Sensing her surrender to exhaustion, Huo Ting Cheng did not move to his desk. Instead, he settled more firmly beside her, his presence a steady, warm constant. His arm, which had remained around her, shifted slightly. He began to pat her shoulder with a slow, rhythmic gentleness, his touch light and reassuring through the fabric of her clothes.
It was a simple, wordless gesture, yet it conveyed a world of safety and care. Tang Fei felt the last vestiges of her resistance melt away. The steady, metronomic rhythm of his patting, combined with the sound of his breathing and the solid beat of his heart so close to her, became a powerful lullaby. The terrifying images from the school began to blur and recede, replaced by a gathering darkness that promised peace.
Her breathing deepened, evening out into the slow, regular pattern of sleep. The slight tension finally left her limbs, her body going limp and trusting against his side.
