The night was deep, the cold moon desolate.
In the quiet bedroom, the man laid fast asleep, eyes tightly shut.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a pale glow on the wooden floor.
A few strands reached the edge of the bed, gently illuminating the man’s increasingly furrowed brow.
In the stillness, muffled, labored breaths sounded—tinged with restraint and disarray.
But the darkness concealed everything. No one knew, not even the dreamer himself.
Xie Dingyuan was dreaming.
In his dream, he stood in a world of ice and snow, a silver-coated landscape spread before him, dazzling white.
Strangely, it wasn’t cold. The breeze was warm and humid, the air tinged with a subtle fragrance, stirring an inexplicable restlessness in his chest.
He sharply sensed that something was wrong, but viewing from a god-like, detached perspective, he had no control over his dream self—only able to watch helplessly as the man ran barefoot across the snow and finally stopped before a plum blossom tree.
Cold plum blossoms bloomed blood-red, their vivid colors saturating the branches.
“His” eyes filled with obsession as he reached out to pluck one—but before he could touch it, the scene abruptly changed.
The snow vanished, the plum blossoms disappeared—replaced by a familiar lab.
Five interlocking doors. A disinfection zone. A man and a woman stood facing each other.
Xie Dingyuan clearly saw the restraint and repression in “his” eyes, the irregular breathing.
“You’re so fair…”
He heard “him” say—and even watched him reach out to touch.
The girl turned away, her eyes and brows full of shyness.
With that movement, a large expanse of her pale back came into view.
Not only was “he” flustered—even the god-view Xie Dingyuan began to have trouble breathing.
The next second, the scene shifted again—to a hospital room.
Outside the window, the night stretched endlessly. Cold moonlight filled the room.
The girl slept peacefully amidst the silence. Her lively peach blossom eyes were hidden beneath thick lashes, her nose straight, lips tinged with red.
“His” footsteps brought him to her bedside, where he gazed quietly.
Just as Xie Dingyuan also found himself staring in a daze, “he” suddenly moved—bending down, inching closer to those red lips.
“You can’t do this without her consent—”
Xie Dingyuan’s voice was sharp with reprimand, but the other ignored it completely.
“You’re taking advantage of her while she’s vulnerable!”
Just as their breaths mingled and their lips were about to touch, the scene shifted yet again.
What followed was—
A bed. A quilt. Tangled sheets.
In the stillness of night, broken and scattered moans painted an intimate melody.
A man’s sweat.
A woman’s gasps.
Everything unspeakable.
Xie Dingyuan jolted awake, abruptly sitting up in bed. Cold sweat soaked his back, his damp pajamas clinging uncomfortably, suffocating in their heaviness.
Suddenly, his entire body stiffened. As if seeing a ghost, he yanked off the covers and jumped out of bed.
As if that could help him escape something too difficult to accept.
The night wind blew in through the window, bringing with it a chill that helped restore clarity.
Standing at the edge of the bed, the half-open window behind him, curtain gently lifting, the moonlight spilled down—
It perfectly mirrored the hospital room in his dream, even the moonlight was the same: bright, cold, ethereal.
But unfortunately, there was no sleeping girl on the bed—only messy sheets and something not fit for the eye…
Xie Dingyuan took a deep breath, forcing down the heat and restlessness within.
Then, suddenly stepping forward, he yanked the sheets off and threw them into the corner.
A crumpled pile laid there, untouched by the moonlight.
…
At six in the morning, Aunt Liu’s internal clock woke her on schedule.
She got up and freshened up as usual, then went to the kitchen to start congee. Once it boiled, she turned the heat down to a simmer and spent ten more minutes prepping side dishes.
When the kitchen work was done, she wiped her hands and headed to the laundry room.
As she walked, she mentally ticked off what needed washing today: First, the young master’s clothes—he played basketball yesterday, so everything was sweaty and needed changing. Second, the guest room was due for cleaning, might as well change the sheets while she was at it. And third, sir’s shirt and jacket—those had to be washed separately. He was a clean freak, couldn’t be careless…
By the time she reached the laundry room, she’d just finished counting everything out.
Suddenly, she froze.
Why were there sounds coming from inside this early in the morning?!
Could there be a thief?
Holding her breath, she crept closer and pressed her ear to the door…
But the door wasn’t shut properly—just loosely closed. The moment she touched it, it creaked open.
Inside stood a tall figure in front of the washing machine, who immediately turned toward her.
Aunt Liu was stunned.
When she saw who it was, she froze on the spot, unable to move.
It was only a few seconds, but the silence between them felt long and awkward.
Aunt Liu’s lips trembled slightly as she stammered, eyes wide with disbelief: “S-Sir, what are you doing here?”
She couldn’t help but glance at the washing machine behind him—currently running.
Washing clothes… himself?
That can’t be right…
Xie Dingyuan said nothing. He simply walked away, expression unreadable.
But if one looked closely, his steps were noticeably faster than usual—almost like he was escaping, faintly panicked and flustered.
Aunt Liu was left baffled.
She walked over and crouched in front of the machine. “What’s being washed in here?”
Half an hour later, the washing machine stopped.
She opened the lid and took the laundry out. “Hmm? Bed sheets?”
Weren’t they just changed?
Why wash them again?
And… two?
Are Xie Dog’s two bed sheets doing okay?
Also—about that question from the end of the last chapter—no answer yet! You can still submit yours:
Will Zhong Ziang eventually find out the “young girl” in the hospital is Sister Yue?
A. Yes
B. No
