Chapter 267: Awake and Sleepless, Tossing and Turning
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A biological laboratory outside the Fourth Ring Road had an accident, although the spread of toxic gas had been effectively controlled, Xie Dingyuan still made a personal trip, just to be safe.
From two in the afternoon, he had been busy until now, exhaustion evident in his eyes.
His gaze casually swept across the street, and the next second, he abruptly stopped.
Across the street, outside a convenience store, a girl sat on a chair, chatting with a middle-aged man.
Although only a profile was visible, Xie Dingyuan recognized her at a glance—
Jiang Fuyue!
The driver returned from buying sweets at the store, swiftly crossed the road, sat back in the driver’s seat, only to find the rear window open. He quickly pressed the control button, and the window slowly rose before closing shut.
He started the engine, adeptly steering the wheel.
Soon, the Bentley drove out of the residential area and merged back onto the main road.
During the journey, the driver glanced through the rearview mirror several times, always seeing Xie Dingyuan with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
He withdrew his gaze, focusing on driving.
Half an hour later, the Bentley arrived at Yutian Huafu. “Master, we’ve arrived,” the driver said.
Xie Dingyuan responded with a soft “mm,” opened his eyes, and then got out of the car.
Back home, he took out his phone and dialed Sheng Yiming’s number. “Book a flight ticket to the capital for tomorrow.”
Sheng Yiming asked, “What time approximately?”
“The earlier, the better.”
“Got it.”
After ending the call, Xie Dingyuan went upstairs, quickly packed his luggage, and prepared to take a shower.
Just as he reached the bathroom door, his footsteps suddenly halted, and several fragmented scenes flashed through his mind, all featuring the face of the same woman.
He furrowed his brows fiercely, forcibly clearing his mind.
This trick was still effective; soon, the distracting thoughts vanished, and he resumed walking.
Soon, the sound of water filled the air.
Ten minutes later, he emerged wrapped in a towel, but upon reaching the doorway, he abruptly turned back, exchanged the towel for a bathrobe, and tied it securely before heading straight to the balcony.
He looked around, inspecting everything, then closed the glass sliding door between the balcony and the master bedroom with a swish—
The curtains were drawn shut, concealing everything inside the room.
Satisfied, Xie Dingyuan glanced around and confirmed that everything was securely sealed before lying down on the bed.
He reached into the drawer, pulled out earphones, put them on, preparing to listen to a scientific paper.
Suddenly, without warning, several fragments surged into his mind again.
This time, it wasn’t at the bathroom door but right here on this bed, with him and Jiang Fuyue—
Enclosed in the stifling warmth of the blanket, the touch of something soft within reach, the faint fragrance like orchids, and those peach blossom eyes reflecting his own image…
Agony, restraint, unbearable.
Xie Dingyuan’s breath caught, and he pulled off the earphones abruptly.
Why did he think of her?
Unfortunately, no one could provide an answer.
He gave up on his plan to listen to the paper, turned off the light, and laid down directly, attempting to sleep.
Ten minutes passed…
Xie Dingyuan tossed eight times, his eyes filled with the darkness of the night, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
He continued to try.
Another ten minutes passed.
He sat up, flipping the light switch with a snap, feeling even more restless than before.
Just the thought that he was lying in the same spot where Jiang Fuyue had been this morning made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
Disgust?
Not really.
Like?
Not at all!
Then what was it if it wasn’t dislike or like?
Xie Dingyuan didn’t know.
He pulled back the covers, stood at the edge of the bed lost in thought for a while, then took out a new set of bed sheets from the cabinet and started changing them.
Twenty minutes later, the original sheets were piled on the floor, thrown into the laundry room by Xie Dingyuan.
Looking at the newly refreshed bed before him, he finally felt at ease enough to lie down.
Half an hour later, the light in the master bedroom turned on again. Xie Dingyuan, wearing a grim expression, sat up on the bed, grabbed a pillow, and walked out of the room, intending to make do with the guest room for the night.
Suddenly, his footsteps halted, as if scalded. He turned around and threw the pillow back onto the bed, leaving without looking back.
This time, lying on the bed in the bedroom, his mind finally stopped replaying those strange judgments.
Xie Dingyuan soon fell into a deep sleep.
But things seemed to get worse…
In his dream, a pair of eyes, brimming with moisture like peach blossoms after rain, gazed at him. A sweet citrus fragrance lingered around, tempting him to lean closer, to take a breath, and then another…
Xie Dingyuan acted on impulse in the dream, and suddenly he touched something soft in the midst of a mist.
