Mu Zibai saw that it was still early, so he kept an eye on the time as he told Wenren Qingyi about Dream of the Red Chamber. He went on for a whole hour.
Wenren Qingyi listened with rapt attention, not the least bit sleepy and completely unaware of the time.
When it was about time to go, Mu Zibai had to head back. If he kept talking, the shop would refresh.
"That's it?" Wenren Qingyi hadn't heard enough and gazed at Mu Zibai reluctantly.
"It's late. Hurry back and get some sleep," Mu Zibai said.
"All right." Wenren Qingyi nodded dejectedly and rose without much enthusiasm. "Um, brother-in-law, if I want to hear more stories later, can I come find you?"
Mu Zibai looked at Wenren Qingyi and stroked his chin.
Wenren Qingyi said, exasperated, "I think you tell stories better than Xiao E, okay?"
That was more like it. "Of course. Come by whenever you want to hear a story," Mu Zibai said.
"Mhm, mhm." Wenren Qingyi nodded obediently twice, yawned, and went back to bed.
Mu Zibai headed back too. He saw that the light was still on in one of the rooms and the window was open as well. It was Xiao E's room.
He saw Xiao E standing by the window, lost in thought, and walked over.
"Master, you're still up?" Xiao E bowed to Mu Zibai. He waved his hand, indicating she didn't need to.
Though Xiao E was a maid, Mu Zibai had never really thought of her as one.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking about how quickly time passes," Xiao E sighed.
"What do you mean?" Mu Zibai asked curiously.
Xiao E smiled sweetly. "I remember when we were little, Third Young Lady loved running after Miss and the eldest young master. She was always like a child. But today, when I looked at Third Young Lady, she seemed to have grown up quite a bit. She looked like a grown woman."
Mu Zibai: "???"
Confused. Silent. Bewildered.
What was she talking about? What did she mean, "grown up quite a bit"? "Looked like a grown woman"?
What had grown on Wenren Qingyi? Hadn't she stayed the same?
Oh~~~
Mu Zibai suddenly seemed to understand. He came to a realization: she really had grown quite a bit, but it wasn't him who'd made her grow, right?
As the culprit, Mu Zibai nodded emphatically.
In ancient times, girls could marry at thirteen, and people said that a woman with wide hips would bear children easily. So Xiao E must have thought Wenren Qingyi had grown up.
Mu Zibai stayed silent.
Xiao E thought for a moment, then said, "Looks like I'll have to tell Madam when I get back, and have new clothes made for Third Young Lady. But with a personality like hers, I wonder which young master would like her."
As Mu Zibai listened to Xiao E's plans, she sounded like a mother worrying herself sick. He quietly took his leave.
He wasn't getting involved in this conversation.
Suddenly, he felt his divine sense tremble. Mu Zibai was puzzled for a moment before realizing that the Drift Bottle had returned.
He couldn't help exclaiming, What the hell? This thing had come back? This was unbelievable!
Someone had actually written back?
Curious and excited, he opened the Drift Bottle and saw that the Broken Conch Fragment was gone. The note was still his original one, but there were other words written on the back.
The message read: "Although I don't know how you put this bottle into the Sea of Time, I can tell you're very conflicted. I understand the gist of it. I'm curious, and I understand your dilemma. I'm not you, and I don't understand you. I can't put myself in your shoes, nor can I offer you advice. In truth, no matter what you choose, as long as you don't regret it, that's enough. Also, thank you for the conch. I like it very much."
Mu Zibai looked at the message, puzzled. The handwriting didn't give him any clues. It was neat and ordinary, and probably wasn't handwritten—it had been written with magical power.
He put the letter away and didn't dwell on it.
That was right. 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 in Western fairy tales, waiting for her Prince Charming to awaken her.
She really was a princess, but he hardly counted as a prince.
Wenren Lingmeng heard the sounds outside and knew Mu Zibai had returned. She had been thinking about one thing: Mu Zibai's future.
If she really kept sleeping like this, and Mu Zibai stayed by her side the whole time, wouldn't she be wasting the bright future ahead of him?
Wenren Lingmeng wanted Mu Zibai to make a name for himself, of course. She wanted to see him accomplish great things, 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 whatever he wanted.
At that moment, she wanted to wake up. The desire was stronger than ever. She didn't want to keep living under Mu Zibai's care. She didn't want to depend on him anymore. She couldn't selfishly think only of herself. She had to consider Mu Zibai too, and ease her husband's burdens.
If Mu Zibai knew what Wenren Lingmeng was thinking, he would probably have laughed and cried at the same time.
Sitting beside Wenren Lingmeng, he held her hand and gently patted it. In a soft voice, he said, "It's still early. Let me tell you a story—a story about a prince and a princess."
The story was short. Mu Zibai spoke each word very slowly, and Wenren Lingmeng heard every word clearly. Mu Zibai told the story absentmindedly, while Wenren Lingmeng listened with rapt attention.
