He pushed her hair away from her face and slipped a finger under her chin, coaxing her face up from the pillow. She complied and turned her head to look at him.

  "Don't ever think of it like that again," he said seriously. "Please. I hate that you would feel that way, Qian Meng. I've never once considered our involvement with each other to be anything like that. You did not sign your body away to me. We each signed our agreement to outline our expectations from one another. You are not making yourself vulnerable to me."

  "I just…"

  Mo Qingchen's eyebrows furrowed together slightly in a thoughtful way. "If you… if you want to say no to something, you can do that. I told you in the beginning that you're free to do what you want. You can leave me if you want. I wouldn't force myself into your life. You're free," his voice was strained. He sounded confused and rather afraid, but Qian Meng didn't hear it.

  "You're right. I know this." What was wrong with her…


  "Please don't feel that way. Don't degrade yourself like that. I certainly don't look at you like a powerless lamb. There is no reason that you should."

  "Thank you," she whispered. "I feel a lot better. You made a lot of sense. I was being irrational. I don't know what my problem was. I hadn't really felt that way until tonight," she admitted.

  His eyes softened, but he looked troubled.

  "I really hate that you felt like… you didn't want to be with me. That's upsetting. You should have asked me to stop. I don't like the thought of going against your will." She bumped his leg playfully with her own. "Don't feel too bad," she said, "I did orgasm!"

  He still looked distressed. Qian Meng scooted closer to him.

  "Listen to me. You are not responsible for my thoughts. I truly want to be friends with you. Just because we are not in a conventional relationship doesn't mean we can't enjoy each other," she told him. That was his point all along.

  "That is what I want," he allowed.

  "I feel a lot better, too. Don't beat yourself up, okay?" she said.

  "Friends, then?" he asked hopefully. "I don't know how to be friends, but I will try."

  She agreed. "Excellent. Come give me a kiss, then." She scooted even closer to him. "Normal friends don't seal their friendship with a kiss. But married friends can," she told him.

  "True." Mo Qingchen leaned in to softly press his lips against hers. He kissed her gently and slowly, nothing deep. After a few moments, Qian Meng pulled back, smiling.

  Mo Qingchen yawned and her smile immediately faded. He was tired and he could sleep. A bubble of hope in her heart arose. But she was still wide awake from her long sleep on the plane.

  "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing her change in expression.

  "You should sleep. I'm not going to fall asleep, though."

  "Drink some champagne. You should definitely get some sleep if you can. I don't want you to stay up all night and then sleep away your vacation." He patted her shoulder.

  She took the bottle of champagne and took a swig right out of it, not even bothering to use her glass. Mo Qingchen had a good idea in telling her to drink a little more. Champagne made her groggy and she was hoping it would help her sleep.

  "You aren't scared of me jumping you anymore?" she said as she took a swig. He looked over at her.

  "I don't mind you using my body any time you want. Go ahead. I'm just glad you're drunk around me." He got up and went to make sure the front door of the suite and that the doors to the outside were locked. He turned off all the lights outside of the room and then returned.

  She continued sipping on the champagne steadily as Mo Qingchen went to the bathroom for a few minutes. When he came out, he turned off the lights and got back into the big, fluffy bed. She took one last swig of champagne and put the bottle down on the bedside table.

  "Can I turn off the television?" he asked as he picked up the remote. "Or do you want to watch it some more?"

  She shook her head. "No, turn it off. I want to try to go to sleep."

  Mo Qingchen nodded and hit the power button. The television flicked off and then he put the remote down on the little table next to his side of the bed.

  He was arranging and fluffed his pillows with a yawn before settling in on his side. He turned to face her and opened his arms in invitation. She smiled as she neared him. She had gotten so used to sleeping with him, that this didn't bother her.

  She fluffed the other pillows and then snuggled into his arms. "Goodnight," she said softly.

  "Goodnight, Mrs. Mo."

  She settled in. For the longest time, she lay there, trying to will herself to sleep. She felt relaxed but simply couldn't fall asleep.

  She couldn't stop thinking about what her life would be back like when they got back home. Undoubtedly, it would be completely different in some ways. It was a change that she had wanted, sure, but regardless, all change was still a little scary. The fear of the unknown is powerful.

  But she was excited.

  She opened her eyes and looked at his sleeping face. She breathed softly, happy that he was finally catching some sleep. Finally.

  He made a humming sound but didn't say anything. She grew still so that she wouldn't wake him up. But slowly but surely, his face scrunched, and he awoke.

  Mo Qingchen found her staring at him. "Can't sleep?" he asked, his eyes growing alert.

  "It's okay. Go to sleep," she mused. She slid her hand around his waist and pressed her head against his chest. She hummed softly.