Sharing Dreams with My Bestie's Cousin

Wen Zhi didn’t turn around, quietly eating dumplings. She definitely wasn’t going to respond to that.

Shang Hexing knew her stubbornness all too well, deliberately reminding her, "Last night your hands were quite restless. Don’t you have anything to say about certain actions you took?"

Wen Zhi gobbled up the dumplings one by one, her cheeks puffing out, "I was sick at the time, and you said it yourself, I wasn’t fully conscious."

Shang Hexing took a jar of unopened honey from the cupboard, unscrewed the lid, scooped some honey with a spoon into a cup, and replied to her, "That’s not an excuse."

Wen Zhi switched the dumpling to the other cheek, mumbling softly, "You’re being petty. If it bothers you that much, feel free to touch me back."

Shang Hexing paused in his movements, his brows slightly raised, and then continued, "Not a bad suggestion."

Wen Zhi: "...Huh?"

Shang Hexing: "I’ll take it seriously."

"Cough..." Wen Zhi choked on the food in her mouth.

Shang Hexing poured some warm water into a cup, stirred the honey until it dissolved, returned to the dining table, and placed the cup of honey water next to Wen Zhi, "Drink the honey water after you finish the dumplings. It’s good for your throat."

Without waiting to finish the dumplings, Wen Zhi picked up the cup and took a sip, swallowing it down with the honey water, then said, "Don’t take it seriously, I was just speaking off the cuff."

Shang Hexing sat down opposite her, a faint smile in his eyes.

Wen Zhi couldn’t dare to meet his eyes, dodging them in every way.

Shang Hexing stopped teasing her, turned off the mute on his phone, and informed Wen Zhi, "Today I need to go to Huanke Institute for the review of the ecological management of the New City Basin. My schedule is packed, and there’s a dinner in the evening. I’ll probably be back around nine o’clock at the earliest."

Wen Zhi listened blankly.

After turning off the mute, Shang Hexing took another quick call, still a matter of a few words. After hanging up, he looked at her, "Don’t wait up for me tonight, go to sleep early. Also, lunch and dinner will be delivered by someone specific, you don’t need to cook yourself."

Wen Zhi said, "Actually, I can cook."

"If you cook for yourself, you won’t eat well. I wouldn’t be at ease," he said.

Wen Zhi pursed her lips, he really acted like a qualified husband, reporting his day’s schedule before leaving home and also making sure her meals were taken care of, just so she wouldn’t go hungry at home.

Wouldn’t it be blissful to marry him one day?

In this moment, Wen Zhi herself hadn’t realized how far her thoughts had wandered.

Until Shang Hexing’s voice reached her, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Wen Zhi looked at him.

Shang Hexing was about to stand up, as his question was a pre-departure habit of his, waiting for her response.

Wen Zhi parted her lips, but couldn’t utter a word for quite some time.

Shang Hexing decided to let it go, stood up, and went upstairs to change his clothes. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

A few minutes later, Shang Hexing came down wearing a white shirt, one hand holding a briefcase, the other arm bent to carry a jacket needed for formal occasions, looking casual yet commanding.

As he was about to leave, Wen Zhi stopped him, "Mr. Shang!"

Shang Hexing stopped, turning back to look at her.

Not too far apart, she met his gaze and said, "If you’re not back by nine, I’ll go to bed first, because..."

She paused halfway through her sentence, no longer daring to meet his gaze, "Because I usually sleep early."

Her words indirectly assured him that she wouldn’t go anywhere today and would stay at Qionglou.

Shang Hexing looked at her deeply, responding softly, "Okay."

Then he left.

Wen Zhi also let out a sigh.

She sat down, covering her face with her hands and giggling foolishly.

Since she was staying at Qionglou for a few days, naturally, she wouldn’t think about staying away from him. Wasn’t that rare?

Moreover, after this stay, it would be hard to find such an opportunity again.

She must cherish it.

After finishing the dumplings and drinking the honey water, Wen Zhi cleaned up the dishes and put them into the dishwasher, then went upstairs.

