After keeping her eyes closed for a long while, Fang Qiu felt control over her body gradually returning.
Her consciousness also slowly regained its clarity.
She heard what seemed to be the sound of faint breathing coming from beside her. With every breath, a gentle warmth blew against the base of her ear, making her feel somewhat uneasy.
It felt strange.
There was heat...
It should be a living person.
Fang Qiu gently opened her eyes. There was a faint glow of firelight in the room.
It seemed to be late at night.
It was terribly quiet.
She exhaled softly, mustered her courage, and slowly turned her head to look.
When she saw clearly that the person lying next to her was Hu Tao, Fang Qiu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
She had been so afraid that she would turn her head and see something strange and terrifying.
Just like in an anime she had watched in her past life.
The female lead seemed to have acquired the Yin-Yang Eye later in life; basically, she suddenly became able to see ghosts and monsters.
That author really had no heart, making the protagonist see ghosts in all sorts of unexpected places.
For example, when changing clothes, she would strip down to her underwear, only to open the wardrobe and find a ghost on her clothes.
Or when sleeping halfway through the night, feeling something strange inside the blanket, only to lift it and discover a ghost in the bed.
Talk about being caught completely off guard. If it were her, she estimated she would be scared half to death on the spot, then discovered by the ghost and eaten in one bite.
Fortunately, the person lying beside her was Hu Tao.
However, she wondered what kind of sweet dream Hu Tao was having, as the corners of her mouth were playfully curled upwards.
Smiling so happily.
She was probably dreaming that the Adventurers' Guild had booked a massive order with Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
But then again.
Since Hu Tao was sleeping beside her, even if there were ghosts, they wouldn't dare come near, right?
Then what was that sensation just now?
Could it have been accidental?
Just as Fang Qiu was pondering this question, she realized her breathing still seemed somewhat obstructed.
Hmm?
She looked down and discovered that a small, fair hand was actually resting on her chest.
And the owner of that hand was none other than Hu Tao.
She seemed to be hugging her, her entire body pressed against hers.
No wonder she couldn't catch her breath; it turned out it was Hu Tao's doing...
Hu Tao was simply too restless when she slept.
Just as Fang Qiu intended to reach out and remove Hu Tao's hand from her chest, she suddenly felt her chest tighten.
"Ah."
Fang Qiu let out a soft cry, but fearing she would wake Hu Tao, she swallowed the sound back down halfway through.
Hu Tao's hand was way too restless!
Looking at the soundly sleeping Hu Tao, a layer of crimson flush rose once again on Fang Qiu's slightly pale, pretty face.
She gently grasped Hu Tao's wrist and moved her arm off her body.
At the same time, she shifted her body towards the edge of the bed.
However, after sleeping for a little while, she suddenly felt so cold...
Only then did she realize why Hu Tao had been pressing so tightly against her.
Hu Tao lived in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor year-round, so naturally, she wouldn't feel the cold. So there was only one possibility.
That was, Hu Tao saw that she was cold, so she hugged her to sleep.
Thinking of this, Fang Qiu couldn't help but feel a slight warmth in her heart.
So here came the problem.
What should she do now?
It was so cold she couldn't quite fall asleep... and even if she did, she might end up with a cold or a fever.
She certainly didn't want to enter Bubu Pharmacy with a fever on the day after her birthday; that would be too inauspicious.
Moreover, if she caught a cold or fever at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao would definitely blame herself.
After thinking about it, Fang Qiu sighed softly and gently leaned back towards Hu Tao, only stopping once her body made contact with her.
It still seemed a bit cold...
What to do now?
Fang Qiu looked somewhat helplessly at Hu Tao by her side, seeing that she was sleeping soundly.
She could only gently grasp Hu Tao's wrist and, like covering herself with a blanket, placed Hu Tao's arm back onto her body. Of course, not on her chest, but on her waist.
At the same time, she gently burrowed further into Hu Tao.
Mmm, much warmer.
Just as she was planning to close her eyes and go back to sleep, she suddenly felt Hu Tao's body move restlessly twice. Before she could react, Hu Tao suddenly extended her leg and draped it over her body.
"Eh?"
