On a Stormy Night, the Campus Belle Knocked on My Door Seeking Shelter
Chapter 15: An Unprecedented Sense of Security

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: An Unprecedented Sense of Security

Su Yuqing was curled into a ball like a baby, her legs bent. While she looked adorable, Chen Mo knew it was a sign of her deep-seated insecurity.

A pang went through Chen Mo’s heart. He walked over, slowly crouched down, and leaned in close to quietly study her sleeping face.

Her curled-up posture made her dark hair spread out like satin, revealing a face that glowed with the translucent luster of white jade.

Her trembling eyelashes cast shadows like butterfly wings on her eyelids. Her lips were naturally pursed in sleep, their coral hue glistening as if with honey. A small, crimson mole on her earlobe only accentuated her translucent skin, and even the delicate cartilage of her ear seemed to glow with a pearlescent light.

’I still can’t believe this is real,’ Chen Mo thought. His expression softened with tenderness as he reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from Su Yuqing’s face.

As he knelt before the sofa, the corner of his bath towel brushed against the ends of her hair, which were draped over a throw pillow. The fresh scent of soap from his towel mingled with the lingering sandalwood from her hair, their fragrances intertwining in the space between them.

The curled-up girl’s eyelashes quivered along with the sound of the rain outside. The tip of her nose glowed with a honey-colored halo in the light.

Gazing at Su Yuqing’s sleeping face, Chen Mo found himself reaching out on a strange impulse, his hand hovering near her lips. A droplet of water from his still-damp arm trickled down his finger and landed perfectly on her slightly parted lips. She must have felt it in her sleep, for she unconsciously extended the tip of her tongue to lick it away. The small motion sent a jolt through him, and his Adam’s apple bobbed visibly. His fingers recoiled as if shocked, clenching into his palm—which only caused another drop to fall...

The trail of water trickled from the corner of her mouth, down to the porcelain-white hollow of her throat, and past the collarbone peeking out from the folds of the blanket.

Chen Mo’s breathing grew softer without him realizing it. He leaned in closer—so close he could see the fine, downy hairs on her cheeks swaying in the gentle currents of warm air from the heater.

RUMBLE! Just as a clap of thunder muffled by distance echoed through the sky, Su Yuqing suddenly rolled over. She buried half her face in a throw pillow and, in curling her knees up, kicked off part of the blanket.

The thunderclap startled her, causing her to curl up even more tightly.

Seeing the blanket slip, Chen Mo instinctively reached for it, but his hand brushed against Su Yuqing’s bare ankle instead. That patch of skin, flushed a delicate pink like a peach blossom from the changing temperature, felt so warm it made his fingertips tingle.

In that moment, the sound of his own heartbeat became deafeningly clear in his mind, its rhythm gradually syncing with the flutter of the girl’s eyelashes.

He snatched his hand back. Pulling the blanket up to cover Su Yuqing properly, he then scooped her into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.

Now in Chen Mo’s arms, Su Yuqing’s eyelashes began to flutter more intensely. Her once-steady breathing grew ragged, her skin grew warmer, and her heart began to race. It was obvious she was awake.

Chen Mo noticed, of course, but he didn’t let on. He gently laid Su Yuqing on his bed, removed the blanket, and carefully covered her with his own comforter. Only then did he bend down, lean close to her ear, and whisper, "Good night."

The warmth of his breath against her ear sent a ticklish sensation down her spine, and Su Yuqing instinctively drew her neck back.

Chen Mo smiled, left the bedroom, and closed the door behind him.

He then took the very same blanket that had been covering Su Yuqing moments before and draped it casually over himself.

He was so exhausted from the day that he simply lay down on the sofa—lower body still wrapped in a towel, the blanket draped over his chest—and fell into a deep sleep.

He didn’t even remember to turn off the TV and the lights.

In the bedroom, the girl who had supposedly been sound asleep had already opened her eyes.

A moment ago, her heart had been pounding so hard she thought it would leap out of her chest. She had no idea what Chen Mo might do to her.

If he really did try to do something... how was she supposed to react? In that single moment, so many scenarios had flashed through her mind that her brain had nearly short-circuited.

The short walk from the living room sofa to the bedroom felt like a century to Su Yuqing. With every step Chen Mo took carrying her closer to the bedroom, her heart kicked into a higher gear.

On that short journey, she felt a little scared, a little expectant, and a little lost—a true whirlwind of emotions.

Finally, when Chen Mo removed the blanket she was wrapped in, her tension reached its absolute peak.

But she never expected that as the blanket left, a soft, plush comforter would be laid over her instead.

The gesture was so gentle, his "good night" so pleasant to her ears, that her heart couldn’t seem to calm down.

Her small hand subconsciously clutched the edge of the comforter, pulling it up to her nose. It seemed to carry the faint scent of the body wash he always used, mixed with a hint of his own unique, masculine scent. It was the same subtle fragrance she had smelled when he held her in his arms just moments ago.

Surrounded by this scent, Su Yuqing felt as if the comforter wrapped snugly around her was Chen Mo’s warm embrace, holding her tight.

A young woman’s romantic feelings began to blossom in that moment, and a different kind of flutter stirred in her heart.

Her body began to feel warm all over again. After letting her imagination run wild for a while, she finally drifted back to sleep.

For the first time ever, she didn’t sleep curled up in a tight ball. Instead, she simply snuggled tightly into the comforter.

It seemed the comforter gave her an even greater sense of security than curling herself up did.

Or perhaps, it was the scent of the comforter’s owner that gave her this unprecedented sense of security.

SPLASH! The downpour raged all night long.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the rain finally let up. Many of the city’s low-lying areas were flooded, forming small ponds.

Today was Saturday, a school-free day that should have been perfect for sleeping in.

But Su Yuqing was up early. Her clothes had gone through the washer and dryer yesterday, so they were ready to wear.

It was around seven in the morning. Having gotten a full seven hours of sleep, Su Yuqing felt quite refreshed.

More importantly, she had slept more soundly here at Chen Mo’s place than ever before.

After changing back into her own clothes, Su Yuqing started busying herself.

She had said when she knocked on his door yesterday that she would do chores or anything else to repay him, so she naturally began tidying up his place.

After giving Chen Mo’s bedroom a quick tidying, Su Yuqing walked out.

She saw Chen Mo on the sofa, his back to her, with half a blanket wrapped around his stomach. As her eyes drifted downward, however, she was shocked to see that his bath towel had slipped off and fallen to the floor, leaving his firm buttocks completely exposed.

Just then, perhaps because he heard a sound from the bedroom, she saw Chen Mo reach up and scratch his ear. Then, his body suddenly shifted as if he were about to roll over and face her. In an instant, her face flushed a deep crimson!