Woke Up? (Three Thousand Words)

Mu Zibai saw that it was still early and controlled time to tell Wenren Qingyi the Dream of the Red Chamber. He narrated for a full hour.

Wenren Qingyi listened with great interest, showing no signs of sleepiness and completely unaware of the time.

Seeing that it was almost time, Mu Zibai knew he should head back. If he continued, the shop would refresh.

"Is that it?" Wenren Qingyi hadn't had enough yet, looking at Mu Zibai with reluctance.

Mu Zibai said, "It's too late, go back to sleep."

"Okay." Wenren Qingyi nodded dejectedly and got up listlessly. She then asked in a small voice, "Um, brother-in-law, can I come find you to listen to stories in the future?"

Mu Zibai looked at Wenren Qingyi's expression and stroked his chin.

Wenren Qingyi said irritably, "I think you tell stories better than Xiao E, alright?"

"That's more like it," Mu Zibai said. "Of course, you can. Just come if you want to listen to stories."

"Mhm, mhm." Wenren Qingyi nodded obediently twice, yawned, and went back to sleep.

Mu Zibai also returned and saw that the light in one room was still on, and the window was open. It was Xiao E's room.

Seeing Xiao E standing by the window, lost in thought, Mu Zibai walked over.

"Son-in-law, you're not asleep yet?" Xiao E bowed to Mu Zibai. Mu Zibai waved his hand, signaling Xiao E not to bother.

Although Xiao E was a maidservant, Mu Zibai didn't truly see her as one.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much, I just feel like time passes so quickly," Xiao E sighed.

"What do you mean?" Mu Zibai asked curiously.

Xiao E smiled sweetly and said, "I remember when I was little, the Third Young Lady loved to follow behind Miss and the Eldest Young Master. The Third Young Lady has always been like a child, but today I saw her, and she seems to have grown up quite a bit, like an adult."

Mu Zibai: "???"

Confusion, silence, bewilderment.

What did she mean by that? Grown up quite a bit? Like an adult?

How had Wenren Qingyi grown up? Hadn't she changed at all?

Oh~~~

Mu Zibai suddenly seemed to understand, a lightbulb moment. It seemed she had indeed grown up quite a bit, but it wasn't he who had made her grow up.

As the culprit, Mu Zibai nodded heavily.

In ancient times, thirteen-year-olds could get married, and there was the saying that a wide hip was good for childbearing. So, Xiao E thought Wenren Qingyi had grown up.

Mu Zibai remained silent.

Xiao E thought for a moment and said, "It seems I'll have to tell Madam when I get back and get new clothes made for the Third Young Lady. But with the Third Young Lady's personality, I wonder which young master will like her."

Listening to Xiao E's calculations, like a worried mother, Mu Zibai quietly left.

He wouldn't get involved in that topic.

Suddenly, his spiritual sense trembled. Mu Zibai was confused for a moment before realizing it was the Drift Bottle returning.

He thought, Holy crap, this thing is back? Unbelievable!

Did someone actually reply?

Curiously and excitedly, he opened the Drift Bottle. He found that the broken conch fragment was gone. The note was still his original one, but there were other words written on the back.

The content read: "Although I don't know how you cast this bottle into the Sea of Time, I can see you're very conflicted. I understand the general situation. I'm curious and understand your dilemma. I am not you, so I cannot empathize or offer advice. Actually, no matter what you choose, as long as you don't regret it, that's all that matters. Also, thank you for the conch, I like it very much."

Mu Zibai looked at the content and fell into thought. He couldn't tell anything from the words; they were standard and probably not handwritten, but written with Magical Power.

He put the letter away, not overthinking it.

Indeed, as long as he didn't regret it, who cared about anything else.

Looking at the sleeping beauty lying quietly on the bed, Mu Zibai was reminded of the Sleeping Princess from Western fairy tales, waiting for her Prince Charming to awaken her.

She was a true princess, but sadly, he wasn't a prince.

Wenren Lingmeng heard the movement outside and knew Mu Zibai had returned. She had been pondering one question: Mu Zibai's future.

If she continued to sleep like this and Mu Zibai stayed by her side, wouldn't it be a waste of his promising future?

Wenren Lingmeng naturally wished for Mu Zibai to achieve great things. She wanted to witness him accomplish something magnificent, but unfortunately, she couldn't move.

She wanted to tell Mu Zibai that he didn't need to stay with her and could go do what he wanted.

At this moment, she had the desire to wake up, more firmly than ever before. She didn't want to live under Mu Zibai's care anymore. She didn't want to rely on Mu Zibai. She couldn't be selfish and only think of herself; she had to consider Mu Zibai too, to alleviate her husband's worries.

If Mu Zibai knew Wenren Lingmeng's thoughts, he would probably be amused and exasperated.

He sat beside Wenren Lingmeng, held her hand, and gently patted it. He said softly, "It's still early. Let me tell you a story, a story about a prince and a princess."

