reacted to her.
Even if she just sat there quietly, doing nothing, the mere sight of her stirred something in him.
But he had been restraining himself fiercely.
If not for the eleven-year gap, she would have been twenty-nine now.
But she was only eighteen—legally an adult, yes, and at the age for university.
Yet he had never allowed himself to dwell on it.
To him, she was the pearl at the tip of his heart.
Just earning her smile was more than enough. At most, he fantasized about holding her, kissing her.
Nothing beyond that.
He wouldn’t dare.
Shanshan was pure and delicate, still young. He refused to taint her with his darker thoughts.
But now, her words—
He didn’t know what she truly meant.
Was it a slip of the tongue?
Yet it awakened the most hidden, most depraved corners of his mind.
Since her return, he had rarely let himself study her body too closely.
He kept his gaze fixed on her face.
Because he knew exactly how rotten he was at his core.
It probably wasn’t what he thought.
Shanshan likely didn’t even understand the implications of what she’d said.
She was still feverish, mistaking this for a dream.
Just nonsensical rambling in her sleep.
Suppressing the darkest, most shameful thoughts, he waited for her to explain—or to say something else entirely absurd.
But the beautiful girl on the bed furrowed her brows, lifting her upper body to look up at him. "Don’t you get it? How old are you?"
Xie Guanyan stood over her, his tall frame casting a shadow that engulfed her.
His striking face loomed before her, the tea-colored mole on the bridge of his nose swaying enticingly under the light.
If this was a dream, why not indulge in something risqué?
Erotic novels were full of scenes like this.
Impossible in reality, but in a dream—why not experience it?
Her question—How old are you?—shattered Xie Guanyan’s last defenses.
Behind his silver-framed glasses, excitement and something far more primal surged in his eyes.
His gaze involuntarily dropped between her legs.
He couldn’t begin to imagine how sweet she would taste.
Lin Mo, perhaps out of habit from living with her three younger brothers, wore a matching set of cartoon pajamas.
Loose and unassuming, the top revealed only her arms, the pants just her calves.
But even the sight of her slender legs and pale feet was enough to steal his breath.
His pulse spiked, fingers and chest tingling with anticipation.
He’d been wrong—Shanshan knew plenty.
Where had she learned these things?
From friends? Or—
He didn’t dwell on it.
However she’d come by the knowledge, whether she’d experimented or not—
It was her choice.
Her body belonged to her alone.
That’s what he told himself. Yet he couldn’t stop himself from asking, voice gentle to avoid startling her, "How did you learn about this?"
He bent down, bracing his hands on the freshly changed green bedsheets, his scent—intense and undeniably male—wrapping around her.
His obsidian eyes burned with possessiveness, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Lin Mo’s chest warmed, her body tingling inexplicably.
She liked this feeling.
Blinking, she grinned. "It’s not hard to find out. Since you’re so good-looking, I’ll be generous—I can share a few websites with you."
Websites?
Xie Guanyan’s expression eased slightly.
So she’d learned from videos.
At eighteen or nineteen, curiosity about sex was natural.
But that meant she’d seen other men’s bodies—
The veins on the back of his hands tensed as his fingers clenched the sheets.
Lin Mo continued cheerfully, "If you’re not sure what to watch, you can ask me. I’m an expert on everything—high heat, BDSM, even reverse harems!"
Xie Guanyan: "..."
Was this even Chinese?
A second later, it clicked.
She’d been reading novels.
The darkness in his eyes faded, his grip loosening.
Shanshan had never seen another man’s body.
"You want me to go down on you?" he asked, adjusting his glasses with one finger.
In her dream, Lin Mo saw no reason to hide her boldness. "Yes. Hurry up."
Her command acted like a spell, his knees nearly buckling as if compelled to kneel and serve her.
But he caught himself.
Shanshan thought this was a dream. He knew better.
This would be taking advantage.
What if she regretted it when she woke?
And she was still feverish.
Swallowing hard, he reined in the desire threatening to consume him. Gazing at her, he refused softly, "No."
He needed her sober for this.
Even if she didn’t love him, he’d gladly pleasure her.
Rejected in her own dream? Lin Mo pouted. "Why not? My dream, my rules! Last time wasn’t like this."
So she had dreamed of this before.
The corners of Xie Guanyan’s lips curled irresistibly. "What happened last time?"
Lin Mo answered honestly, "Last time, I did you."
Xie Guanyan: "..."
He frowned. "Is that how it went?"
Lin Mo blinked. "Oh—we did each other. Very intensely!"
Xie Guanyan’s beautiful face broke into a radiant, almost predatory smile.
So Shanshan was deeply interested in his body.
"Really not possible?" Lin Mo asked, lost in the mesmerizing depths of his grin.
He smiled often, but usually it was polite, restrained.
When his eyes crinkled with genuine amusement, it was like the stars had fallen—utterly intoxicating.
Xie Guanyan shook his head, fighting every instinct. He touched her forehead—still burning. "No. If you truly want it, ask me in reality."
Picking up the water and medicine from the nightstand, he urged, "Take a pill first."
In reality? Lin Mo would never dare.
Annoyed, she flopped back under the covers. "Who takes medicine in a dream? No way!"
Ugh! Even her dreams wouldn’t cooperate!
The girl in yellow pajamas curled into a sulky ball.
Xie Guanyan sighed, torn between exasperation and amusement. "You can take medicine in dreams too. Come on, be good."
"No! No!" Lin Mo kicked at the blankets, resembling an irate, fluffy kitten.
Xie Guanyan watched her, utterly helpless. Softly, he asked, "Then what will make you take it?"
