During the few days of sick leave at home, Ji Zeqiu hadnât been resting well, tossing and turning every night, only to return to that dream where he curled up in a dark corner whenever he fell asleep.
He tossed and turned, waking up several times throughout each night.
âCanât you sleep?â a voice as small and subdued as that of a mosquito came from outside the door.
Since the housekeeper didnât stay overnight, the person speaking outside had to be Lin Xu.
Ji Zeqiu turned over and replied, âI was already asleep.â
âLiar, how can you talk if you are asleep?â Lin Xu murmured.
Ji Zeqiu ignored her. After a moment of silence, there came a âthud thudâ of knocking at the door.
The knocking had a rhythm that set oneâs heart on edge.
Ji Zeqiuâs temples throbbed with impatience as he got up to open the door, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of Lin Xuâs face hidden in the darkness.
This silhouette was so much like the person in his dreamsâ¦
It was almost as if it wereâ¦
âAre you having nightmares and afraid to sleep? Do you want me to lull you to sleep?â Lin Xuâs voice interrupted his train of thought.
âWho said Iâm afraid to sleep? I was sleeping just fine until you woke me up!â Ji Zeqiu protested.
âI could hear noises from your bedroom in the bathroom; if youâre not having trouble sleeping, were you sleepwalking then?â Lin Xu eyed him.
She had drunk too much water and got up two or three times to use the bathroom that night, each time hearing noises from his bedroom.
Ultimately, she couldnât rest easy, so she had come to check on him.
Ji Zeqiuâs cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but thankfully it was not very noticeable in the dim night. âYes, thatâs right, itâs sleepwalking.â
âOh~â Lin Xu chuckled lightly, âIâve been staying over for quite a while, and this is the first time Iâve heard that you sleepwalk.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âItâs not like it happens every night, just that it happened today, is that a problem!â Hearing the mockery in her words, Ji Zeqiuâs cheeks reddened even further as he spoke indignantly.
âAlright, I wonât tease you,â Lin Xu said as she pushed him back toward the bed.
In no time, Ji Zeqiu found himself half-pushed, half-pulled back onto the bed and tucked under the covers.
âIâll stay right here by your side, so you donât have to be scared of having nightmares. Iâll wait until you fall asleep before I go back. Sleep now,â Lin Xu said softly, patting the blanket over his chest, her voice quietly comforting.
Ji Zeqiuâs restless feelings gradually subsided in the softness of her voice.
Suddenly,
he remembered the words Ji Tingyang had said when he took Lin Xu away from the villa.
âLetâs see if you can avoid letting her lull you to sleep.â
What had he answered back then?
He wouldnât let this woman lull him.
But what about now?
The words he had spoken back then hit him like a boomerang.
Ji Zeqiuâs cheeks burned with shame as he struggled awkwardly, âI donât need you to lull me!â
âBe good, donât talk,â Lin Xu said, patting his head.
âYouââ He was about to say more when she shushed him.
Lin Xu was quite adept at lulling someone to sleep; just a few months ago, she had used the same methods to put the five-year-old Xiao Zeqiu to bed.
It was no challenge for her.
An involuntary hum of a lullaby came from her lips, a favorite when she used to put the three children to sleep.
No lyrics, just this light, floating melody that wafted through the room.
Ji Zeqiu felt as though he had heard it somewhere before, but where exactly?
He thought and thought, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
The melody was like sunshine, illuminating his dark dreams, filling the entire room, leaving him no place to hide.
His whole being was basking in warmth, making him comfortable and at ease.
The nightmare did not continue, and that night he slept very peacefully.
When he woke up the next day,
Lin Xu was no longer by his side, and he didnât know when she had left.
After waking up, Ji Zeqiu lingered in the bedroom, hesitating to open the door with his hand raised then lowered, never daring to face Lin Xu.
At his age, he actually needed someone else to coax him to sleep.
What if that woman laughed at him!
He hesitated for a long time but finally, responding to the nannyâs call of âtime to eatâ, he walked out of the bedroom.
During the meal, Ji Zeqiu kept his eyes down, without looking at Lin Xu the whole time.
It was only when picking up food, when their chopsticks touched in the dish, that Ji Zeqiu instinctively looked up at her, and then collided with her seemingly smiling eyes.
He flinched like a startled kitten, his fur bristling before Lin Xu had said anything.
âYou insisted on coming in to coax me to sleep last night. I had no choice! It wasnât voluntary!â
âAlright, you were forced by me.â
He turned his head and snorted coldly.
After his sick leave ended and he had lunch, Ji Zeqiu got into his agentâs car and continued on to the filming location.
Now with some free time and her injuries healed, Lin Xu finally had a chance to go out for a beauty treatment.
In the midst of it, she also took the time to visit a mall, but she didnât expect to run into the little girl again in the luxury bag store.
âThis bag was bought here, why on earth would you suspect itâs a fake!â Ji Yuqiao slammed the table, indignant.
âIâm sorry, Miss, weâre not saying this bag of yours is counterfeit. Itâs just that itâs too worn and itâs also an old model now, so weâre unable to take it back,â the staff explained to her.
âThen you could give me a discount, I wouldnât mind even if itâs just twenty thousand yuan.â This bag had cost her hundreds of thousands when she bought it.
âIâm sorryâ¦â The staffâs expression showed difficulty.
âIf you donât take it, call your manager over, letâs see if heâll take it!â Ji Yuqiao demonstrated her unreasonable stubbornness.
Lin Xu walked over and smiled at the staff, âAlthough this bag is an old model, it was a global limited edition of only ten at the time. Such a limited and discontinued item should be quite easy to resell. Maybe you could reassess its value?â
âThis⦠alright.â Lin Xu was also a valued customer of the store, and upon hearing her suggestion, the staff nodded and took the bag to the back.
It wasnât long before the staff came back out.
The bag could indeed be taken back, but due to significant wear, they could only offer twenty thousand yuan for it.
This was already quite good for Ji Yuqiao, who readily accepted.
âThank you so much! I didnât expect to see you again. If it hadnât been for you, I wouldnât have been able to sell this bag.â Receiving the money, Ji Yuqiao was overly excited, even wanting to treat Lin Xu to a meal.
âNo need.â Lin Xu was too embarrassed to let her foot the bill.
Seeing her selling the bag for cash, Lin Xu could guess she hadnât reconciled with her family yet and was running low on funds.
Another meal would have left her with very little of the twenty thousand yuan. At this rate, who knew how many more bags she had left to sell.
âAlright.â Ji Yuqiao was not pushy, slapping her chest in a very hearty manner, âGiven youâve helped me so many times, weâre friends now. Let me know if you need anything in the future, Iâm here to help.â
Though Lin Xu didnât know what she could possibly need her help with, she still smiled and responded, âOkay.â
âSince weâre friends now, letâs add each other on WeChat,â Ji Yuqiao took out her phone.
Lin Xu likewise pulled out her phone.
But upon seeing the photo of Lin Xu with Ji Zeqiu on her phone screen, Ji Yuqiaoâs expression suddenly turned to shock.