Startled, he looked up and met the beautiful face of the girl.
Snow-white skin, rosy cheeks.
At that moment, she was looking at him, her lips slightly parted—
“Do I smell good?”
Xie Dingyuan pushed her away abruptly, backing away quickly. The surroundings changed suddenly, engulfed in a sea of fire, and his body temperature began to rise uncontrollably.
There was nowhere to retreat, but the girl was still approaching.
“Do I smell good?” she asked again.
Xie Dingyuan opened his mouth to deny, but in that instant, it turned into—”Yes.”
He woke up abruptly, sitting up, his back already drenched in sweat.
The scenes in the dream were so vivid—the girl’s every expression, her relentless advance, his uncontrollable reactions, every detail could be replayed.
Xie Dingyuan cursed under his breath and went into the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of water could be heard.
Tonight was destined to be sleepless.
Meanwhile, in another villa in the same neighborhood, Jiang Fuyue slept soundly.
The next morning at six o’clock, she carried her luggage downstairs. Han Yunru had already prepared breakfast and was waiting in the dining room.
“Eat before heading to the airport. There’s still a few hours left. You can’t wait on an empty stomach,” Han Yunru said.
“Thank you, Mom.”
Han Yunru touched her face, her eyes clearly indicating that she had a lot to say, but in the end, she didn’t say anything.
“Yueyue, stay safe.” Finally, Han Yunru saw her off, only saying these five words.
And that was it.
At seven o’clock, Jiang Da came downstairs, wearing a tank top and shorts, slippers on his feet. He looked around the magnificent surroundings, feeling a bit disoriented upon waking up.
Still groggy, he walked into the kitchen and watched his busy wife, finally feeling a sense of familiarity.
“Wife…”
“Awake?”
“Mm.”
“Hurry up and get ready. After breakfast, we’re going to open the shop.”
Jiang Da was stunned, “Didn’t you say we should rest for a couple more days?”
Han Yunru rolled her eyes at him, “Yueyue has already left, so what’s the point of resting? Besides, don’t we still need to make money? You can’t just think that moving into a villa means we can sit back and do nothing.”
“Of course, we need to make money! We still have to save up a dowry for Yueyue, right?”
“At least you have some sense. By the way, call Mrs. Liu and remind her to come to the shop today.”
“Got it! I’ll call her now!”
…
At 7:30, Jiang Fuyue arrived at the airport, checked her luggage, went through security, and waited to board. The timing was just right.
At 8:00, the flight attendants started checking the seats.
A man arrived late, boarding through a special passage with a commanding presence and a brisk walk, his coat flaring dramatically.
At the same time, he was on the phone, speaking in a very irritated tone—
“The flight is at 8:20, and you called me at 7:30?! Sheng Yiming, is this how you assist me? Half a year of your performance bonus is docked!”
There was a wail from the other end, showing just how significant the penalty was.
Sheng Yiming looked at his phone and saw it had already been hung up.
He felt terribly wronged. The call at 7:30 wasn’t to wake up Xie Dingyuan but to ask about handling a gas leak incident. How did it turn into being blamed for a late wake-up call?
Professor Xie, a man with obsessive self-discipline, never needed an assistant to wake him up.
Was this a joke?
Or…
Sheng Yiming rubbed his chin, wondering if he had somehow offended this big shot recently.
It shouldn’t be. Since Xie Dingyuan returned from the imperial capital, they had only met twice!
And one of those times was through the glass door of a lab, so…
What did he do wrong?
Sheng Yiming covered his face, feeling blue and frustrated.
Xie Dingyuan put away his phone and found his seat by the window.
Someone was already sitting in the aisle seat. “Excuse me, could you—”
Jiang Fuyue said, “Professor Xie, what a coincidence.”
The man abruptly looked up.
For a moment, Jiang Fuyue thought she saw a hint of… horror in his eyes.
But when she looked again, there was nothing there.
Xie Dingyuan stood in the aisle, his face as expressionless as ever, his gaze cold and aloof, detached from the world.
“What a coincidence,” he replied.
Jiang Fuyue moved her legs to let him in.
As he passed in front of her, she caught a whiff of his pleasant aftershave.
Xie Dingyuan sat down calmly and fastened his seatbelt.
But only he knew how tense he was.
Why was she here?
Did she come out of his dreams?
Or… was he still dreaming?
There it was again, that sweet citrus scent wrapping around him!
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