"If someone had told him before that one day someone would move into his bedroom and sleep in his bed, Qin Yu would have scoffed without hesitation."
"Now, looking at the little girl's flushed cheeks as she slept, he felt unusually devoid of any disgust or discomfort."
"Qin Yu's handsome face was hidden in the darkness, his dark eyes cold and unrippled, as he turned and walked into the bathroom."
"The sound of the door closing startled the small figure on the bed, and Ah Da's tense body relaxed. She had actually woken up when the man entered, but she didn't know how to face him, so she chose to feign sleep."
"Another important reason Ah Da hadn't slept was that she had to persuade Qin Yu to burn incense tonight. Without absorbing the incense, she might not even be able to maintain her small body."
"She was forcing herself to stay awake waiting for him to return."
"Listening to the sound of water splashing in the bathroom, Ah Da turned over. Her pale fingers twisted gently, finding Qin Yu too complex to read, and his aura frightening."
"Ah..."
"She didn't know if he would agree when she requested to light the incense burner, and Ah Da sighed softly."
"When Qin Yu emerged, he wore a loose bathrobe, his physique tall and sleek, hair flicked back by his fingers, and his face steamed to even greater handsomeness and clarity."
"Perhaps because he saw the little girl sitting up on the bed, Qin Yu reached out and turned on the light, instantly brightening the bedroom as if it were daylight."
"Seeing him approach, Ah Da nervously clutched the white, soft pillow beside her."
"The man stood beside the bed, his shadow completely covering Ah Da, the oppressive feeling so intense that her breathing even stalled. She heard him say, 'Sleeping in my bed?'"
"His words sounded like an accusation. Was he blaming her for usurping his nest? Ah Da's cheeks puffed red, and her agitation made her speech stammer, 'You... you wouldn't let me go back to stay, demanded I stay outside, what do you mean now?'"
"'Tsk.' Qin Yu laughed coldly, a shadow from his hair covering his eyes, 'Not big, but quite the temper.'"
"Spurred by courage from who knows where, Ah Da retorted boldly, 'It's clearly your fault. You won't let me sleep in the incense burner, so I'll sleep in your bed!'"
"After blurting that out, Ah Da startled herself, her eyes wide as if they were gong bells. She belatedly covered her mouth, her small face flushing hot. Ahhh, how could she say something like that!!"
"Done for!"
"Now there was no hope for burning the incense."
"Ah Da cautiously looked up, only to meet the man's eyes, so deep they seemed to drip water, his piercing gaze sending a chill down her spine."
"Qin Yu raised an eyebrow. Little coward."
"Ah Da's alarm bells rang."
"!!"
"A burst of brute strength pinched her face, restricting her movements. His fingers, as big as her head and carrying a thin layer of calluses, began an unavoidable 'retaliation'—first pinching, then kneading her soft cheeks over and over, even though they were cool from just having been washed."
"'Mmm...'"
"After finishing, his fingers even tapped her forehead twice."
"Ah Da, thrown off balance, was pushed down onto the bed. Not moving at all, she lay with her hands spread beside her cheeks, accusing the man standing beside the bed with her wide, reddened eyes."
"Qin Yu withdrew his hand, still feeling the soft, delicate touch of the girl's cheeks on his fingertips. It felt nice."
"Ignoring her resentment, he bent down to grab a pillow and threw it onto the nightstand, 'You sleep on this.'"
"Where would little coward Ah Da dare refuse? Wobbling to her feet, she let Qin Yu lift her onto the pillow, which was much larger than her. She could roll around on it as much as she wanted."
Thinking this, Ah Da did just that.
Watching the little girl press her feet against the pillow to test its softness, Qin Yu's eyebrows, perennially covered in a thin layer of frost, seemed to melt quite a bit.
As he withdrew his hand, the girl suddenly grabbed his fingers. Her eyes were round and big, timidly looking at him.
"I... I'll sleep here if you tell me to, but could you use my incense burner to burn incense, just for a while, can we?"
Qin Yu looked down at her and asked, "Why?"
Ah Da lowered her head and answered quietly, "Because I and the incense burner coexist, and I need to absorb incense to maintain my body, just like you need to eat every day."
Actually, Ah Da was guessing as well; she didn't need these before when she was in the incense burner, now she needed to burn incense to maintain her Spiritual Power, maybe it really was a side effect of lifting the restrictions.
Qin Yu was silent for a moment; just as Ah Da was about to feel disappointed, he turned around and left. When he came back, he was holding the incense burner, and rich, aromatic floral scents wafted from it, white, snow-like smoke ribboning gently upwards.
Ah Da felt so happy her head buzzed, her smile radiant, "That's great, thank you, you're a good person. I'll give you as many pearls as you want."
Qin Yu was startled, the stars twinkling in his dark, silent eyes.
A good person? Just by lighting some incense, she thought he was a good person; being a good person in her heart seemed all too easy.
So small, so foolish, so weak, he really didn't know how she had managed to survive before.
Ah Da leaned back, completely unaware of the man's anomaly, closing her eyes and letting the incense melt into glowing flecks that landed on her and merged into her body, disappearing.
In Qin Yu's sight, the little girl tilted her head back, gently sniffing the incense, her long eyelashes distinct, the corners of her mouth curling up in happiness, resembling a kitten, with her thick, fluffy hair spread behind her, bigger than her body by twice.
Qin Yu felt an itch in his hands as his thumb and forefinger rubbed together; when he looked over again, the girl had already fallen asleep on the pillow, humming unconsciously in comfort, her tender Little face rubbing against the pillow, a red mark on her earlobe, particularly striking—it must have been rubbed too hard, hence her near tears earlier.
The lights dimmed, and the room was once more shrouded in darkness. Qin Yu listened to the girl's soft breathing and could smell the clear fruity fragrance on her, sweet yet not cloying, gently permeating his nostrils, gradually blurring his consciousness.
...
The next day, Ah Da was woken by someone. She was groggy, her eyelids fighting each other, her hands blindly pushing but unable to move the detestable man in front of her.
"I want to sleep ... sleepy ..."
Qin Yu pinched her face with two fingers, his tone harsh, "Get up, no incense tonight if you don't."
Hearing this, Ah Da's eyes suddenly widened, her sleepiness vanished, and she stopped struggling.
Eventually, Ah Da was put in a pocket and taken out the door, sitting in the car, Ah Da sneakily poked her head out from the pocket, curiously observing the outside through the window, wondering where Qin Yu was going, not understanding why he was taking her along.
A finger pressed her head down, and then she heard the man's voice, "Going out like this, if people see you, do you know what consequences it will bring?"
Ah Da sat in his suit pocket, looking up, "Then... then you can leave me out, I can stay in the incense burner," until her body recovers.
"No," the man coldly replied.
Ah Da was directly stunned by his authoritarianism, her mind already simple, her head spun, and she didn't know how to retaliate, only widening her eyes in silent complaint.
Bad person, not good at all, pity she had thought of him as a benefactor before, her little pearls were given away in vain.
Little did she know, those eyes, like black jewels, round and bright, supposed to look fierce and imposing, were actually soft and adorable, endearingly foolish.
The man chuckled lowly, leaning lazily in the black suit against the car seat, his demeanor noble and his appearance exceptional, the look in his eyes as he gazed downwards as enticing as the abyss.
Ah Da was halfway through her anger when suddenly, she was distracted by his appearance, unable to look away, her anger mostly dissipated.