Liu Zhaoran was never one to shortchange herself. In life, and in matters of the heart as well.

Whether it was how well matched she and Song Nanyin were in bed, the other woman’s entertaining personality, or how well they clicked in daily life, all of it made Liu Zhaoran willing to use the word “like” for Song Nanyin, even if that liking was still some distance from romantic affection.

But there was no denying that she was now looking forward to the two of them officially living together.

With the contract she had drafted in hand, Liu Zhaoran went to Song Nanyin’s bedroom. The woman had already changed the bedding and cleaned the room spotless, as if last night’s madness had been nothing but a figment of their imagination.

Seeing Song Nanyin lying under the covers playing with her phone, Liu Zhaoran sat down at the edge of the bed and handed her the contract.

“This is the contract. Take a look. If there’s anything you’re not happy with, you can add it on.”

“Oh, let me see.”

Song Nanyin picked up the contract and gave it a quick scan. It was more or less fine, containing everything the two of them had previously discussed. After thinking for a moment, she added a few small details out of caution.

Watching her bent head as she earnestly wrote in these trivial little clauses, Liu Zhaoran found it extremely amusing. Of course, whatever Song Nanyin wanted to add, she would be happy to indulge. Otherwise, the Little Lion would bristle again.

“Are these additions enough?” Liu Zhaoran roughly scanned the points Song Nanyin had added. From big ones like “no work-related disturbances” to small ones like “three meals a day,” Song Nanyin had mentioned no small number of details. Liu Zhaoran didn’t mind any of them. What she wanted, after all, was simply Song Nanyin herself.

“Mm, that’s all for now. I’ll add more when I think of them. Are we done? I need to rest.”

Song Nanyin still felt some resistance toward Liu Zhaoran, especially now that their relationship had shifted yet again and she didn’t know how to face it. Her body, too, was genuinely exhausted.

Seeing her about to lie back down, Liu Zhaoran casually pulled a grip tester from her pocket and handed it over. Song Nanyin took it and squeezed casually. Yet even without any deliberate force, the tester directly displayed a fairly high reading.

This change made Song Nanyin pause in surprise. She was puzzled: why had her strength suddenly become so great? Liu Zhaoran could tell she had no idea, recorded the data, and looked up at her with a smile.

“No need to be curious. This should also be related to the changes in your body. Your grip strength now should be a little greater than an average adult man’s. I’ll go to the lab to study it. You rest.”

Having dropped that remark and paid no further attention to the shock in Song Nanyin’s eyes, Liu Zhaoran turned and went back to the lab without a word. Seeing her just walk off like that without paying her any mind, Song Nanyin gave a humph, wrapped herself in the covers, and lay back down.

She had thought that with her body this exhausted, she would fall asleep easily. But Song Nanyin lay in bed for a long while, her mind still far too awake, even beginning to sort through the day’s events on its own.

Song Nanyin didn’t feel her life had seen many great ups and downs. These twenty-eight years had passed calmly enough. But Liu Zhaoran’s appearance was a thunderclap, a meteorite plunging into water, stirring up towering waves.

How should she put it? The feeling of making love with Liu Zhaoran wasn’t bad, exactly. And as for how things had come to this, Song Nanyin admitted that her own tacit acquiescence was part of it.

Just as Liu Zhaoran had said, staying here was a good choice right now. Someone cooked her three meals, the house was provided free of charge, and she’d gained someone to drive her to and from work. Even… even her physical needs were nothing to fear anymore.

Song Nanyin blushed at the thought. No matter how she counted, she wasn’t coming out on the losing end of this deal. Besides, they were adults. Needing each other for physical reasons was nothing to be ashamed of. And thinking of the physical examinations the company arranged every year, she would probably need Liu Zhaoran to help smooth those over when the time came.

The two of them had become a knot twined around each other. For now, they could neither sever ties with each other nor undo the bond that bound them. So rather than fight it, as Liu Zhaoran had said, it was a good option to stay together in this kind of relationship for the time being.

With those thoughts, Song Nanyin finally felt drowsiness creeping in through her haze.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, the door was pushed open again. Song Nanyin looked over lazily and saw that Liu Zhaoran had changed out of her earlier clothes and was walking over in an extremely sexy backless nightgown.

Thin black fabric clung to her fair skin, and the kiss marks and bite marks Song Nanyin had left yesterday were faintly visible on her collarbones. Her long hair hung loose, and every step put her graceful bearing and curves on full display. Song Nanyin stared blankly. After the daze came panic.

“Hey… what are you doing? This is my room.” Song Nanyin remembered adding that clause, the one saying no one could come in without her permission. Had that damn Liu Zhaoran forgotten it so soon?

“Team Leader Song, I forgot to mention that we should sleep together from now on. The truth is, I’m quite afraid of loneliness. Now that I have you, it’s just perfect.”

Having said that, Liu Zhaoran gave Song Nanyin no room to argue. She lifted the covers and climbed straight in. Song Nanyin was left dumbfounded by her audacity. In her shock, she couldn’t even stop her in time before her whole body was gathered into Liu Zhaoran’s arms.

At the touch of smooth, slick skin, Liu Zhaoran paused slightly, then looked at Song Nanyin meaningfully.

“I just discovered that Team Leader Song likes sleeping naked. Would my nightgown bother you? How about I take it off too?” It was indeed the first time Liu Zhaoran had noticed this particular preference of Song Nanyin’s. Naturally, she also understood that sleeping naked was indeed more comfortable.

She stroked Song Nanyin’s shoulder, making as if to strip off the burden on her own body. It was only then that Song Nanyin finally snapped to, hastily pressing down on her hand.

