sleep

The navy blue quilt cover showed tiny dark stains.

Zhou Ji'an gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, not daring to look up, much less pick up his phone and expose his breakdown to the camera.

"Jian, I can't see you again." Deng Yi not only didn't get the answer he wanted, but the person who should have given him the answer was already out of the frame. "Want to rest, huh?"

Zhou Ji'an covered his mouth and took a deep breath, wiping his face. When he was sure he looked normal, he looked up and said, "We haven't seen each other for many years. If I told you I've never liked anyone else, would you believe me?"

Deng Yi's eyes were clear and burning, and he said firmly, "I will believe you, I will believe every word you say."

Because he trusted her so much, did he really think she disliked his artistic nature and preferred athletic types?

His vision blurred again. Zhou Ji'an bent down, leaned over his knees, and pretended to tidy the blankets. After calming himself down, he leaned back against the headboard and said boldly, "After we broke up, I lost a source of income. I had to study hard to get scholarships and do part-time jobs to earn money. Later, after graduation, I was forced to work 996. I didn't have time to like this or that."

Deng Yi felt a lump in his throat, and after a long while, he apologized, "I'm sorry."

"Why are you saying sorry? I'm the one who wanted to break up with you, not the other way around." Zhou Ji'an's fingertips were tingling, and she tried to put on a relaxed expression. "Besides, I was getting a pretty good salary during my internship, it wasn't that bad."

Deng Yi sighed, smiled, and said, "I'm sorry for reminding you of things from the past."

Zhou Ji'an pouted, lowered his eyes, and whispered, "What's there to apologize for?"

The surging emotions continued to ferment in the lonely night.

"Aren't you going to the bathroom?" Deng Yi asked as he lay down on the bed.

"Uh." Zhou Ji'an, who hadn't felt the urge to urinate, blushed and hurriedly ran into the bathroom after being asked this question.

When she came back, she picked up her phone and saw that Deng Yi was still there, so she said, "You should rest. I'm really not that scared."

Deng Yi shook his head. "Talk to me a little longer."

Zhou Ji'an felt a warmth in his heart, and followed suit, lying on his side and using his pillow to prop up his phone. With a slightly flushed face, he asked, "What are you talking about?"

The person opposite him was so well-behaved that Deng Yi was instantly transported back to his old self, always wanting to reach out and pinch her cheeks and earlobes.

Ideally, you should pinch every part of her body, just like you did this morning, making sure not to miss any part of her.

Deng Yi's Adam's apple bobbed as he asked, "Aren't you going to ask me if I've ever liked anyone else all these years?"

Zhou Ji'an shook his head, "It's okay if you've liked other people before, you can like other people."

He is different from her. He will meet thousands of people who are similar to her, or even thousands of people who are better than her, but she will never meet someone as good as him again.

Therefore, the probability of them being liked and liking others is different from the very beginning.

"Whether I've liked someone else or not, it won't make you unhappy?" Deng Yi felt somewhat uneasy.

Zhou Ji'an immediately became alert.

He was giving her a heads-up, reminding her not to interfere in his feelings for other people.

They just took their relationship to the next level today, and he's already giving her a heads-up? That's just too inhumane.

"What do you want to say?" Zhou Ji'an asked, his tone and expression clearly showing displeasure.

For a moment, Deng Yi was dazed, afraid that he had misunderstood, so he softly called her name, "Ji'an".

Zhou Ji'an reluctantly replied, "Mm."

Indeed, the subtle expressions of jealousy she used to have appeared on her face; her lips involuntarily curled up, the corners of her mouth turned down slightly, and her bright eyes were brimming with unhappiness.

Deng Yi smiled faintly and said, "It's been a long time."

Zhou Ji'an asked, "What do you mean, 'long time no see'?"

Deng Yi: "Everything has been gone for so long."

"You and your mother are alike; you both like to talk in a cryptic way," Zhou Ji'an complained.

"She'll be settling abroad soon, so you don't need to worry about getting along with her," Deng Yi reassured her, while also adding his own personal message, "Just focus on getting along well with me."

"Didn't you say she doesn't come often? I'm not worried about getting along with her." Zhou Ji'an picked up his phone, turned over, and spoke into the phone, "What does it mean to get along well with you?"

Deng Yi said unhurriedly, "You've been calling me frequently lately. From now on, you'll eat with me every day, exercise with me, play with me, and sleep with me."

How did he manage to say such saccharine and childish things without batting an eye?

Zhou Ji'an's face was burning hot. He turned over again, still keeping his phone against Deng Yi's pillow. "Why do you say all sorts of things?"

"There's no one else around, why can't I say it?" Deng Yi said dismissively, adjusting his posture to face upwards.

Zhou Ji'an said with a clear conscience, "You should still say the same thing when other people are around."

She could already imagine the scene of being relentlessly teased by Lu Jiani the next time she went to Lu Jiani's house.

To stop the conversation from continuing, Zhou Ji'an went straight for the gossip: "Were there any very famous celebrities recording the show with you?"

Deng Yi mentioned a name that Zhou Ji'an vaguely recognized, but Zhou Ji'an couldn't recall where he had heard it before, nor could he remember what movies or TV shows this person had acted in.

