She asked with a trembling voice, "Are you sure you want to do it here?"
After a pause, she added in a very worried whisper, "My mom is sleeping in her room. What if she has insomnia and isn't asleep..."
There was a look of concern on her face.
Alex was also a bit conflicted. "This... in the middle of the night, a man and a woman alone together, are we supposed to just chat until dawn?"
After saying that, he felt he was being too much of a beast and not respecting her, so he changed his tune: "Actually, I don't necessarily have to do that. It's just that I couldn't help myself when I saw you. If you're really unwilling, we can just chat instead."
"Chatting is also noisy." She paused and then said with an exceptionally gentle expression, "Actually, I asked you to come just because I wanted to see you. Every night when I can't sleep, I always end up like this, thinking about many, many things, and my mood gets worse and worse."
Alex quickly squeezed her hand. "If it happens again in the future, no matter when it is, you must find me. Even if it's just to keep you company and chat, I'd be more than willing."
He felt that Chen Luoqiu's mental state might be a bit problematic and didn't dare let her mood sink any further, racking his brains to say something nice.
Chen Luoqiu nodded with relief. "I understand. If I'm in a bad mood in the future, I'll definitely find you. Seeing you always makes me happy."
Alex said, "Me too. It's so late now, let me hold you while we sleep. I'll leave quietly after you fall asleep."
He lay down and embraced the girl beside him. His movements were gentle, without a hint of lust, afraid of disturbing her.
Chen Luoqiu curled up in his arms and narrowed her eyes comfortably.
After a while, she opened her eyes with a smile. "I don't want to sleep so soon. You came all this way. If nothing happens between us, even I would feel regretful."
Hearing her say this, Alex immediately felt his very bones go soft, as if he had eaten ice cream on a hot summer day. At the same time, the fire of impulse he had managed to suppress began to blaze again.
Chen Luoqiu leaned in close, her hot breath brushing against his ear, making it feel itchy. He heard her gentle voice say in his ear, "Although I really want to give myself to you, it's still my first time in reality. I might not be able to help crying out in pain, and I'm afraid of waking my mom. So... you know what to do, right?"
"What do you mean?" Alex was puzzled.
Chen Luoqiu was a bit embarrassed. "I mean, we'll do it for real, but pretend..."
After saying that, she fidgeted for a while and then, under Alex's disbelieving gaze, turned around so her back was facing him.
.
Alex even held his breath. Just as he felt his endurance was being roasted over a fire, he suddenly heard a "clatter" from the room.
"What was that sound?" he asked quickly.
"My mom probably woke up." Chen Luoqiu was also a bit nervous and didn't dare move.
"Then what should we do?" Alex became even more nervous. It would be incredibly embarrassing if Chen Luoqiu's mother discovered him.
Chen Luoqiu thought for a moment and whispered to him, "I'll go in and check. You lie still and don't move. Cover yourself with the quilt. It won't be obvious if the lights are off."
...
PS: Changed to free updates.
Alex nodded to show he understood, then remembered that Chen Luoqiu's back was to him and she couldn't see him nod, so he nudged her with his hand.
Before he could register the feeling, there was more movement from the room. It seemed Chen Luoqiu's mother had gotten out of bed.
Chen Luoqiu also hurriedly sat up. She put on her slippers and walked into the room with a pitter-patter. Alex lay on the bed alone, his head covered by the quilt, leaving a small gap to observe the movement outside.
He could hear vague conversation coming from the room, but couldn't quite make it out. Then, Alex saw a slender figure being supported by Chen Luoqiu as they walked out of the room in the darkness. They seemed to be planning to go to the bathroom.
Alex didn't dare breathe. Fortunately, the bed was in a corner, and Chen Luoqiu intentionally blocked the view with her body as she helped her mother into the bathroom, not looking at the corner at all.
Alex let out a long breath. He thought it was so dangerous that maybe he should just go back, but then he thought that Chen Luoqiu's mother was already awake and might notice the sound of the door opening, so he dismissed the idea.
The bathroom wasn't big enough and it was easy to bump into things, so Chen Luoqiu had to turn on the light.
Seeing that she was only wearing a top, Yu Youwei chided, "Why aren't you wearing pants? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"
Chen Luoqiu instinctively pressed her legs together, realizing she had been in such a hurry that she hadn't even had time to put on her pajama pants. She stammered, "I... I couldn't find them for a moment..."
