Forget It

Jiang Ci woke up completely dazed. She felt a warm heat against her back, but now it felt like boiling water scalding her. Though, back when she still had her cultivation, boiling water wouldn't have done her any harm.

But that didn't lessen her inner panic! What—what was he doing?! Jiang Ci tried to pry his arm off, but she couldn't budge it. Instead, his grip tightened, pinning her firmly against Lu Yan.

“Lu Yan, Lu Yan,” Jiang Ci called out softly twice. “Are you awake?” She tried shaking his arm with force, though it still didn't budge.

Jiang Ci closed her eyes, her brow furrowing in distress. Hadn't she fallen asleep sitting up? How did they end up tangled together like this? Jiang Ci regretted her decision to lean against the headboard for a quick nap to death. She wished she could go back in time and slap her past self from a few hours ago.

Lu Yan's mumbled sleep talk reached Jiang Ci's ears, and she felt the tip of his nose brush against her hair. Although his words were slurred, Jiang Ci heard them clear as day.

“So fragrant...”

Boom! It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Jiang Ci's mind. What was he saying?! What did he mean by “so fragrant”?!

She froze completely in Lu Yan's embrace, like a cat scruffed by the neck, all strength to struggle draining from her limbs.

His breath fell against the back of her neck—puff, puff—warm and ticklish, like someone brushing a feather back and forth against her skin. She shrank her neck, feeling intensely uncomfortable all over.

She could hear her own heartbeat, so rapid that the beats blurred together. She was a little worried her heartbeat would wake him up. After all, things were already awkward enough; if he woke up, it would be infinitely worse!

She could hear his heartbeat too. It was slow and steady, indicating a peaceful, comfortable sleep.

Unfair.

Jiang Ci bit her lip, her nails digging into her palms. Why did he get to sleep so soundly while she had to stay awake and suffer here? She had to escape! It was best to flee before he woke up. She would pretend she knew nothing. Since he was a deep sleeper, she could just act as if none of this had ever happened. Yes, that was the plan.

With that thought, Jiang Ci slowly turned around to face Lu Yan, intending to push him away. She placed her hand against his chest, her palm pressed over his heart. Feeling the steady rhythm radiating from beneath his skin, she froze.

She couldn't bring herself to do it. He looked so peaceful asleep, the corners of his mouth slightly curved as if he were having a sweet dream. Jiang Ci had never seen him so relaxed. He was so completely at ease, as if nothing else in the world mattered anymore.

Push him away! Hurry! Get out of here! Jiang Ci's inner voice screamed at her. Yet, her hand remained on his chest, her fingers curling slightly to grasp his linen inner robe. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, swallowing down the panic that was about to leap from her throat.

Forget it. She would just rest a bit longer and make sure to wake up before him. Jiang Ci glanced down at her clothes. In any case, her clothes were perfectly intact; she was entirely decent. It was just sharing a bed to rest for a short while, nothing major. It was nothing...

Hypnotizing herself this way, her tense body slowly began to relax. Inch by inch, she softened and let go of her rigidity.

She stopped thinking about escaping and simply closed her eyes, wishing for this not-so-innocent moment to pass quickly. Let it be over soon.

...She couldn't sleep.

How could she possibly sleep? It felt like a swarm of bees was holding an annual meeting inside her head, buzzing incessantly and keeping her mind in complete chaos.

Lu Yan's breath still brushed against her forehead, his arm was still wrapped around her waist, and she was still held tight in his embrace. Every breath she took was filled with his scent! She didn't even dare to roll over again!

She tried counting sheep. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep... When she reached the seventeenth, the sheep suddenly had Lu Yan's face. She quickly banished that sheep from her mind and started over. One sheep, two sheep... Wait, what number was she just on?

Frustrated, she opened her eyes and stared at the wall in front of her. The dim candlelight, on the verge of burning out, cast their shadows onto the wall from behind. A large, dark shape blurred together, making it impossible to distinguish hers from his. Their shadows overlapped as if they had never been apart.

She suddenly recalled the wooden cabin on the mountain back at Black Mountain Fort. The candle that was about to burn down, the two shadows leaning close together on the wall. It seemed to have been just like this, intertwined, indistinguishable from one another.

But now, it wasn't just shadows. Jiang Ci felt on the verge of a breakdown. How did it come to this? She had never, ever thought about things like this. How did they... end up sharing a bed?

She closed her eyes, stopped counting sheep, and stopped struggling.

Forget it. Jiang Ci had already said these words to herself countless times tonight.

She told herself: Just this once. Anyway, he was asleep. Anyway, he wouldn't remember tomorrow. Anyway... A sense of resignation washed over her. What else could she do? Things were already like this. Could anything possibly get worse?

Before she could finish her thought, Lu Yan shifted again. His arm tightened slightly, pulling her even closer into his chest. His chin rested on the crown of her head, his lips pressing against her hairline as he mumbled something incomprehensible.

She couldn't hear what he said, but she didn't dare move. She gnashed her teeth inwardly. How can someone have such terrible sleeping habits! Shifting around constantly! Next time I sleep next to him, I'm definitely tying him up! No, wait! There won't be a next time! It was as if she hadn't just been the one praising Lu Yan's peaceful sleeping state moments ago.

His breathing gradually became even again as he drifted back into a deep sleep. Her body, which had tensed up from his movement, relaxed once more, softening into his embrace and absorbing the warmth that belonged to him.

She closed her eyes, then opened them again, staring at the dark, tightly intertwined shadows on the wall. As she watched, her eyelids grew heavy. Her consciousness began to blur, like an ink-wash painting dropped into water, slowly soaked and bleeding out under the spreading ink of sleepiness...

In her hazy state, she wondered what his expression would be when he woke up tomorrow. Would he remember? Would he be so embarrassed he couldn't speak, just like last time?

She also thought that she should get up before he woke up and pretend nothing had happened. She couldn't let him know.

And then she thought, maybe she wouldn't be able to wake up in time. She was just too tired. What should she do then?

Her eyes finally closed. Her breathing gradually grew light and even, intertwining with the breath of the person behind her until they were indistinguishable.

Outside the window, the last few lights of Everspring City went out. Only this single room in Huamanlou remained lit by a faint candle. The flame flickered once and slowly died, leaving only the sound of two people breathing in unison in the dark.

Together, they awaited the coming of dawn.