Jiang Nuan had a very short dream.
There were no concrete images in the dream, only a warm current of water wrapping around her entire body.
The water carried her, bobbing gently, like being hoisted onto her father's shoulders as a child, walking through summer night streets.
A long-missed, almost extravagant sense of security made her drowsy.
She wanted to find a foothold.
So, she leaned in.
The touch was warm, firm, vibrating subtly with a steady rhythm, like a calm heartbeat.
She rubbed against it drowsily, her cheek pressing into that warmth, finding it rather comfortable. Her hand unconsciously reached out as well, her palm meeting a distinct, hard texture with clear ridges.
Through the fabric, her fingertips traced down along the contour.
One piece, two pieces, arranged like a stone path that had been meticulously carved.
But much warmer than stone, and much better to the touch.
And it moved.
Wait... this texture.
Her fingers pressed again, tentatively.
Hard.
Pressed again.
Even harder.
And that stone path trembled faintly beneath her palm.
Jiang Nuan's brain finally switched from standby mode to boot-up self-check.
She slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing that came into view was a sharply defined collarbone, and further up, a gently bobbing Adam's apple, a taut jawline, and dark, deep eyes quietly watching her.
Ye Que.
Jiang Nuan's eyes flew wide open.
Fully awake now.
She didn't know when she had rolled over.
She had clearly fallen asleep facing the wall, with a safe distance of half an arm's length between them.
But now.
Her head was resting on Ye Que's arm, which she had been lying on for who knows how long—and on his arm was a drool mark.
Her body was curled sideways into his embrace, her knee pressed against his thigh, and she was huddled into the crook of his arm like a boneless cat.
And her culprit of a right hand was blatantly placed on his waist and abdomen, where his pajama hem had been pushed up a section, her five fingers even unconsciously gripping the tense muscle.
The air was silent for a few seconds.
Jiang Nuan yanked her hand back, bolting upright as if burned.
The moment she pulled her hand away, his fingers resting at his side curled ever so slightly.
Like an instinct to gather, to press the hand that was retreating back into place.
"Ye, Ye Que," Jiang Nuan cleared her throat, but her voice came out a bit unsteady. "I have a habit of... turning over when I sleep."
She tried to make her tone sound assertive. "I definitely didn't do it on purpose!"
Ye Que slowly sat up as well.
He didn't answer immediately.
He lowered his gaze to the hem of his pajama top that had been pushed up on his abdomen.
Morning light fell on his slightly reddened ears, and deep in his eyes, it looked like he was barely restraining something.
After two seconds, he looked up at her.
His Adam's apple rolled extremely slowly.
A barely audible, suppressed breath could be heard through his nose, as if he were setting limits for himself with the last of his rationality.
"It's fine," he said.
The curve of his mouth wasn't quite right—some kind of... indescribable, relaxed, even faintly pleased curve.
Exactly the same as the one he'd had last night when she complimented his body.
Jiang Nuan's face grew even hotter.
A lazy voice drifted over from the outermost edge of the bed.
"Good morning." Shen Wu had apparently woken up at some point, propping her face on her hand. "Need me to provide follow-up development suggestions? For instance, announcing your detailed scoring of the abdominal muscle feel at breakfast?"
"Shen Wu!" Jiang Nuan's cheeks burned.
"Just joking." Shen Wu sat up, stretched, and swept her gaze over Ye Que. "Though someone not daring to move a muscle is definitely worth archiving."
Ye Que stared back expressionlessly, like a sniper scope locking onto a target, and looked at Shen Wu. "Want me to add a note about your insufficient physical fitness to your file?"
Shen Wu shrugged, wisely quickening her pace toward the bathroom. The door closed behind her, cutting off all further threats.
Only Jiang Nuan and Ye Que remained in the bedroom.
The morning light was just right, but the atmosphere was awkwardly tense.
She didn't dare look at him.
But out of the corner of her eye, he was slowly smoothing down the hem of his pajama top that she had pushed up.
Jiang Nuan gritted her teeth, struggling to suppress her embarrassment and racing heartbeat.
What an absurd start to the day.
After the three of them finished washing up one by one and went to the dining room for breakfast, the butler came to deliver a piece of news.
