Sharing Dreams with My Bestie's Cousin

Stopping a meter away from him, she halted her steps.

Shang Hexing looked up at her, the amazement in his eyes undiminished as he softly said, "Very beautiful."

Wen Zhi was slightly startled.

Shang Hexing repeated, "You look very beautiful tonight, you’ve put in the effort."

To tease him, she had specifically dressed up; this formality was her way of showing affection.

Wen Zhi’s cheeks warmed slightly, and she squatted down, realizing halfway because of the slit in her long dress she hesitated for two seconds but then forced herself to squat anyway.

But the unintended exposure caused by her forced squat was undoubtedly a visual shock for Shang Hexing.

The depth in those dark eyes grew deeper, and his breathing gradually became more erratic.

Wen Zhi, feigning ignorance, met his gaze, and asked, "Are you still angry now?"

Shang Hexing shook his head.

Wen Zhi muttered, "You’re not angry anymore so quickly, but I’m still angry."

Shang Hexing had already understood what was happening, "I can explain."

Wen Zhi didn’t want to hear his explanation for the moment, and simply asked, "Is bullying me fun for you?"

Shang Hexing replied to her, "It’s not about having fun."

"Then what is it about?"

"You," he said.

"But why did you keep it from me for so long? That day I showed you the Buddha Beads, I almost told you their secret, I trusted you a lot."

"Wen Zhi..."

"Don’t talk yet, let me finish," Wen Zhi said, her expression flustered.

Shang Hexing smiled wryly, "Alright, you go first, but before you do, can you please stand up? This is a rare chance for you to evaluate me."

Wen Zhi well knew what Shang Hexing was thinking.

His breathing was already a mess.

Her squatting like this, with such a view in front of him, he couldn’t control himself.

Wen Zhi huffed, "I refuse to stand up, I want to make this difficult for you."

Shang Hexing’s face turned serious, "Just don’t regret it."

Wen Zhi didn’t take his threat seriously at all.

She continued her interrogation, "Shang Jing asked you to return the Buddha Beads, did you switch them before giving them back?"

It was time to come clean, and Shang Hexing no longer hid the truth, he answered Wen Zhi, "Yeah, I switched them."

Wen Zhi, "Did you know the purpose of the Buddha Beads from the start?"

"I didn’t know," he admitted openly. "I only knew that it was a gift you gave away, so I wanted to have it as my own."

"...When did you discover the secret of the Buddha Beads?"

"The second dream. But before that, I didn’t know that wearing a set each would induce the dream, I thought wearing them would allow me to dream of you."

Dreaming and shared dreaming were always different.

It was Shang Hexing’s first time having control over a dream, and it was a dream he shared with Wen Zhi. He also got his hands on the Buddha Beads and guessed part of the reason, but was not completely certain, so he looked for a very professional person to evaluate the beads.

This person had deep experience, broad vision, and had seen thousands of valuable items, knowing a bit about everything.

After examining them, the person told Shang Hexing that these Buddha Beads—had an unusual origin.

And that they were indeed fortuitous.

One mention of fortune made Shang Hexing even more certain of his guess.

Afterward, the person also told him that there should be two sets of the beads, or more precisely— they should come in a pair.

Upon returning, Shang Hexing found a highly experienced master and had a set of beads made identical to the original. He always planned meticulously, considering every possibility; as he had anticipated, before long Shang Jing indeed came to ask for the Buddha Beads.

At this moment, Wen Zhi was astounded by Shang Hexing’s actions in the days after he acquired the Buddha Beads—her jaw nearly dropped to the floor: "Even my wanting to take back the Buddha Beads was within your plans?"

Shang Hexing curved his lips into a smile, "Just speculation and guesswork."

Wen Zhi kept a straight face, "Old fox."

The three words "old fox," were spoken by Wen Zhi with feeling, but what Shang Hexing heard was, "Old?"

Wen Zhi: "You’re not old, but you like younger grass."

Shang Hexing choked with laughter.

Wen Zhi dissatisfiedly said, "If I hadn’t found out myself this time, were you planning to keep it from me indefinitely? To always possess the Buddha Beads?"

This time, Shang Hexing didn’t answer immediately.

After pondering for a moment, he admitted, "I had that thought, but I knew I couldn’t keep it from you for long, especially today when you said you were going to intercept Shang Jing, I already had a hunch."

Wen Zhi straightforwardly said, "Then why did you still block him? You could have pretended to issue the command, then regrettably tell me that the plane had already taken off and hadn’t been stopped."

He said, "You would have found out sooner or later."

Indeed, she would have found out sooner or later!

His words were still somewhat reassuring. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

They also made Wen Zhi feel a bit better.

The anger at the bottom of her heart had mostly dissipated.

Perhaps it was because this time Shang Hexing didn’t play Tai Chi with her, admitting to everything she asked and being extremely honest.

"Can we cut the zip ties now?" Shang Hexing asked impatiently.

Wen Zhi shook her head: "Not yet."

Her anger had only mostly dissipated, not completely, and without tying him up a while longer, she couldn’t even out the grievance she had been subjected to for so long.

Shang Hexing asked, "Then when can we cut them?"

Wen Zhi said, "Let’s tie you up a little longer."

Shang Hexing gave a resigned laugh, "Still angry?"

Wen Zhi shrugged her shoulders, "Obviously."

Having squatted for a long time, Wen Zhi felt some numbness in her legs and simply sat down on the carpet, exposing her legs before lying down on her side, propping herself up with her arms on the carpet.

Her toes accidentally hooked onto a pair of stockings nearby. At first, she didn’t realize what it was until she looked at it, and then the corners of her mouth curved into a mischievous smile.

Seeing this, Shang Hexing closed his eyes, knowing that she was about to vent her anger by tormenting him.

Wen Zhi picked up the stockings she had taken off, "Open your eyes, and I’ll put them on for you, okay?"

Shang Hexing, like a monk, refused to hear and see.

Wen Zhi slowly moved closer to him, and the words of a queen to a monk surfaced in her mind; she unconsciously spoke them out loud, "If you open your eyes to look at me, I can’t believe they’d remain empty."

At these words, Shang Hexing laughed.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her sincerely, his eyes and brows filled with a tender smile, "Like this?"

Wen Zhi pressed down the smile at the corner of her lips, "I told you, you couldn’t remain unaffected."

Shang Hexing said, "My eyes only see you."

Wen Zhi bit her lower lip gently.

Shang Hexing: "You’re in my heart too, you occupy all the important places, and besides, pass me the scissors."

"..." Wen Zhi really wanted to throw the stockings in her hand in his face. If his face wasn’t so good-looking, she’d have considered those words greasy sweet-talk.

Lucky for him, he was handsome.

Wen Zhi threw aside the stockings and stood up, "No scissors."

As she turned around, Shang Hexing caught a glimpse of Wen Zhi’s backless dress and was momentarily taken aback.

What kind of dress reveals so much!

He grumbled, "You’re planning to leave just like that?"

"What else? I’m still angry, but..." Wen Zhi walked a few steps away, then suddenly turned around, "I could give you a dance!"

The corners of Shang Hexing’s mouth twitched slightly, not daring to imagine how agonizing that sight would be, "No need to... really."

Wen Zhi ridiculed his lack of appreciation, knowing full well how difficult it was for him, yet deliberately pretending she was heading out, "Meng Fan said he’s set up a high-end game tonight, with lots of handsome guys. I’m going to take a look."

After taking just one step, the sound of Shang Hexing’s compromise came from behind her, "I’ll watch you dance, just don’t go out."

If she really went out dressed like that, he’d probably go mad!