Lin Jing had a dream.
In the dream, Lin Jing fell asleep while reading in the school library. When she woke up, she was the only one left in the entire library.
Lin Jing glanced at the time and, seeing that the dormitory building was about to be locked, she hurriedly packed her things and ran out.
Lin Jing ran a bit too fast and twisted her ankle, falling to the ground.
Tears streamed down Lin Jing's face from the pain. Then, for some reason, the scene in the dream underwent a drastic change, from night to a bright sunny day, from the front of the school library to the school playground. Students were gathered around, many cheering, while she lay sprawled on the school track in a sorry state.
People came and went, but no one paid much attention to Lin Jing. After about half a minute, she heard Lan Tingting's voice, followed by He Lin's.
The scene in the dream was exactly the same as what happened after Lin Jing fell during the sports meet. However, just as He Lin was about to bend down to pick her up, someone beat him to it and grabbed He Lin's wrist.
The hand was beautiful, with long, slender fingers and a delicate wrist. Even the fingernails were neatly trimmed and clean.
But the owner of that hand spoke with a rather unfriendly tone: "Don't touch my little Cp."
He Lin was stunned: "Your little Cp?"
Sheng Kuang grunted in response with a displeased expression: "My little Cp can only be held by me."
Then, Sheng Kuang actually bent down and picked her up.
Lin Jing froze in Sheng Kuang's arms. It wasn't until they were close to the infirmary that she reacted: "Um, I can walk myself."
Sheng Kuang looked down at her struggling to get down with an "I'm advising you to behave, woman" look: "Are you going to crawl?"
Lin Jing: "??"
Sheng Kuang lightly kicked open the infirmary door, placed Lin Jing on the bed, then found disinfectant and ointment for himself, pulled over a chair, and sat in front of her, tending to her wound.
His expression was so focused that she found herself staring blankly.
In the dream, Sheng Kuang asked three times: "Does it hurt?"
Seeing her not responding, he looked up and saw the girl staring at him in a daze. He was momentarily stunned, then he smiled.
Then, he looked at her intently. After a few seconds, he leaned back in his chair and abruptly blurted out: "Lin Jing, I like you."
Lin Jing was completely stunned by this statement. She looked at him, opening and closing her mouth several times, unable to make a sound.
Compared to her, Sheng Kuang was much calmer. He looked at her and repeated what he had just said, "I like you, Lin Jing."
After repeating it, he calmly asked again: "Do you like me back?"
Lin Jing swallowed.
Sheng Kuang looked at her bewildered expression and chuckled: "Even if you don't like me, you have to."
"You have no choice, and neither do I."
After saying this, he lowered his eyelids and chuckled again. Then, as if remembering something, he looked up at her for two seconds and suddenly leaned forward, coming close to her ear: "Let me tell you a secret."
His voice was very soft, and the warm breath from his exhale brushed against her earlobe, making her heart tremble slightly. After two seconds, she blinked and looked at him: "What... secret?"
He didn't speak, his gaze on her was calm yet incredibly alluring.
Just as Lin Jing was becoming unbearable under his gaze and wanted to find a topic to deflect his attention, he seemed to anticipate her reaction. Before she could say anything, he reached out and pressed her head, his fingers weaving into her hair, gently rubbing her scalp. Then, his lips moved even closer to her ear, almost touching.
Her mind went blank. In a hazy daze, she heard his voice.
He said: "For me, the mind and body are inseparable. If you gain my heart, you gain me."
Lin Jing's eyes snapped open.
The curtains were drawn, and there was no light in the room. Her three roommates were sleeping soundly, one of them occasionally snoring.
She stared blankly for a while before realizing she was still holding her breath. Her heart was pounding, beating so fast it felt like it would burst out at any moment.
She took a deep breath, clutched her chest, and after a long moment of shock, she pushed herself up using the bed frame. She quietly got out of bed, went to the bathroom to use the toilet, and washed her face.
By the time she returned to bed, she was much more awake, and her mind began to function. She recalled the dream from beginning to end. The more she remembered, the more she felt it wasn't entirely her imagination. Realizing something, she grabbed her phone and opened WeChat.
In Sheng Kuang's chat window, there were several voice messages from him.
She had listened to them all, but she listened to them again.
"Lin Jing, I like you."
"I like you, Lin Jing." Sheng Kuang chuckled: "Do you like me back?"
"Hmm? Little Cp?"
"No reply, so I'll take that as a yes."
"Never mind, whether it's a yes or no doesn't matter. Even if you don't like me, you have to."
"There's nothing I can do about you. You have no choice, and neither do I."
"You've been silent for so long, are you asleep?"
"Let me tell you a secret, little Cp, for me, the mind and body are inseparable. If you gain my heart, you gain me."