Chapter 22: Take off your clothes

He paused for a moment, unsure of what to make of her presence. The alcohol still buzzed in his system, dulling his senses but sharpening his frustration. He had expected to be alone, the quiet of his room his only company. But instead, there she was—awake, calm, but distant.

"What are you doing up?" His voice was sharper than he meant it to be, a tinge of irritation laced with the raw edge of his loneliness.

"You said you wanted to sleep together didn't you? But you reek of alcohol.."

Lixue didn't answer right away but she did after assessing Mo Ran.

She just studied him, her gaze steady, inscrutable. There was no judgment in her eyes, only the faintest trace of curiosity, as if she had been waiting for him to speak first.