The moonlight is like frost, and the night is silent and cold.
Gusts of wind blow through the trees, sinking the shadows down, stacking them between the window bars, blurring into a piece of ink marks diffused by water.
The rustling sound of branches and leaves reaches the ears of two people inside the house.
A faint fragrance seems to linger in the nose, a cool and mysterious scent.
A young master dressed in thin snow-white clothes has his robe slightly open, his satin-like dense black hair still moist, now messily draped over his shoulders, with some strands sticking to the side of his ear.
At this moment, he lowers his eyes, looking at the girl wrapped haphazardly in a blanket in his arms like a silkworm cocoon, his usually calm and waveless eyes filled with indescribable astonishment and even a bit of panic.
And the girl whose waist he holds stares at him with wide eyes, her whole being remaining stupefied for a while before reacting.
She suddenly widens her apricot-shaped eyes.
In such a long night, the lamplight inside the house moistens her pupils with a layer of faint warmth, like the sparkling light of the sun shimmering on a lake’s surface, blurrily reflecting his face.
The lingering light smoke inside the house makes everything appear somewhat dreamlike and hazy, like the illusory scenes she has dreamed of.
Again… dreaming?
Xie Tao blinks her eyes, staring at the disheveled young master before her, feeling her cheeks grow a bit warm.
How can she have such an improper dream?
But she couldn’t help looking at his flawless face a few times, her mind wavering as if the faint fragrance in her nose intensified.
Perhaps feeling like she was in a dream, she hesitated for a moment, then suddenly reached out her hand.
Her fingertips curled in mid-air, paused, and at the moment the young master frowned with a trace of confusion in his eyes, she poked his cheek with her fingertip.
Wei Yun was startled by her sudden action, his crow-feather-like eyelashes trembling, his back stiffening even more.
The touch on his cheek was cool, and then another night wind blew in through the window, brushing her cheek, making her unconsciously sneeze.
Now, she was truly awakened.
The touch of her fingertips seemed especially real, and the wind that blew on her face cleared her mind a lot.
The smoke from the incense burner on the table gradually faded, and everything around her, which was slightly hazy, began to become clear enough, not like a blurred dream.
Xie Tao opens her eyes wide, her mouth slightly agape, completely stiffened.
And when Wei Yun heard her sneeze, his brows furrowed again, he pursed his thin lips, seeming to hesitate for a moment, and then directly picked up the girl wrapped in the blanket, walked to his bed, placed her on it, and then pulled over his brocade quilt, wrapping her in another layer.
Even in winter, Wei Yun always disliked having charcoal fire in the room, finding even the finest smokeless coal unbearable.
But at this moment, he felt that it was indeed appropriate to have some charcoal fire in the room.
Xie Tao, stunned, let him wrap her in another layer of blanket, her eyes continuously fixed on the young master’s face, almost without blinking.
She seemed as if struck by lightning, frozen in place.
When she finally looked around the room, she found everything ancient and unfamiliar, only the person in front of her still looked familiar.
Xie Tao could hardly believe what she was seeing.
Wasn’t she sleeping?
And at this moment, Wei Yun also finally confirmed that the packet of gold powder given to him by Sheng Yue Qi indeed had the power to break through the limits of time and space, allowing her to appear before him.
The candlelight on the table had sparks jumping, the melted wax flowing down, gradually solidifying.
Wei Yun and the girl wrapped in two layers of blankets beside him sat at the edge of the bed and remained silent for a long time without uttering a word.
Before they met, she always had a lot to say.
It all seemed so natural.
But now, no longer separated by vast distances of time and space, no longer obstructed by numerous barriers, they both fell silent without agreement.
There was an indescribable awkward atmosphere.
“…What exactly is going on?” After a while, Xie Tao finally found her voice again.
She looked at him cautiously.
Wei Yun coughed lightly, then briefly explained the situation to her.
Upon hearing this, Xie Tao’s gaze settled on the seemingly ordinary incense burner on the purple sandalwood table not far away.
At this moment, no wisps of smoke were drifting from its carved openings.
“…You mean, you lit a type of incense, and then I came here?”
Xie Tao found all of this incredibly unbelievable.
Wei Yun silently nodded.
“What kind of incense is it? May I see it?”
She asked eagerly.
Without a word, Wei Yun got up, walked to the table, picked up the brocade bag he had casually placed there, and handed it to Xie Tao when he returned to the side of the bed.
Xie Tao took it, and before opening, she could tell by touch that it was something like flowing sand.
Upon opening the bag, she found it contained something like gold dust.
“Is… is this incense?”
She held the bag of gold dust, looking at Wei Yun.
She had never seen such incense before.
“I only wanted to try it, but…”
Wei Yun did not continue.
He had never imagined that the day they truly met would be so unexpectedly awkward.
Xie Tao chuckled dryly, holding the brocade bag and sneaking a glance at Wei Yun’s profile, not knowing why, but she felt even more nervous.
