Before Shen Yan and Xiao Heng could even process what was happening, Song Xu had scooped Lin Xi up and vanished.

Since he had been drinking, driving was out of the question. Rather than waiting for a driver, he hailed a taxi and headed straight back to the apartment.

Lin Xi was surprisingly docile, leaning against his shoulder like a well-behaved child without uttering a word. Her head was spinning; every time she opened her eyes, the world twirled, and every time she closed them, she was the one twirling. It felt magical. I must be dreaming, she decided.

When they reached the apartment complex, Song Xu paid the fare and helped her out of the car. She couldn’t even stand straight on her own. He tried to carry her bridal-style, but she wasn’t having it.

Instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and, with a sudden burst of energy and his assistance, hopped up and locked her legs around his waist.

This is going to be the death of me, Song Xu thought, using one hand to support her and the other to press the elevator button.

Once inside the elevator, Lin Xi suddenly threw her arms wide, arching her back. “I can fly in dreams! I want to fly!”

Song Xu’s reflexes saved her; he caught her back just before she could topple over backward. He deeply regretted letting her drink. He hadn’t expected her “drunk persona” to be quite so… liberated.

“Xixi, stay still. We’re almost home,” he coaxed softly.

“This isn’t my home,” she mumbled, her eyes fluttering open. “If Grandma isn’t here, it’s not home.”

“Grandma… she hasn’t woken up yet, has she?” she whispered to herself. “Whatever. If she woke up and found out I’ve lost my freedom, she’d be so angry.”

“How have you lost your freedom?” Song Xu asked, curious.

“That guy named Song… he has to control everything,” she whispered conspiratorially into his ear. “If it weren’t for the massive paycheck, I would have slapped him twice across the face by now.”

“Just wait until I’m rich. I’ll pay off my debts, then I’ll buy a thousand coins and pelt him with them until he’s dizzy. Let’s see him act all high and mighty then!”

The elevator dinged at the seventeenth floor. Song Xu let out a cold, amused huff as he carried her into the apartment. He didn’t bother with the lights. Instead, he pinned her against the wall, his lips brushing against her ear. “Xixi, guess who I am?”

In the dim moonlight filtering through the windows, Lin Xi could just make out the silhouette of his face. Her fingers reached out to trace his features. “You’re the Song Xu from my dreams.”

So I’ve been relegated to a dream character? “And what is the ‘me’ in your dreams like?” he asked, his voice dropping into a sultry, magnetic register.

Lin Xi leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. Then another. Then, like a little chick pecking at grain, she showered his face with tiny, soft kisses.

Song Xu wasn’t made of stone. He found his moment, captured her lips, and deepened the kiss, refusing to let her pull away. Lin Xi cupped the back of his head, responding with a familiarity that suggested she really had practiced this in her dreams many times.

After so many days of tension, Song Xu finally had her in his arms again. The kiss was fierce; he felt like he wanted to consume her entirely. He carried her toward the bedrooms, losing his sense of direction in the heat of the moment and stumbling into the first open door he found.

In the shadows, he laid her on the bed. Bracing himself with one hand, he began to undo her top with the other. Lin Xi didn’t stop him. In fact, she was entirely cooperative, even shifting to help him unfasten her bra.

This is exactly how it goes in the dreams, she thought. She loved this floating sensation—light, airy, and wonderfully comfortable.

So comfortable, in fact, that she closed her eyes and, with a soft smile, fell fast asleep.

Song Xu only realized she had drifted off when he heard the faint, rhythmic sound of her snoring. He froze, his pants halfway off. He stared at the half-dressed girl on the bed, his heart feeling like it had just plummeted off a roller coaster.

After a few deep breaths, he managed to calm his racing pulse. He actually felt a flicker of relief that he hadn’t gone further. If he had taken advantage of her while she was drunk, her personality was such that she would have spent the rest of her life trying to escape him.

He didn’t want a fleeting moment of pleasure; he wanted all of her—heart and soul.

Realizing they were in her bedroom, he decided to leave her there. There’s plenty of time, he reminded himself. He pulled off her trousers, tossed them aside, and tucked her in under the covers before turning to leave. He couldn’t stay in the same room as her, or he wouldn’t be able to trust his own self-control.

Back in his own room, he spent a long time under a freezing cold shower, trying to extinguish the fire in his veins.

No matter what time she went to sleep, Lin Xi’s internal clock always woke her at 5:00 AM.

She opened her eyes, took in the familiar surroundings, and shut them again to let her brain catch up. Memories began to flood back. Something big had happened yesterday… right, she was now Song Xu’s “exclusive fake girlfriend.” With a very real salary.

He had bought her clothes and jewelry. Worried it was all a dream, she lifted her right hand. The million-yuan diamond ring sparkled on her finger.

Not a dream. She rubbed her temples. Then they had gone to dinner with Shen Yan and Xiao Heng.

But how did she get back? She had no memory of it whatsoever.

I must have blacked out, she thought, sitting up. As the blanket slid down, she realized she was completely bare, save for the necklace around her neck.

She froze. Where are my clothes?

She threw back the covers. At least she was still wearing her underwear from yesterday. Her clothes were scattered across the bed and floor.

She thumped her head with her fist. Think, you idiot! What happened last night? Did I take them off, or did…

She couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought. Feeling grimy from not showering the night before, she hurried into the bathroom. As she washed, she scrutinized her body. There were a few faint red marks on her chest, but she couldn’t be sure what they were—maybe just from scratching in her sleep?

Finding no other irregularities, she let out a massive sigh of relief. It seemed she hadn’t done anything too scandalous.

Remembering that school started today, she picked up the pace. She still had to clean and make breakfast.

Wrapping herself in a towel, she walked into the walk-in closet to find something to wear. She was momentarily blinded—all the clothes they had bought yesterday were already neatly hung up inside.

She hesitated between her old rags and the new wardrobe before finally selecting a relatively understated light blue dress. Since she had signed a contract, she couldn’t look like a beggar in public anymore. She’d have to pack her old things away for a while.

The dress featured long sleeves and a hem that reached her ankles, pairing surprisingly well with her white sneakers. she braided her hair loosely to one side.

After tidying up the apartment, she started on breakfast. Afraid of staining the new dress, she opted for simple sandwiches and two glasses of warm milk.

When she saw Song Xu walking toward the kitchen, her face heated up involuntarily. “Xu Ge, morning.”

Song Xu spared her a glance. “Morning.”

“Um, Xu Ge… I drank a bit too much last night,” she started tentatively. “I didn’t do anything… inappropriate, did I?”

Song Xu stared at her with a deadpan expression. “You touched my face and said I was very handsome.”

Lin Xi: “…”