Chapter 9 part 2: Staying overnight

Zhou Han looked at her for a long time and wanted to refuse, but when the words came to his lips, the words suddenly changed, "Okay."

His answer caused Lin Li to be stunned for a moment. She didn't expect that he would be so easy to agree. Then she laughed, nodded, and turned back into the house.

When Lin Li was about to enter the house, she happened to meet Mother Zhou who was about to go out to call them, "I was about to call you. Come in quickly, the porridge is ready, let's dig in while it's hot."

Lin Li nodded and responded with a chuckle: "Okay." In fact, she vomited twice and emptied everything in her stomach, she was indeed a bit hungry. But hoped she wouldn't have to throw up again later, she really had nothing left in her stomach.

----- Please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

Mother Zhou pulled Lin Li in, and did not forget to raise her voice and shouted towards the outside, "Ah Han, you didn't eat much just now, why don't you come in and eat too."

"Okay." A low voice sounded behind her, and Lin Li heard his footsteps approaching.

When she entered, auntie had already put the porridge on the table. Together with the white porridge, were some non-greasy side dishes to complete the meal. Lin Li sat down and scooped the porridge with a spoon. The porridge was very sticky; perhaps because it's mixed with glutinous rice. And the smell was also special, it was a strong rice fragrance.

Zhou Han sat down opposite her, glanced at her, and then lifted the bowl in front of him.

Mother Zhou originally wanted to chat with her for a while, but Father Zhou suddenly called her over. She then got up and went to the grandfather and grandson pair.

Lin Li drank the porridge without moving her chopsticks to pick up the dish. She didn’t know if she was really hungry or if Mother Zhou’s porridge really fragrant and thick. Lin Li even had the desire to eat another bowl. So she got up again, went to the kitchen and scooped another small bowl, not daring to eat more that that. She was afraid if she was not able to finish it, her stomach would be making trouble again.

----- Please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

When Mother Zhou came back, Lin Li was almost finished eating. Seeing that she had finished eating, Mother Zhou hurriedly reached out to serve her another bowl, and said, "Let me add more for you again. I cooked a lot."

Lin Li hurriedly stopped her, "Mom, I'm full, I can't eat anymore." It's not bad to be able to eat this much now. If she ate more again, it's probably going to be like just now again.

"This is porridge, and it can't be used as a meal." Mother Zhou said disapprovingly.

Lin Li smiled helplessly, "I really can't eat it anymore."

Mother Zhou insisted and said: "You are too skinny, you need to eat more, be obedient, I—"

"Mom, if Lin Li can't eat, don't force her, let her eat more later when she's hungry." Zhou Han put down the bowl and answered for Lin Li.

"Yes, yes, I'll eat later when I'm hungry." Lin Li agreed hurriedly.

Mother Zhou thought about it, and it was not unreasonable. So she nodded and said, "Okay, I will keep the porridge into the rice cooker and keep it warm. When you are hungry, it will be hot when you want to eat."

Lin Li had not yet spoken, but Zhou Han spoke first, "No need, Mom, it's late, and the child will need to go to class tomorrow, so we should go back."

Hearing that, Mother Zhou couldn't accept it, and said with a calm face: "Going home for what? It's rare for your whole family to come back. Just stay over for one night."

Lin Li looked at Zhou Han, only to see Zhou Han looking at the direction of the living room.

Mother Zhou seemed to have noticed too. She put the bowl on the table and said to Zhou Han, "I'll talk to your dad." As she said, she turned and walked toward the living room.

Lin Li took off the coat on her body and returned it to him. Zhou Han reached out and took it, and only said, "Pack your things away." In that tone, it seemed that he believed that Father Zhou would not agree for him to stay over.

Lin Li didn't say a word, just nodded, she was ready to go back to the room to get her bag and Xiao Bin's coat.

Before she took the first step, she heard Mother Zhou's voice coming from over there, "Ah Han, your father has agreed." While speaking, they could hear her words were full of joy and happiness.

Lin Li turned her head and saw Zhou Han's stunned face. Although his face didn't change much, she didn't miss it. The strength of his hands that were holding the jacket was so tight, and it left creases on the jacket.

Turning to look at Mother Zhou again, she was happily holding Xiao Bin and kissing his cheek as she asked: "Xiao Bin, staying here with grandma at night, are you happy!"

The child just showed a big smile and nodded vigorously.

----- Please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

When Zhou Han still had not back to his senses, Lin Li didn’t know what to do. Father Zhou had already stood up from the sofa, turned his head towards them, and looked at Zhou Han for a while. He said blankly and indifferently: "Stay over." After finished speaking, without waiting for Zhou Han and Lin Li to answer, he turned and headed towards the study.

Lin Li turned her head and wanted to ask him again if he wanted to go back, but when she saw his moved expression and the gleam in his eyes, she already knew the answer. With a faint smile on the corner of her mouth, and without saying anything, Lin Li turned around and walked towards the smiling Mother Zhou in the living room.

At first, Lin Li felt that it didn't matter if they stayed or not, but when it came for time to go to bed, the problem came, and Lin Li felt that she should have just insisted on going back!

Looking at the single bed in the room, she felt like she wanted to cry but no tears came out. Turning her head to look at Zhou Han's everlasting expressionless face, he raised his eyebrows slightly.

