After dinner, Tang Li continued to wait for someone.
She had just sat down in the living room when Ah Xi, with a squeaky toy chicken in its mouth, jumped onto the couch and lay down beside her.
Throughout the night, the main building was filled with the sound of screaming.
After chewing on it for a while, Ah Xi brought the squeaky toy chicken to Tang Li’s lap.
Tang Li could roughly guess what it wanted, picked up the toy chicken and squeezed it. As it squeaked, the Tibetan Mastiff leaped away as if it had encountered danger, running back and forth along the couch with its tail between its legs. After a bit of running around, it lay back on Tang Li, tongue out, pawing at the toy chicken in her hand, signaling her to keep pressing it, indicating it wanted to play more.
When Song Baiyan returned to Yunqi Villa, it was almost midnight.
Uncle Tan came out upon hearing the car’s horn.
Knowing that Tang Li was present, Song Baiyan didn’t let Ji Ming follow him anymore, and he went back to the main building by himself.
In the living room, the girl was fast asleep, a woolen blanket draped over her. Her black short hair and eyebrows were the only parts visible, while the Tibetan Mastiff curled up at her feet, occasionally making snoring sounds.
—She turned into the Barbie doll in that model villa.
Every morning when she woke up, she was troubled about what to wear. After choosing her outfit and sitting in front of the vanity, she didn’t know which hairstyle to go for; her sea-blue-grey fluffy long hair made her look just like the princess described in fairy tales, joyful and charming.
After going downstairs, a broad hand stretched out, taking her to breakfast.
In the evening, she played in the water on the boardwalk behind the house. Carrying a life jacket back to the villa, the owner of the hand also returned from his outing. At night, he leaned against the headboard, reading "Thumbelina" to her from "Andersen’s Fairy Tales."
In the dream, she looked up and saw the man’s face clearly...
Tang Li slept drowsily and suddenly sensed something, opening her eyes from the dream.
Once she adjusted to the bright lights, she noticed Song Baiyan had returned and was sitting on the single sofa next to her. His gaze was warm as he cast it upon her: "Awake?"
His deep and slow voice overlapped with that of the man in the dream.
Tang Li was sluggish for a few seconds.
Her head felt heavy, a sign of not having enough sleep.
She had rushed back from Mihesha River to the Capital early in the morning, didn’t rest in the afternoon, and now sleepiness was overwhelming her, making her close her eyes again.
Shortly after, she felt her body leaving the couch.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself leaning on the man’s shoulder.
Song Baiyan carried her upstairs.
Realizing this, Tang Li didn’t struggle, allowing the sense of security to envelop her brain’s nerves and fell into a peaceful sleep.
The next time Tang Li woke up, it was already the next morning.
She found herself in a guest room.
Pulling back the covers, she was still wearing her sweater and jeans.
Tang Li got up to look around and confirmed she was still at Yunqi Villa.
The bathroom was stocked with brand-new toiletries.
Looking at herself in the mirror, "disheveled," she brushed her teeth and took the opportunity to wash her hair.
Soon after, there was a knock on the guest room door.
Tang Li went to open it and found it was a house servant of the villa.
The servant looked at her half-wet hair, like a fluffed-up little hamster, paused for a moment, and then respectfully said, "Mr. Song asked me to check on you, Miss. Now that you’re awake, please come downstairs for breakfast."
"When did Mr. Song come back?"
Hearing the servant’s reply, Tang Li could be sure that in the early hours of the morning, she indeed saw Song Baiyan, and it was him who had carried her to the guest room.
Tang Li went downstairs and immediately saw the man in the dining room reading the newspaper.
Song Baiyan looked up as if he sensed something.
As Tang Li entered the dining room, he put the newspaper aside: "Did you sleep well?"