CHAPTER 345: 0218

There is a peculiar place between heaven and earth, situated amidst the dark and vast mountains and seas, rooting itself deep within the ocean.

In the coolness, palaces and pavilions gather, and a stream flows down from the mountain at an extremely leisurely pace, as if it is not water flowing, but time itself.

The entire courtyard is pitch-black, with only a few windows in the central small building showing a hint of light, flickering sporadically... Yet it is precisely these sparse lights that bring a strong sense of dissonance and dread to the environment, like ghostly flames guiding from afar, ready at any moment to swallow anyone who approaches.

Hm.

The lady indeed feels like eating someone right now, in the literal sense.

——

Under the lantern of the small building, Xu Chang’an stood leaning on the railing, admiring the pitch-black palaces within his view... Or perhaps it should be called an estate?

Oh yes, his appearance here to enjoy the scenery was not due to idleness, nor was it because he was tired of Yun Qian.

He had been driven out of the room by the lady.

After carefully preparing the lotus seed cakes Yun Qian wanted, and after planning to enjoy them together with her... Yun Qian suddenly asked him to step outside for a walk, as if there was something she couldn’t let him see.

This was quite strange.

Isn’t this his own dream?

How come, does he subconsciously wish for the lady to kick him off the bed and drive him out of the house?

Xu Chang’an recalled the feeling of being stepped on by Yun Qian and twitched his mouth.

He was not someone with special preferences.

And yet... what is this Miss Yun planning to do?

Well, to be honest, even in dreams, Yun Qian cannot hide her emotions before him, asking him to leave and return in a quarter of an hour clearly means she is preparing something.

Is she planning to give him a surprise?

Xu Chang’an glanced back in the direction of Yun Qian’s room and shook his head.

From here, it was evident that this truly was a dream, because... the real Miss Yun would never behave like a little girl so obviously preparing to give him a surprise...

No.

A scene flashed through Xu Chang’an’s mind of a day when Yun Qian suddenly used red silk to cover her eyes, transforming herself into bait, realizing the lady is capable of such actions.

Of course, the gap between the theoretical capability and Yun Qian actually doing it in reality spanned night and day.

Xu Chang’an couldn’t help but smile... but alongside joy, there was also a bit of melancholy and self-critique.

Miss Yun is the best, how could he let his disappointment with the dream-version of the lady extend to the real Miss Yun.

That would be too callous.

It’s akin to neglecting one’s wife and falling in love with an identical jade statue.

He could not become such a person.

"Some... anticipation." Xu Chang’an murmured.

He was genuinely curious about what kind of surprise the lady could bring him... Well, although it’s said to be the lady’s surprise, since it’s his dream, it is actually what his own heart desires the most deeply.

Xu Chang’an did not entirely understand his own heart.

He couldn’t help but let out a laugh, the young man’s voice echoed over the dark island, adding to the eerie atmosphere with its resonance.

Xu Chang’an suddenly remembered teasing Yun Qian while eating the lotus seed cakes a while ago.

"..."

He counted himself as a gentle husband, so he did nothing much, it was just a rare show of assertiveness.

It was rare to have a beautiful dream, he must leave some wonderful memories.

In reality, he couldn’t do such things, so wasn’t it fair to practice on the dream-version lady?

Dreams are wonderful.

Xu Chang’an sighed.

He could shamelessly flirt with Miss Yun, watching her ears turn red, pretending to remain calm but her eyelashes betraying her with a tremble.

But next time he must be cautious, not to tease while Yun Qian is eating pastries, his sudden call of "wife" almost caused Yun Qian to choke on the lotus seed cake...

Thinking of Yun Qian’s serene and profound gaze, Xu Chang’an wondered if he was driven out because of such mischief.

Stretching lazily, Xu Chang’an gazed at the water flowing down from the mountain, its pace felt incredibly slow to him... perhaps because this river represented the flow of time in the real world?

Although in a dream, Xu Chang’an could feel that not much time had passed outside, not a mere guess, but a distinct sensation he possessed.

He thought he was a bit reluctant to leave.

Yun Qian’s reactions were truly fascinating.

A high-attack, low-defense girl is always adorable, usually able to speak her feelings unscrupulously, but his occasional counterattack could drive her to speechlessness.

Xu Chang’an was ninety percent confident that if he were to say the words and perform the actions towards the real Yun Qian as he did towards the dream-version, the reaction received would be indistinguishable from what he just experienced.

After all, the Yun Qian in the dream was also modeled after his understanding of her, her every move followed a logic not straying far from the lady’s.

Coming back to his senses, Xu Chang’an found his hands gripping the railing in front strong enough to show his moved heart.

Sighing.

"Swayed by the dream version of the lady... if she is high-attack, low-defense, then wouldn’t I be low-attack, low-defense." Xu Chang’an pinched his wrist, feeling hopelessly smitten with the lady.

Indeed.

The effect of force is mutual.

The "injury" he suffered was not much less than Yun Qian’s.

"I mustn’t dwell on it anymore."

Xu Chang’an immediately realized he needed to distract himself.

But once distracted, he noticed some odd places... some corners of the island seemed bizarrely unfamiliar, appearing neglected to his professional steward’s eyes, as if they hadn’t been tended to in a long time.

During his time on the island, every courtyard and room remained organized, he wouldn’t allow any place to be uncared for.

Strange.

Xu Chang’an blinked, pondering if it might be because he imagined after leaving the island, a place without residents would end up such a mess.

"It can’t be..." Xu Chang’an shook his head, he had every reason to believe that in his absence, the place would be well-maintained by Yun Qian’s family.

"Yes, family."

Thinking of this serious matter, Xu Chang’an’s gaze swept over the expanse of the darkened palaces.

He had often wondered before if someone from Yun Qian’s side was covertly watching over... then from where would they spy on him?

Firstly, it certainly wouldn’t be on the island.

Regarding this, Yun Qian had assured him more than once, the island only contained the two of them.

No other existence could observe the happenings within, so——whatever he desired to do with her was permissible.

Well, Yun Qian’s latter sentence had rendered him speechless back then as her steward, flushed and refraining from further questions about her family.

Now thinking back, that was not simply a diversionary tactic, but her heartfelt words indeed.