Chapter 158 (First Release)...
When Ning Wanwan woke up from her dream, her eyes were still a little blurry.
It seemed that many, many things were passing through her mind in her dream.
But as time passed, those dreams seemed to be forcibly erased by some mysterious force, leaving only traces that were too profound to be completely removed.
The girl, Ning Wanwan, remained motionless in a daze. Xiao Zhou gently touched her forehead with his hand.
Like a snowflake landing on her brow, the cool temperature brought Ning Wanwan back to her senses.
“Xiao Zhou, I always feel…” A small flame-like light ignited in the girl’s clear, watery eyes, which seemed to reflect everything only shallowly.
“I always felt that I had to go back to a place.”
It's a very, very important place that she really wants to go back to, a place that can give her the greatest sense of security.
Xiao Zhou seemed to realize something; his gray eyes flickered slightly, and he asked softly, "Where is this place?"
Ning Wanwan opened her mouth: "It is..." It is home.
She had just uttered one word, before she could finish the sentence, when it suddenly occurred to her that if she said it directly, wouldn't that be telling Xiaozhou that she didn't consider this place "home"?
Although Xiao Zhou hasn't said much since settling in, he's done a lot. Ning Wanwan can sense that Xiao Zhou is seriously treating this place as his long-term "home."
Even though Xiaozhou is a well-behaved girl, she should understand how she feels, but it's probably best not to say anything...
Moreover, this desire to "go back" was originally just a vague feeling in my own dream.
Thinking of this, Ning Wanwan's feverish mind seemed to be doused with a bucket of cold water and fell silent.
"Ning Wanwan, what's wrong?" Xiao Zhou's voice brought her back to her senses.
Ning Wanwan shook her head, composed herself, and slowly said, "It's nothing, I just had a really messy dream."
Xiao Zhou tilted his head slightly as he looked at her, his silver-gray eyes reflecting her dejected figure: "Was it a nightmare?"
Ning Wanwan hesitated for a moment before finally denying it, saying, "It wasn't a nightmare."
"So, is it a beautiful dream?" Xiao Zhou seemed puzzled for a moment, then continued to ask in a flat tone.
Ning Wanwan: "Hmm... it wasn't exactly a beautiful dream."
The dream felt wonderful, and the protagonist in the dream was probably her, only the "her" from the past. Her strong desire to go back infected her, making her involuntarily anxious as well.
Living in this village, the feeling of emptiness grew stronger and stronger. Ning Wanwan now... really needed a strong direction and a desire to achieve something.
However, after waking up, that feeling of emptiness enveloped her again.
"It wasn't a nightmare, nor was it a beautiful dream?" Xiao Zhou lowered his voice and slowly repeated it as if to himself.
“Ning Wanwan,” he suddenly asked, “do you hate your current life?”
Ning Wanwan was stunned.
She fell into thought.
Is it because Xiaozhou's attitude of being complacent and unserious about life is too obvious that she has such doubts?
"...Actually, it's not that bad."
Her true nature has always been to live for the moment and prefer to retreat into her own little space.
In this village, although she was largely ignored by most people because her talent had not yet been detected, Ning Wanwan usually only interacted with Ansel and Xiao Zhou, so the attitudes of the other villagers did not have much of an impact on her.
"I just always feel... I can't really feel safe here."
Safety is extremely important to Ning Wanwan.
If she had a small, safe place of her own, with some books or other entertainment, she could stay there forever.
However, there is no such place here.
Xiao Zhou pondered for a long time.
“I understand,” he finally said.
"If this is the wish that Ning Wanwan wants to fulfill, then I will help you."
Ning Wanwan was confused: "Help me."
"Um."
Ning Wanwan wanted to ask more, but Xiaozhou had already shaken his head.
"Ning Wanwan, there's more I can't say, but you just need to know that I'm on your side."
He didn't say anything like "You have to believe me" or "I won't hurt you." He simply finished his statement in a flat tone and then casually handed her a small handbag.
Ning Wanwan was still somewhat bewildered: "This is..."
“It will be very warm to hold,” Xiao Zhou said. “That way you won’t have to cover your head with the blanket to keep warm.”
Ning Wanwan suddenly remembered: "So you went out earlier to get this?"
Xiao Zhou nodded earnestly: "Yes."
Ning Wanwan felt a pang of conscience again.
This child is so well-behaved!
In comparison, I, the adult, am clearly the one who has always been taken care of...
Ning Wanwan sat on the bed, looking at Xiao Zhou who was still standing there obediently. Thinking that the other party seemed to have not rested since entering her room, her conscience ached even more.
Since Xiao Zhou was going to rest in her own room anyway, Ning Wanwan thought for a moment and then pulled up a corner of the blanket.
"But it feels so good to be curled up in bed... Xiao Zhou, do you want to try it with me?"
Ning Wanwan extended an invitation to Xiao Zhou.
Xiao Zhou's eyes widened slightly, somewhat surprised: "Let's try...let's try together."
"Uh-huh."
