"Oh, right. I left behind a little souvenir."
As he spoke, he calmly raised a hand and wiped his shoulder with the back of it, as though brushing away some damp trace.
Ling Zichen instantly bristled.
She abruptly sat upright and reached out to inspect Wu Yang Jin's shoulder, but then felt that doing so would be too embarrassing. She could only grit her teeth and mutter,
"...Then why didn't you wake me earlier?"
Wu Yang Jin lounged casually against his seat.
"Wake you? Do you know how soundly you were sleeping? If I'd dared touch you, you probably would've slapped me away."
"..."
Ling Zichen felt conflicted. Instinctively, she thought Wu Yang Jin was deliberately teasing her, yet she could not be completely certain.
Frowning, she lowered her head and thought for a moment. Then she suddenly looked up at Wu Yang Jin, her eyes filled with scrutiny and doubt.
"Wait... Did I say anything while I was asleep?"
Wu Yang Jin raised an eyebrow slightly. His gaze fell on her face, and he fell silent for a moment.
Ling Zichen's heart leaped into her throat. She immediately put on a guarded expression and even swallowed nervously.
"You called out 'Dad.'"
"..."
Ling Zichen froze completely.
She sat there blankly for a full two seconds, then abruptly covered her face with one hand, so embarrassed she wanted to vanish on the spot!
"...No way, I really...?"
Her voice trembled, as though she could not believe she had actually said something like that in her dream.
Leaning against the seatback, Wu Yang Jin spoke in a calm, composed tone.
"More than once, too. You sounded pretty heartfelt."
"..."
Ling Zichen's mind crashed.
For a moment, she had no idea what expression she should use to face Wu Yang Jin. She