A Dream Within a Dream

Zhuang Xun slowly opened her eyes, only to see an unfamiliar ceiling.

The dim surroundings made her hesitate. Just as she was about to move her fingers, she realized her hand was firmly gripped by someone.

She tilted her head to look and saw Shen Xian lying peacefully beside her on the bed, eyes closed.

Zhuang Xun was startled.

Although it was early autumn, the temperature difference between day and night could still be significant. Falling asleep without any covering could easily lead to a cold. She tried to pull her hand away to get a blanket for her senior, but to her surprise, Shen Xian held on even tighter.

Zhuang Xun looked around, searching for a way to cover Shen Xian without waking her.

Suddenly, Shen Xian’s sleepy voice broke the silence. “Little Zhuang Xun, you’re awake?”

Zhuang Xun tried to move her hand, feeling a rush of numbness travel up her arm. She hesitated briefly. A tingling sensation spread across her palm.

Shen Xian gently squeezed Zhuang Xun’s hand, her voice hoarse with sleep. “Does it feel sore?”

“No,” Zhuang Xun replied quickly. She sat up abruptly, shaking off the numbness. She pulled her hand away and turned her head, her face slightly flushed. “Senior, were you here the whole time?”

“Not long. I was planning to wait until you woke up,” Shen Xian said, running her fingers through her hair. “It seems I fell asleep waiting for you.”

Zhuang Xun turned back to see Shen Xian idly playing with a strand of hair. “Senior, you could have just woken me up.”

“Why wake you? It’s better for you to sleep a little longer,” Shen Xian replied softly. Her fingers drifted down to lightly trace a path along Zhuang Xun’s waist. “The bruises are severe, but your ribs are intact.”

Zhuang Xun averted her gaze, saying nothing.

“Should I commend Ning Qi for not beating up my partner too badly?” Shen Xian’s gaze never left Zhuang Xun’s body. “Or maybe I should ask Ning Qi about the true extent of these injuries?”

Her words, meant to be caring, carried a sharp, interrogative edge.

Zhuang Xun had expected her senior to notice her injuries, as even she hadn’t been fully aware of some of them until she woke up. Yet, at that moment, an eerie sense of guilt surfaced within her.

“Why aren’t you talking?”

Zhuang Xun felt Shen Xian leaning closer. She shifted slightly, her eyes fixed on the white medical curtain hanging nearby. “I… I don’t know where to start…”

She had slept for so long that she couldn’t tell if Shen Xian had already spoken to Ning Qi or not. If she had, what did those questions mean? If she hadn’t, any answer Zhuang Xun gave might implicate Senior Ning…

“So, do you prefer the sugar or the whip?”

“What?” Zhuang Xun turned sharply to look at her. Why were ‘sugar’ and ‘the whip’ the only options?

As soon as she turned, she noticed the distance between them had completely vanished. Shen Xian tilted her head, studying Zhuang Xun intently.

Zhuang Xun could feel Shen Xian’s breath on her face. “Little Zhuang Xun, which do you choose?”

Zhuang Xun’s gaze locked with Shen Xian’s, and she swallowed hard. “Sugar.”

Perhaps both were strange, but sugar seemed like the safer choice.

“I thought you might choose the whip,” Shen Xian said, her expression strangely pained.

“Senior, the whip also…”

Before Zhuang Xun could finish her sentence, a soft sensation brushed against her lips.

Then, a tongue parted her lips, exploring deeper. When Shen Xian’s tongue touched the roof of her mouth, Zhuang Xun’s face flushed brilliant red. She widened her eyes, pushing weakly at Shen Xian’s shoulders.

Shen Xian pulled back just enough to lick her own lips with a smirk. “Is this sugar? As sugar, it seems insufficient.”

As she spoke, Zhuang Xun felt Shen Xian’s fingers trailing down her chest. Zhuang Xun gasped, her rational thoughts on the verge of total collapse.

The cool touch of skin mixed with Shen Xian’s seductive whisper. “Here… don’t I belong here?”

Without hesitation, Zhuang Xun pushed Shen Xian away, shouting, “Senior! Not here!”

Zhuang Xun panted heavily, blinking in the darkness.

Moonlight filtered through a corner of the infirmary window. Shen Xian’s figure was nowhere to be seen in the empty, dark room.

Zhuang Xun pushed her sweat-dampened hair back from her forehead and buried her face in her hands, muttering, “You’re insane… to dream something like that…”

Footsteps approached from the corridor, and the door was pushed open.

At this hour, who would come to the infirmary? This was Headquarters, so there shouldn’t be any monsters attacking here. Nothing should be going wrong.

The footsteps drew closer until they stopped beside her bed. Zhuang Xun slowly lifted her head, and before she could react, Shen Xian’s fragrant palm pressed against her forehead.

“Have you been having nightmares?”

Zhuang Xun’s eyes widened, and she instinctively scrambled backward until she hit the headboard. “Ow…”

It wasn’t just her back; every inch of her bruised body ached.

“Why the sudden reaction?” Shen Xian reached out, pulling Zhuang Xun forward away from the hard surface. “You just had medicine applied to your back, and you’re already slamming it into the wall? Little Zhuang Xun, are you looking for more injuries?”

“Sorry…” Zhuang Xun looked up. She was close enough to see each of Shen Xian’s eyelashes clearly. It was just like in her dream.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Xun’s cheeks flushed crimson again.

Shen Xian asked with genuine concern, “Are you running a fever?”

“No! I’m not feverish!” Zhuang Xun leaned away again, her gaze flickering over Shen Xian’s face before quickly looking down. “Maybe it’s because I just woke up… Senior, don’t worry.”

“But you’re sweating a lot, and your complexion looks flushed. Was the nightmare really that scary?” Shen Xian seemed puzzled.

“…” It wasn’t a nightmare. More like something else entirely.

Zhuang Xun avoided Shen Xian’s gaze. “Why are you still here, Senior?”

She desperately needed a moment to recover. Seeing her senior’s face right now only reminded her of the intense dream.

“My partner is here, so where else would I be?” Shen Xian replied casually. She picked up a fruit knife. “Would you like an apple?”

Zhuang Xun shook her head.

“I can cut it into the shape of a rabbit.”

Zhuang Xun immediately nodded.

“Hahaha… I didn’t know Little Zhuang Xun liked cute things like that.”

Zhuang Xun wanted to protest, but the thought of Shen Xian cutting an apple into a rabbit shape for her filled her with an unusual, bubbling happiness.

As Shen Xian peeled the skin, she added, “But this is my first time cutting an apple into a rabbit shape, so I’m not sure if it will turn out well.”

“I’ll like it no matter how you cut it, Senior.”

The sound of peeling stopped for a moment, followed by Shen Xian’s soft voice. “Is that so? Hehe. But you actually have to eat it to enjoy it.”

Zhuang Xun nodded vigorously. “I’ll eat it all.”

After all, this was Senior’s first attempt at cutting a rabbit-shaped apple, and it was for her. It was for her!

Shen Xian chuckled softly and placed the cut apple into Zhuang Xun’s hand. “Here you go.”