Jiang Nuan didn’t remember when she had fallen asleep.
It must have been the third time, or perhaps the fourth.
The moment consciousness slipped away, she hadn’t even been able to lift a finger. She only remembered someone kissing her sweat-damp temple, wiping her down with a towel, and then wrapping her in the blanket.
When she became aware again, it was already morning.
The winter sky had yet to fully brighten.
She was pillowed on Lu Shiyan’s solid arm, while his other arm curled around her from behind, enclosing her completely in his embrace.
His breathing was steady. He was probably still asleep.
Her teeth began to ache faintly as she recalled what had happened just before she had been utterly spent the night before.
Lu Shiyan had kept his pace restrained the entire time.
He had never completely—
But even so, Jiang Nuan had been forced to tears.
He had bent down to kiss the corners of her eyes, holding himself back as though measuring the limits of what she could endure.
At the time, Jiang Nuan’s eyes had stung as she thought hazily… Just how much was he still holding back?
And now, something was wrong.
Jiang Nuan stiffened for a moment, then cautiously tried to inch forward.
The hand holding her suddenly tightened, dragging her back effortlessly.
Her back collided with that broad chest.
Something had become even more… unmistakable.
A voice came down from above her head. “Don’t move.”
Jiang Nuan bit her lower lip. “…It’s morning already.”
She wanted to say that they still had a mission tonight, that everyone would be getting up soon.
But those protests—which barely qualified as protests—never made it past a single complete sentence.
Beyond the curtains, the light outside gradually brightened from deep blue to dawn.
*
By the time Jiang Nuan finally emerged from the room, the living room was already bustling.
More precisely, it was noisy.
“I’ve said it three times—the eggs are not supposed to be fully cooked—”
“You said you wanted them fully cooked last time.”
“That was last time!”
Qinian and Jiang Ce were squeezed into the kitchen, one giving orders while the other worked the spatula. Several plates of toast and fried bacon were already arranged on the counter.
“Morning.” Ye Que looked over from the direction of the sofa, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.
Jiang Nuan smiled and greeted him as well, then walked over to the dining table and sat down.
The instant she pulled out a chair, Ye Que had already taken the seat on her left.
Qinian immediately snatched the one on her right.
Qi Sui handed her a cup of warm milk and asked with a gentle smile, “Did you sleep well last night?”
“…Not bad.”
“You do look like you’re in good spirits.” Qi Sui’s gaze swept over the area just above her collarbone.
Jiang Nuan instinctively raised a hand to touch her neckline. Only after confirming that the collar of her sweater hadn’t shifted did she relax.
Qinian took a bite of toast and said indistinctly, “Actually, last night I was going to the kitchen to get some water—”
The cup of milk in Jiang Nuan’s hand nearly slipped.
“Nian Nian.” Qi Sui interrupted him with a smile.
Qinian spread his hands in surrender. Then the man, who stood well over six feet tall, leaned over, resting his head on Jiang Nuan’s shoulder while still holding half a slice of toast between his teeth.
Jiang Nuan looked down at the fuzzy head on her shoulder with amusement and reached up to ruffle his hair.
A hand reached over from beside Jiang Nuan and placed a plate of sliced grilled sausages in front of her.
His shirt had been changed, and so had his expression.
By the time he sat down, he was once again the captain who made people instinctively avert their eyes.
But after taking his seat, his gaze skimmed lightly over Jiang Nuan’s face, and the corners of his lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.
Shen Wu walked past from the direction of the balcony with a cup of coffee in hand. As he passed behind Jiang Nuan—
[Your posture is a little stiff. Would you like me to find you a cushion?]
Jiang Nuan nearly choked to death on her milk.
She coughed twice and glared at Shen Wu.
Shen Wu sat down without the slightest change in expression and took a sip of coffee.
Jiang Ce poked his head out of the kitchen. “Nuannuan, are you all right?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine… I drank too fast.”
As for Chen Ping’an, he had finished breakfast and was curled up in the corner, feeding canned food to Jiangjiang while doing his best to preserve the dignity of a human-shaped background prop.
After breakfast, they gathered around the map and went over the divisions of labor for that night once more.
Jiang Nuan sat on the sofa, stroking Jiangjiang’s ears.
Tonight, she would infiltrate the laboratory building amid the chaos.
She needed to see it for herself—to find out whether the answer she had already guessed was really true.
Outside the window, the daylight had fully broken through. The snow gleamed painfully white beneath the sunlight.
Eleven hours remained.
