She Comes Into My Dreams Every Night - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Nighttime Is the Best at Seduction

A phone notification popped up, and Su Huaiwang eagerly tapped on it.

【Tu Zhizhuo】: It’s nothing, got home early. My parents just held me up talking for a while.

【Tu Zhizhuo】: Why are you still awake? Go to sleep quickly.

The stone in Su Huaiwang’s heart was finally set down. Although Tu Zhizhuo’s tone felt a bit strange, she didn’t overthink it.

【Su Huaiwang】: Going to sleep now.

【Tu Zhizhuo】: Good night.

Su Huaiwang: ?

Tu Zhizhuo actually said “Good night” to her? Didn’t she usually just say, “Oh, then you should sleep”?

After a moment of hesitation, Su Huaiwang typed on the keyboard.

【Su Huaiwang】: …Did your parents say something to you?

Tu Zhizhuo replied quickly.

【Tu Zhizhuo】: Nothing at all? I’m just a little tired. I’m going to sleep too. Driving all day has exhausted me.

But this answer still didn’t resolve the doubt in Su Huaiwang’s mind. Her brows were tightly knit, and she bit her left thumb, feeling that something was wrong, but she just couldn’t pinpoint the glaring issue.

Her finger tapped lightly on the screen, unconsciously drifting toward the video call button.

Drip—

The world paused.

Ripples spread across the phone screen. A jade-white hand, connected to an forearm, emerged from the ripples and gently touched Su Huaiwang’s glabella.

An invisible wave swept through, and gray-white residue melted away.

The world returned to normal.

Su Huaiwang’s eyes were wide open, her finger hovering a few centimeters above the video call option.

After a long time, she placed the phone face down, closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose, looking weary.

She seemed to be overly suspicious lately, and she didn’t know why.

She sent Tu Zhizhuo “Good night” again. By now, she no longer doubted the authenticity of the messages.

The hour hand had long passed twelve, and the accumulated drowsiness had vanished completely.

With the issue resolved, she was instead unable to sleep.

Su Huaiwang sat on the bed for a moment, then finally got up, opened the closet, and pulled out an outfit.

She changed out of her pajamas into a simple casual outfit: a T-shirt paired with cargo pants, and she also put on a jacket.

It was late and the dew was heavy, but it was still summer, so a thin jacket was enough.

As soon as Little Grey and Little Yellow saw her emerge from the room fully dressed, they knew they were going out for a walk and immediately wagged their tails and rushed over.

Su Huaiwang changed her shoes, grabbed a flashlight and a self-defense knife, and headed out.

The night air was cool like water.

It had been a long time since she had been out this late, ever since she stopped having nightmares.

Small insects fluttered around the large lamp that was always left on by her door, creating a unique ambiance.

Su Huaiwang walked across the front yard and turned to close the picket fence gate.

When she turned back, a car was driving toward her from the foot of the mountain.

Su Huaiwang’s heart instantly leaped, and she leaned back against the fence.

The two dogs weren’t alarmed. Instead, they barked softly and wagged their tails.

The car made a beautiful turn and stopped steadily in front of her.

“Not sleeping yet?”

Lin Jue’s beautiful face appeared before her, showing surprise and confusion.

Su Huaiwang breathed a sigh of relief and walked toward the car. Her shoe soles scraped and crunched the pebbles, making a rhythmic sound that harmonized oddly with the chirping insects in the dark night.

“I couldn’t really fall asleep tonight, so I came out for a walk.”

Lin Jue pondered for a moment. “Can I join you?”

Su Huaiwang nodded.

Lin Jue quickly parked the car and walked toward Su Huaiwang, who was waiting by the gate.

The night breeze blew through her black hair and white dress, making her look momentarily unreal.

“Aren’t you cold? Do you want to put on another layer?”

Lin Jue smiled. “You know I’m not really sensitive to the cold.”

Su Huaiwang didn’t insist, only walking to her side, walking shoulder to shoulder.

They walked slowly along the mountain road. The streetlights outside her house were still working, adding a sense of tranquility and ambiguity to the atmosphere.

“I’ve never seen you drive. Do you usually go out at this time?”

Lin Jue shook her head. “I don’t go out much. I just had something to do today.”

“What was it?” Su Huaiwang rarely let down her guard about maintaining distance.

“…An old lawsuit. I had to deal with it.”

“Is that so? Was it successful?”

“It went quite smoothly, just dragged on for a bit.”

“Lawsuits are always like that,” Su Huaiwang replied casually.

She had some experience with this when she had to deal with her relatives after her parents passed away.

“Yes.” Lin Jue chuckled softly. “But as long as the reward is good enough, and I can keep what I want, it’s worth it.”

Su Huaiwang felt like there was a deeper meaning to her words but couldn’t quite grasp what it was.

So she changed the subject. “The mountain road is a bit dangerous at night. You need to be careful.”

“I will, thank you.”

The atmosphere between them settled into silence.

Surprisingly, Su Huaiwang didn’t find this silence awkward. Instead, she found it peaceful.

Being next to Lin Jue made her feel serene.

They walked along the mountain road for a considerable distance until there were no more streetlights and it was pitch black ahead.

Su Huaiwang hesitated. “Should we keep going?”

She checked her phone. It was past one o’clock.

“Are you tired?”

Su Huaiwang honestly shook her head.

“We can continue,” the amber eyes gazed at her earnestly. “I will protect you.”

Su Huaiwang couldn’t help but smile.

She turned on her flashlight, not responding to the promise.

“I brought a flashlight. Let’s walk a bit further.”

Lin Jue nodded.