“Hey, Black-Hearted Lotus, what are you doing? I’m really tired. After so many rounds last night, I truly have no strength left.” Song Nanyin now deeply regretted her shallow earlier judgment that Liu Zhaoran was merely some scheming bitch. This woman was clearly a pervert too…

“Okay, fine. I’m not going to do that kind of thing. I just want to hold you while we sleep. Please don’t kick me out, okay?” Liu Zhaoran put on a submissive act, hugging Song Nanyin as she nuzzled against her shoulder with feigned docility.

The unique, delicate fragrance of Liu Zhaoran’s body drifted over. Though not as strong as last night’s, it still affected Song Nanyin somewhat. Feeling her nape grow warm, Song Nanyin twisted her neck and, for the time being, let it go.

“Fine. But you’re not allowed to get handsy.” Song Nanyin conceded, partly because she seemed to rather enjoy sleeping together with Liu Zhaoran. They had already done everything, after all. Sleeping together was nothing to make a fuss over.

Song Nanyin deliberately turned her back to Liu Zhaoran, her mind in full give-up mode, utterly resigned to letting everything go. Watching her timid back, Liu Zhaoran raised an eyebrow, her half-smiling gaze landing on Song Nanyin’s bright red ears. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her eyes lit up.

“Team Leader Song, I forgot one thing. I might need to trouble you with a trip.”

“What?”

“You need to buy me the morning-after pill. I forgot to mention it before. It’ll be past twenty-four hours soon.”

“What are you talking about? I’m a woman!” Liu Zhaoran’s words successfully drove away all of Song Nanyin’s sleepiness. She sat up with a jolt, staring at Liu Zhaoran as if at a monster.

Her words, and her actions too, were all subconscious reactions. Seeing her like this, all bristled up, Liu Zhaoran felt she had chosen the perfect moment to say it. Otherwise, she would never get to see the Little Lion in this state.

“I know Team Leader Song is a woman, but… last night you didn’t take any precautions and came inside me, almost filling me up. When I showered this morning, there was still so much in there… If I don’t take the pill, I might get pregnant with your… mmph?”

Before Liu Zhaoran could finish her vivid, animated description, her mouth was suddenly covered by Song Nanyin. She looked up and saw Song Nanyin hiding her own face behind a pillow while stretching out her other hand to cover Liu Zhaoran’s mouth.

A strange pose…

“Okay, okay. Stop talking. I’ll go buy it. I’ll go right now…” Song Nanyin didn’t want to hear Liu Zhaoran keep talking like that, and she couldn’t even imagine what it would be like for her and Liu Zhaoran to have a child.

She pictured a roly-poly little baby running over to call her and Liu Zhaoran “Mommy,” and then her best friend looking at her with a strange expression.

She could neither brush it off with a vague line like “Yes, we have a child” nor play the heartless woman and flatly deny the child was hers.

At the thought of her and Liu Zhaoran raising a child together, Song Nanyin broke out in goosebumps all over. Ignoring the aches in her body, she jumped up at once and got dressed.

“I’m going to buy it right now. Wait for me at home.”

“Sure. Team Leader Song can take my car. There’s a fairly big supermarket about a twenty-minute drive from here, and the pharmacy is inside too. Don’t rush. Drive carefully.”

Liu Zhaoran lay in bed, giving instructions like a gentle wife. Song Nanyin wanted to cry but no tears came. Pouting indignantly, she pushed the door open and left, driving off in Liu Zhaoran’s car.

The area around here was all villa districts, so there really was no pharmacy nearby. Liu Zhaoran’s house happened to be right by the sea, with only a road and the beach in between, which made it an excellent location. The views were great, but buying anything meant driving out.

Song Nanyin drove to the nearest supermarket and went down to the pharmacy on the basement level. It was her first time buying medicine like this, and she blushed furiously, utterly mortified.

When choosing, Song Nanyin deliberately picked the kind that was strong-acting and harmless to the body. It was naturally more expensive, but she didn’t feel the slightest pang over it.

After buying the medicine, Song Nanyin returned, stood by the bed, and watched Liu Zhaoran take it. How to put it? Her mood was a bit complicated. Even though she had just been avoiding Liu Zhaoran and silently grumbling about having to drive out late at night to buy the medicine…

But now, watching the other woman take this pill because of her, Song Nanyin’s heart felt a little sour. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being some kind of heartless woman…

“Anything else? Can we sleep now?” After all this commotion, Song Nanyin was completely drained. And the thought that tomorrow was Monday and she had to go to work made her miserable all over again.

Perhaps sensing that Song Nanyin was truly exhausted, Liu Zhaoran was uncharacteristically kind for once. She patted the pillow, indicating for Song Nanyin to lie face down on the bed.

“I’ve studied massage, and my technique is pretty good. Lie down, and I’ll work on the sore spots. You’ll feel much better tomorrow.”

“Really? You’re not tricking me again, are you?” Song Nanyin was suspicious of Liu Zhaoran’s offer. After all, Liu Zhaoran didn’t look at all like someone who would take care of people or give massages.

“Of course. I’ve tried it on myself. Team Leader Song can rest assured.” With that said, Song Nanyin lay down. She felt the other woman’s slightly cool fingers pressing on her waist and legs. The force was somewhat heavy, but after it was done, she did feel a bit more comfortable.

Still thinking in a haze, Song Nanyin fell asleep.

Seeing her hugging a pillow, the corners of her mouth turned up as she slept soundly, Liu Zhaoran curved her lips as well and tucked the blanket around her.