Gu Ningyi frowned slightly. In recent days, he frequently ordered her around, and she was long accustomed to his sudden demands. Why was she so slow this time?
Could it be... she didn’t sleep well last night?
Zhou Yalin slowly walked towards Gu Ningyi. As he listened to the footsteps, a hint of doubt flickered in his dark eyes. The sound of the heels tapping on the floor seemed unfamiliar because she appeared to avoid wearing high heels to keep the noise down. Why... was she wearing high heels today?
Zhou Yalin walked to the bedside, stood still, then reached out her hand to support Gu Ningyi.
At the moment her arm slipped around Gu Ningyi, his brow furrowed deeply, and his eyes darkened suddenly.
Previously, when she supported him, she was always careful to keep her distance, only lightly grasping his clothes, never directly holding his arm. Moreover, as she approached now, there was a faint scent of perfume lingering on her, which was not a fragrance he was familiar with.
Gu Ningyi didn’t allow her to lift him directly. Instead, he suddenly reached out, feeling for her hand.
Zhou Yalin didn’t expect Gu Ningyi would abruptly hold her hand. His broad, warm palm tightly wrapped around hers, leaving her momentarily stunned as she looked at Gu Ningyi in surprise.
All these years, he had always maintained a distance from her, even though they were engaged, both young and full of vigor. Yet he had never touched her, not even a simple hand-holding or embrace.
And she had once cast aside all her dignity and pride, taking advantage of his drunken state, attempting to seduce him, but...
She could never forget, at that moment, his cold and disgusted gaze...
If she hadn’t once seen him kissing Dong Xinyan in his sleep, she might have thought something was wrong with him.
But the only thing wrong was with her...
This was the first time she genuinely felt how warm and strong Gu Ningyi’s hand was. Holding her hand was like gripping her heart, causing it to pound heavily, as a trace of infatuation and attachment slowly surfaced in her beautiful eyes.
Without thinking, she rotated her hand, then clasped Gu Ningyi’s hand, slowly interlocking fingers with him.
Gu Ningyi’s dark eyes, in this instant, sank completely into deep darkness. The thin smile at the corner of his lips gradually disappeared.
Dong Xinyan had thought that nightmare was just a brief interlude, but she didn’t expect it to recur frequently in the days to come.
Whenever she fell asleep, she would uncontrollably have that nightmare, experiencing the same scenes over and over again. Surprisingly, upon waking, she could gradually recall the dream, which was no longer as vague as before. However, the suffocating sorrow became increasingly clear, and each time she delved into the dreamscape, she felt intensely distressed.
Yet again, she was startled awake in the dark of the night.
Dong Xinyan was drenched in cold sweat, her face pale, gasping for breath.
With a snap, the bedroom light turned on, and Cheng Ziyang strode into the room, sitting at the bedside, his brow furrowed, looking at her with concern, "Xinxin? Nightmare again?"
In recent days, because of Dong Xinyan’s poor mental state, Cheng Ziyang had been staying by her side.
Dong Xinyan seemed still shaken, her eyes blank. After a long while, she spoke softly, "Ziyang, that girl, it really seems like she’s me...."