Chapter 37
The sound of splashing water echoed from the bathroom. The cotton doll sat on the sofa at the foot of the bed, its golden eyes staring unblinkingly at the glass door.
When the human came out, it would be time to sleep. Sleep…
The cotton doll looked at the tiny bed in the corner, and then looked at the big bed that seemed “merely a step away”—that was where the human slept.
Could Cotton sleep in the human’s bed too?
It should… be okay, right…?
The cotton doll lowered its head, raising its two small round hands to measure, appearing to compare its own size, ultimately arriving at a conclusion—Cotton was so much smaller than the human. If the human could sleep in the big bed, why couldn’t Cotton~
It wiped its face with its small round hands, then rubbed its hands together as if preparing to undertake a grand venture.
The cotton doll stood up from the sofa with practiced balance. After undergoing countless failures, it had already learned to move slowly sideways like a tiny crab.
It moved with “heave-ho, heave-ho” toward one side of the sofa’s armrest, its small round hands clinging to the edge of the sofa, its short legs kicking with force as it lifted itself onto the armrest.
Very good! Cotton, victory is right before your eyes!
Mustering up its courage in one breath, the cotton doll fluttered its short legs continuously, its entire plush body exerting all its strength to climb upward, until finally, with a soft “squish,” it pounced onto that big bed it had longed for so dearly.
“Aww~”
The cotton doll couldn’t help letting out a soft whimper from its parted mouth. Lying on the bed, it pressed its small face against the sheet to rub against it. Turning its head to the side, it cast a glance at its lonely little doll bed—
Little bed.
Cotton is merely curious about what sleeping in the big bed feels like. Don’t worry, Cotton won’t abandon you…
Once Cotton feels it out for a bit, Cotton will go back.
The cotton doll crawled forward with “heave-ho, heave-ho,” and then sat up, its golden eyes blinking as it looked left and right.
Woah—
The human’s bed was really so big—
The cotton doll excitedly covered its mouth that was parted into an “O” shape, unable to resist rolling back and forth across the bed:
Little bed, don’t blame Cotton.
Cotton is a Cotton with aspirations.
Completely immersed in joy, it didn’t even notice when the sound of water in the bathroom ceased.
With a click, the bathroom door was pushed open.
The cotton doll froze in an instant, maintaining a posture of lying flat on the bed after a roll, not daring to move a muscle, the tuft of hair on its head perking straight up.
Shang Che walked over drying his hair with a towel, spotting that conspicuous pink lump on the bed in a single glance.
His movements paused for a second. Looking at it for two seconds, he then looked away as if nothing had happened, continuing to dry his hair. ?
Why wasn’t its keeper speaking?
The cotton doll secretly turned its head a fraction, its golden eyes searching for its keeper’s silhouette.
Looking at its stealthy, secretive demeanor, the corners of Shang Che’s mouth curved up subtly. Squatting down softly beside the edge of the bed, he extended a hand to poke that big pink head.
“What are you doing lying here?”
He spoke, his voice carrying the laziness of someone who had just washed up, along with a barely noticeable trace of laughter.
Oh no! Cotton was caught after all!
The cotton doll climbed up slowly from the bed, rubbing its cheeks with its small round hands, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Secretly peeking at its keeper—who wore no expression yet looked as if he were smiling—it said in a small voice: “Cotton… Cotton just wanted… to feel what the human’s bed is like…”
“And how does it feel?” Shang Che raised an eyebrow.
The human actually didn’t scold it!
The cotton doll’s pair of starry eyes sparkled brightly, its two small round hands spreading wide open as it giggled: “The human’s bed is so big~”
“I don’t need you to tell me that.” Shang Che stood up, tilting his chin at it. “Time to go back to your own bed.”
The cotton doll wrung its two small round hands together, speaking tentatively: “Human…”
“Mm?”
Shang Che assumed it wanted him to carry it over. Just as he extended his hand, he heard the second half of the cotton doll’s sentence.
“Can Cotton… sleep together with the human tonight?”
Shang Che’s movement came to a sudden halt.
Looking at that lump of cotton gazing at him with eyes brimming with anticipation, he went silent for a few seconds.
“…You have your own bed,” he said.
The cotton doll shuffled closer to the edge of the bed, tilting its small face up, looking innocent and pitiful: “But Cotton… missed the human very much today…”
Shang Che: “…”
Seeing its keeper’s silence, the cotton doll switched to another tactic: “The human said he would… dote on Cotton. The human promised Cotton… that a promise is a promise!”
Shang Che: “I never said that… and besides, those are two different things.”
“They’re the same!” The cotton doll spoke with complete justification. “Either way, they were words spoken by the human, so Cotton remembered them!”
Looking at its tiny demeanor that read ‘if you don’t agree, you are lying to Cotton,’ Shang Che suddenly felt a slight headache coming on.
He attempted to reason with it: “…This is my bed.”
“But the human belongs to Cotton,” the cotton doll blinked its pair of innocent, big eyes. “The human’s bed… is Cotton’s bed~”
The vein on Shang Che’s temple throbbed: “I am not yours.”
“Then Cotton belongs to the human!” The cotton doll suddenly hugged Shang Che’s leg resting against the edge of the bed, declaring with joyful, clingy affection.