Before long, the phone in the living room downstairs began to buzz.

Wen Zhi padded downstairs barefoot, thumping along. She sprawled on the sofa to answer the phone, adjusting her tone as she spoke, "Hello, how are you?"

"It’s me."

Shang Hexing’s voice.

Wen Zhi immediately sat up, "Mr. Shang, is there something you need?"

"You don’t have a cell phone now, so I had to contact you through the landline. Also, if you need anything, you can contact me directly through the landline. Take a pen and write down my number," he said in an unhurried manner.

Wen Zhi said, "I remember your number."

Shang Hexing chuckled lightly, "Did you make a point of remembering it?"

Wen Zhi instinctively denied, "No, I just have a good memory."

It was unclear if Shang Hexing believed her, but before hanging up, he only admonished her, "Rest a lot, and since your throat is not well, you definitely need to drink more warm water. I’m not just saying this; you really need to listen."

Wen Zhi teased him, "You sound like an old cadre who knows internet memes."

Shang Hexing said indifferently, "I am only a few years older than you, not a few decades."

"I didn’t say you were old," she whispered, giggling softly.

After hanging up the phone, Wen Zhi lay on the sofa, laughing happily. After her laughter subsided, she picked up the landline again and called Meng Fan.

Meng Fan didn’t know her plan this time and must be worried. Actually, Wen Zhi didn’t want to reveal too much in advance in case someone targeted Meng Fan, but the thought of Meng Fan crying out of worry for her made Wen Zhi feel so distressed that she still made the call.

As for her father, Wen Zhi didn’t contact him.

...

At six in the evening, Wen Zhi had dinner and then watched TV.

As it neared nine, she checked the time. Shang Hexing hadn’t returned yet. She stretched and yawned, then continued waiting.

Close to nine-thirty, Shang Hexing still hadn’t come back. Wen Zhi’s eyelids fought each other fiercely, and she couldn’t stay awake anymore. She had to go upstairs to sleep.

She subconsciously went to the bedroom she had stayed in the night before.

Turning on the light, as she gazed at the tidy bed, she wondered if she should change bedrooms. Shang Hexing had cared for her last night, but it seemed inappropriate to still sleep there tonight.

Turning off the light, Wen Zhi moved to a guest bedroom next door.

Her sleepiness came quickly. After washing up, she fell asleep on the bed in no time. She didn’t know when Shang Hexing came back.

At that time, the clock had already moved to ten-thirty. Shang Hexing rushed back, much later than expected, looking weary.

After he arrived, he went straight to the upstairs master bedroom. The moment he turned on the light and saw no one there, a hint of loneliness flickered through his exhausted features.

Had she left?

He wasn’t sure but still held a sliver of hope and went downstairs to look for her.

The spacious Qionglou was empty, and he couldn’t find her anywhere. Finally, thinking of the guest bedrooms, he opened five without finding anyone. Only one remained. With little hope, he opened the door, and when he saw the bulge of the bed, his heart felt an unprecedented peace at that moment.

He turned on a warm yellow wall light and slowly walked to the bedside.

Wen Zhi was sleeping soundly, unaware of anyone entering the room.

Shang Hexing sat beside her bed, contentingly gazing at her sleeping face, not knowing at what point his heart had become completely filled by her.

After watching for a long while, he reached out to brush a few strands of hair from her face.

Suddenly, moved by a thought, he slowly leaned his face towards hers.

At that moment, Wen Zhi opened her eyes.

They locked eyes. He remained towering and unmoving, without any further action. Her eyes were bewildered as if drifting in a dream, she murmured, "Is this a dream...?"

Shang Hexing looked at her intently, "Do you hope it’s a dream?"

The next second, Wen Zhi reached out and wrapped her arms around Shang Hexing’s neck, "I missed you."

Shang Hexing asked her, "Did you miss the me in the dream?"

"Mmm," Wen Zhi replied.

Shang Hexing chuckled softly, "Is it only in dreams that you are not contradicting yourself?"

After speaking, without waiting for Wen Zhi’s response, he cupped her face and bent down to kiss her.