"In the end, the prince kissed the sleeping princess. The princess woke up, and they lived happily ever after."
That was where the story ended.
Mu Zibai said gently, "I wish so much that you would wake up like that too."
Wenren Lingmeng nodded thoughtfully. The story really was moving, and quite captivating. It wasn't as classic as Dream of the Red Chamber, but it had plenty of things to appreciate.
But what had Mu Zibai meant by what he'd just said?
I wish so much that you would wake up like that too.
Suddenly, she felt warm breath against her face. Her heart raced. Was he going to kiss her?
Wenren Lingmeng felt shy. She had never been so intimate with anyone before. This was her first time.
Though it was perfectly normal for a married couple to do something like this, but—but wasn't this a little too sudden?
She felt Mu Zibai's face drawing closer, as if it were about to touch hers.
She felt shy, nervous, and excited all at once.
But she waited for a long time, and nothing happened. Her heart grew flustered and helpless. What was wrong with him?
Why isn't he kissing me?
Wenren Lingmeng felt a little relieved and let out a breath, but she was even more disappointed. Why had he stopped?
Ah! Wenren Lingmeng gave herself a hard knock on the head. What was she thinking? Her thoughts were all jumbled up.
Just now, she had actually felt disappointed that Mu Zibai hadn't kissed her. She could hardly believe her own thoughts.
[Points -200,000]
Suddenly, she felt warmth and dampness against her lips.
He kissed her! Her first kiss was gone?
She was flustered. They didn't part for a long time. She didn't know how long it lasted; that kiss seemed to last until the end of time.
Though she felt shy, she was also warm and happy, as if she'd fallen into a gentle trap and been caught in a hunter's snare.
At that moment, she didn't want to part from Mu Zibai.
Wenren Lingmeng felt like a girl secretly tasting forbidden fruit: nervous yet delighted, savoring the thrill of sneaking a bite.
At the same time, she felt something—something like a fruit, about the size of a grape.
The fruit melted in her mouth, and Mu Zibai rose to his feet. He looked at the sleeping girl and waited a long, long time, though in reality only a quarter of an hour passed. Time dragged by like years.
Mu Zibai waited to see whether Wenren Lingmeng would wake up, his heart filled with anxiety.
He counted the seconds as they passed, tormented, wishing so much that the girl before him would open her beautiful eyes. But even after waiting for a long time, he saw no change in Wenren Lingmeng.
Perhaps the Flowing Enlightenment Fruit was useless after all.
Perfect. He'd wasted two hundred thousand points. But Mu Zibai didn't regret it. If she hadn't woken up this time, he'd have another chance next time.
Mu Zibai rubbed the bridge of his nose, lay down on the bed, and turned onto his side. He'd been in a fight and was exhausted. He wanted a good night's sleep.
But at that very moment, Wenren Lingmeng's finger twitched.
"What is this fruit?"
In the depths of her consciousness, where all was darkness, Wenren Lingmeng suddenly saw a patch of light. It was that fruit. Through the haze, she saw what it looked like.
It transformed into several strands of golden light, shining like the break of dawn and lighting the darkness in Wenren Lingmeng's heart.
Wenren Lingmeng reached out to touch the golden light before her. At its center was a strand of dazzling white light, tearing through the pitch-black night.
She shielded her eyes and, cautiously, peeked at the white light, welcoming the long-awaited dawn.
But the light was fleeting, as if it would vanish at any moment. Wenren Lingmeng sensed that this was her chance to wake up; if she missed it, she would fall back into darkness.
She didn't want to miss this chance. She lunged desperately toward that strand of white light.
I have to grab it!
But she couldn't catch up. Wenren Lingmeng panicked and clawed at it frantically.
"No!"
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out, and Wenren Lingmeng's eyes flew open. She looked at the unfamiliar room, then at her own hand.
"Did I just wake up?"
Wenren Lingmeng couldn't believe it. She had actually woken up just like that, exactly as in the fairy tale Mu Zibai had told her: the prince kissed the princess, and the princess awoke from her slumber.
It was all real. It felt so real.
She looked at her hand. It seemed like she'd just slapped something. That felt great!
"What fiend dares ambush me!"
Mu Zibai jolted awake as if from a nightmare and clutched his handsome face. His cheek burned as though someone had slapped him, and they'd hit him hard without holding back.
Damn it! Sneaking up on me while I was asleep? No honor! Haven't you heard that you don't hit people in the face?
He looked at Wenren Lingmeng, who was examining him. Her phoenix eyes were flawless, like the finishing stroke that brought a painting to life.
The sleeping princess had awakened?
Mu Zibai had a thousand things to say, but now he couldn't get a word out. He'd completely forgotten the bright red handprint on his face.
Wenren Lingmeng silently examined Mu Zibai. So this was her husband? He was just as she'd imagined: refined, yet with a warrior's spirit, and rather handsome.
"You're awake?"
Before you continue