Chapter 15: Can I Sleep with You?
In the bedroom, Cen Miao turned off the lights after his bath and curled up under the covers.
The faint glow of his phone screen illuminated his face as his fingers scrolled through the videos the algorithm had so accurately recommended.
[Babies, how do you make a man willingly buy you all kinds of handbags…]
Cen Miao: To be a human wife, you had to make your husband buy you bags.
[The first time you spend the night together, should you buy strawberry-flavored or orange-flavored…? Of course, you should try both…]
Cen Miao: Before sleeping, you had to eat strawberries and oranges.
[Acting a little like a green-tea bitch can help improve your relationship…]
Cen Miao: To be a human wife, you needed green tea.
The influencer in the video continued sharing her advice.
[My lovely followers, regarding my last video, I recorded Old He coming home after drinking and still remembering to bring me the little cake I once casually mentioned wanting.
The question everyone asked most was why Old He and I are still so sweet even after being married for so long.
What I want to say is that we argue too.
But no matter how badly we fight, we always sleep in the same bed at night. We never give each other the silent treatment or sleep in separate rooms.
And then… you know what I mean~
The silent treatment and sleeping separately really can damage a relationship! Everyone, please don’t hurt someone who loves you just because you’re angry for a moment.]
The strawberry cake in the video looked incredibly delicious.
Cen Miao sat up and carefully watched the video again, then accurately extracted its central message.
Sleeping in the same bed meant there would be cake.
He thoughtfully continued scrolling. After swiping past more than a dozen videos, his finger stopped again.
This time, it was a clip from a short drama. The screen was divided into two panels. A boy and girl who liked each other had argued, and now each lay awake in their own bed, tossing and turning.
In the end, the girl gathered her courage and knocked on the boy’s door, looking frightened and aggrieved.
“I’m afraid of the dark. Can I sleep with you?”
The moment she finished speaking, the boy pulled her tightly into his arms, and the screen faded to black.
Cen Miao blinked his large eyes.
A second door to a whole new world had opened.
A little after ten that night, Qin Zelin returned home after the gathering ended.
He had just removed his watch and was about to wash up when someone knocked on his door.
Outside stood Cen Miao in white, fluffy pajamas, looking up at him with the exact same expression as the girl in the video.
“I’m afraid of the dark. Can I sleep with you?”
Qin Zelin: “…”
Afraid of the dark?
Hadn’t he slept alone perfectly well for the past two nights?
He was probably making up another excuse to get close to him.
“No.”
Cen Miao: “???”
That wasn’t how it went in the video!
Qin Zelin was supposed to say yes, and then they were supposed to hug. After that, the lights would go out.
Did he not understand?
Cen Miao’s brows knitted tightly, his eyes filling with pity.
Could his human husband be an idiot?
But it was fine. Cen Miao was the smartest little zombie, and he had already learned how it worked.
Qin Zelin looked down at Cen Miao’s pitiful, deeply disappointed expression, and his heart softened.
He immediately felt that his tone had been too harsh. The little monster had only just lost his family. Qin Zelin should explain things properly and guide him with patience.
After all, he was nine years older.
“You’ve just lost your family, and I happened to appear beside you. I’ve shown you some concern, so you may have grown dependent on me and mistaken that dependence for liking me.”
“You could try thinking of me as an older brother—”
“?”
What was he babbling about now?
Why did her human husband understand nothing and still talk so much?
Ignoring Qin Zelin’s words, Cen Miao rushed forward and threw his arms around his waist. His eye socket struck Qin Zelin’s collarbone.
“Mmph.”
“!!???”
Qin Zelin’s body went rigid, and he instantly forgot the rest of what he had been about to say.
Through the thin layer of his shirt, he could feel the soft curve of Cen Miao’s cheek. He could even sense the faint heartbeat that did not belong to him.
An utterly unfamiliar sensation, like a tiny electric current, silently raced down his spine. His heart skipped half a beat before a steadier rhythm covered it.
“Cen—”
Qin Zelin had just opened his mouth when movement in the hallway caught his attention.
Butler Lin was holding a glass of honey water and was quietly attempting to retreat. When he realized Qin Zelin had noticed him, he hurriedly said, “Haha, I forgot to add water to this honey water. Young Master, you two carry on. I’ll head downstairs.”
He even thoughtfully closed the door behind him, wearing a knowing smile.
What was the point of honey water now?
After kissing his husband for a while, Young Master definitely wouldn’t have a headache tomorrow. He would wake up bursting with energy.
“…”
Qin Zelin stared at the closed door.
Remembering that he hadn’t finished what he was saying, he was just about to continue when he felt a damp patch spreading across the shirt at his collarbone.
“???”
Why was he crying?
Did he really… like him that much?
“D-Don’t cry.” Qin Zelin raised his hands and gently pulled Cen Miao out of his arms, then wiped away his tears.
His eye socket already hurt badly from the impact. After Qin Zelin rubbed it, the reflexive tears became completely uncontrollable.
His lashes clumped together in damp little clusters, making him look unbearably pitiful.
For once, Qin Zelin was at a loss. He tentatively patted Cen Miao’s back a few times and coaxed, “Hey… Don’t cry. I’ll let you sleep here tonight, all right?”
“…?”
Cen Miao covered his sore eye and discovered a secret.
This human husband seemed very afraid of another human’s tears.
The moment Cen Miao cried, Qin Zelin agreed.
“You go into the bedroom first. I’ll wash up.”
“Okay~” Cen Miao nodded.
Qin Zelin released a breath of relief.
The little monster was surprisingly easy to coax.
Back in school, he had seen people around him trying to soothe their partners. One wrong sentence meant starting all over again. It had seemed even harder than solving an Olympiad math problem.
Half an hour later, Qin Zelin finished showering and drying his hair. The moment he opened the bathroom door, he saw Cen Miao trotting toward him with a plate in his hands.
“Hubby, eat.”
Qin Zelin glanced down at the strawberries and the two oranges, clearly peeled by hand and covered in uneven pits. His brow twitched.
“I already brushed my teeth. You can eat them.”
Cen Miao: “…?”
His husband really might be an idiot among humans.
He didn’t even know that the first time people slept together, they were supposed to eat strawberries and oranges.
Still, the video hadn’t said both people absolutely had to eat them. It should be fine if Cen Miao ate everything himself, right?
After happily finishing the entire plate of fruit, Cen Miao lay down and quickly fell asleep.
After midnight, Qin Zelin was still wide awake.
Even though the little monster had brushed his teeth again after eating, Qin Zelin kept feeling as though a faint strawberry fragrance still lingered in the air, inexplicably making him restless.
He turned his head and looked at Cen Miao, who had fallen asleep clutching his arm like a body pillow.
With a long sigh, Qin Zelin closed his eyes again and tried to sleep.
He had no idea how far the news had already spread that he and Cen Miao were sleeping in the same room.
