"Ruihui, I *did* invite you to sleep in bed—but I never said lie *on top* of me! Get off…!" Mu Yao’s cheeks flushed crimson as she stammered.

Nangong Ruihui wasted no ceremony. She crawled right onto Mu Yao, wriggling slightly while tugging the quilt down. Luckily, her legs straddled Mu Yao’s sides—otherwise, things might’ve gotten… awkward.

Mu Yao, for his part, sensed nothing unusual below—just smooth bareness.

Right now, he had zero bandwidth for that. *Sharing a bed doesn’t mean clinging like vines!* The bed was huge—they could sleep worlds apart and still not fall off.

"What if I don’t move?" Nangong Ruihui’s voice dipped with playful mischief.

"If you insist… I can’t stop you anyway…" Mu Yao exhaled warm breath, gazing up pitifully—half-resistant, half-inviting.

Foreheads touching, Mu Yao’s blush deepened. Nangong Ruihui’s heart fluttered. *Not making a move now feels like a crime.*

"Yaoyao… what if I actually did *that*?" Nangong Ruihui murmured.

"What else? I’d just… accept it."

*Not that I’m chill about it,* Mu Yao thought. *If she goes further, she’ll find out I’m a guy. "Accepting" means confessing—not letting her run wild. And absolutely NO "getting extra excited after discovering I’m male" nonsense!* He trusted Ruihui wasn’t into that… unless she liked guys…

*So soft… so fragrant…*

Dizzy, mind short-circuiting, Mu Yao still couldn’t place Ruihui’s natural scent—no perfume should smell this good. The softness of her body, the snug closeness… her chest pressing against his made breathing tricky. Warmth wrapped him completely. He shut his eyes. *Go ahead. Touch *there*. See who gets scared.*

"Yaoyao… mwah~"

A featherlight kiss landed on Mu Yao’s flushed cheek. Nangong Ruihui rolled off, settling beside her, watching Mu Yao’s kawaii sleeping face. First time sharing a bed. First time not feeling alone. Strange. Wonderful.

Mu Yao wiped a faint trace of moisture from her cheek, eyes still closed. *Don’t seem too flustered… or she might lose control again.* Looked like she was safe today.

"Yaoyao," Nangong Ruihui traced lazy circles on Mu Yao’s hand, "if photos leaked of Long Xueer sleeping with someone… what would your fans think?"

"…Do your worst. Blur your own face if you dare. We sink together." Mu Yao shot back, chin high.

"Ooh~ Okay, okay, no more teasing. Sleep now. You’re jogging with me at dawn."

"Got it."

…

Silent night slipped away. Crickets chirped softly around the flower-blooming villa.

As the sky softened to fish-belly white, dawn’s first light touched Nangong Ruihui’s pillow—

"Sister Ling! Look—they’re *in bed together*!" Nangong Jing clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.

"Bed-sharing’s fine. But they started on a floor mat! What does *that* mean?"

"Ruihui wouldn’t make Mu Yao sleep on the floor. No struggle marks… Did *Mu Yao* invite her up?!"

"Exactly! Only one truth—they’re not innocent! Our Ruihui’s grown up. Emotional needs? Understandable. But not *here*."

(Unbeknownst to Ruihui, eldest sister Nangong Ling held a master key—believing a locked door kept sisters out was pure wishful thinking.)

Nangong Jing lifted the quilt between them. Both sisters froze. *Fingers intertwined?! How do you even sleep like that?!*

"Sister Ling… if Father finds out Ruihui likes girls…?"

"He’d probably spank her senseless. She’s the only one strong enough to inherit the Nangong Clan. Father’s hopes are pinned on her—he won’t let leadership fall to a blood-related stranger."

"Let’s go. She’ll jog at dawn. We’ll… casually ask later."

…

Sunlight outlined Mu Yao’s profile, a faint smile warm as dawn. Wearing only a thin layer, *he* woke first—this time straddling Nangong Ruihui.

"Yay-yay! Energy overload~!"

Mu Yao tugged Ruihui’s arms side to side, chanting wake-up cheers.

"Too early… stop…" Nangong Ruihui flipped Mu Yao onto her back, patting her twice. *Was she even awake?*

"Hey! Who promised morning jogs last night? Backing out now?!"

Ruihui’s eyes snapped open. She stared, incredulous. "Yaoyao… you *straddled* me first?! Is this the collapse of humanity or the decay of morality?!"

"SHAMELESS ROGUE—!"

The shriek echoed through the Nangong residence. In the kitchen, apron-tied Nangong Jing flinched, utterly baffled by the "girls’" antics.

Outside the villa, Nangong Ruihui smiled at radiant Mu Yao—herself in sleek running gear. *So beautiful. Wish I had a camera.*

"Ruihui… I might not keep up. Wait for me?" Mu Yao murmured, embarrassed. *As guys… kinda shameful I can’t outrun her.*

"Of course. Not a race—just brisker than a stroll."

(Truth was, Nangong Ruihui held school records in sprint and long-distance. "Brisk stroll" meant Mu Yao gasping to stay in sight.)

"Slow down! We’re not racing to the afterlife!" Mu Yao’s face paled, one hand clutching his skirt hem. *Wind, don’t you dare—*

"Yaoyao~ Can’t catch me?"

"How?! You try running in a skirt!"

Nangong Ruihui almost laughed. *Try it? Done.* She’d raced in skirts before. On this empty new cement path? No problem at all.