The story was very short. Mu Zibai spoke each word slowly, and Wenren Lingmeng heard every word clearly. Mu Zibai told the story absentmindedly, while Wenren Lingmeng listened attentively.

"Finally, the prince kissed the sleeping princess, and the princess awoke. They lived happily ever after."

The story ended there.

Mu Zibai said gently, "How I wish you would just wake up like this."

Wenren Lingmeng nodded thoughtfully. The story was indeed touching and captivating. While not as classic as Dream of the Red Chamber, it had many commendable aspects.

But what did Mu Zibai mean just now?

How I wish I would wake up like this.

Suddenly, she felt his breath on her face, warm breath. Her heart fluttered. Could it be that he's going to kiss me?

Wenren Lingmeng felt shy. She had never experienced such an intimate gesture before; this was her first time.

Even though this was a normal act between a married couple, wasn't this a bit too sudden?

She felt Mu Zibai's face drawing very close, as if about to touch her own.

Her heart was filled with shyness, nervousness, and anticipation.

But after waiting for a long time, the kiss didn't come. She felt flustered and helpless. What's wrong with him?

Why isn't he kissing me?

Wenren Lingmeng felt a sliver of relief, letting out a sigh. But there was more disappointment. Why did he stop kissing me?

Gah! Wenren Lingmeng smacked her own head hard. What am I thinking? My mind is such a mess.

Just now, she had actually felt disappointed that Mu Zibai didn't kiss her. She couldn't believe the things running through her mind.

[Points -200000]

Suddenly, she felt a moist warmth on her lips.

He kissed me! My first kiss is gone?

She was completely flustered. They hadn't separated, and she didn't know how long it lasted. This kiss felt like an eternity.

Despite her shyness, she felt warm and happy, as if she had fallen into a gentle trap, caught by the hunter.

At this moment, she didn't want to be separated from Mu Zibai anymore.

Wenren Lingmeng felt like a young girl who had stolen a forbidden fruit, nervous yet secretly delighted, savoring the act of stealing and tasting.

At the same time, something felt like a fruit, about the size of a grape.

The fruit melted in her mouth. Mu Zibai also got up and looked at the sleeping girl. He had waited for a very, very long time, but in reality, only a short while had passed. Time felt like years.

Mu Zibai waited anxiously to see if Wenren Lingmeng would wake up.

He felt like he was counting down the seconds, suffering. He desperately wished the girl before him could open her beautiful eyes. Alas, after waiting for a long time, he saw no change in Wenren Lingmeng at all.

Perhaps the Flowing Enlightenment Fruit was useless after all.

Perfect. Wasting two hundred thousand points, but Mu Zibai had no regrets. Since she didn't wake up this time, there would be another chance next time.

Mu Zibai rubbed his temples, lay down on the bed, turned over. He had fought, was tired, and wanted to sleep soundly.

However, at this moment, Wenren Lingmeng's finger twitched.

"What is this fruit?"

In the darkness of her consciousness, Wenren Lingmeng's eyes suddenly saw a light. It was that fruit. Vaguely, she saw its appearance.

It transformed into several strands of golden light, emitting a golden glow, like the dawn breaking, illuminating the darkness in Wenren Lingmeng's heart.

Wenren Lingmeng reached out, wanting to touch this golden light. She looked at the gentle golden light before her, with a brilliant white light in the center, tearing through the dark night sky.

She shielded her eyes, cautiously peeking at the white light, welcoming the long-lost dawn.

But the light was fleeting, as if about to disappear. Wenren Lingmeng felt that this was her hope of waking up. If she missed it, she would fall back into darkness.

She didn't want to miss this chance and desperately lunged towards this ray of white light.

I must grasp it.

But she couldn't keep up. Wenren Lingmeng panicked, frantically clawing.

"No!"

Slap!

With a crisp sound, Wenren Lingmeng's eyes snapped open. She looked at the unfamiliar room, then at her own hand.

"Did I... wake up?"

Wenren Lingmeng couldn't believe it. She had actually woken up, just like that. It was exactly like the fairy tale Mu Zibai had spoken of, the prince kissing the princess, and the princess awakening from her slumber.

Everything was real; it felt so tangible.

Looking at her hand, she felt like she had just slapped something, and it felt so good!

"What kind of Yao dares to sneak attack me!"

Mu Zibai jolted awake as if from a nightmare, clutching his handsome face. It was burning hot, as if he had been slapped, and the blow was heavy, showing no mercy.

Damn it! Sneaking an attack while I was sleeping? That's not honorable! Didn't they say not to hit someone in the face?

He looked at Wenren Lingmeng, who was appraising him. Her phoenix eyes were flawlessly beautiful, like the finishing touch on a dragon painting.

Has the sleeping princess awakened?

Mu Zibai had a thousand words in his heart, but none could be spoken now. He had already forgotten the bright red handprint on his face.

Wenren Lingmeng silently observed Mu Zibai. Is this my husband? He's just as I imagined, refined yet possessing the spirit of a warrior, and quite handsome.

"You're awake?"