Niu Shurui asked after her bath.

"No."

She'd gone straight to the clinic to find him that morning. She hadn't even had a sip of water, let alone her medication. Yet, her body felt no hunger, only a deep, satisfied fullness. Sometimes, she even felt it wasn't enough.

Ye Li seemed to have guessed as much. He frowned. "Let's eat."

She agreed. He carried her to the bed, settled her gently, then went to the wardrobe, opening it and staring inside for a long moment.

Niu Shurui assumed he was getting her clothes, but he closed the wardrobe without taking anything, paced the room several times, and then returned to the bathroom.

She frowned, puzzled. The air conditioning was set low, a temperature Niu Shurui usually found comfortable, but now, n4ked, she felt a chill.

Wrapped in the duvet, she waited. Ye Li emerged from the bathroom, holding several small bottles.

A sense of foreboding washed over her as he walked towards her. "What are you doing?" Niu Shurui asked, instantly wary.

His lips pressed together. He seemed to know she wouldn't agree if he told her. He pulled back the covers, parted her legs, and murmured, "To plug it..." 

Her eyes widened as Ye Li began positioning various sized bottles against her entrance. Ignoring the lingering ache in her body, she struggled to sit up. "No."

"It keeps leaking," Ye Li insisted, his voice laced with a strange tone. He pulled her back down by her waist, and before she could react again, he pushed a small, empty bottle inside her.

The cold glass sent a sharp jolt through her. A piercing sensation radiated through her core. Her hands flew down, pushing at him. "No...take it out."

"Just for a little while," he whispered, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, a gesture both soothing and pleading.

But his actions betrayed his words. He pushed the bottle deeper until only the tip of a dropper remained visible.

He climbed up and kissed her apprehensive face. "Niuniu, don't move, or it'll go all the way in...and don't pull it out, okay? This way, you can get pregnant faster."

Niu Shurui lay still, legs spread wide, her breath shallow, terrified the small glass bottle would slip inside completely.

Ye Li touched the red mole above her left eye, his voice full of longing. "I'll get you something to eat. I'll be right back."

He draped a towel around himself and left. Only then did Niu Shurui realize he hadn't intended for her to leave the room at all.

The moment the door clicked shut, she sat up and pulled the bottle out. Ye Li had only cleaned her during her bath; she was still slick. As the glass bottle came free, fluids gushed out, wave after wave, uncontrollable, a sensation both familiar and alien, like a period.

As she dabbed herself with tissues, the door opened. Ye Li stood there, holding a large tray of food, the eager expression on his face freezing at the sight. Niu Shurui froze too, surprised by his quick return.

Then, she began to speak, "That was very uncomfortable, and..."

She stopped abruptly. Tears welled up in Ye Li's eyes. He didn't say anything, simply blinked and set the tray down.

Niu Shurui looked at the single place setting, a sense of dread settling in her stomach.

As she'd feared, Ye Li lifted her and settled her in his lap, facing away from him, his chin resting on her shoulder as he looked down. His fingers traced the folds of her intimacy, then parted her.

With his other hand, he grasped his semi-erect p3nis and pushed it inside her, murmuring in her ear, "Then we'll use this."

He'd wanted to keep her plugged with his p3nis all along but had used the bottle as a substitute while he fetched the food. He seemed to regret what she’d wiped away, but he couldn't bring himself to scold her.

Niu Shurui glanced at their rejoined bodies and said nothing. Thankfully, after he was inside, he didn’t move, simply held her close and began to feed her.

No one is born knowing how to care for another, especially someone like Ye Li. Even the way he'd bathed her showed his inexperience, yet he'd been so meticulous she felt cleaner than if she'd bathed herself. Though sometimes, his touch made her wonder if he was cleaning her or...something else.

He was equally awkward feeding her, as if he thought her mouth was too small, offering only half-full spoonfuls.

Thinking she should eat slowly after going without food for so long, she remained silent until he whispered in her ear, "Do I feed you better, or does Qiao Qi?"

She choked, coughing. "Cough, cough, cough." 

She realized his grip on her waist was tightening and forced herself to stop.

His hand moved up and down her waist, subtly suppressing his arousal. He persisted, "Who feeds you better?"

"You," she conceded.

He kissed her ear, pleased, and resumed feeding her with renewed enthusiasm.

Niu Shurui assumed his behavior was due to the missed medication. He seemed much like he had in the office that day, rambling and incoherent. She’d breathed a sigh of relief after coaxing him to take his pills that night, then drifted off to sleep, anticipating the next day.