The hotel room was quiet—too quiet.
Shen Rui was asleep, one arm flung over his eyes, breathing steady. His shirt was unbuttoned, collarbone exposed. The blankets were tangled low around his waist.
Lin Xie sat beside him, wide awake, eyes fixed on him, observing.
Her head tilted right. Then left. Then right again.
She didn't understand what was happening.
Earlier, during their kiss—when he had given her the ring and said they would stop pretending and make it real—his body had reacted.
Pressure, warmth, and then—something firm pressed against her thigh. She felt it. He'd groaned, nearly yelped, then buried his face in her shoulder, overwhelmed.
Now?
Curiosity overwhelmed her.
Slowly, deliberately, she reached down and pulled the waistband of his boxers just enough to reveal the outline beneath.
Her eyes narrowed with intense focus.
She reached out and touched it gently.
Shen Rui shifted, moaning softly, eyes fluttering open. He saw her fingers tracing him with quiet fascination.
"Lin Xie…" His voice was husky, groggy.
It was the first time anyone had ever touched him like this.
He'd always handled his own needs—normal for any man—but never with a woman. He'd never watched anything inappropriate, never even imagined anyone. Other girls were just ordinary people to him, no spark.
But Lin Xie—the girl he like was touching him like this.
He wanted to stop her.
But the sensation was strange… and undeniably pleasant.
He froze, torn between retreat and wanting more.
He glanced at her, searching her expression. Was she playing? Judging? Taking advantage?
Her face was calm, curious, clinical.
He swallowed.
Lin Xie looked up at him and said quietly, "Your body responds to my touch. This is data."
He groaned, burying his face in the pillow. "Please don't analyze me."
Unfazed, she replied, "I will continue my research."
He peeked out from under the pillow, flushed. "Lin Xie, you're going to drive me crazy."
She blinked and smiled faintly, resuming her delicate exploration.
His breath hitched.
The night stretched on, a tangled mix of quiet tension and chaotic new feelings neither fully understood.
Lin Xie's fingers hovered over Shen Rui's skin, calm and precise as if she were running diagnostics on a complicated device. She gave the waistband of his boxers a slow, deliberate tug, exposing more of what she had only dared to explore moments before. Her eyes, cool and analytical, locked onto the unfamiliar shape beneath.
Carefully, almost with reverence, she extended a finger and pressed lightly, feeling the subtle firmness beneath the fabric. Then, without hesitation, she began to stroke gently—slow, experimental strokes that were more like testing the mechanics of a machine than anything else.
Shen Rui's reaction was immediate and, well, loud.
A startled groan escaped him, followed by a sharp intake of breath. His eyes snapped open, wide and shimmering with embarrassment and surprise. His face turned a vivid shade of red, like a schoolboy caught passing a note in class.
"Lin Xie... what are you doing?" His voice cracked somewhere between confusion and protest, and a sheepish grin threatened to break through.
"I am conducting a thorough examination," she said simply, eyes still locked on her subject. "Your physiological responses are inconsistent with prior data sets."
He blinked, then flopped backward onto the pillow, grabbing it as if to hide his flushed face. "Inconsistent?! That's one way to put it. You're treating me like a walking science project!"
She lifted a brow. "Is that objectionable?"
"Just a bit," he groaned, wincing as another gentle stroke made his whole body twitch unexpectedly.
Lin Xie didn't stop. Her fingers moved methodically, now applying different rhythms and pressures, almost like a curious child learning how a toy worked for the first time.
Shen Rui whimpered—a low, half-laughing, half-pleading sound.
"Lin Xie, seriously, if you keep this up, I'll malfunction in ways that might require professional intervention."
She tilted her head, watching carefully as his breathing became uneven. "Malfunction protocols noted."
At one point, Shen Rui tried to wiggle free, only to realize his movements made things... more intense. He froze, wide-eyed, caught between panic and reluctant acceptance.
His mind scrambled for an escape plan, but all he could think was: Why is she so calm? And Why does this feel… oddly good?
Suddenly, Lin Xie's expression shifted. A faint trace of amusement flickered in her eyes. "Subject exhibits signs of discomfort and pleasure simultaneously. This contradicts logic."
He blinked at her, mouth half-open. "That's human nature for you."
She gave him a look like he'd just spoken in nonsense. "I will add 'human nature' to the glossary."
The room filled with awkward silence, punctuated only by Shen Rui's occasional gasps and Lin Xie's quiet, clinical observations.
Finally, he groaned, "Lin Xie, if you don't stop, I swear—"
She interrupted with a mischievous grin—an almost imperceptible curve of her lips—and said, "I will stop... when sufficient data is collected."
He threw a pillow at her. She caught it effortlessly and continued to smile.
"Fine," he muttered, collapsing back onto the bed, cheeks burning. "You're impossible."
"Thank you," she said sincerely, stroking the edge of the blanket with a casual air as if this was all perfectly normal.
As the night deepened, the chaotic mix of scientific curiosity and awkward intimacy wove them closer—two utterly different worlds colliding with unpredictable, hilarious results.
Neither was sure where this strange research would lead, but both knew it was far from over.
Time stretched slowly in the dim hotel room, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting muted shadows on the walls. Lin Xie's fingers moved deliberately, cautiously tracing over the unfamiliar yet fascinating form beneath the fabric. Shen Rui lay tense beneath her touch, every slight movement from her sending a ripple of sensations through him—awkward, confusing, and new.
