C15 Pretend to be Asleep

Gu Wenying wandered as if in a trance, her steps aimless until she stumbled upon an obstacle that appeared to be a door. Without thinking, her hand reached out, turned the knob of the unlocked door, and she moved toward the source of the breathing sounds.

Before long, she found herself touching the softness of a bed, the breathing now close at hand.

A bed? Time to sleep?

She climbed into the bed, laying down next to the source of the breathing.

Lost in a foggy haze, Gu Wenying seemed to drift back to her childhood, recalling a ghost story told by neighborhood kids that had left her too frightened to sleep. She remembered running to her parents' room, seeking refuge in the safety of their embrace.

Xia Liang, meanwhile, was jolted awake by the unexpected visitor. He felt Gu Wenying, clad only in a short-sleeved shirt and no pajamas, snuggle into his embrace. Her soft body clung to his, her small hands gripping him tightly, her breath warm against his chest.

"What... What's happening?" Xia Liang's mouth hung open in the darkness, his surprise rendering him motionless, afraid to stir.

"Could this be... a night raid? Is she really being this forward?" Xia Liang's mind was reeling, happiness crashing over him like an unexpected windfall, as surreal as a plane falling from the sky.

"Ying... Ying?" He refrained from any action, instead gently inquiring of the girl nestled in his arms. Despite the obviousness of the situation, he sought verbal confirmation.

"Wu! Dad... Daddy!"

Suddenly, the girl stirred, her murmurs faint but filled with a deep yearning and longing. A single cold tear from the girl pressed against his chest traced a path down her face.

"Is she sleepwalking? Dreaming of her father?" Xia Liang's tension melted away. He thoughtfully extended his hand, stroking Gu Wenying's back with a tenderness he had seen fathers display in movies to their sleeping daughters.

And just like that, with a few gentle pats, Gu Wenying's grip relaxed, her body easing into a more peaceful state within his arms.

With a heavy sigh, Xia Liang, having a good idea of what had transpired, felt the sinister thoughts in his mind fade away. He lay back with a mix of emotions swirling in his heart and closed his eyes.

"Father?"

...

Xia Liang spent a restless night with someone in his arms, waking up at the crack of dawn. Yet, he lay still, not daring to move, hoping the girl would awaken soon and, realizing something was amiss, slip away while he feigned sleep.

He waited and waited, but the girl nestled against him continued to slumber deeply, leaving Xia Liang at a loss for words.

At last, when Xia Liang was on the brink of numbness, the girl's smooth foot nudged against his leg.

Stirring from her grogginess, Gu Wenying sensed something amiss and realized she was embracing someone.

"A dorm mate?"

She'd occasionally wake up to find herself in another sister's bed, snuggled up and sleeping soundly, so she was somewhat accustomed to it.

"Whose chest is this, so flat?" Gu Wenying mused, finding the chest before her face unusually lacking.

She then pushed back the covers and sat up groggily, stretched languidly, and looked down at her supposed dorm mate.

To her shock, she was met with Xia Liang's strikingly handsome face.

"Oh..."

Fear nearly wrenched Gu Wenying's soul from her body. As she opened her mouth to scream, she quickly clamped a hand over it.

She edged backward slowly, cautiously extricating herself from Xia Liang's embrace, holding her breath the entire time.

After tiptoeing out of bed, she saw the blanket had slipped, exposing half of Xia Liang's body. She gingerly pulled it back over him, then retreated to the bedroom door, glancing back every few steps.

With a gentle touch, Gu Wenying placed her hand on the doorknob, twisting it slowly and pulling the door open with the stealth of a burglar.

"Squeak!"

The grating noise of the door sent a shiver through Gu Wenying, her hairs standing on end. She whipped around to see Xia Liang on the bed, smacking his lips and frowning as he rolled onto his side.

"Phew, he didn't wake up!" Gu Wenying's heart was pounding so hard she thought it might leap out of her chest. Taking a deep breath, she clenched her teeth and, with eyes shut tight, reached for the bedroom door once more.

Thankfully, the door didn't emit any more grating noises and she managed to pull it open without incident.

Like a nimble cat, Gu Wenying shrank her body and slipped through the narrow opening she had created.

The door then closed behind her with a slow, creaking sound.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..."

Xia Liang could no longer contain himself. Muffling his laughter with his hand, he burrowed under the blankets, chuckling with effort.

From the moment Gu Wenying had approached the bedroom door, Xia Liang had been watching her with eyes wide open. Whenever she turned back, he quickly shut his eyes, only to peek again through narrowed lids.

He had watched as Gu Wenying cautiously opened the door, her body tensing at the slightest sound. It was a wonder how Xia Liang kept from bursting into laughter. Only after she had made her escape did he allow himself to laugh heartily, hidden beneath his covers.

Back in the living room, Gu Wenying collapsed onto the sofa, feeling utterly exhausted. Her body felt like jelly, and she had no desire to move for quite some time.

"How mortifying!" The thought of unwittingly sneaking into Xia Liang's bedroom in the middle of the night and even sleeping in his embrace sent a wave of heat across Gu Wenying's cheeks, the embarrassment reaching its peak.

"Hopefully, he didn't notice?" she whispered to herself, patting her chest and feeling incredibly fortunate.

Half an hour later, she knocked on Xia Liang's door.

Xia Liang, feigning ignorance, dressed and opened the door, only to find Gu Wenying had already prepared porridge and bought buns and steamed bread. She was sitting at the dining table, waiting for him to join her for breakfast.

"Thanks a lot!" Xia Liang said, heading to freshen up before returning to the table.

"Don't mention it. I woke up early and decided to make some porridge," Gu Wenying responded, her face betraying a hint of awkwardness. Realizing she might be acting out of character, she quickly bowed her head and focused on her porridge.

"Did you have a good night's sleep?" Xia Liang inquired, stretching and twisting his waist.

"I can't figure out why, but my waist and back are killing me."

"You probably got hurt when you fell yesterday. Even if there aren't any visible bruises, you might have some internal injuries," Gu Wenying replied, her voice quivering as she spoke quickly.

"Yeah, that must be it," Xia Liang agreed with a nod.

"This porridge is really good," he said, taking a sip and offering his compliments.

"I've gotten pretty good at it. We've got a rice cooker hidden in our dorm, so we sometimes make porridge or whip up something to eat," Gu Wenying said with a confident smile.

...

After breakfast, Xia Liang thought it over and suggested Gu Wenying head to school first. He waited an extra ten minutes before following her to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings that might arise if they arrived together.

The school looked the same as the day before. In the classroom, before the teacher had arrived, seven or eight students with dark circles under their eyes were engrossed in their books. They swarmed Xia Liang as soon as they spotted him.

"Xia Liang, you were so cool yesterday. I've been wanting to take that guy down for a while now and was going to wait until after graduation, but you beat me to it."

"Xia Liang, where did you hang out yesterday?"

"They're not going to expel you, are they?"

Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions from these students, who had shown little interest in him before but were now surprisingly eager to engage, Xia Liang struggled to keep up.

With a stern look, he said, "Back off, back off. I'm going to sleep."

With that, he returned to his seat, laid his head on the desk, and closed his eyes to rest.

He may have opened up to Gu Wenying, but he wasn't interested in befriending these guys.

Or perhaps, he just wasn't ready to let more strangers into his life.