In the past, she would uncontrollably begin to fear, always feeling that something was crouching in that darkness, staring at her with evil eyes.
But this time... strangely enough, when the familiar darkness descended again, she wasn’t as afraid as before.
Because she somehow knew that the gentle person in her dreams would surely appear again.
She had never seen his face, never heard his voice, but she had felt his fingers. With a hint of timidity and a touch of shyness, they slowly slid over her fingers, her hand, her wrist...
Clearly a stranger, clearly actions that should not take place, yet at that moment, they calmed her, helping her slowly regain her peace of mind.
She smiled softly in her dream, murmuring gently: "Do you know how much I wish to see your face? I’m so afraid that one day we’ll be apart, and even if you stand right before me, I won’t recognize it’s you." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fiɾe·net
As expected, he came again. In the darkness, she couldn’t see his face, but she could feel him smiling gently.
Just as before, he took her hand and traced letters in her palm.
She could easily recognize it in her heart, whispering silently to herself, "Don’t be afraid. You may not find me, but I will surely find you; if you can’t recognize me, I’ll keep lingering around you until you do."
She then smiled with relief.
This was her and "his" unique way of conversing.
She didn’t know his appearance, hadn’t heard his voice, but she deeply remembered his enduring gentleness.
She smiled, eyes opening gently.
The dream was too beautiful, so beautiful it left her momentarily unable to adjust to the reality before her.
In her vision, Tang Yanqing’s eyes were enlarged infinitely. So large she could see the amber light rippling within his obsidian pupils, large enough to see her own reflection shimmering in that amber glow.
The reason his eyes seemed so large was that he was so close to her—so close, that his lips were pressed against hers!
At this moment, Shi Nian completely awoke, hurriedly retreating, and holding her mouth just after escaping his lips.
Heavens, what was he doing to her?!
Seeing her panicked and flustered demeanor, Tang Yanqing could only smile awkwardly, his face a deep red.
One really can’t secretly do bad things. Just hearing her mumbles in her sleep, he couldn’t help but kiss her... just as it became wonderful, she woke up.
Sleeping Beauty, indeed awakened by the prince’s kiss. But could one consider the prince’s feelings, could Sleeping Beauty not wake up so quickly?
He reached out to hold her small hand, sighing softly: "Hey, don’t be afraid, it’s me. Um... Since I’ve been caught by you, then I—apologize."
However, Shi Nian couldn’t relax easily, her little face pale, tears falling silently: "Mr. Tang, what were you just doing to me?! Don’t forget I’m a married woman, and still your childhood friend Xiang Yuan’s wife."
"Silly girl." He knew he’d frightened her, and gently gathered her arm into his palm, not letting her escape, or fall away: "... Even though you haven’t officially divorced Xiang Yuan yet, you’ve gone through legal separation. From a legal standpoint, except for your economic ties like medical and social security, your emotional life is already equivalent to being single."
"But you can’t do this to me without my consent!" Shi Nian waved her arms, trying to break free from his embrace.
He sighed softly but wasn’t annoyed, only reaching out to gently pinch her little nose.
Perhaps she didn’t even know, but when she cried, her tiny nose would first turn red. Watching this just twisted his heart with pain and trembling sweetness.
"Little fool, you’ve forgotten again, you promised me, didn’t you? When S’s case was solved, we agreed to let me kiss you once."
When he said this, he naturally felt guilty. Because the so-called agreement was just something he claimed, Shi Nian hadn’t given him a clear response. So he was worried about being left empty-handed when he went to claim his rights, which is why he decided to take advantage of her nap and kiss her first... only to be caught red-handed.
Thinking this way made him truly frustrated, considering himself Tang Yanqing... so many complimentary adjectives drifted through his mind, yet in this matter with her, he was always clumsy, presumptuous, or foolishly wishful, and even stubbornly shameless.