The flashlight’s beam wasn’t weak. Su Huaiwang had specifically bought a powerful version, and the light could pierce directly through the grass and reach far away.

If this were a horror movie, the two of them would definitely be asking for trouble right now.

Su Huaiwang sighed inwardly.

The deeper they walked, the louder the insect noises became. The small flying insects circled the beam of light emitted by the flashlight from a distance, surprisingly not approaching them.

“Looks like the bug spray I put on before coming out is quite effective?” Su Huaiwang joked.

“Mhm, recommend it to me,” Lin Jue chimed in appropriately.

The vegetation grew increasingly lush. Perhaps due to the pressure of the darkness, the two walked closer and closer.

Su Huaiwang could almost feel the cool, moist touch of the girl’s hand.

Their shoulders, one tall and one short, bumped together, and their fingers occasionally brushed against each other.

Lin Jue beside her seemed oblivious, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

But Su Huaiwang couldn’t ignore this sensation.

This wasn’t the distance normal friends should maintain.

Su Huaiwang knew this in her heart, but she couldn’t convince herself to switch the light source to the hand that kept brushing against Lin Jue’s.

Night makes people timid, but it also makes them brave.

She didn’t know who made the first move. At first, it was just a little finger, gently wrapping around the other, followed immediately by the other fingers, pressing closely against the other hand.

Lin Jue lowered her gaze, slightly tilting her head to look at their clasped hands, her expression softening.

Su Huaiwang, however, dared not look down. A faint flush crept up her ears.

Lin Jue’s little finger gently scraped her palm. Su Huaiwang immediately tightened her grip, startled.

The redness on her ears intensified.

The shyer she became, the more silent she was.

Finally, Lin Jue spoke. “Let’s go back.”

Su Huaiwang’s damp eyes looked at her, carrying a hint of vulnerability.

“It’s not good for your health to stay up any longer.”

Su Huaiwang actually didn’t know what time it was. One hand held the flashlight, and the other held Lin Jue’s. To check the time on her phone, she would have to let go of Lin Jue’s hand.

But she couldn’t bear to.

However, since Lin Jue had said so, she could only turn and walk back with her.

The sound of their shoes crunching the dead leaves on the ground was a soft, rustling noise.

Su Huaiwang involuntarily moved closer to her, able to smell the fragrance surrounding her.

As if her mind had given up, she suddenly asked:

“Do you still have the aromatherapy candle you gave me last time?”

“Yes, do you want some? I can bring you some.”

“Mhm… thank you. Where did you buy it? I don’t think I’ve ever used a scent that’s so…” Su Huaiwang hesitated. She originally wanted to say “fragrant,” but then remembered that the aromatherapy candle seemed to smell exactly like Lin Jue, and if she said it, Lin Jue might misunderstand.

“That kind of scent.” In the end, she chose a neutral substitute.

Lin Jue smiled again. Her bright, shallow eyes sparkled beautifully, even in the dim light.

“I made it myself.”

“You made it yourself?” Su Huaiwang was surprised. “You really can do everything.”

“Mhm, since I grew up in the countryside.” It was that versatile answer again.

Su Huaiwang didn’t spend more thought questioning the answer, as they had already walked out of the area not covered by the streetlights.

Once the orange streetlights illuminated them, the flashlight in her hand became unnecessary.

Her face was calm, but her right hand kept trying to turn off the large flashlight with one hand.

After trying for a while and failing, she finally sighed, knowing she was forced to let go of Lin Jue’s hand.

With a click, she didn’t have to let go. Lin Jue leaned over and used her remaining free hand to turn off the flashlight.

Meeting Su Huaiwang’s gaze, Lin Jue winked at her, the meaning unmistakable.

Su Huaiwang quickly lowered her head, pretending to be busy tucking the flashlight onto her waist.

The way down the mountain was easier than the way up. Perhaps they walked faster, or perhaps she cherished the atmosphere too much, but the distance they had covered earlier took no time at all.

Her eyelids were already heavy, but when Su Huaiwang stood at her door, she still didn’t want to go home.

Her grip on Lin Jue’s hand tightened.

Lin Jue stood by her side, simply looking at her, not urging her.

Su Huaiwang suddenly realized she had a very bold, very unrestrained thought in her mind, a thought completely unlike her.

She might have been seduced—by the night, by the summer, by the vegetation, by herself, by anything was possible.

A hot, spicy feeling spread through her chest.

Su Huaiwang took a deep breath and turned.

She let go of Lin Jue’s hand and placed both hands on her shoulders.

It wasn’t a forceful grip, not like pulling, nor like bracing herself.

She wasn’t grasping the greedy jade, nor the sole hope of driftwood.

It was just Lin Jue.

It was just longing.

A kiss landed on the side of the girl’s face.

The moment she leaned in to kiss, the other person was already ready, slightly lifting her head.

Lin Jue didn’t speak, didn’t say yes, or no.

She also didn’t move, neither pushing her away nor embracing her.

She simply gazed at Su Huaiwang, as if it were only natural.

“A goodnight kiss—between friends.”

A flimsy excuse.

Su Huaiwang was flustered.

Su Huaiwang couldn’t tell if the girl believed the excuse, but all she saw was Lin Jue pointing to the edge of her own lips:

“Can I have another one? I kissed you twice last time too.”

Lin Jue’s voice was clear, making a sincere request.

So, Su Huaiwang nervously leaned in again, gently touching the corner of her lips.

It was a brief touch, warm and soft. Lin Jue didn’t even have time to enjoy it by narrowing her eyes.

She looked rather dissatisfied:

“Why only kiss the corner of my lips?”

It was far less than what she wanted.