Chapter 23: Confessions in the Dead of Night

In the silent room, there was no sound other than the soft, rhythmic breathing of two people.

Gu Xinyao and Dugu Yi lay back-to-back on the bed in Dugu Yi’s apartment. Because this location was closer to the Dugu family’s company, they had chosen to stay here instead of at Qin Rou’s residence.

At the beginning of their marriage, Dugu Yuqing had stipulated that for the first two days, the couple must stay at the Dugu family’s main estate to facilitate the family’s assessment of Gu Xinyao. For the remaining five days, they were free to live where they pleased, with the strict condition that Gu Xinyao must keep a low profile and never return to the grocery store.

It was their second day of marriage. The unpleasantness caused by Shangguan Lü earlier that day had been temporarily calmed by Gu Xinyao’s little secret, but it was a palliative measure rather than a cure.

That evening, a minor disagreement arose regarding their sleeping arrangements. Gu Xinyao felt that if Dugu Yi still could not accept her touch, it would be better for his sake to sleep in separate beds. To her surprise, Dugu Yi insisted on sharing one.

In the end, Gu Xinyao compromised, unable to refuse him. Unfortunately, when it came time to sleep, they still ended up lying back-to-back.

She couldn't fall asleep, yet she dared not move for fear of waking him. Her eyes fixed on the white curtains. Dugu Yi’s apartment was tidy and warm, likely thanks to the efforts of his butler.

"Haa..." She let out a soft sigh, feeling an inexplicable tightness in her chest.

"Can't sleep?" Just as she thought he had drifted off, his pleasant, cool voice came from behind her.

She sat up abruptly, though he remained facing away.

"You're not asleep either?" she asked softly, as if afraid that speaking too loudly might disturb the stillness of the night.

She was always so cautious with him, treating him as if he were a fragile porcelain doll.

He turned over and lay flat, his eyes catching the curve of her chin from his vantage point.

"I... I can't sleep either." His life now included a woman, and he was indeed finding it hard to adjust, especially since she knew almost all his secrets and the scandals he couldn't speak of to outsiders. She said she didn't mind; she said she would seek justice for him. But could he truly trust her?

He gave himself a bitter smile. When had he ever talked to anyone like this? When had he ever laid his heart bare before a stranger? She was special; perhaps he would never find another person in his life with whom he could converse so openly.

"Then, shall we sit up and have a proper talk?" She smiled at him, her white teeth striking in the darkness.

He hesitated, not entirely sure what she meant, but her vague movements conveyed a sense of warmth. After a moment, he sat up and moved closer, sitting beside her. The contact of their skin through the fabric of their clothes held a different kind of significance.

Gu Xinyao summoned her courage and reached out in the darkness to find his hand. It was slightly cool from being outside the covers, but it felt just right in her palm. He did not pull away, and she was glad to hold his hand as she began to speak.

"I don't think I've ever told you about my family, have I?" Gu Xinyao searched for a topic, realizing how little he knew of her.

Dugu Yi hadn't expected her to bring this up. He paused, then nodded, only then remembering that in the darkness, she couldn't see him. "You haven't had the chance," he said aloud.

The moment the words left his lips, he realized he was making excuses for her, and he fell silent again.

She smiled to herself in the dark and began. "That's right, I haven't had the chance. Now, I want to tell you, so you know what kind of person I am. I am not from this world..." She stopped there, curious to see his reaction.

He hadn't anticipated such an origin, so he remained silent for a few seconds, processing the statement.

She continued, "I come from over a thousand years ago. In today’s terms, I come from a world full of pollution, where people didn't know how to protect the environment or nature. In that world, I was an engineer, already a minor team leader. Heh, unfortunately, while inspecting equipment, I was struck by electricity and ended up here."

As she spoke, she felt his hand tighten around hers instinctively. She felt a surge of relief; at least he hadn't been frightened enough to let go.

Time seemed to stand still. She didn't continue, and he didn't ask any further questions.

After about two minutes, she heard him ask, "Since you arrived here, don't your parents worry about you? And your... your lover, won't there be no one to look after him?" His voice was stiff from intense restraint, yet she could hear his concern and the anxiety regarding the answer to the latter question.

She leaned closer to him. With their hands joined and their bodies near, she finally felt a sense of security. She couldn't help but smile bitterly at the thought—how long had it been since she felt secure? Probably not since her parents passed away.

"My parents... they won't worry about me anymore. They died in a car accident when I was in my teens. I have always been alone. Even before the accident, I was alone. In my world, I had no attachments. I had no other family, no lover, no children." Her voice sounded particularly low in the darkness, and the silence of the room seemed to deepen with her answer.

