Su Lu didn’t move, just her lips slightly parted as she whispered, "Bo Jingshen, what do you want to do?"
Her voice was clearly tense, but she didn’t move.
Bo Jingshen chuckled softly, his voice carrying a gentle sigh, "Don’t be nervous, I want to give you a goodnight kiss."
No sooner had his words fallen than his lips gently pressed against Su Lu’s forehead, "Goodnight, sweet dreams."
Su Lu slowly closed her eyes, listening to the thumping of her own heartbeat, gradually sinking into sleep.
In the middle of the night, Zhao Xiaole suddenly woke up crying.
The child woke from a dream crying breathlessly, miserable beyond words.
Su Lu opened her eyes and sprang up, only to find that Bo Jingshen had reacted quicker than she had; he had already unwrapped the child from the sleeping bag and was holding him in his arms, softly consoling him.
His voice was deep and gentle, possessing the power to soothe a troubled heart.
Quietly shushing, "Shh—shh—it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. What’s wrong, baby? Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Daddy’s here, both Daddy and Mommy are here, there’s nothing to fear."
"Waaah—hic!" Zhao Xiaole cried with hiccupping breaths, clinging to Bo Jingshen’s neck, his little face covered in tears.
Even his eyelashes stuck together with tears, looking pitifully.
Sometimes children do wake up from nightmares . Because Zhao Xiaole was a premature baby, he used to wake up frequently when he was very young. Su Lu would sometimes spend the entire night unable to lie down and sleep, having to hold the tiny child, because as soon as she put him down, he would quickly wake up and cry.
However, as Zhao Xiaole gradually grew older, these night terrors became rare and almost never happened.
But today, they appeared again.
Su Lu reached for a bottle of mineral water and twisted off the cap, "Have some water."
Zhao Xiaole stopped crying and edged closer, taking a few small sips of water before sorrowfully snuggling back into Bo Jingshen’s embrace.
Bo Jingshen quietly asked him, "What’s wrong, baby? What did you dream about that scared you ?"
"I can’t remember, but it was scary. It seemed, it seemed like you didn’t want me..." Zhao Xiaole said softly, his voice growing more pitiful and his sobbing heavier with each word, and then he started crying again out of self-pity.
Bo Jingshen held him and softly cooed until Xiao Le, tired from crying, started drifting off to sleep once more.
Only then did Bo Jingshen turn his head to look at Su Lu, gently nodding his chin at her, "You sleep. I’m watching over him; it’s fine."
Su Lu nodded lightly, then lay down beside him, but didn’t fall asleep immediately. Instead, she stared intently at Bo Jingshen.
Maybe it was because she was still somewhat drowsy, or maybe because the night light inside the tent was too dim, making everything seem somewhat unreal.
The scene before her, Bo Jingshen holding the child and consoling him, seemed not quite real.
Su Lu thought hazily... about the toughest times with Xiao Le when she had to hold him all night long, unable to lie down and sleep properly.
How many times, in a daze but unable to lie down and sleep peacefully, I had humbly hoped, what if he were here? If he were here, maybe he could soothe the crying child, and I could catch my breath, take a rest...
Back then, the scenes I imagined with him in them might have looked just .
I didn’t know when I drifted back to sleep, only vaguely aware of Bo Jingshen’s voice softly comforting the child at my side, so hypnotic.
Not only did he lull the child to sleep, but also me.
I don’t know how much time passed, but Zhao Xiaole began to cry again.
This time it didn’t wake me, it was clear he was having a nightmare.
Starting with soft sobs, he woke both Bo Jingshen and Su Lu.
Rubbing her eyes, Su Lu sat up and asked in a thick voice, "What’s wrong, what’s wrong?"
Worried she might get chilly, Bo Jingshen wrapped an arm around her and drew her into his embrace while continuing to gently pat the softly sobbing child, still deep in slumber.
"Must be a nightmare," Bo Jingshen said to Su Lu, then soothed the child with soft shushing, "Shh, shh—don’t be scared, mommy and daddy are here, right beside our baby."
Zhao Xiaole’s eyes remained closed, still asleep, but his mouth puckered in endless sadness and grievance.
His little mouth moved slightly, emitting a pitiful whimper, "Wuwu—don’t hit my daddy! Don’t hit my daddy!"
Bo Jingshen paused, then looked over at Su Lu, noticing she was somewhat startled as well.
"This is..." he murmured, then let out a wry smile, "...of all dreams, why dream of me getting beaten?"
Watching him, Su Lu said, "Children are very sensitive. It’s definitely because you fought someone today. He saw the violence, and even though he knows logically you were hitting a bad guy, his subconscious is probably still afraid."
Bo Jingshen frowned at this, "I see. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. I’ll be more careful in the future."
Su Lu yawned lightly, covering her mouth with her hand, "I’m not blaming you. He’s fine now. When he was little, being premature, he was extremely insecure. He had severe night terrors, and we couldn’t let go of him all night, had to hold him. The moment he was set down, he would cry hysterically. I would hold him, sitting on the sofa all through the night."
Bo Jingshen heard her casually mention the past and felt deeply guilty, "I’m sorry, I should have been there with you then."
Maybe Su Lu was still groggy from sleep, because her guard seemed relaxed in her drowsiness, her voice murmuring, "Forget it, it’s all in the past. Let him beat me up in Zhao Xiaole’s dream a little longer. We have plenty of time ahead, you can slowly make it up to us."
Her voice faded, and before she finished speaking, she had slipped back into sleep.
But Bo Jingshen heard every single word clearly, chewing over her phrase ’we have plenty of time ahead’.
Holding the child, a soft curve formed at his lips.
When Su Lu woke up again, the night was still dark outside, but dawn was near. There were rustling sounds in the campsite, obviously people getting ready to watch the sunrise.
Su Lu wanted to see the sunrise too, after all, since she was already here.
Turning her head, she saw the cozy scene of father and son asleep in each other’s arms.
In the tent, under the gentle glow of the night light, they hadn’t slept in their sleeping bags. Bo Jingshen was probably worried his son wouldn’t sleep well, fearing another bout of night terrors, so he used a thin blanket to wrap around them, holding his son in his arms, lying on the mat, using a rolled-up sleeping bag as a pillow, sleeping soundly.
Su Lu watched intently for a while, and couldn’t resist taking out her phone to capture the moment with a photo.