Xu Youyou stood at the door, not in a hurry to enter. Her fair fingers held onto the thin room card that felt extremely heavy. She took a deep breath as though she was mentally preparing herself before she tapped the card against the door.

Di!

When Xu Youyou opened the door, she saw that the room was dark. The choking smoke from cigarettes lingered in the room heavily. She waved her hand in front of her nose but gave up when she discovered it did not help at all. After taking two steps into the room, she saw the man sitting on the couch.

His head was lowered, and his exquisite features were hidden in the darkness. He held a burning cigarette between his fingers. The end of the cigarette burned orange and red as wisps of white smoke curled around his fingers. His posture was not noble and majestic as it usually was. Instead, he looked dejected and lonely. He looked so exhausted that it seemed like he was about to collapse.

Xu Youyou felt as though something was gripping her heart tightly when she looked at him. She pursed her lips and walked to him. Her voice was a little shaky as she called out, “Mo, Mo Shenbai…”

Mo Shenbai did not raise his head. However, his body visibly stiffened. Then, he slowly looked up and met her clear eyes with an expression of disbelief on his face.

“Youyou?”

Mo Shenbai could not believe what he was seeing and wondered if he was dreaming. After all, she was supposed to be in Mo City with the Xu family.

Xu Youyou revealed a beautiful smile and said softly, “It’s me. It’s me, Xu Youyou.”

Mo Shenbai’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice sounded hoarser than when they spoke on the phone as he asked, “Aren’t you, aren’t you with your family?”

Xu Youyou pursed her lips slightly before she said, “I think it’s more meaningful to say Happy New Year in person.”

Then, Xu Youyou squatted down in front of Mo Shenbai and looked up at him. Stars seemed to shine in her eyes as she said sweetly, “Mo Shenbai, my boyfriend, I wish you a Happy New Year!”

Mo Shenbai inhaled deeply. His dark eyes flashed with excitement and passion. He extinguished the cigarette between his fingers before he leaned over and hugged her tightly. He buried his face in her neck, feeling her body’s temperature and her breathing. His dejection seemed to have been swept away at this moment.

Xu Youyou felt as though her bones were going to break based on how tightly he was hugging her. However, she did not say anything. In fact, she liked him hugging her like this. It was as though… as though he needed her very much. It was as though her existence was indispensable to him. However, after a moment, she could not help but cough due to the smoke in the room.

Mo Shenbai regained his senses and quickly loosened his hold around her. His fingers touched her cold face as he asked, “Are you okay?”

Xu Youyou coughed as she nodded and said, “You smoked a lot.”

There was a small mountain of cigarette butts in the ashtray.

Mo Shenbai suppressed the urge to kiss her as he said in a hoarse voice, “Wait for a moment. I’m going to shower and change.”

Xu Youyou obediently stood up and entered her room first.

Mo Shenbai opened the windows to air the room before he went into the bathroom to take a shower. He was dressed in the hotel’s white bathrobe.

Xu Youyou sat on the couch as she held the red packet she found under her pillow in her hands.

When Mo Shenbai emerged from the bathroom, he brought out a bottle of juice from the fridge and unscrewed the lid before handing it to Xu Youyou. He asked, “You haven’t opened the red packet?”

Xu Youyou shook her head. “I was in a hurry to find you so I didn’t have time to open it.”

Mo Shenbai gestured for her to open it.

Xu Youyou opened the red packet, revealing a stack of brand-new notes and a pink card.

The words on the card were:

Happy New Year, little friend. Grow up well.

Mo Shenbai.

Xu Youyou stared at the words for a while. Then, she asked curiously with a smile on her face, “Why grow up well? Why not grow up quickly?”

Mo Shenbai sat next to her before he lowered his head to look at her with a warm gaze. He said, “You don’t have to grow up in a hurry. You should take your time to experience things. No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait for you…”

Xu Youyou felt as though her heart had been submerged in honey at this time. It was so sweet that she could not stand it. She shyly changed the topic and asked, “How much did you give me?”

“Count it yourself,” Mo Shenbai replied. He knew she was shy so he did not tease her.

“Alright,” Xu Youyou said before she counted the notes with a serious expression. She muttered softly under her breath as she counted the notes one by one.

Mo Shenbai continued to look at her. He found it difficult to look away from her pink lips. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to suppress his urge.

“520¹…” Xu Youyou suddenly looked up at him and asked, “Are you confessing to me?”

Mo Shenbai did not deny it.

Xu Youyou carefully kept the notes and card in the red packet before he said, “Actually, there’s no need for you to do this…”

“I want to,” Mo Shenbai said in a low and hoarse voice, “I don’t have any experience in dating, and I’m nine years older than you. There are many times I don’t know what you’re thinking. However, even if I don’t know much, I still have to do these kinds of things in a relationship…”

“So…” Xu Youyou looked at him intently and asked, “I’m your first love?”

Mo Shen nodded slightly.

Xu Youyou’s smile widened. She hugged his arm with both hands and said sweetly, “Mo Shenbai, thank you. Thank you for letting me experience how sweet is to be in a relationship.”

When Xu Youyou was with Lin Yin in the past, the relationship was not a sweet or happy one. It was like she was also chasing after him, looking at his back, while he did not even turn back to look at her.

Mo Shenbai held her chin and raised her head. His eyes were burning as he said, “Youyou, I want to kiss you…”

Xu Youyou’s cheeks heated up immediately.

‘Why did he have to say such embarrassing words?’

However, when Xu Youyou recalled the words she had said when she was drunk, she nodded slowly and closed her eyes as her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

In the next moment, Mo Shenbai’s warm lips fell on hers. Although he had brushed his teeth, she could still smell the faint smell of cigarettes.

Mo Shenbai was worried her neck would feel sore so he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to sit on his lap so she would be taller than him.

Xu Youyou sat on him as she clutched his bathrobe tightly, feeling as though she was in control. Her mind was dizzy and blank.

When she regained her senses, she discovered she was already lying on the bed. Mo Shenbai’s bathrobe was slightly open, revealing his muscular chest. His muscles were just right, and the lines were distinct.

Mo Shenbai panted lightly as he traced her lips with his fingers. He asked, “I’ve taught you a few times now, but you still haven’t learned to kiss?”

A thought suddenly flashed in Xu Youyou’s mind when she heard these words. She asked shyly and coyly, “You, did you like me a long time ago?”

“Hmm?” Mo Shenbai raised an eyebrow.

“That time, you took away the books Lanlan gave him. You said that someone will teach me in the future. Did you already… like me at that time?” Xu Youyou asked softly.

The final words were said in an even softer voice.

“No,” Mo Shenbai denied it in a low voice. Then, before Xu Youyou could ask when he started to like her, he leaned over and kissed her again.