Chapter 110 - 103: Fingers Intertwined

Chapter 110: Chapter 103: Fingers Intertwined

He was the perfect sleep aid.

The sleeping girl subconsciously tried to pull Xiao Ran closer. When she couldn’t get a good grip, she snuggled up against him. She even draped one of her long, slender, fair legs right across his lower abdomen.

Only then did she drift back into a groggy sleep.

Xiao Ran: ...

As the girl’s steady breathing filled the air, accompanied by her pleasant fragrance, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but feel a little dazed.

To be honest, this was torture.

’He just knew it. If he slept in the same bed as her, he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep!’

Perhaps because he didn’t feel quite like her Hello Kitty plushie, the girl stirred uncomfortably.

So, she snuggled closer, her head coming to rest directly on Xiao Ran’s chest.

Her unique fragrance instantly became even more potent.

Xiao Ran, on the other hand, felt his mind spiraling a bit.

He tilted his head slightly to look at her face.

He had to admit, her skin was incredible—so smooth and delicate it looked like it would bruise at the slightest touch.

To make her more comfortable, Xiao Ran adjusted his arm, letting her head rest on it properly.

Then, he turned onto his side and simply watched her in silence.

He wasn’t sure how long he watched her, but eventually, Xiao Ran fell asleep too.

Perhaps because she was nestled in Xiao Ran’s arms, Yan Xici slept exceptionally soundly for those few hours.

She didn’t even have a single dream.

While still fast asleep, she was jolted awake by the piercing sound of an alarm.

She had set it herself, worried that she might oversleep and they’d be late for their movie.

At the same time, the alarm also woke Xiao Ran, who had only fallen asleep a short while ago.

He opened his eyes, his arm completely numb. His first instinct was to pull it back, but he immediately caught himself. Yan Xici was still resting on it, so he stayed perfectly still.

Yan Xici, however, felt the slight movement and quickly lifted her head.

Her delicate face flushed uncontrollably.

’Oh god, I must have been completely out of it!’

’When did I even end up on his arm?’

’And why was my leg thrown over him?’

’My sleeping posture is so unladylike! What if I scared Brother Xiao Ran and he doesn’t want to sleep in the same bed with me anymore? What would I do then?’

At this thought, she hastily pulled her leg back, looking at Xiao Ran with a flushed, bashful face.

"Um, I’m a bit of a restless sleeper. I’ll be more careful next time. I’ll try not to lie on top of you..."

’But then again,’ she thought, ’sleeping in Brother Xiao Ran’s arms felt amazing!’

The mere thought of being in his arms made her heart fill with a sweet, romantic feeling, and her pulse quickened to an exhilarating rhythm.

’Yep, the shyness was real.’

’But so was the comfort!’

Xiao Ran reached out and gently booped her on the nose. "Alright, you were asleep, so you wouldn’t know. Come on, get up. Let’s get ready for the movie."

’How could he possibly be annoyed with such an adorable girl?’

"Mmm-hmm." The girl, her face still red, quickly sat up. She went to the living room, poured a glass of water, and started gulping it down. GULP, GULP, GULP.

After she left, Xiao Ran glanced down at the "little tent" that had pitched itself at some point and let out a huge sigh of relief.

’Thank god she didn’t see it. I would’ve died of embarrassment.’

Noticing Xiao Ran still hadn’t gotten up, the girl pattered back in her little slippers. PATTER, PATTER. She poked her head in and looked at him curiously. "Brother Xiao Ran, why aren’t you up yet?"

Terrified she would notice, Xiao Ran instinctively yanked the summer blanket over himself. "Oh! I’ll be right there."

He cursed inwardly. ’It’s not even morning, for crying out loud! Why won’t you listen to orders?!’

Hearing his reply, the beauty-conscious girl went back into the bathroom to do her hair. After all, this was her first time going to the movies with Brother Xiao Ran.

’I have to make sure I look my best.’

Once he had his body under control, Xiao Ran finally got up. He stretched languidly and looked toward the girl in the bathroom.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready~"

...

Ten minutes later, the two of them were out the door. With his long legs, Xiao Ran naturally started to pull ahead as they walked.

Seeing this, the girl pouted, reached out, and pulled him back.

’He’s my boyfriend now, right? So it’s not too forward to hold onto him, is it?’

As their skin touched, warmth passed between them once more.

Both of their hearts began to beat a little faster.

Even though they had slept in the same bed, they hadn’t shared many intimate moments like this. For Yan Xici, every single one was precious.

Their apartment complex was very close to the main street, and they reached it in no time.

A taxi arrived within ten minutes. Xiao Ran opened the door, let the girl get in first, and then followed her inside.

After he gave the driver their destination, they headed toward the movie theater.

They arrived at the theater with only five minutes to spare before the movie started. The girl glanced at the time, looking a little anxious.

"Oh no, we should have woken up earlier."

’It was all Brother Xiao Ran’s fault his arms were so warm. Otherwise, I never would have slept so soundly.’

"It’s fine. It’s not like..." Xiao Ran started to say it wasn’t a good movie anyway, but he stopped when he saw the expectant look on her face.

"Let’s hurry, then." With that, he took her hand and began striding forward purposefully.

Yan Xici was pulled along, forced to match his pace.

Her small hand was soft and delicate. The feeling of it in his own was simply incredible.

It made him want to caress it, to feel its softness.

The moment Xiao Ran grabbed her hand, the girl’s heart began to pound.

’This was the first time he had ever held her hand like this.’

That sweet, ambiguous feeling shamelessly bubbled up in her heart again.

Xiao Ran’s hand was dry and warm, his palm completely enveloping hers. It gave her an indescribable sense of security and bliss.

Although Yan Xici’s legs were long, they were no match for Xiao Ran’s, as he was quite a bit taller than her.

It was a bit of a struggle to keep up. Afraid her hand might slip out of his, she couldn’t help but squeeze a little tighter.

Though she was squeezing his hand, her skin was so smooth that Xiao Ran mistook the movement for her hand slipping away. He instinctively threaded his fingers through hers.

Their fingers intertwined, palm pressed against palm. It felt as if their very fingertips were whispering words of affection to one another.

At that moment, Yan Xici felt a tingling sensation, as if a gentle electric current were flowing from their joined hands straight into her heart.

She couldn’t help but sigh in her heart. ’No wonder couples are always so insistent on holding hands.’

’This feels absolutely amazing!’

’From now on, I want to do this every time!’

They walked from the mall entrance to the elevators, got in, and headed up toward the theater.

Yan Xici was in charge of picking up the tickets while Xiao Ran went to buy popcorn.

He also grabbed a Coke and an orange juice.

After meeting up at the ticket counter, they headed into Theater 3.

The popcorn was sweet, but the smile on the girl’s face was even sweeter.

Since they were running late, the theater was already mostly full.

The commercials and previews were playing; the movie hadn’t started yet.

Stepping into the theater and seeing the dense sea of heads, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but sigh.

’Holy cow. Turns out a lot of people actually watch this kind of idiotic movie.’

Most of the audience consisted of groups of two or three girls. Occasionally, you’d spot a guy with three words written all over his face: "I was forced!"

The seats Yan Xici had bought were in a great spot—the fifth row, which was neither too close nor too far from the screen.

The two of them made their way over and sat down, finding themselves in the middle of a row of girls.