Xia Yao's body was naturally sensitive, and with her cl1toris still being stimulated, it didn't take long for Zhou Ye to bring her to cl1max. Her inner walls spasmed, her abdomen convulsed, gripping his er3ction tightly as a small stream of fluid leaked out, soaking the sheets.

Zhou Ye's sharp gaze fixed on his prey beneath him. He reached for her hand, which was clutching the sheets helplessly, and intertwined their fingers, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss. As his lips touched her cool fingers, his brows furrowed slightly. Unable to hold back any longer, he thrust a few more times, groaning softly before finishing inside the c0ndom.

It was a quick round, both reaching their peak within eight minutes of penetration. After they were done, Xia Yao felt completely drained. She had hiked during the day and then been thoroughly exhausted by her boyfriend at night. By the time Zhou Ye used a wet wipe to clean her, she was already asleep.

Zhou Ye turned on a wall lamp, kneeling n4ked before her in the dim light, looking at the swollen entrance between her legs that he had claimed. His face showed little emotion, but his eyes betrayed his feelings.

He truly cared for her. Before finding the right way to express his feelings, he didn't know how to enter her world or get closer to her. It seemed like nothing was ever enough; she never asked for more. It was his first time being someone's boyfriend, and he didn't know how to be better for her.

***

The cool mountain breeze brushed against Xia Yao's face, carrying the fresh, damp scent of the mountains. She opened her eyes groggily and saw the curtains fluttering in the wind. Zhou Ye stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, wearing only loosely hung pants. The defined lines of his back muscles were both sexy and strong, and she wondered how long he had been standing there.

The golden sunrise cast a soft glow on his skin, making even his slightly tousled hair shimmer in the morning light. Xia Yao's gaze lingered on his long fingers hanging by the waistband of his pants. Even his pinky was long and slender, and she suddenly longed to hold his hand.

As she moved to get out of bed, she realized someone had carefully draped a bathrobe over her. Xia Yao sat up, tightening the robe's belt, and walked over to him in her slippers. "What are you looking at?" she asked softly.

Zhou Ye glanced at her and pulled the curtain aside a bit more. Following his gaze, Xia Yao saw the ancient village below, with some windows reflecting golden light and smoke rising from chimneys. The morning mist enveloped the mountains, and the sunrise on the horizon was like a sword unsheathing, slicing through the cool night. The sky was clear and the world serene.

She was entranced by the view until a warm, dry hand took hers, pulling her attention back to Zhou Ye. His eyes were warm, and he smiled at her effortlessly. "Morning."

Xia Yao was momentarily stunned, her heart racing as she looked at his handsome face bathed in sunlight, her cheeks warming. "Morning."

Her clothes had been sent for washing last night and returned in a bamboo basket this morning. After getting dressed, she joined him for breakfast downstairs. While checking out, she saw the woman who had been with them at the barbecue last night.

The woman looked like she hadn't slept well, with faint dark circles under her eyes that makeup couldn't fully hide. As Zhou Ye finished the checkout process, the woman took advantage of the crowd to slip a piece of paper into his pocket.

Zhou Ye didn't notice, and he led Xia Yao down the mountain. It wasn't until the afternoon, around one or two o'clock, when he dropped her off at her apartment building and tried to wipe the sweat from her brow, that he discovered the napkin in his pocket.

It had a contact number and a blunt message saying how impressed she was with his performance last night, which she had heard from the next room. She wanted to hook up, promising to buy the c0ndoms and pay for the hotel room, even offering to support him financially. The note ended with a lipstick mark.

Zhou Ye frowned and hid the paper in his palm. With his other hand, he wiped the sweat from Xia Yao's forehead, then tossed the paper into a nearby trash can. "Rest well this afternoon, and remember to do the homework the teacher assigned. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Xia Yao held the milk tea Zhou Ye had bought her on the way. She nodded obediently and waved goodbye. After he left, she hesitated for a moment before walking over to the trash can and retrieving the napkin he had looked at. His expression had been off when he read it, and now, as she read it herself, her face flushed with a mix of emotions.

She didn't dare think about what happened last night; just the memory made her blush and feel the lingering soreness between her legs where his fingers had gripped her.

The woman wanted to pay Zhou Ye to be with her, but he already had everything he needed at home...

Back at home, Xia Yao turned on the air conditioner, stripped off her clothes, and tossed her bra onto the bed before taking a quick shower. As she looked down, she saw the kiss marks and finger bruises all over her body. Some spots were still tender to the touch, though she hadn't felt any discomfort last night.

Feeling a bit puzzled, she wrapped her wet hair in a towel and changed into a thin-strapped tank top and light shorts, then left the bathroom. The unfinished milk tea sat on the table, and she took a few sips through the straw before pulling out her homework from her backpack and setting it on the desk.

The room was quiet, filled only with the hum of the air conditioner and the sound of her pen on paper. Suddenly, her phone rang. Thinking it might be Zhou Ye, she picked it up, only to see it was her grandmother.

She held the phone to her ear and listened intently. Her grandmother asked if she needed money and if she should ask Xia Yao's father to send some. Xia Yao knew her father's income had to support her, her stepmother's daughter, and the newly born twins, who required a lot of money.

Xia Yao's expenses were minimal, and she never spent all her monthly allowance. She told her grandmother that she only needed two months' worth of living expenses every three months and still had money left, so there was no need to ask her father.

Her grandmother understood her habits and didn't insist. Before hanging up, Xia Yao asked when her grandmother would be back home. Her grandmother said she had to take care of the two younger children and couldn't leave, urging Xia Yao to take care of herself.

The call lasted less than three minutes. Xia Yao looked at the call log, sitting alone in the empty house, a sense of loneliness enveloping her.

She gripped her pen and resumed her homework, diligently working through the assignments. The ones she couldn't solve, she left blank and noted them in her book, planning to ask Zhou Ye after dinner.

The sun was setting, its intense rays spilling through the window onto her desk. As dinnertime approached, she put down her pen to rest, propping her feet on the chair and sipping the last of her milk tea while playing with her phone.

She refreshed her WeChat Moments and liked a photo of a middle school friend playing with others. As she scrolled further, her finger paused on the screen. Just minutes ago, her stepsister had posted a new update with nine photos from her day at Disneyland.

The photos showed her enjoying gourmet food, wearing different headbands, with her stepmother and two baby strollers in the background. One picture captured her grandmother cradling a grandson and patiently soothing him.

Xia Yao couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart. She set her phone aside, buried her face in her knees, and hugged her legs. Her slender frame sat quietly for a long time, not even bothering to eat dinner as the sky darkened.