Xiao Zhou naturally wouldn't refuse Ning Wanwan's invitation. He paused for a moment, then followed Ning Wanwan's posture and lay down in the soft quilt.
Beside him was the master he had chosen, a familiar, warm presence, and they were very close.
The two of them huddled together in this small space.
This experience was quite novel for Xiao Zhou. His small body was a little stiff, and he was tense, afraid that he might do something wrong and affect Ning Wanwan's mood.
Ning Wanwan: "Relax, relax, what's there to be nervous about?"
She thought for a moment, then deliberately covered the blanket with it, instantly trapping both of them inside.
"Ning Wanwan," Xiao Zhou blinked blankly in the darkness.
"Although it was very dark and I couldn't see anything, the blanket was really warm and made me feel safe, like a protective barrier."
Sensing Xiao Zhou's confusion, Ning Wanwan couldn't help but smile, lost in thought. "Although I have no memory of it, I guess I used to like doing this when I was little..."
Xiao Zhou paused, then withdrew her hand that was about to pull back the blanket: "Is that so?"
Ning Wanwan: "Hmm..."
She was a little embarrassed. "Isn't this too childish?"
She wouldn't normally say so much, but because she was touched by Xiao Zhou's well-behaved manner, and because no matter how mature and composed he seemed, he was still just a child, Ning Wanwan unknowingly ended up saying a lot.
“It’s not childish.” Xiao Zhou shook his head, then followed Ning Wanwan’s posture and lay down on the soft bed, turning his head to gaze at the girl’s smiling half-face.
Although it was pitch black under the covers, and you shouldn't be able to see anything, this environment didn't affect him much.
He noticed that in this environment, Ning Wanwan's smile seemed much more genuine than usual.
Is it because she feels the security she desires?
Xiao Zhou held his breath slightly, gazing at the smile on the girl's lips and her bright eyes.
In this small space, the aura emanating from the girl that made him want to get closer became even clearer.
I want... to gain her approval, to become her...
"How are you feeling? Are you less nervous now?" Ning Wanwan noticed that Xiao Zhou's breathing had become much calmer and teased him with a smile.
Xiao Zhou hesitated for a moment: "Tense..."
“Yeah,” Ning Wanwan nodded matter-of-factly. “Didn’t you say you were afraid the blizzard outside would get worse? Now that you’re snuggled up in bed, do you feel any better?”
Xiao Zhou didn't expect Ning Wanwan to still remember this.
Although it was a rather lame reason, and she didn't completely believe it, she still tried her best to help him ease his potentially not-so-nervous emotions.
Regardless of whether Ning Wanwan cares about him or not, he will not change his feelings for her.
But this seemed to be a soft signal unintentionally emitted by the girl.
Xiao Zhou was silent for a while, then slowly moved her small body closer to Ning Wanwan.
Ning Wanwan placed the small hot water bottle that Xiao Zhou had given her earlier between the two of them.
It's like a warm sun, radiating a gentle warmth in the darkness.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
It was very peaceful and quiet.
Then, Ning Wanwan fell asleep.
This time, she didn't fall into the strange dream she had before, but instead dreamed of some very messy things.
For example, when Ansil, Zhou Yanyao, and Qi Lin were fighting, her head was throbbing with pain, and Xiao Zhou chacha stood by saying, "I'm not like them, I only feel sorry for my sister." Another example is when Ansil was dressed in women's clothing, and Qi Lin and Zhou Yanyao were doing a double acrobatic act...
Then Ning Wanwan was startled awake.
...What kind of nonsense is this?
That's terrifying.
Ning Wanwan let out a deep breath, calming her violently beating heart, which seemed like a warning.
Looking up, I realized that whether it was because of the blizzard or because it was already night, it was pitch black outside even through the curtains, with no light coming through.
Did I sleep for that long?
Ning Wanwan felt a little dizzy, perhaps because she had slept for too long today.
She sat up on the edge of the bed for a while, then glanced at the other half of the bed. Xiao Zhou was sleeping there covered with a blanket, her sleeping posture extremely well-behaved and upright, taking up only a small space, leaving the rest of the space for her.
Ning Wanwan didn't look any further. After getting out of bed, she stood for a while until her head felt less dizzy. Then she walked to the door and went out to see if it was dark or if it was snowing.
However, as soon as the door opened, Ning Wanwan took only two steps out before she nearly tripped over a dark object leaning against the wall.
"Thump!" Ning Wanwan's forehead slammed heavily against the object. Her already dizzy head was now seeing stars and she was completely disoriented.
Fortunately, the object wasn't as hard as she had imagined; it even had a firm elasticity through the fabric, which prevented Ning Wanwan from rolling her eyes and fainting.
"What happened..." Ning Wanwan mumbled, covering her nose where she had been bumped.
The dark object moved, and the hood of its coat slipped down, revealing golden, tousled hair and a familiar, delicate young face.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-07-16 23:43:08 and 2024-07-19 15:58:19!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: MUCHA (5 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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