The night was deep and all was quiet.
Meng Ruozhao watched TV in Pei Jiangmu's arms for a while longer before falling into a deep sleep.
Pei Jiangmu waited until her breathing gradually became even and long before carrying her back to her room. He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
He admitted that he had an uncontrollable physical affection for her, but he didn't want to rush things lest he scare her.
After tucking her in, he quickly left her room.
Therefore, he didn't know that after he left, Meng Ruozhao didn't sleep soundly.
As she sank into a deep dream, she seemed to step into a thick, impenetrable fog.
In the fog, a figure stood with its back to her.
The back was straight but shrouded in a hazy light. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make out the face.
Only a bone - deep sense of familiarity and an indescribable sadness came over her like waves.
A low and stubborn voice, filled with endless grief and a hint of barely perceptible pleading, echoed in her ear over and over again.
It was like a brand engraved on her soul.
"Zhaozhao... What about me?"
"Don't you want me anymore?"
"Zhaozhao..."
The voice was full of pain and unwillingness. Each word was like a needle pricking her heart, causing her to feel a suffocating twinge in her dream.
She wanted to see who that person was, wanted to open her mouth to ask, and wanted to tell him that wasn't the case.
But just like before, her throat seemed to be blocked and she couldn't make a sound. Her body was so heavy that she couldn't move.
She struggled desperately, trying to get rid of this heart - breaking interrogation and escape from this suffocating fog.
But she was like someone trapped in a quagmire. The more she struggled, the deeper she sank, and the voice became clearer, with a desperate penetrating power.
Just when she felt like she was about to go crazy from this endless cycle.
For some unknown reason, a surge of courage, or rather, a subconscious intuition, made her suddenly shout out in her dream.
This voice carried a confusion and eagerness that even she couldn't understand.
"But... Isn't he you?!"
The moment these words blurted out, the fog in the dream seemed to be stirred by an invisible force and began to roll violently.
The blurred figure seemed to pause.
As for Meng Ruozhao herself, she was thrown into a deeper state of confusion by this out - of - the - blue question.
Who was "he"?
Who was "you"?
Why... did she ask such a question?
The great confusion was like a cold whirlpool, tightly wrapping her up. The previous struggle and heart - break seemed to be temporarily replaced by this stronger sense of bewilderment.
She drifted in this chaotic mess of thoughts. Her consciousness gradually blurred, and finally she sank back into the depths of unconscious sleep.
Only her eyebrows were still slightly frowned, showing traces of the nightmare.
...
Meanwhile, in the next room.
Pei Jiangmu was lying on his big bed, wide - awake.
In the darkness, the corners of his lips kept curving up uncontrollably. His mind kept replaying every detail of what had happened that evening.
The way she had gently nodded when she agreed to be with him, the blush on her cheeks when she was shy, the kiss that had made his heart race in the light.
And the faint fragrance on her body that made him feel at ease.
The almost overflowing excitement and joy were like bubbling carbonated bubbles, rushing around in his body and impacting his reason.
He turned over and buried his face in the pillow, yet he still seemed to be able to smell her scent.
He would pick up his phone from time to time, light up the screen, and giggle at the candid photos he had taken of her.
Then he would sit up, walk to the window, and look at the silent night sky and the scattered lights outside.
He just felt that his chest was filled with some kind of burning emotion that he needed to do something to release.
He almost counted the time, longing for dawn and eager to see her immediately to confirm that real sense of possession.
This night was destined to be a long, torturous but sweet sleepless night for Pei Jiangmu.
It was not until a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon that he finally, due to the exhaustion after extreme mental excitement, barely closed his eyes and took a short nap.
This was the first morning after they officially became a couple.
Pei Jiangmu thought there should be some sense of ritual.
So as soon as it was dawn, he got up quietly and slipped into the kitchen.
He fried a perfect sunny - side - up egg, toasted some crispy bread, and prepared a fresh fruit salad.
He even clumsily tried to cut carrot slices into flower shapes with a mold, though the results were a bit lopsided.
Finally, he didn't forget to make a cup of honey water at just the right temperature and carefully placed it in front of the seat where she usually sat at the dining table.
He sat at the table, propping his elbows on the tabletop.
His fingertips unconsciously tapped on the table. His eyes would drift towards the closed bedroom door from time to time, and the corners of his mouth couldn't stop curving up.
Like a big boy waiting to unwrap his favorite gift, every minute and second was filled with sweet anxiety.
When Meng Ruozhao walked out of the bedroom rubbing her sleepy eyes, this was the sight that greeted her -
The dining table was filled with delicate breakfast, and the man who had kissed her forcefully last night was now looking at her with a nearly pious and shiny look in his eyes.
"Good morning, sister."
His voice was hoarse from just waking up and full of obvious joy.
Meng Ruozhao's heart was instantly filled with a warm feeling.
"Good morning... Did you make all these?"
She looked at the rather sumptuous breakfast on the table in surprise.
"Yeah."
Pei Jiangmu got up and pulled out a chair for her. His movements were natural yet with a hint of barely noticeable nervousness.
"I don't know if it suits your taste. Drink some honey water first to sober up."
His thoughtfulness made Meng Ruozhao's cheeks flush slightly. She obediently sat down and took small sips of the warm honey water.
The sweetness spread from the tip of her tongue all the way to her heart.
This breakfast was especially sweet.
Pei Jiangmu hardly touched the food in front of him. Most of the time, he just watched Meng Ruozhao eat, asking her from time to time how the food tasted. The love in his eyes was so thick that it couldn't be melted.
He stared at Meng Ruozhao so much that she felt embarrassed. She thought to herself, were the loves of younger boyfriends always so passionate and intense?
In comparison, was she being too cold?
But for the moment, she didn't know how to be more passionate.
After breakfast, Meng Ruozhao looked at the bright sunshine outside the window. A thought came to her mind and she couldn't help suggesting.
"The weather is so nice today. If you're free, how about we go out and play?"
Letting him know that she also wanted to be alone with him was also a way of showing her passion, right?
"I'm free!"
Pei Jiangmu answered almost immediately, firmly.
Even if there were the most important things in the world, they were not as important as accompanying her at this moment.
The two simply packed up and drove to a well - known ancient water town on the outskirts of the city.
There were cobblestone paths, small bridges over flowing water, and white - walled and black - tiled houses.
Since it was a weekday, there weren't many tourists, adding a touch of tranquility and leisure.
Meng Ruozhao was wearing a newly designed modified cheongsam from her studio today.
It was moon - white with sparse ink - bamboo patterns embroidered on it, perfectly highlighting her slender waist and elegant temperament.
She had her long hair pulled up and casually inserted a jade hairpin. Walking in the ancient alleyways, she seemed like a Jiangnan woman stepping out of an ink - wash painting.
Pei Jiangmu followed beside her, his eyes hardly able to move away from her.
Just like other "thoughtful" boyfriends.
He held his phone all the way, taking pictures of her profile, her turning back, and her lowered eyes when she bent down to look at the flowing water.
He captured every bit of her in his phone and engraved it even deeper in his heart.