It was truly a miraculous event.
But then again, during such a long period, had she not seen plenty of unbelievable things?
Xie Tao glanced towards the half-open window, seeing the scattered moonlight, the swaying shadows of trees in the yard, and even the occasional crisp sound of copper bells blown by the wind under the eaves.
“Wow…”
Xie Tao, holding the blanket, sighed in amazement.
She had only seen such houses in historical TV dramas before.
Suddenly finding herself in another world, driven by curiosity, Xie Tao was about to throw off the blanket and get down from the bed.
Wei Yun immediately grabbed her hand that was about to throw away the blanket, frowning, “What are you doing?”
Xie Tao suddenly felt her wrist being grabbed, and her back stiffened. Her eyelashes trembled, and she was even somewhat afraid to meet his eyes. Her face flushed, and she stammered for a while, her voice much lower when she spoke, “I… want to go outside to have a look.”
“It’s cold on a winter night, and your cold has just gotten better. Have you not learned your lesson?” Wei Yun was somewhat displeased, but seeing her droop her head, he couldn’t help but soften his voice, “Since you’ve come over, there’s no rush at this moment.”
Listening to his cool voice so close to her, Xie Tao bowed her head and responded softly.
Through the phone, she had heard his voice countless times, but now, he was truly sitting beside her, and his voice in her ears seemed even clearer and more melodious.
“Wait, then, can I not go back?!” Xie Tao suddenly looked up, realizing an important issue.
Without waiting for Wei Yun to speak, she hurriedly said, “What about my bank card?”
“…” Wei Yun had not expected that to be her first concern.
“And my homework! The final exams are coming, and I have so many papers not written yet!!”
Xie Tao had planned to wake up early the next morning to start on her homework… but when she opened her eyes, the world had changed.
Hearing this, a somewhat inexplicable smile appeared in Wei Yun’s eyes.
“You are quite studious.”
Xie Tao’s face flushed again, and she buried half of her face in the quilt, leaving only her eyes exposed, looking at him.
It was deep into the night, a time when countless people were deep in sleep.
Later, Xie Tao lay on Wei Yun’s bed, covered with two layers of quilts, half-awake, looking at Wei Yun sitting on the edge of the bed.
She heard him say, “Go to sleep.”
His voice seemed intentionally softened, with a bit of gentleness, making it sound to her like fine rain and wind, enchanting.
“What about you?”
The medicine Xie Tao took before sleep made her drowsy, and even after such a miraculous event halfway through, she quickly became sleepy again after calming down.
Wei Yun, being looked at with such eyes, felt a bit unnatural and turned his head slightly, but his voice was still calm enough, “Don’t worry about me, go to sleep.”
As if his voice also had a hypnotic effect, she struggled to keep her eyes closed but soon opened them again, deliberately widening them and shaking her head.
Suddenly, she stretched out a hand from under the quilt, bravely grabbing one of his fingers.
The touch was extremely light, she dared not apply any force.
And Wei Yun was stiffened by her action, his breathing also becoming stagnant.
“I really… saw you.”
She suddenly said.
As if her voice was a bit blurred because of the drowsiness.
She giggled, revealing a few white and neat teeth, “Wei Yun, I’m especially happy…”
Can I still go back?
Such a question was put aside at this moment, perhaps because her mind was already somewhat muddled to think further. She just looked at the young man before her, her heart and eyes filled only with joy.
She just looked at him, unable to help but smile.
Wei Yun listened to her soft voice, and the coldness in his brows and eyes seemed to melt slightly in an instant. He moved his fingers and finally reached out, gently touching her hair, yet remained silent throughout.
Inside, it felt as if a peaceful and tranquil corner had opened up, blooming with a bunch of Acorus calamus, just like the one she had given him, which fell like clouds and snow, covering the ground.
Like a kitten, when he touched her hair, Xie Tao rubbed her head forward and still smiled foolishly.
Eventually, she even wriggled under the blanket for a while, until her head rested on Wei Yun’s knee, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Can I sleep like this?” she asked him, holding the blanket and blushing.
Her eyes seemed to be filled with hope.
Wei Yun’s Adam’s apple moved, and he stiffened up, sitting there with a straight back, looking relaxed, yet his ears suddenly felt a bit hot.
At that moment, Xie Tao fell asleep without waiting for Wei Yun’s response, her mouth slightly open, breathing softly.
And Wei Yun just sat there at the edge of the bed, not daring to move.
The book in his hand had fallen to the ground, and he couldn’t bend down to pick it up. He could only lower his gaze, looking at her face, unmoving for a long time.
Until the candle on the table had burned halfway, Wei Yun leaned against the bedpost, still maintaining that stiff posture, unknowingly closing his eyes.
But his sleep was always shallow, almost at the moment when a slight, bell-like sound came again, he suddenly opened his eyes.
The girl who had been lying on his knee, along with the two blankets covering her, had already disappeared without a trace.
