Chapter 458 - 402: Then What About Sleeping Together?
Chapter 458: Chapter 402: Then What About Sleeping Together?
Early in the morning, Gu Ning was nudged awake by Cook.
Since she was in an unfamiliar place, she couldn’t get back to sleep soundly. Once awake, she groggily stumbled toward the bathroom to wash up.
The bathroom door was open, so Gu Ning walked straight in, only to collide with a tall figure.
A pair of hands carrying a fresh, steamy scent promptly grabbed her shoulders, steadying her frame.
Gu Ning looked up, her drowsy eyes brightening. "...Philinos? You... When did you get back? Last night."
Philinos looked like he had just finished washing up. His hair, which he usually wore tied up neatly, was loose, and his sideburns were slightly damp.
He had also changed out of his Combat Suit and was now wearing a more casual, loose white shirt.
This look made him seem less cold and aloof, and more gentle and approachable.
Gu Ning glanced at his slightly open collar, pursed her lips, and averted her gaze.
Upon seeing her, Philinos’s gaze flickered away for a moment.
"Five minutes past midnight."
With that, Philinos strode out of the bathroom, pulling the door shut for her as he left.
Gu Ning stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the closed bathroom door for a moment before activating her terminal.
’It’s just past seven. I wonder if Little Fairy Bird rested well last night, and what the situation is with the police.’
’For some reason, I feel like the look Philinos just gave me was a little... flustered.’
’I’ll just ask him about it later.’
Gu Ning used the toilet first, her hand casually reaching for the tissue box on the small stool beside her.
Besides dry tissues, there were also wet wipes.
Gu Ning looked at the two packs of tissues. ’Weren’t these somewhere else last night?’ she thought.
She didn’t pay it much mind. After she was finished, she habitually flushed a few times before moving to the sink.
A wooden board had been placed as a riser in front of the sink, which was too high for Gu Ning. Within easy reach, a clean, folded towel, a water cup, a toothbrush, and even toothpaste pre-squeezed onto the brush were all laid out.
Everything was arranged neatly together, placed in the most conspicuous and convenient spot possible.
Gu Ning stepped onto the riser to wake herself up a bit more. She picked up the toothbrush, stared at the toothpaste on it for a moment, then popped it into her mouth. As she brushed, she wondered, ’Did Philinos order room service again?’
’This doesn’t seem like something Little Fairy Bird would do.’
’A sixty-thousand-a-day room, of course the service is this meticulous.’
By the time Gu Ning finished washing up and came out of the bathroom, the dining table was already laden with breakfast. Cook was crouched before the table, drooling. He reached out to paw at the food, but Philinos, who was arranging the cutlery, slapped his paw away. "Wait for Ning to eat with us."
Cook let out a "WOOF" and sat down obediently.
Yawning, Gu Ning walked over, carried the little dog to the bathroom to help him get cleaned up, and only then did they both return to sit at the table.
A bowl of fragrant fish congee was placed in front of her.
Gu Ning paused, looking up at the silent Little Fairy Bird. "Philinos, about yesterday... is everything okay?"
Philinos said, "I didn’t break any laws. I gave a statement and then came back."
Gu Ning smiled. "I was so tired, I fell asleep waiting for you."
Hearing the word "waiting," Philinos asked, "You were waiting for me?"
Gu Ning nodded. She picked up her spoon and stirred the congee, her thoughts turning to last night. "Philinos, last night..."
Philinos watched her, waiting for her to continue.
Gu Ning glanced at Cook beside her, then at the shiny little golden dog trophy on the table. For some reason, she hesitated. "Last night..."
"Eating breakfast without me, are we?"
Lanuo, who had been shooed off to the washroom next door, returned at that moment. Looking quite refreshed, he sat down beside Gu Ning.
He grabbed a sandwich and took a huge bite, then rubbed his sore neck. "Why didn’t you give me a pillow last night?" he asked Gu Ning. "My neck is killing me."
