Cause and Effect

This kiss contained so much of the emotion he had been holding back in that terrifyingly real dream.

The terror of watching Little Aemeath sink in the icy lake, the helplessness of not being able to stay by her side any longer.

Only her rapid breathing and the passionate kisses between her lips could completely fill the emptiness in Lu Yan's heart, which had been hollowed out by the cold wind.

"Hmm... A-Yan ~"

Aemeath was so weak from his kisses that she could only climb onto his broad shoulders, her fingers unconsciously running through the short hair at the back of his head.

She could sense that Lu Yan was acting strangely this morning.

Although Lu Yan usually liked to cling to her in the early morning, he would never be as eager for her as he was now.

Only when Aemeath felt a little uncomfortable did she gently bite Lu Yan's lower lip.

"Hiss..." Lu Yan felt a sharp pain between his lips and teeth, and only then did he reluctantly release her lips.

Aemeath lay on Lu Yan's chest, panting heavily.

Her bright and beautiful face was now flushed with an alluring blush, and her eyes were glistening with moisture, making her look both charming and endearing.

She took a deep breath, traced circles on Lu Yan's firm chest with her fingers, and looked up at him with a mixture of reproach and concern:

"Why are you acting like a pervert today? And... why did you sleep for so long before waking up?"

Aemeath finished speaking, a sly smile crept onto her lips. She leaned close to Lu Yan's ear and teased him in a soft, sweet voice:

"What's wrong? Did I... make you too tired last night? Is that why you couldn't get out of bed this morning?"

Haha~

Upon hearing this blatant teasing, Lu Yan inevitably recalled the passionate lovemaking they had shared on this large bed the previous night.

But he didn't continue flirting with Aemeath at this moment.

The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by an unusual seriousness.

He reached out and gently Aemeath's pink hair, which had fallen across his cheek, behind her ear. His fingertips caressed her warm cheek as he whispered:

"It's not because of last night. It's because I had a very long and very vivid lucid dream."

"A lucid dream?" Aemeath paused, her curiosity successfully piqued. "What kind of dream?"

I dreamt of you. But it was you when you were a child.

Lu Yan's gaze traveled through the bedroom ceiling, as if returning to the snow-covered Royan Frostlands.

His voice carried a hint of reminiscence. "I dreamt that I suddenly appeared on a vast, snow-covered ice field."

"It was bitterly cold there; I was wearing only a thin nightgown, shivering with cold. Then, I met the Rover..."

When she heard "Royan Frostlands" and "The Rover, "Aemeath was lying on Lu Yan's chest, stiffened slightly for half a second, but she concealed it very well and just listened quietly.

"Later, we heard a splash."

Lu Yan's arms tightened unconsciously, holding Aemeath even closer. "I immediately remembered the time you fell into the water as a child and rushed over. I saw you struggling and sinking in the water."

I jumped into the water and pulled you out...

Aemeath's breath caught in her throat for a moment.

'Does A-Yan remember now? Or...?'

Lu Yan, oblivious to her unusual behavior, continued, "In your dream, you were terrified, your eyes were so empty it was heartbreaking, and you clutched the amulet tightly in your hand, refusing to let go."

"Because you're afraid of forgetting your parents, you'd rather stay on the icy plains than return to Glimmering Forest."

"To appease you, I could only let you hold onto me while you slept. Later, because I also fell asleep, I disappeared in my dreams for seven days. When I reappeared, you all thought I was dead. To make you happy, I took you to the ice field to play with that herd of Snowy Fluff Leopard."

As Lu Yan finished speaking, he looked down at Aemeath in his arms, his eyes filled with emotion:

"That dream was so real, so real that I can still feel the soft, doughy texture of the Snowy Fluff Leopard, and your trembling hand when you grabbed my clothes."

A brief, deathly silence fell over the room.

Only the wall clock was ticking.

Looking at Aemeath, whose eyes were lowered and whose expression was hidden, Lu Yan suddenly had a somewhat absurd thought.

He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Aemeath... did you meet me on the Royan Frostlands when you were a child?"

"No, no!" Aemeath almost reflexively raised her head and denied it rapidly.

Her voice was even a little shrill because of the urgency, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Aemeath noticed the surprise in Lu Yan's eyes as he looked at her, and immediately realized that she had overreacted.

She quickly composed herself, trying to make her expression look natural, even forcing a smile, and then playfully punched Lu Yan in the chest.

"How could that be! Have you been reading too many novels? Traveling through time to save me and all that? That's so melodramatic! It's clearly just you having too much on your mind, playing with Wuthering Waves and drawing pictures and trying to make up for what happened when I was little!"

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at her vehemently denying it.

Although Aemeath's explanation sounded plausible, he knew all too well how she lied.

Her momentary stiffness, and the way her eyes now dart away, avoiding his gaze, are all proof of this.

She's lying!

But Lu Yan did not expose her.

If she really did see me, why would she hide it? Was it to avoid worrying him? Or is there some unspeakable secret involved?

"Yeah, maybe I'm overthinking it."

Lu Yan smiled knowingly, raised his hand and pinched her soft cheek. "After all, if you had seen a man as handsome as me when you were little, you probably would have wanted to pounce on me the moment you saw me again."

"You're so vain!"

Aemeath slapped his hand away, gave him a coquettish glare, and then buried her face back in his chest.

But in a blind spot where Lu Yan couldn't see her, Aemeath's eyes instantly turned completely red.

She bit her lower lip hard, her hands gripping the sheets beneath her tightly, a storm raging within her.

Oh, I see... that's how it is.

I always thought he had forgotten the past like the Rover, but it turns out that everything was still in the works.

Aemeath's heart pounded wildly; an overwhelming sense of happiness made her want to burst into tears, to tell him: I remember! I've always remembered you!

But... she couldn't say.

Because at this point, A-Yan had only experienced one past.

In the future, he will surely return to her past again for some reason.

If all of this is exposed now, it will not only disrupt Lu Yan's dream trajectory, but may even trigger an unpredictable future.

More importantly, if things change, would the old me have stopped contacting him, leading to a different outcome for us?

Since this is a predetermined intersection of time and space, let it happen in the most natural way.

Aemeath took a deep breath, composed herself, and forcefully held back the tears welling up in her eyes.

When she looked up again, her face was once again adorned with that bright and carefree smile.

"Alright, stop thinking about your weird dreams!" Aemeath pushed herself off Lu Yan with both hands on the bed.

She turned around, casually gathered her long pink hair behind her head, and made a playful face at Lu Yan on the bed:

"Lazy cat! Get up and wash up!"

"I'm going to make breakfast. If you're not out in ten minutes, your fried egg is mine!"

After saying that, Aemeath fled the bedroom like a gust of wind.