Wen Xian did not know how things suddenly developed to this step. Right now, she was wearing sleepwear, lying on Shen Lingge’s bed. He was embracing her from behind, his warm chest pressing against her back.
Above her head was his slightly deep breathing sound.
The moment Wen Xian moved, the hand on her waist tightened. She could only obediently stay in his arms. The darkness made her even more sensitive than usual. She could not help but softly say: “Shen Lingge, like this I cannot fall asleep.”
Shen Lingge rubbed his chin against her soft hair. He spoke in a low voice: “When Xian Xian was little, how did you sleep?”
Wen Xian nervously pinched the edge of the pillow. She thought for a while before responding: “When I was little, Mama accompanied me to sleep. Papa would tell me stories. After I went to kindergarten, I would sleep by myself.”
After speaking, she softly added again: “Xian Xian was very obedient when little.”
The chest behind her slightly vibrated. He chuckled lowly and asked: “What stories would Papa tell Xian Xian?”
Wen Xian blinked in the darkness: “The special train in the apple field.”
Shen Lingge: “……”
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent, because he completely had never heard this story. He frowned slightly thinking for a while before saying: “I’ll tell you a story I listened to when I was little.”
Wen Xian softly responded.
When Shen Lingge was little, his parents were very busy. He lived following by Grandfather and Grandmother’s side, and his Grandfather had a hobby, which was collecting antiques. So he could always hear his Grandfather telling some strange and bizarre stories.
He spoke slowly: “During the Republican era, there once was a face-fish-pattern mirror that was extremely popular. It was rumored that it was passed down from the Feng Dynasty East King period. At that time, on the shore of the East Sea, whenever the moon was full, there would be jiaoren [鲛人, literally ‘merfolk’ or ‘mermaid people’ in Chinese legend] leaning on the shore singing songs to the moon. Suddenly one night, there was a scholar rushing to the capital for the imperial examination who passed by the East Sea’s shore. He originally wanted to find a fishing village to stay over, but unexpectedly met this jiaoren.”
“He was shocked by the scene of the full moon, deep sea, and jiaoren, and took out his flute to play a song for the jiaoren. That jiaoren had never shed tears, but just after listening to that song, actually shed tears. The tears turned into pearls. She gave the pearls to that scholar.”
“But this scholar was moved by greed upon seeing wealth. He originally wanted to deceive the jiaoren into shedding more tears, but the jiaoren did not wish to as he desired. During their quarrel, he accidentally killed that jiaoren. Coincidentally, at that time the scholar happened to carry a face-fish-pattern mirror, and that jiaoren’s vengeful spirit attached itself to that mirror.”
When Wen Xian heard up to here, she could not help but grasp Shen Lingge’s left hand. Her head leaned on Shen Lingge’s left arm and rubbed against it, her whole person curling up closer to him.
Shen Lingge held Wen Xian tighter and continued: “Later, that scholar mysteriously died even before reaching the capital. That mirror then changed owners. Following the changes of the times, this mirror was passed down until the Republican era.”
His voice suddenly lightened: “But afterwards, the people possessing that mirror all died one after another. Everyone’s manner of death was all different, but the only same thing was — beside each person’s corpse would be left behind a pearl, exactly the same as… as when the scholar died back then.”
Wen Xian: “………..”
Wen Xian finally could not help but turn around, reaching out to tightly hug Shen Lingge. She whimpered: “I don’t want to listen anymore, I want to sleep, wuwu, I’m not leaving, I want to sleep together with you.”
Wen Xian pitifully.
Shen Lingge contentedly hugged his beloved girl full in his arms. He spoke in a low voice to comfort: “Xian Xian don’t be afraid, legends are all fake, I’m here.”
Right now, Wen Xian completely could not care about Shen Lingge. She only tightly closed her eyes, holding onto the only warmth by her side. She had never before hoped so much to fall asleep as soon as possible.
When Shen Lingge noticed the person in his arms was continuously trembling lightly, he regretted. He originally only wanted to keep her by his side, but did not expect her to be this scared.
He hurriedly lightly patted her back coaxing: “Xian Xian, this story is fake. Back then my Grandfather was also only telling it as a joke to me. How could there be such a mirror.”
Wen Xian did not respond, only curling up at the side of his neck.
Shen Lingge lightly sighed in his heart, from now on he really could not scare her again.
He did not know how long had passed before the person in his arms’ breathing finally slowly calmed down. He reached out his hand to smooth the hair on her forehead. She curled up into a small ball, falling asleep in his arms.
Shen Lingge tenderly dropped a light kiss on her forehead. He spoke in a low voice: “Silly or not, even scared but still not interrupting me.”
Sometimes Wen Xian bared fangs and brandished claws looking like a little hedgehog, but in her heart she was incomparably soft. No matter whether towards him or towards Chang Shang, and everyone in the villa.