Gu Ning buried her face in her congee and began to eat. ’You think you were sleeping?’ she thought. ’You were obviously knocked out.’
"When did you fall asleep last night?" Lanuo asked, leaning back and tilting his head to look at Gu Ning.
Gu Ning replied, "I’m not sure."
After the robber left last night, she had curled up on the sofa to wait for Philinos, but she had been so exhausted from the long day that she had no idea when she’d drifted off.
’But Lanuo really doesn’t know he was knocked out?’
Gu Ning’s gaze swept over Lanuo’s face. He looked more refreshed and energetic than usual; even the dark circles under his eyes had faded, as if he’d finally had a great night’s sleep.
"I’m not sure when I fell asleep last night, either," Lanuo said, stretching his neck. "I haven’t slept this well in ages. I guess getting out for a bit to relax is a must."
Gu Ning shot him a glance and swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She decided it was better not to tell him the truth.
"Oh, right." Lanuo seemed to recall something. He leaned his head closer to Gu Ning and asked in a low voice, "So how was the companion service? Did he... satisfy you?"
Gu Ning choked on his words. "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"
Two hands reached out at the same time to pat her back.
"How can you choke on congee?" Lanuo said worriedly, turning her face toward him. "Let me see, did it go down the wrong pipe?"
Gu Ning waved him away, took the napkin Philinos offered, and wiped her mouth.
Seeing Little Fairy Bird leaning toward her, she suddenly lost all courage to mention the robbery.
’Given Little Fairy Bird’s personality, if I told him I was robbed by the guy who attacked us yesterday, he would probably grab a sword and rush out.’
But more than that, she was preoccupied with what Lanuo had said about a "companion service."
"There was no companion service," Gu Ning said, shooting Lanuo an annoyed look. "He just blow-dried Cook’s fur and then left."
"Oh." Lanuo raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.
"There really wasn’t," Gu Ning said sternly. "Don’t go spouting nonsense."
Philinos straightened up, the slight frown on his brow smoothing out. "You two eat. I’m going to the laundry room to get the dried clothes."
Gu Ning replied, "Okay, okay."
Gu Ning couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief after Little Fairy Bird left.
Seeing her reaction, Lanuo chuckled. "What’s the matter? Scared I’ll tell Alex? Or are you worried this ’bird’ of yours will get jealous?"
Gu Ning placed a large steamed bun in his bowl. "Doctor Lano, eat more, talk less."
Lanuo took a bite of the bun. "Relax, I’m more scared of Alex finding out than you are. Ever since he got with you, that guy doesn’t see me as a friend anymore. I could be getting my ass kicked and he wouldn’t lift a finger. If he finds out you hired a ’companion,’ I’ll be the first one in trouble."
Gu Ning corrected him. "Not a companion, a fur-care specialist. For Cook."
’And he was even a robber,’ she added silently.
Lanuo extended his hand, opening his palm right in front of her face.
Gu Ning: "?"
Lanuo: "Hush money."
Gu Ning pushed his hand away. "Go ahead. Tell Alex, if you’ve got the guts." ’See if he doesn’t beat the crap out of you,’ she added silently.
Lanuo withdrew his hand and adjusted his glasses. "Just kidding, Miss Ningning. Don’t be mad. Come on, tell me about it. It’s not like either of us will tell Alex."
Gu Ning didn’t want to say any more to him; she had a feeling he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
「In the laundry room.」
Philinos was crouched in front of the dryer, meticulously taking out each item of clothing and folding it.
He had hand-washed everything to make sure no lingering scents could be detected by anyone else.
When he got to Gu Ning’s jacket, he took two small stuffed toys from his own pocket. He placed the little dog toy back in one of her jacket pockets and the little bird toy in the other, then went back to pulling clothes from the dryer.
When he pulled out his own underwear, he abruptly shoved it back inside.
Philinos braced himself against the dryer, squeezed his eyes shut, and took a deep, slow breath.
Last night, after picking up Ning’s little bird toy, he’d had a dream. When he woke up, well...