cold clothes

"...cold clothes."

After uttering her name, Zhao Yin's Adam's apple bobbed painfully, and his dark pupils seemed to burn with a burning thirst, which he then extinguished with silence. After standing like a statue for a while, he sat down on the edge of the bed and examined Leng Yi's face more closely.

Her cheeks were flushed an unnatural red from the high fever, and upon closer inspection, there appeared to be some tiny marks, possibly from frostbite. Zhao Yin noticed that she was much thinner than he remembered, her face small and pointed, whereas just a few months ago her cheeks were quite plump, and he could easily hold her face in one hand.

Has she been having a bad time with Zhao Qun lately? Horseback riding, boating, hunting—these are the kinds of freedom she's always longed for. There's no way she wouldn't be happy. Ah, it must be because she's sick… Zhao Yin thought to himself as he rubbed Leng Yi's cheek with his fingers, feeling her burning body temperature and breath.

and many more.

Zhao Yin suddenly came to his senses and realized that he had one arm supporting himself on Leng Yi's shoulder and was leaning closer to her. Unconsciously, he was only a fist's width away from Leng Yi.

He was so close he could feel her chest rising and falling with each breath.

He was worried that this would happen, that he would be unable to resist getting close to her, and that once he got close, all the tender memories of the past would be awakened, and his whole being would be like an addict going through an attack, unable to separate from her, and even craving more.

Cold clothes...

"Uh-huh." Leng Yi suddenly let out a soft moan, then opened her eyes groggily.

Zhao Yin's body stiffened, and he sat up as if sprang to his feet. When he saw Leng Yi open her eyes a crack, a feeling of panic flashed through his heart.

Leng Yi woke up when she smelled that familiar, refreshing herbal scent. When she opened her eyes, she found that the figure in the hazy light became clearer and clearer, and she understood immediately.

"Yin Jiu? Ah, I'm dreaming again."

Zhao Yin: Again?

Sure enough, when you're sick and vulnerable, you dream about the people you want to rely on.

It must have been a dream; you can only see someone like that in a dream...

"Hmm." Leng Yi frowned and struggled to sit up. Zhao Yin reached out to support her without thinking, and then Leng Yi wrapped her arms around Zhao Yin's waist and hugged him.

"!"

"Sure enough, you're always there for me when I'm sick," Leng Yi murmured, unconsciously pulling the person in her arms tighter and tighter.

Zhao Yin's Adam's apple bobbed violently.

Leng Yi's embrace was so sudden that he didn't have time to react. What does it mean to dream? And...and what does it mean again? Does Leng Yi dream about him? And more than once?

These were enough to overwhelm him.

He thought Leng Yi would get angry and tell him to get lost as soon as she saw him, but unexpectedly she hugged him instead.

Could he assume that Leng Yi hasn't completely abandoned him yet?

"Yin Jiu, Yin Jiu... It's still best to be with you..." Leng Yi murmured with her eyes closed, her brows completely relaxed, as if a fledgling bird had found its warm nest. Then, in an instant, her brows furrowed deeply again, as if she was about to cry. "It's a pity that we can't go back. Only in my dreams can you be Yin Jiu."

Zhao Yin suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Oh, so Leng Yi was reminiscing about the past him. And yes, she was calling him "Yin Jiu" instead of "Zhao Yin".

This is quite normal. As "Yin Jiu," he is also the most carefree version of himself, and that is the kind of person he wants to be.

Even if Leng Yi doesn't like the real him, he's still him, isn't he? Leng Yi still likes him, not Zhao Qun, and he can easily go back to being "Yin Jiu" in the future, right?

Yes, that's good, that's enough.