It was originally just a question out of concern, but Yu Youwei sensed something unusual in her daughter's speech. Her daughter wasn't usually so careless.
She turned her head and looked her daughter up and down. Her gaze paused for a split second in the middle, and then she pretended as if nothing was wrong and looked elsewhere, only adding a meaningful warning: "Take care of your health."
Chen Luoqiu felt her face burning. She urged, "Hurry up. I'm very sleepy and have to get up early tomorrow."
Yu Youwei said nothing and sat down on the toilet.
Chen Luoqiu remembered something and quickly turned to close the door, but she was a bit late.
Seeing this, Yu Youwei said dismissively, "It's just the two of us at home. Is it necessary to close the door?"
Chen Luoqiu didn't know how to answer her and felt a bit frustrated.
After a moment, Chen Luoqiu helped Yu Youwei back to her room and then tiptoed back to her own bed.
Just as she climbed in and lay down, she first felt how warm the covers were, and then a pair of strong arms reached over and held her tight.
She tilted her head slightly, her bright eyes staring at Alex, and asked softly, "Did you hear any strange noises just now?"
"No."
Alex shook his head. "The soundproofing of the bathroom might be a bit poor." She seemed a bit troubled.
Alex said, "Speaking of the bathroom, I just remembered I need to use it too. Is it okay to go now?"
"Just don't make any noise," Chen Luoqiu whispered. Her mother had mobility issues, so there was no chance of her suddenly appearing and catching Alex red-handed while he was in the middle of it.
A while later, Alex returned to the covers and whispered with the girl, their faces nuzzling intimately. Both of their emotions were running high, as if they were experiencing the thrill of doing something bad behind their elder's back.
After a long time, Alex couldn't help but ask, "Shall we continue what we were doing just now?"
Chen Luoqiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
After another while, she bit her finger and shook her head: "Better not, we'll get caught."
...
Alex touched her forehead and found it was covered in sweat, caused by her excitement; after all, forces are mutual, and he wasn't the only one feeling aroused.
Alex also felt it was inappropriate, so he had to dismiss his lewd thoughts. He held the young girl in his arms without moving further, intending to lull her to sleep before leaving.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Held in his embrace, Chen Luoqiu's expression changed, and she asked him in a low voice.
Alex said: "It's fine, go to sleep early."
"You should sleep too. I'll wake you up tomorrow morning and see you off." Chen Luoqiu said, gently stroking his face.
Alex gave a wry smile; how could he possibly fall asleep like this?
"If only we could meet in our dreams after falling asleep." Chen Luoqiu sighed: "If we entered that realistic dream world, we could do whatever we wanted without worrying about my mom finding out. It's rare for you to come see me, and I'm really unwilling to have tonight end so hastily."
Hearing this, a thought suddenly struck Alex. He could enter the dream world! He still had three movie tickets; if he wanted to enter, he could do it right now.
But Alex was very worried that after entering the dream, Chen Luoqiu would find the dream world better and not want to return to reality.
He heard Chen Luoqiu continue: "I really like that dream. Even if I don't live in it forever, it's nice to treat it as a second life. When others sleep, they just sleep, and the time passes meaninglessly. But for us, having the dream world means we live twice as long as others out of thin air."
Alex agreed with this point: "Indeed, the dream world is very significant to us."
Chen Luoqiu buried her head in his chest and said wistfully: "I really don't want to go through the days of waking up from nightmares at night and feeling incredibly lonely again. I used to suffer from insomnia and poor sleep often, but ever since I met you in my dreams, I've gone to sleep every night full of anticipation, thinking about meeting you in the dream. Even during the day, I feel much happier. My mental state improved a lot during that time, but after I couldn't enter that dream again, that despairing mental state slowly returned. Alex, do you think I'm sick?"
The girl's dejected words made Alex's heart twitch, and he suddenly felt a great deal of pity for her.
He hugged her gently and said firmly: "Don't think too much, go to sleep. In the dream, we will meet. I promise."
"I'm looking forward to it. I really am a bit sleepy and want to sleep. Hold me a little tighter."
She murmured her request, and Alex held her tightly. Before long, he felt her breathing become steady.
