As they leaned back, Xuanye was blushing, turning around and giggling. Minghao smiled at her and teased, "Ye~ you're blushing, aren't you?"
Xuanye glanced at him with a smile and said, "Hao~ you kissed me all of a sudden and... I…" she trailed off, blushing even harder as she looked away.
Minghao chuckled. "Ye~ you're already my girlfriend, and I kissed you to motivate you. But look at you now—your whole face is red!"
Xuanye quickly covered her mouth, still blushing. "I... I'll go check on Nian," she said nervously, standing up to leave.
Minghao watched her with a soft smile. He stood up happily and jogged to catch up. As he walked beside her, he gently placed his hand on her waist, smiling playfully.
Xuanye froze in place, blinking at him. Minghao leaned closer and whispered, "Ye~ what? You want to kiss me now?"
She looked at him in disbelief. "Hao! Since when did you become like this? You're making my heart flutter!" she said while rubbing her hands together shyly.
He laughed. "I learned it from you, Ye~"
Shocked, she gave him a light slap on the chest, and the two walked toward Nian's ward, still giggling.
---
Meanwhile, the boys returned from the market, walking proudly with the fruits in hand. Jun was the one to open the ward door—but he paused, blinking twice before quietly closing it again, completely dazed.
The others saw him frozen. Dino tapped his shoulder. "Jun, why didn't you open the door? What's going on?"
Jun snapped out of it. "Dino... did I just imagine that?" he muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Dino asked, confused.
"I think... I saw DK sleeping with Nian," Jun said, wide-eyed.
The boys immediately surrounded him like a squad of detectives.
Scoups asked in shock, "You saw DK sleeping with her?"
Jun nodded slowly.
Scoups looked at the others in disbelief.
Then Hoshi, giggling, opened the door slightly and peeked inside. He saw DK sleeping peacefully on Nian's lap, while Nian rested her hand on his head, also asleep.
Hoshi felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He turned back and whispered, "Guys… they look like a married couple."
The boys barged in one by one, grinning in awe.
Jeonghan, trying to act cool, said, "Tch. I thought it was something serious," and shook his head with a smile.
Mingyu and Joshua stood beside him and leaned in to whisper in sync, "What did you think, Yoon Jeonghan~?"
Jeonghan laughed and gently pushed them away.
At that moment, Xuanye and Minghao entered the ward and saw everyone crowding around.
"What are you all doing?" Xuanye asked, puzzled.
The boys turned in unison and hushed her with mischievous grins.
Minghao squinted at them suspiciously. "Why are you guys acting sneaky again?"
Wonwon chuckled and explained, "Minghao, DK and Nian look like they're already married."
Minghao narrowed his eyes and peeked over.
Xuanye rolled her eyes, thinking they were being dramatic again, but walked over to check. The boys moved aside, and she finally saw Nian and DK sleeping together.
A soft smile spread across her face.
As Nian slowly opened her eyes, she saw DK still resting on her lap. She chuckled softly, unaware that everyone was watching. She gently ran her fingers through his hair and whispered, "Loudie~ are you tired?" Then she pinched his cheek playfully and smiled.
The boys—hiding behind each other like shy fans—were internally screaming. Their cheeks turned red from secondhand embarrassment.
Vernon broke the silence. "I don't know if he's tired, but watching you two lovebirds is exhausting, Nian~"
Nian froze. Her eyes widened as she slowly looked up—only to see Xuanye smiling at her warmly, and the boys standing there, arms crossed, giving her the classic protective big-brother stare.