Perhaps Dugu Yi felt his question had touched a raw nerve, so he didn't press further.

Having lived alone for so many years, she never dwelled on thoughts of parents or partners. She had devoted herself to her profession, often forgetting to rest, and her colleagues would jokingly call her a workaholic, a label she would simply brush off with a smile.

She wasn't a workaholic because she loved her job; she just couldn't bear to be idle. Idleness forced her to confront the reality that while others lived in happy, harmonious families, she had only herself—coming home alone, cooking alone, washing clothes alone, watching TV alone, and sleeping alone.

No one knew the heartache she felt on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or Father's Day, watching others happily exchange flowers or buy them, seeing the joy on their faces.

She had no parents and had lived alone for so many years. She had no other relatives. When she fell ill, she went to the hospital alone. She didn't want to trouble her colleagues, nor did she want to beg for help like a beggar. Over the years, she rarely let herself get sick, rarely let herself wallow in sadness, which was the only way she had managed to stay strong and survive until now.

"I didn't mean to," he apologized, his voice urgent, as if he felt his question had wounded her.

She shook her head in the dark, pushing past the bitterness in her chest. "It's fine. It's fine. It's been so long."

As she spoke, her voice grew quieter. She bowed her head, and tears fell onto the quilt.

The hardships and exhaustion of so many years had gone unacknowledged by anyone. Meeting him, she felt happiness was finally within reach, but...

Just as Gu Xinyao felt a wave of vulnerability and sorrow, she felt a warmth envelop her—he was hugging her. She didn't mind the embrace, but she could feel how much courage it had taken for him to do so.

In this world, women were always the symbol of strength. Even the most formidable men dared not act with such arrogance as to assume they were the "heavens" meant to rule over women.

But she was not from this world. She didn't care about men being stronger than women, nor did she feel the need to appear fragile.

She hugged him back, pressing her cheek against his neck. The warmth he provided caused the shadows in her heart to dissipate, and the pain of those years began to fade.

She felt the warmth of his fingers brushing against her face. Though he usually appeared cold and unapproachable, she knew he was the most kind and gentle of souls; his coldness was merely a defensive color, just as she was no superwoman. She remembered the convenience he had afforded her when she delivered vegetables; she remembered the night of the Duanmu family banquet, when she was held by a security guard and threatened with the police, and he had claimed her as his friend, ordering them to let her go.

He was no aloof ice prince, nor was he an arrogant rich boy hiding behind his noble status. He was simply an ordinary person who longed to be understood, accepted, and cared for.

"From now on, I won't... I won't let them bully you. Don't worry. With me here, you can do whatever you want."

Gu Xinyao thought this was perhaps the most beautiful love confession she had ever heard, though it seemed that in this time and space, it would have been more fitting for her to say it to him.

She was not a woman lacking in sentiment, so she didn't voice her thoughts. Instead, she rubbed gently against his neck to express her gratitude.

His breathing became slightly ragged, and his arms tightened around her. In his embrace, her own arms naturally tightened around his waist.

"Ugh..." he gave a small moan, sounding both like an invitation and a struggle against something within himself.

They were wearing silk pajamas; even a small movement could cause a stir. It wasn't that she was lustful, but when emotions reached such a peak, the body followed its own course.

Their previous experience had created a physical tacit understanding. Her fingers slipped under his hem, his silk-smooth skin feeling perfectly fitted to her palm.

"May I?" she whispered, her lips grazing his slender neck, kissing her way to his ear.

Perhaps it was because her story had drawn him into a state of profound compassion, or perhaps because the seeds of affection had already begun to sprout, but his hand pressed weakly against hers—uncertain whether to stop her or to guide her across his body.

In that moment of hesitation, her persistence broke through his defenses. She gently pulled his hand away and, leaving him no room to resist, kissed his lips. They were cool and soft, and the faint scent of mint in his breath left her intoxicated.

Meanwhile, her hands did not stop. She slowly pushed up his pajamas, and the moment his skin touched the air, he gave a slight shiver.

But the next moment, as their skin met, he no longer had time to feel the cooling air.

With their fingers interlocked, they kissed sweetly, having long forgotten the earlier troubles. Nothing in this world was more moving than true emotion. The moment Gu Xinyao opened her heart to him, his own had opened as well; what followed felt like the natural course of a river, perhaps long destined to be.

Lingering gasps echoed in the room. Spring had returned to the earth; even though there would be cold days yet to come, the winter would always eventually give way to spring.