Seeing her struggling to remember, Deng Yi on the other end of the video call laughed and said, "Don't waste your precious brain cells."

Zhou Ji'an was unconvinced, but he really couldn't remember, and he was reluctant to switch to another app to search for that celebrity's name, so he had to give up.

After a few seconds, she carefully examined the face in the video—a face that didn't distort even when lying flat—and asked, "Do you feel like we don't have anything in common?"

Deng Yi: "As long as you're with the right people, you can have common topics to discuss, just like we are now."

Oh dear, why is he doing this again?

Zhou Ji'an was almost too tired to guess whether he was acting again.

"I'm going to sleep." Zhou Ji'an said helplessly, resorting to his sleep escape technique.

"Okay, I'll watch you sleep."

"I can't sleep if you keep looking at me."

"Close your eyes first."

Zhou Ji'an closed his eyes.

Deng Yi said softly, "I'll still tell you about 'Dream of the Red Chamber.' Last time we went up to Chapter 31, and today we'll finish this chapter."

The winter night was quiet and still.

Zhou Ji'an's heartbeat rhythm completely went out of control.

That summer, Zhou Ji'an went back to his hometown to help his parents take care of their children.

The baby's sleep schedule was extremely chaotic, and he often cried at night, making it impossible for Zhou Ji'an to fall asleep.

During the day, Zhou Ji'an called Deng Yi to complain that her house was too noisy and she couldn't sleep. At night, Deng Yi said he would tell her the Four Great Classical Novels.

He remembered that she couldn't concentrate on these books, so he customized a hypnosis program for her.

Deng Yi not only knew the Four Great Classical Novels by heart and could retell them vividly and interestingly, but he also had a good voice. As Zhou Ji'an listened, he became interested in the plot and often asked with his eyes closed: "And then? What else?"

Deng Yi patiently continued to talk to her, often for one or two hours at a time.

When summer vacation ended, Zhou Ji'an returned to school, away from the baby who cried at night. His difficulty falling asleep disappeared, and he no longer needed Deng Yi to tell stories to help him fall asleep.

So many years have passed, yet he still remembers which episode he was talking about.

When Zhou Ji'an broke up with Deng Yi, he was unable to get over it, which Lu Jiani found hard to understand.

Lu Jianni believes that Zhou Ji'an exaggerated his disappointment and sadness after being dumped, and that he was using this exaggerated emotion to prove his existence.

Only Zhou Ji'an herself knew why she couldn't get over it.

She once gave up a lover she could never have again because of some inexplicable sense of pride.

Now, the lover she thought she would never have again has become her husband, and he continues to tell her those unfinished stories.

When Zhou Ji'an and Deng Yi worked and dated, she felt very fulfilled and satisfied. Neither of them wanted anyone else to take up their time alone together, so no one knew how good Deng Yi was to her.

Is it because no one knows how good Deng Yi was to her that so many people think Deng Yi was only using her from beginning to end?

So what if he's using her? So what if he's still acting right now? Doesn't she suffer no loss whatsoever?

Zhou Ji'an didn't know when he fell asleep.

When she woke up in the morning, her phone was still propped up on Deng Yi's pillow, but her face had been turned to the other side.

There was a message on my phone from Deng Yi at seven in the morning: You can call me anytime, don't forget.

Zhou Ji'an felt extremely uncomfortable; the soreness in his body was more pronounced than yesterday, and the feeling of emptiness was also stronger than yesterday.

She typed rapidly: Did you sleep well? Are you sleep-deprived? It's so cold over there, and the snow is so thick. Isn't it safe to do activities outdoors?

No new messages popped up.

Zhou Ji'an got up anxiously to wash up. Before going to the kitchen to make breakfast, he checked his phone again. He still hadn't received a reply from Deng Yi, so he became uneasy and walked around looking at his phone.

"Xiao An, do you want to prepare breakfast yourself, or should I prepare it for you?"

Zhou Ji'an, whose attention was completely absorbed by her phone, was startled by Aunt Yang's question. She calmed herself down and said, "I can do it myself. I can cook."

Aunt Yang smiled and said, "Okay, we won't ask you anymore, so as not to make you feel uncomfortable."

Zhou Ji'an smiled and said, "Okay."

While waiting for the sweet potatoes to steam, Zhou Ji'an turned up the notification volume.

The dining table was long and wide, and there was no one opposite it.

Zhou Ji'an lazily took a bite of sweet potato, chewed for a long time, but couldn't taste anything. Then he stared at the chat box between her and Deng Yi.

Just as Zhou Ji'an choked on a sweet potato and drank some water from the nearby container, a new message notification sounded.

Deng Yi: So you need to contact me often.

Zhou Ji'an's tense nerves relaxed, and the sweet potato became sweet and soft.

While enjoying her breakfast, she searched for behind-the-scenes photos of the reality show Deng Yi was participating in.

Deng Yi wore a black down jacket that reached his ankles, which made the lines of his face appear even smoother and more defined.

A man about his height was standing next to him, and it seemed he was talking to him.

Zhou Ji'an suddenly remembered the man's name: Song Yufeng.

This person is the rising star that Deng Yi mentioned last night.

He was also Yu Xi's rumored boyfriend.