His wording was meticulous. "Mr. Song left in the middle of the night due to urgent matters with the Federation. The Federation will be sending a new observer this morning, who is currently on the way. The young master needs to handle some family affairs and will only be able to come a bit later."
Song Huaicheng ran?
Did he know they'd found him out? Or had he already achieved his goal, and withdrawing had been part of the plan all along?
Jiang Nuan's hand, holding her chopsticks, paused for a moment, then she nodded at the butler and said she understood.
After the butler withdrew and the door closed, the three of them exchanged glances in the quiet space.
In the psychic link:
[I have channels in the Federation intelligence network. I'll go check it out.] Shen Wu quickly finished her last bite of food and stood up.
[Be careful not to expose yourself.] Ye Que said.
Shen Wu glanced at him, her eyes saying, "Do I need you to teach me?"
He pushed open the door and left.
Jiang Nuan and Ye Que finished their breakfast at a leisurely pace, and just as they were stepping out of the dining room.
The butler led a person inside.
"Miss Jiang, this is the Federation's newly assigned observer, Mr. Chen Ping'an."
Jiang Nuan looked up.
The newcomer looked at most in his early twenties, with fair skin and a pair of round, bright eyes.
He followed behind the butler, clutching a small booklet in his hand.
The moment he saw Jiang Nuan, he hurriedly stuffed the booklet into his uniform pocket.
He moved too hastily, needing two tries to get it in.
The cover of the booklet flashed by just before it went into his pocket.
"Federation Observer's Work Manual (Third Edition)."
...He was still memorizing the manual on the job.
Was he here for an internship?
"Miss, Miss Jiang." Chen Ping'an glanced at her, his cheeks faintly flushing.
Just like a fresh graduate who'd gotten an offer, visiting a client on his first day of work.
"Hello, Mr. Chen." Jiang Nuan gave a friendly smile and took two steps forward to greet him. "You must have been rushed, right? Coming all the way over this early in the morning."
Chen Ping'an's nervousness visibly faded.
Someone was actively striking up a conversation with him, and in such a kind tone, his expression relaxed considerably.
"Not at all, not at all," Chen Ping'an waved his hand, then scratched the back of his head. "It's mainly that I got the notice last night, which was pretty sudden, so I had to arrange everything overnight."
"That rushed, huh," Jiang Nuan followed up smoothly. "Did Mr. Song run into something urgent? We even had dinner together yesterday. Leaving so quickly without even saying goodbye."
Chen Ping'an looked a bit embarrassed. "This... I'm not too sure either. I only know he said his department had urgent business. The specifics are above my clearance level."
"His department?" Jiang Nuan tilted her head slightly. "Isn't he an observer just like you?"
"Ah, yes," Chen Ping'an nodded. "But Mr. Song originally came from an investigation squad. He left the squad later and joined the Federation."
"The Federation took his background in the investigation squad into account and assigned him to the observer division under the liaison headquarters. This time, precisely because you were a member of the investigation squad, the Federation thought it would be more fitting to send someone with related experience, so they specifically dispatched Mr. Song."
In plain terms, they were in the same unit but different roles—one a general post, the other a specialized one.
Jiang Nuan likely knew most of this already, but it didn't seem to be of much use right now.
A look of "I see" crossed Jiang Nuan's face, and she nodded.
They chatted aimlessly for a bit longer.
Federation weather, the distance between bases—all trivial topics.
Jiang Nuan quickly confirmed that the boy really had nothing more to offer; that was everything he knew.
She turned sideways and waved over Ye Que, who had been waiting in the corner of the hall.
Ye Que walked over, his black combat uniform making him appear tall and imposing, and standing next to the clear-eyed, youthful Chen Ping'an, the contrast in pressure was stark.
Chen Ping'an's smile visibly faded.
Ye Que's gaze swept calmly across Chen Ping'an's face, lingering for a moment on the faint blush that had crept up when he'd looked at Jiang Nuan earlier.
Then he withdrew his gaze and stood expressionlessly by Jiang Nuan's side.
He stood very close.
Close enough that the back of his hand almost touched hers.
Chen Ping'an sensibly took a step back.
As they walked out of the hall, Jiang Nuan felt Ye Que's hand silently press against her waist.
This was no longer a distance maintained for acting.
And she could feel the temperature of his palm—it was even hotter than that morning.