Feeling the tender touch of Hu Tao's thigh, Fang Qiu couldn't help but freeze.
Could it be that Hu Tao was awake?
She subconsciously turned her head back.
So close.
Hu Tao's pretty face was close at hand; if she were just a bit closer, she could have kissed her.
Hu Tao's eyes were lightly closed, her delicate lips still slightly curved, her breathing steady.
The sweet dream was still continuing.
Fang Qiu sighed slightly in her heart. Forget it, she wouldn't struggle anymore. She would just sleep like this.
And so, Fang Qiu fell into a deep sleep.
By the time she opened her eyes again, the sky was already bright, and sunlight slanted into the room through the window.
"Mmm..."
Fang Qiu gently propped up her body, emitting a delicate, soft hum from her nose.
She sat on the bed, her crimson eyes lacking a bit of their usual liveliness, appearing somewhat dazed.
Was this the feeling of a hangover?
When she woke up yesterday, it clearly wasn't this uncomfortable...
Recalling what happened in bed yesterday, Fang Qiu felt her pretty face burn hot.
Just then, the door opened gently.
Hu Tao walked in on tiptoe carrying a wooden basin. Seeing that Fang Qiu was already sitting up, she waved at her with a beaming smile.
"You're awake?"
"Mhm."
Fang Qiu nodded gently.
"Wash up a bit, let's go out for breakfast later," Hu Tao said.
"Okay."
Seeing that Hu Tao didn't look strange, Fang Qiu breathed a slight sigh of relief. With a shallow smile, she threw off the quilt.
However, as soon as the quilt was lifted, Hu Tao looked at her and froze on the spot.
Fang Qiu also felt her legs were chilly. She looked down and discovered that the hem of her cheongsam had somehow ridden up to her hip line.
Her two thighs were exposed to the air just like that.
Fang Qiu's face turned red in an instant, but she couldn't deliberately hide from Hu Tao.
She could only pretend to be calm as she stood up, pulling the hem down below her hip line to cover her thighs completely.
"How about... you change your clothes first," Hu Tao said.
"Mhm."
Fang Qiu nodded. After speaking, she ducked behind the screen and stripped naked in a flash.
Phew.
Even though she wasn't wearing a stitch, for some reason, Fang Qiu felt much more relaxed than when wearing the cheongsam Sister Ying'er had chosen.
After folding the cheongsam neatly, she gently placed it into the rosewood box, then quickly put on her original clothes.
Looking at her fully wrapped-up self in the bronze mirror, Fang Qiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Wearing these clothes felt more secure.
After washing up, she took the gifts from Xiangling and Guoba, while Hu Tao helped her carry Jumpy Dumpty, and they went out together.
After eating breakfast, Hu Tao walked her home.
After Hu Tao left, Fang Qiu looked at Jumpy Dumpty, which took up more than half of her bed, and fell into silence.
With this thing on the bed, it seemed like even tossing and turning like a salted fish while sleeping wouldn't be very convenient...
Just as she was pondering how to deal with this Jumpy Dumpty that was the size of a large beanbag chair, Fang Qiu suddenly thought of a use.
How about putting a rug on the floor and using it as a chair?
No sooner said than done.
Fang Qiu immediately went out to the market and bought an extra-large wool carpet, the kind big enough to encompass the entire desk area.
After spending nearly an hour, the setup was finally complete.
Fang Qiu walked up to Jumpy Dumpty. Just as she was about to sit down, she suddenly stopped. It was better to turn Jumpy Dumpty around; sitting on its face felt somewhat weird.
She shifted Jumpy Dumpty, turning its back towards the desk, and then gently sat down on it.
Mmm...
No explosion.
And, so soft.
The height was just right.
Sitting like this for a long time wouldn't hurt her waist; it was simply a godsend for the frail and sickly.
When she saw that merchant again, she would ask him to find that little girl named Klee and import a bit more stock to sell in Liyue.
Presumably, it would be very popular among authors.
People like Miss Ganyu and Miss Keqing, who worked in offices year-round, would definitely need this kind of seat too.
She cast her gaze upon the manuscript on the desk. She picked up her pen, dipped it in ink, and then exhaled slightly.
Ready. Book writing speed needs to increase!
________________________________________
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