Half an hour passed in this quiet, strange experiment. Lin Xie's expression remained calm, her gaze never leaving the object of her study as if she were deciphering an intricate code. Shen Rui, however, had long since lost count of time, his breath shallow and uneven, caught between embarrassment and something he couldn't quite name.
Suddenly, Lin Xie gently pulled down the waistband of his boxers completely, revealing the full form beneath. Her eyes narrowed with intense focus as she leaned in closer, inspecting every detail.
A slight, unexpected change interrupted the quiet. Lin Xie noticed it before Shen Rui could fully register what was happening—a small, white liquid seeping from the tip, pooling faintly on his skin.
Her eyes widened with interest, curiosity sparking like electricity in her otherwise unreadable face.
She looked up at Shen Rui, who now sat bolt upright, his eyes wide in disbelief, cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of crimson.
"What… is that?" she asked quietly, voice steady but laced with intrigue.
Shen Rui swallowed hard, his usual composed demeanor faltering. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh… that's... uh... normal. Sort of," he admitted, avoiding her gaze.
Lin Xie's brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Normal? You don't seem very confident."
"It's... complicated," he muttered. "It's a natural... um... response." His voice dropped low, as if confessing a secret too embarrassing to share aloud.
She tilted her head, processing. Then, without hesitation, she dipped a finger carefully into the dampness, bringing it closer to her lips to inspect.
Shen Rui's eyes widened in panic. "Lin Xie! What are you—?"
She shushed him with a curious look. "I need to analyze it."
He groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I am so doomed."
Lin Xie examined the sample with a clinical detachment that only made Shen Rui more flustered. "It has unique properties—texture, consistency..." She tapped her finger thoughtfully against her chin. "Is this typical in your species?"
He peeked out between his fingers. "Well… yes. It means your body is functioning properly."
She nodded as if this explained everything, then added, "Fascinating. So this is a sign of health?"
"Yes, exactly. But I really didn't expect you to get this... hands-on."
"Curiosity is a powerful driver," she replied calmly, pocketing the finger into a tissue she found nearby.
Shen Rui exhaled sharply, running a hand through his tousled hair. "You're going to be the death of me."
Lin Xie smiled faintly—an expression almost human but with a spark of something unreadable.
"And yet," she said softly, "I intend to continue."
---
Lin Xie sat on the couch of the hotel suite, legs folded neatly under her, wearing one of Shen Rui's oversized black shirts as if it were standard-issue armor.
He had gone to take a call.
Mistake.
Because the moment he left, she pulled out her encrypted laptop.
With practiced, emotionless efficiency, she opened a private tab and typed in her search query:
> "Why does male human anatomy become hard during kissing?"
She hit enter.
The results flooded in.
Articles. Diagrams. Forums. Medical journals. Videos. Illustrated PDFs with arrows.
She blinked.
Then blinked again.
Her eyes scanned the text rapidly:
"Stimulation of erogenous zones..."
"Nerve endings and blood flow..."
"Hormonal responses triggered by intimacy..."
"...Results in penile erection."
She paused, eyes narrowing.
"…Erection," she whispered out loud. "Term confirmed."
She kept reading.
Ten minutes later, Shen Rui returned, sipping his black coffee and holding his phone to his ear.
"Yeah, I'll review the terms—"
Then he paused.
Lin Xie was staring at him.
Hard.
"…I'll call you back."
He hung up slowly. "Why do I feel like I've been dissected mentally?"
She said nothing.
Just closed her laptop and set it aside.
"I conducted additional research," she said.
Oh no.
He took a step back. "On what?"
"Your previous reaction."
He inhaled sharply. "Lin Xie. There are some things—some sacred, private—god-given mysteries—that don't require researching."
"I disagree," she said. "Inadequate data breeds error."
He sat down cautiously, setting his coffee far from reach. "Please tell me you didn't fall into the comments section of the internet."
"I found an instructional blog," she said.
"Jesus—"
"It was detailed. With helpful diagrams. And twenty-two recommended techniques."
His soul left his body.
"I would like to try the fifth one," she continued calmly. "It's titled: 'The Curious Tongue.'"
Shen Rui dropped the coffee cup.
It hit the floor. Shattered.
"I—I don't know what that is," he said, panicked.
"I do," she replied, utterly serene.
He backed up a little, like a man about to be struck by lightning.
"Lin Xie," he whispered. "We can't just try something called 'The Curious Tongue' without... supervision."
"I will supervise."
"That's not what I—"
She stood.
He backed into the wall.
"Breathe. Let's just... read a book," he said, palms up. "Maybe play chess. Do something normal."
She stepped closer.
He hit the wall behind him. No escape.
"Would you like to participate in experiment number five or should I proceed alone?"
His voice cracked. "Is that a threat or an invitation?"
She tilted her head. "You may consider it... cooperative field testing."
He groaned.
"I'm not going to survive you," he muttered.
She looked down, curious. "Would it be fatal?"
"Possibly," he said. "But what a way to go."
She leaned in.
And just as her hands started to explore again—
Knock knock.
They both froze.
She blinked. "Are we being interrupted?"
Shen Rui made a strangled sound. "Apparently."
She turned and calmly opened the door.
It was the hotel butler, delivering breakfast.
She took the tray, set it down, and turned back.
Shen Rui was still leaning against the wall, pale.
"I will resume later," she said.
His knees buckled.
"Please give me time to prepare... a will."
She nodded solemnly.
"Understood."