Shang Che was almost driven to laughter by its acting-cute, rascal-like demeanor.
This little creature was usually so soft and squishy, so how did it suddenly become so eloquent just to achieve its goal?
The cotton doll thought for a moment, then suddenly released its hold on its keeper’s leg, flopping flat onto the bedsheet with a soft “squish”. Burying its face into the mattress with its limbs spread wide, its entire plush body formed an “X” shape, like a pink starfish stuck to the bed.
“Anyway…” Its muffled voice drifted out from the bedsheet, “Cotton wants to… sleep together with the human!”
Looking down at that little creature lying flat on the bed, straining to spread itself into a “cotton pancake,” Shang Che ultimately surrendered.
Reaching out, he flipped that “cotton pancake” over: “…Suit yourself.”
The cotton doll froze for a second, its entire plush body submerged in a wave of massive delight. The tuft of hair on its head perked up in an instant, even swaying back and forth.
The human agreed! The human agreed to let it sleep on the bed!
Crawling up from the bed with a snap, it pounced forward violently to hug Shang Che’s finger, rubbing its small face against it, its golden eyes sparkling brightly: “Hooray! Cotton loves the human the absolute, absolute, absolute most!”
Overjoyed like this again…
Shang Che lowered his eyes to look at this little Cotton, his expression appearing remarkably relaxed.
The sound of the hair dryer ceased, and the entire bedroom plunged into complete tranquility. The lights dimmed in an instant as well, leaving only a cozy little nightlight on.
The cotton doll had been excited on the bed for a long time. The moment the lights dimmed, it knew rest time for its keeper had arrived. It slowly crawled toward the pillow, attempting to burrow in from the edge of the blanket.
And so, when Shang Che shifted his gaze onto the bed once more, he could only see a round, mountain-like bulge puffed up in the center of the blanket—one that was still moving slowly at that.
“…”
Shang Che let out a sigh. Extending his hand, he lifted the blanket, rescuing the moving little Cotton inside.
Seeing him, the cotton doll’s eyes lit up, and it immediately began lodging a complaint, pointing with a small hand: “Human, this dark stuff… covered Cotton again!”
Shang Che shook out the duvet in his hand, speaking helplessly: “This is called a blanket. It’s used for covering up, but you have to leave your head outside.”
Patting the adjacent pillow, he said, “Come over, I’ll cover you up.”
Hearing this, the cotton doll crawled over immediately, finding a comfortable position to lay down flat on the pillow, looking at him expectantly.
“You can only sleep here.” Shang Che’s tone was flat, yet his action of tucking it in was very gentle. “Don’t move around recklessly, don’t talk, and you are not allowed to disturb my sleep.”
“Cotton knows~” The cotton doll looked at him obediently, its small round hands placed on both sides, lying straight as a ramrod, thoroughly satisfied: “Cotton is ready to sleep~”
Shang Che looked down at it.
This bed he had slept in alone for so many years had, for the very first time, welcomed a… a cotton doll.
It truly felt somewhat strange, yet somewhat amusing as well.
Seeing its keeper remain motionless for a good while, the cotton doll mimicked his action of patting the spot beside it with a small round hand, urging in a soft, squishy voice: “Human, hurry and come to sleep~”
“…Got it.”
Shang Che lay down with somewhat stiff movements, looking off to the side using his peripheral vision.
That pink cotton doll was sitting not far from him, its golden eyes half-squinted, its cat-like mouth curved subtly upward, its tuft of hair resting softly on the pillow, the entire Cotton radiating an aura of ‘Cotton is so happy.’
Truly a little Cotton that was easy to satisfy.
Shang Che slowly closed his eyes.
The cotton doll slowly turned its head to look at its keeper merely inches away.
The faint light blurred Shang Che’s side profile, allowing the cotton doll to see only his tall nose bridge, long eyelashes, and those lips that always spoke in such tsundere ways…
Cotton’s keeper was truly so good-looking…
Especially this appearance with his eyes closed, making his whole person appear soft beyond belief.
“Human,” the cotton doll called him in a small voice.
Shang Che was clearly not asleep, offering a low response: “Mm?”
“Can Cotton… draw a tiny bit closer?” the cotton doll asked tentatively, its voice soft and squishy. “Just a tiny bit.”
Shang Che didn’t open his eyes, yet his breathing caught for a fraction of a second: “…Suit yourself.”
Delighted in its heart, the cotton doll carefully shuffled its bottom toward his direction.
Shuffling a tiny bit, it stopped to take a look—mm, the human didn’t react.
Shuffling another tiny bit, it took another look—eeku, the human still didn’t react.
Then Cotton would shuffle another tiny bit…
Finally, when it shuffled right beside Shang Che’s shoulder, its small head nearly touching his arm, it came to a stop.
Turning its head, it looked at its keeper—the human still hadn’t opened his eyes, though the corners of his mouth seemed to move ever so slightly.
The cotton doll placed its small round hands beside its cheeks, its eyes sparkling as it looked at Shang Che’s side profile, its cat-like mouth curving into an arch brimming with happiness.
After a long moment, Shang Che’s somewhat helpless voice sounded: “…Are you planning to stare at me like this the entire night?”
