Sharing Dreams with My Bestie's Cousin

"Do you think they would talk to you about it?"

Wen Zhi put down the remaining half cup of water and sighed helplessly, "Maybe... probably not."

She wasn’t sure.

Because in a way, this matter was already a closed Chapter.

Mom had said that no one was allowed to mention this affair ever again, as if Meng Fan had never been to Licheng that year and nothing had happened.

It wasn’t that Mom was being overbearing, Wen Zhi understood all too well that her mother was looking out for her daughter’s well-being, not wanting her to re-enter the painful abyss and suffer over and over again after just managing to step out of the shadows.

Even though Mom didn’t know what painful experience Meng Fan had in Licheng that year.

In the minute Wen Zhi was lost in memories, Shang Hexing had already come over and sat beside her, "Are you afraid she’ll remember the past?"

Wen Zhi turned her head to look at the man who was just inches away, "Afraid, but I’m also holding on to a slim hope."

Shang Hexing asked in a calm voice, "What hope?"

Wen Zhi enunciated each word, "That Meng Fan will never recover those bad memories, and that she will always be happy."

"I can’t rule out that possibility," he realistically considered, "There isn’t as much drama in real life as you think."

Wen Zhi felt comforted by his words.

That was Shang Hexing, someone who would never bring negative energy to her, who would seriously discuss things with her and also earnestly comfort her.

However...

What she didn’t voice was that there actually was a lot of drama in real life.

And Meng Fan’s situation was still hanging.

The two temporarily set aside Meng Fan’s issue and cozied up on the sofa until Aunt Lin finished preparing dinner.

After dinner, Shang Hexing accompanied Wen Zhi on a walk outside to aid digestion. Wen Zhi, worried that Shang Hexing would be busy with government affairs the next day, urged him to turn back after they’d been out for a while, so they could go to sleep early.

But Shang Hexing said, "I’m resting tomorrow, let’s walk some more."

Wen Zhi: "You’ve spent three days in the city because of work and had to come back, and now you’re telling me you’re off tomorrow. Do you think I believe you?"

The look in Shang Hexing’s downcast eyes was filled with an indulgent smile, "How about a ten-day vacation?"

Wen Zhi shrugged, "Whatever you want, we’re not on the same track with government affairs anyway, so it’s normal for us not to agree."

His smile turned helpless as he took Wen Zhi’s hand, "Then let’s go home and rest early."

Wen Zhi pursed her lips and chuckled silently, "That’s more like it."

Though she planned to go to bed early, Wen Zhi had already decided not to do her usual thorough skincare routine that night, planning on just washing her face and applying some lotion before sleep because she had to see the pregnant Meng Fan early the next day.

But she had no idea that Shang Hexing would keep her up till midnight that night, to the point of questioning her life choices.

Normally he wasn’t like this; when she said she couldn’t take any more, he would considerately let her be. But tonight, he was unrelenting, seemingly having endless energy and turning a deaf ear to everything she said.

In the end, they used up half a box of condoms.

As a result of going overboard, Wen Zhi slept until the sun was high in the sky before waking up.

Checking her phone, it was already eleven. She instantly woke up and saw several missed calls and unread WeChat messages. She sat up abruptly, her wavy hair covering her face.

"Seduced into trouble! Seduced into trouble!" Wen Zhi patted her head and quickly threw off the covers to get out of bed.

The moment her feet touched the floor, she almost kneeled down from weakness, cursing Shang Hexing under her breath for being so merciless before gritting her teeth and heading to the washroom.

While freshening up, she called Meng Fan back. The phone was picked up with a strained voice asking, "Zhizhi, why are you only calling me back now? What were you doing so early in the morning?"

Of course, she had been sleeping in.

But that couldn’t be said, for Meng Fan would definitely make fun of her.

The last time she slipped and told the truth, Meng Fan laughed loudly, teasing her about her good fortune, saying that men went downhill after twenty-five, yet at thirty, Shang Hexing was still going strong, telling her how lucky she was and making Wen Zhi blush.

This time, she kept her mouth shut and simply apologized, "I’m sorry, Meng Fan, I promised to come see you this morning."

"Hey, don’t say such formal things to me, any time you come is fine, it doesn’t have to be in the morning," Meng Fan said.

Wen Zhi let out a sigh of relief, "Then you made so many missed calls, I thought you were angry and anxious."

"Zhizhi, do you really not know?" Phoning from the other end, Meng Fan suddenly asked.

Wen Zhi was perplexed, "Know what?"

Meng Fan fell silent for a few seconds, perhaps hesitating, then spoke, "The reason I called you several times wasn’t to rush you over, it was to tell you that the city is holding a commendation ceremony today."

Wen Zhi puzzled, "A commendation ceremony?"

Commending who? Shang Hexing? But she hadn’t heard him mention any big meetings like that.

As Wen Zhi felt puzzled, the unexpected statement came through the phone: "Liang Yin has come back."

The name, which she hadn’t heard for so long, caused Wen Zhi to zone out for a moment.

Liang Yin...

Since that last farewell when he said he would not give up on her, he had suddenly disappeared.

"What does Liang Yin... have to do with a commendation ceremony?" While asking this, Wen Zhi had a guess in her heart already.

As expected, Meng Fan told her, "I only just found out myself, Liang Yin had been on the front lines during these months he disappeared. I heard he risked his life to earn a First-Class Merit, and he is part of this commendation ceremony. With such a brilliant feat to his name, it’s very likely that he’ll take his father’s position."

Wen Zhi was silent the more she heard.

She had never imagined that Liang Yin would prove himself by earning military honors on the front lines.

And a First-Class Merit was not a trivial matter; too many of such honors ended up in the hands of family members because the heroes themselves had fallen. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Now thinking back to Shang Hexing’s uncharacteristic behavior the previous night, Wen Zhi sighed. This petty man was obviously afraid of her going to the commendation ceremony.