Originally, Lin Li wanted to stay at night and she went to the guest room with Xiao Bin, letting him sleep in his previous room alone. But who would think that Zhou’s mother insisted for Xiao Bin to sleep with her at night, saying that the child had grown so much and yet had never slept with his grandma not even once, and so he must sleep with her for one night after all. 

Mother Zhou had said so, what else can others say. So about ten minutes ago, Mother Zhou took the child back to the room happily to sleep, and didn't forget to tell Zhou Han before leaving, that if Lin Li was hungry at night, to let him go to the kitchen to warm the porridge for Lin Li to eat.

----- Please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

"That..." At this point, Lin Li could only accept the reality, so she turned her head and looked at him and was about to discuss, "Well, you see there is only one bed in this room..."

Zhou Han raised his eyebrows, closed the door behind him, and only said: "I won't agree to sleep on the floor!" He directly cut off her thoughts.

Lin Li couldn't believe it, she glared at him, and said angrily, "You let me sleep on the floor?!" Could he be less mean? Let a girl to sleep on the floor, is he not afraid of being laughed by others!

With a faint smile at the corner of Zhou Han’s mouth, tricks flashed in his eyes. He approached her, cornered her back to the door, and slowly said by her ear: "I don’t mind if you sleep on the bed with me...."

He leaned too close. Although the two did not have any physical contact, Lin Li felt an invisible sense of oppression from such posture and distance. Her whole person began to panic a little, and her speech became choppy: "Wh... Who.. who wants to sleep with you!"

The smile on Zhou Han's mouth deepened, and then he got up and drew a distance from her, threw his jacket aside, pulled off the tie from his neck, and then began to unbutton his shirt.

Lin Li stared at his series of actions, throbbing fiercely in her heart, and asked, "You... what are you doing!"

Zhou Han turned his head and deliberately said: "Taking off clothes to take a bath."

"At home... there are guest rooms at home... I... I will go to sleep in the guest room." After speaking, Lin Li reached out and was about to open the door.

"Wait a minute." Zhou Han called from behind her and reminded her: "Don't forget our current identities. Have you ever seen a newly married couple that sleep in separate rooms?"

"But we are not husband and wife!" Lin Li emphasized: "We are just in a contractual relationship!"

"It's only you and I that cooperate, but not in the eyes of outsiders." Zhou Han looked at her fixedly, with a smile that seemed like nothing at the corner of his mouth.

"....." Lin Li was speechless, unable to answer at all.

Zhou Han chuckled and turned around to open the door of the cabinet. There was still his high school basketball jersey hanging inside. He stared for a while. The expression in his eyes was no longer the usual desertedness, and the gentleness he expressed that he himself might not even believe he had. He reached out and took the short-sleeved T-shirt and loose sports shorts that was hung on the side, and went directly into the bathroom.

Lin Li was standing on the side, looked at the single bed and frowned, and still muttered in her mouth, "Why do you have to have only single bed!"

----- Please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

When Zhou Han came out again, he saw Lin Li was sitting nervously on the wicker chair where he usually sat when he came back from school to do his homework. She was holding the collection of essays he had read and looked at it casually.

The corners of his mouth had a slight curve, that maybe even Zhou Han himself hadn't noticed that the face on himself today had been smiling more than usual. 

(TN: Sometimes, the author has really bad grammar that made my head hurts... T_T)

He took a dry towel and wiped his wet hair. The T-shirt on his body looked a little smaller than it was more than ten years ago, but it didn't look too awkward.

After his hair was half-dried, Lin Li still didn't seem to have any plans to get up. Zhou Han put the towel aside, with a small smile he asked, "Are you going to sit there all night?"

Lin Li didn't turn her head, flipped the paper with her hand, just said, "I'll look at it for a little while."

With a lingering smile on his lips, Zhou Han nodded, went around the head of the bed and went to the other side of the bed, and said, "I looked at the weather forecast yesterday, and it seems that there will be cold air coming tonight."

Without turning her head to look at him, Lin Li gritted her teeth and said, "Thank you for reminding!"

"You're welcome." Zhou Han answered naturally.

Lin Li muttered a little bit angry, and didn't read any of the words in the essay collections. With a little force while flipping the paper, she made a rustling sound, cursing him for not being a gentleman at all.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you." Zhou Han said coolly behind her. When Lin Li turned around again, he was already lying down and sleeping under the quilt.

Lin Li looked at his back, muttered a few words of dissatisfaction in her mouth, and continued to look at the essays in her hands.

After a while, she didn't know how long, sleepiness finally struck Lin Li’s eyelids and she began to struggle to stay awake. The chill was deep in the night. Lin Li couldn’t help but hug herself with her arms around her. She thought to herself that she could be possibly cursed by Zhou Han. There was really cold air coming!

There was no sound in the room, and only the breathing of two people. Lin Li started to tremble by the cold. Turning her head to look at the bed, Zhou Han was still in the same posture as before. He did not seem to have moved, breathing smoothly. Looked like he should be asleep.

When she got up, Lin Li quietly stepped forward, saw his sleeping face, confirmed that he was really asleep, and then quietly walked around the head of the bed, whispering in her mouth, "Only sleeping on the same bed.... only sleeping on the same bed....." She took off her jacket and lay down gently beside him, leaning on her back, trying not to allow herself to occupy too much space.

But she was really tired, and after lying down for a while, Lin Li fell asleep with her eyes closed.

What she didn't know was that when she laid down on the bed, Zhou Han had the corners of his mouth curved up to a nice arc.

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TN: Aww! I want to see that nice arc on his face 😍