Lin Yue had nowhere left to retreat.
Her back pressed against the bedroom wall.
Mo Chen stood before her, one hand braced against the wall on either side of her head, trapping her within the narrow space between his arms.
The distance between them felt dangerously small.
Her heart pounded so loudly she was certain he could hear it.
He leaned closer.
Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut.
But instead of his lips meeting hers, his breath brushed lightly past her ear.
"I do not enjoy being commanded," he murmured softly.
Then he stepped back.
Lin Yue's eyes flew open.
He walked away calmly as if nothing had happened.
For three full seconds she stood frozen.
Then—
Her face flushed red.
"Hey!" she shouted, stomping her foot in the air angrily. "I wasn't commanding you!"
He turned his head slightly, eyebrow raised.
The sight of his composed expression only made her more irritated.
She quickly followed him toward the living room.
"Where are you sleeping?" he asked casually.
She crossed her arms.
"This house only has one bedroom. So obviously, you're sleeping on the sofa."
He glanced at the sofa.
"And you?"
"In my bedroom," she replied confidently.
He looked back at her.
"When did I say I would sleep on the sofa?"
She froze.
"You— You can't sleep in my bedroom!"
"I did not say I would sleep with you."
Her brain short-circuited.
"I will sleep in the room," he continued calmly. "You may choose where you rest."
She rushed ahead of him and blocked the bedroom door.
"No. Absolutely not."
He looked down at her.
"Move."
She spread her arms dramatically, guarding the door like a knight protecting treasure.
"This is my private space!"
He sighed faintly.
Without touching her—
The door unlocked by itself.
It slowly swung open.
Lin Yue lost her balance and stumbled forward into the room.
She fell onto the floor in dramatic fashion.
"You used powers on a door?!" she complained.
Mo Chen stepped inside calmly.
She scrambled to her feet and ran in front of him again.
"Wait! Don't go in! It's messy!"
He looked around the bedroom.
Clothes on the chair.
Books stacked unevenly.
A blanket half-folded.
He simply said, "It is fine."
Her eyes widened when she noticed something on the bed.
She followed his gaze—
And nearly screamed internally.
Her laundry.
She dashed forward at lightning speed, grabbed the clothes, stuffed them into the wardrobe, and slammed it shut.
"I was reorganizing!" she declared loudly.
Mo Chen's expression did not change.
She hurried to smooth the bed sheets nervously.
"See? Clean. Perfectly clean."
He stepped closer.
She didn't realize how close until she turned around—
And bumped directly into him.
Her foot slipped.
She instinctively grabbed the front of his shirt.
He tried to steady her—
But momentum pulled both of them backward.
They fell onto the bed.
She landed first.
He landed above her.
For a split second, neither moved.
Her heart thundered in her ears.
His hand pressed lightly beside her shoulder.
Their faces were only inches apart.
And this time—
She could feel his heartbeat too.
It wasn't calm.
It wasn't steady.
It was faster than before.
Her eyes widened slightly.
His were fixed on her.
Something unreadable flickered in them.
The room felt too small.
Too warm.
Too quiet.
"Get up!" she suddenly blurted, pushing against his chest.
He rose smoothly.
She scrambled off the bed and rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
She leaned against it, pressing her palm against her chest.
Why is my heart beating like this?
Inside the room, Mo Chen sat quietly on the edge of the bed.
He slowly placed his hand over his own chest.
Strange.
The rhythm there was unfamiliar too.
Several minutes later, Lin Yue forced herself to calm down and walked back into the living room.
Mo Chen emerged from the bedroom calmly.
They looked at each other.
Neither mentioned what had just happened.
"I want to bathe," he said simply.
She blinked.
"…You want what?"
"Water cleansing."
"Oh. Bath."
He nodded.
"I require different clothing."
She crossed her arms.
"I don't have men's clothes."
"I cannot continue wearing this."
She muttered under her breath, "Ancient overpowered man bullying a small girl…"
She walked to her wardrobe and pulled out a new oversized pajama set she had bought recently.
"This is bigger than my size. It's new. Wear it tonight. Tomorrow we buy something proper."
He accepted it without comment.
Moments later, his voice echoed from the bathroom.
"Lin Yue."
She sighed.
"What now?"
"The water does not respond."
She walked to the bathroom door and opened it—
And froze.
He had already removed his shirt.
For five full seconds, she forgot how to breathe.
Defined shoulders.
Strong arms.
Perfectly sculpted lines down his torso.
Her brain malfunctioned.
He looked at her calmly.
"…Is something wrong?"
Her eyes widened.
She immediately covered her own eyes with both hands.
"Why are you standing there like that?!"
"I am waiting."
"For what?"
"Instruction."
She peeked through her fingers briefly—
Then immediately covered her eyes again.
"Turn the knob! The left one!"
He obeyed.
Water flowed from the shower.
"There," she said quickly, backing away. "You can handle the rest!"
She shut the door in panic and leaned against the wall outside.
Her face was burning.
Why does he look like that…
She shook her head violently and walked back to the living room.
She opened her laptop and began typing rapidly.
If she focused on research, she wouldn't think about the bathroom situation.
She called her teammates.
"Tomorrow is submission. We'll say the site had unstable structure and we collected preliminary data. I'll organize the written report."
They agreed easily.
After ending the call, she sighed.
A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened.
She looked up.
Mo Chen stood there wearing her oversized pajamas.
They were slightly short on him.
But somehow, he still looked dignified.
"This fabric is acceptable," he said calmly.
She laughed despite herself.
"Good."
Silence lingered again.
They both sat—she on the sofa, he on the chair opposite.
The earlier tension hadn't disappeared.
It had only changed.
Less chaotic.
More… subtle.
After a while, she spoke quietly.
"You really don't have anywhere else to go?"
"No."
"And you're staying?"
"Yes."
She hesitated.
Then nodded slowly.
"Fine."
He looked at her.
"You are unusually agreeable."
She shrugged.
"…You scare me. But you also saved us."
He did not respond.
But something softened in his gaze.
The night grew quiet.
Outside, city lights flickered.
Inside, two hearts beat in strange rhythm.
Neither of them spoke again.
But both knew—
This was only the beginning.
End of Chapter 6...