Alex looked down and saw the girl frowning in her sleep. Pitying her, Alex kissed her forehead, took out a movie ticket, and used it without hesitation.
A wave of sleepiness swept over him, and he too drifted into dreamland.
After a moment of disorientation, Alex opened his eyes, only to find himself still on the same bed, with Chen Luoqiu still in his arms.
He was slightly stunned. Did the dream entry fail?
At this moment, Chen Luoqiu in his arms opened her eyes and stared blankly at him. A moment later, her face suddenly blossomed into a smile: "Welcome to my dream world."
"Your dream?"
Alex was stunned. His gaze fell on the old clock hanging on the wall; its hands had stopped moving, and a spider in the corner of the ceiling, which had been catching a mosquito, was also completely frozen.
...
Even time had paused; this was undoubtedly the dream world.
"Alex, do you know? Just now, when I was with you, I wished time would stop, so I had this dream."
The girl's voice was incredibly cheerful and full of surprise, and a playful look flashed across her eyes.
She then leaned in, locking eyes with Alex, her breath as sweet as orchids, her gaze soft and flowing like water.
Alex stared into her eyes, which shone in the dark night as if dotted with stars. Alex found it exceptionally beautiful and couldn't help but lean in and kiss her eyes.
After he finished kissing, she opened her eyes and smiled softly: "In this dream, no matter what we do, we won't be discovered."
Having said that, she lifted Alex's chin with her finger and looked him over wantonly, with a flirtatious air. Her soft hand also pressed against his chest, her fingertips grazing over it, giving him goosebumps.
Alex grabbed her hand and leaned in, finding the young girl's burning red lips and kissing them. The girl did not resist but instead wrapped her arms around his neck to respond.
It was like tasting a special vintage wine, with a romantic rose hue, exuding an elegant charm in the night, the fragrance of wine flowing between their lips.
This wine was elegant yet intense, naturally fermenting in the night, simply maddening, and one became intoxicated without even realizing it.
If you were to heat the wine over charcoal, the liquid would boil and emit a pleasant bubbling sound. The longer it was heated, the more mellow and fragrant the taste became, with every drop held in the mouth feeling like nectar.
Filling the wine glass, the sweet wine was crystal clear in the cup. Deep love lingered between their two hearts, and the rich aroma of the wine churned and sublimated within their emotions.
Alex became obsessed with the time spent accompanied by wine; the quiet, the beautiful, the elegant, the burning, the intense—all of it was within this single sip.
...
Chen Luoqiu lay on top of Alex, unwilling to get up. The pulse of the two fused into one made her feel as if she had died and then come back to life.
The clock on the wall had stopped, so the two were unsure how much time had passed, but it had been at least several hours. Even after being together for so long, they still didn't want to be apart for even a second.
After hugging for a while, Chen Luoqiu suddenly kissed Alex on the face with a strange smile: "I just remembered something. We were so focused on each other just now that we forgot one thing."
"What thing?" Alex asked, puzzled.
"When we were in the dream before, didn't I have several versions of myself? There's another me in this dream too, but we completely ignored her just now."
As Chen Luoqiu spoke, her gaze turned toward the closed door.
Alex widened his eyes: "Isn't there... in the room..."
"Of course it's not my mom. What are you thinking? This is my dream; how could my mom possibly come in?"
Chen Luoqiu glared at him impatiently.
Alex smiled awkwardly and asked curiously: "Tell me, what's the deal with those different versions of you? Will they appear again?"
"They can. Actually, they are equivalent to my clones, part of my own personality. In the dream, I can manifest them. Hmm, it's similar to the Shadow Clone Technique from the 'Memory Ninja' anime. You understand now, right?"
Chen Luoqiu gave an example. This world has 'Memory Ninja'. When she mentioned that, Alex understood.
"If you want to see them, wait a bit. There's something important to do now." Chen Luoqiu smiled slyly. She excitedly climbed up, took Alex's hand, and got out of bed: "Let's go, let's go in and comfort the other me."
With Chen Luoqiu's support, everything happened naturally. The experience is not something to be shared with outsiders, but vaguely, Alex seemed to see the other Chen Luoqiu change into a different face. When he blinked and looked again, it was Chen Luoqiu's normal face. It must have been an illusion.
In the outside world, in the room, on the small bed, Yu Youwei did not wake up; her moist skin was tinged with a flush of pink.
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