She once had lost, so she treasured all the more what she had now.
Shen Lingge once thought, if only he could have met Wen Xian earlier.
But he immediately realized, at that time he was young and arrogant, and Wen Xian was also the high-up princess, perhaps they would have looked down on each other.
At this moment, not early nor late.
Just right.
…
The next day after Shen Lingge got up, Wen Xian hugged the blanket and stayed in place for a while before also obediently getting up, running back to her own room to brush teeth, wash face, change clothes. She kept thinking about sending him off to the airport.
The last two times she had not been able to send him off. This time, she did not want to see him leave alone.
In the car, Wen Xian thought about the matter from before falling asleep last night. She could not help but softly complain: “Shen Lingge, next time if you scare me like that again, I won’t pay attention to you.”
Shen Lingge immediately admitted fault: “There won’t be a next time.”
Seeing his sincere attitude in admitting fault, Wen Xian did not keep arguing with him. She grabbed him and started nagging about things after going abroad: “Even if busy you still have to remember to eat, at night don’t always be so busy you overdo it, if there’s no time no need to call me, if there’s time just reply a few messages is enough.”
Shen Lingge listened with full patience to her chirping these trivial little things beside his ear. To every sentence he gave a low response. After arriving at the airport, Shen Lingge did not let Wen Xian get out of the car to send him off, instructing the driver to send her back to the company.
Wen Xian rolled down the car window, looking at Shen Lingge with wide eyes. She really could not bear to part with him.
Shen Lingge lowered his eyes looking at her, after a while only then reaching out his hand to rub her hair: “These two months Xian Xian must listen to the housekeeper and Duoduo, understand? If you miss me just call me, your calls I can answer anytime.”
Wen Xian pressed her lips: “Got it, you hurry up and go.”
Shen Lingge looked at her and spoke in a calm voice: “Drive.”
As his voice fell, the driver slowly started the car. But Wen Xian still leaned against the window looking back at him. Only when the car drove far and she could no longer see his figure did she gloomily close the window.
And Shen Lingge stood at the same place all along. The bodyguard behind him glanced down at the time, carefully reminded: “Young Master, the captain is already waiting for you.”
Shen Lingge withdrew his gaze, slender fingertips touching his cuff, lightly turning once before he turned around and walked towards the passage.
Shen Lingge’s expression was indifferent as he walked towards the business passage, but his heart seemed to have gone far away along with Wen Xian. If Wen Xian said one sentence to make him stay, he would very likely just throw this project to someone else.
—
After the weekend, the Wen family villa to Wen Xian seemed to become a bit empty. When she went out to work she was still not quite used to it, always feeling like she could hear Shen Lingge’s slightly cold voice speaking beside her ear.
She sighed in worry.
Duoduo was still lowering her head checking the number of snacks she brought her today. Hearing her sigh, she quickly turned her head and asked: “Miss, what’s wrong with you?”
Wen Xian shook her head. She only discovered she seemed to be more and more greedy for the warmth of being together with Shen Lingge. These years she had taken so much effort to get used to living alone. These days felt like heaven’s grace.
But afterwards?
Would there be a future for her and Shen Lingge?
Wen Xian’s heart was a complete blank.
These days, Shen Lingge seemed very busy. The place he went to had a seven-hour time difference with the domestic side. When Wen Xian got up, perhaps he had just fallen asleep. When Wen Xian was preparing to sleep, he was still busy having meetings.
But even so, Wen Xian could still receive messages from Shen Lingge every day. Occasionally, he would make her a video call.
Just like that, time passed day by day.
This day, when Shen Lingge finished his social engagement and returned to the hotel, it was already one o’clock in the morning. Assistant Xiao Song was supporting him while walking into the room. His steps were slightly unsteady. Xiao Song spoke worriedly: “Sir, I’ll go prepare some hangover soup for you.”
Tonight when they went out, it rained. Even with an umbrella, there were still raindrops splashed onto his expensive suit. Xiao Song took a towel and wiped the rainwater on Shen Lingge’s shoulder.
Shen Lingge slightly shook his head: “No need. You go back and rest.”
After Shen Lingge sat down on the sofa, he closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa. Assistant Xiao Song poured him a cup of warm water and then left lightly on his steps. Tomorrow morning at seven, Shen Lingge still had to attend a meeting.
Shen Lingge frowned as he loosened his tie. Only after unbuttoning two more buttons did he feel a bit better. He had drunk quite a lot today, the depths of his eyes were already dyed with drunkenness.
And the longing for Wen Xian that he had originally been suppressing also surged out at this time. His heart was pressed so much by the surging emotions that it hurt dully.
Shen Lingge picked up his phone and glanced at the time. One ten in the morning. On the domestic side, it was eight ten. Usually at this time Wen Xian was already awake, but today was the weekend.