First light. The pale glow of dawn came through the gap in the curtains and touched every corner of the room, and apart from the occasional car horn out on the street everything was quiet. Xu Ye slowly opened his eyes. The bed was soft and comfortable and he had slept beautifully all night.

Chen Qingqing was still curled up against him, though not in the position she'd fallen asleep in. Last night she'd had her back to him. Now she was facing him, her head buried deep against his chest.

She had one arm around his waist and one foot hooked over his leg, exactly the way she held the stuffed bear she slept with at home.

Xu Ye was awake now and not the least bit sleepy, but he didn't move. He couldn't bring himself to ruin something this good, so he just lay there with his eyes open and let the time go by.

He had no idea how long it was before Chen Qingqing opened her eyes. It was late October, and the old farming calendar had come around to Frost's Descent, so mornings and evenings both had a chill in them — but when Chen Qingqing woke, the bed felt incredibly warm. [TL: 霜降, the eighteenth of the twenty-four solar terms in the Chinese agricultural calendar, falling around October 23. Its name means "frost falls," and it marks the point when the year turns properly cold.]

Once she'd come out of the fog she realized how she was lying, and that it wasn't a very ladylike position to be in. She started to pull her leg back — and the moment she moved, Xu Ye felt it.

"You're up?"

Chen Qingqing froze and didn't dare move again. There was nobody else in the room anyway, she figured, so she might as well not bother.

"Mm."

She closed her eyes, rested her head against his chest, gave a soft mm and asked, "What time is it?"

"Early. Not seven yet." Xu Ye lifted his head to check his watch, then slid his arm back under the…