Coming to Myself

You Mingxu never expected that the moment she met Yin Feng, he would pull her onto his lap.

There were clearly two chairs.

Unaccustomed to this, she tried to push him away and stand up. The moment her hand touched his chest, he grabbed it and said, "Don't push. What if you hit the wound and it starts bleeding?"

You Mingxu immediately froze. She glanced at him and suddenly thought: When Jing Ping had just been discharged from the hospital after recovering from his injuries, he invited her to fight and even boasted about teaching her a lesson, completely disregarding his wounds. And that's exactly what happened. But this guy here is afraid of bleeding from a mere touch, shamelessly insisting on holding her. Look at him—acting as if it's perfectly natural, his gaze deep and unreadable.

You Mingxu suddenly laughed.

She chose him herself. No matter how weak or thick-skinned he is, she has to put up with it.

"How am I supposed to eat like this?" You Mingxu said.

Yin Feng raised an eyebrow. "Bring that plate over here too."

You Mingxu replied bluntly, "Fine."

Only then did Yin Feng release her hand. But the moment she left his embrace, she immediately sat down across from him and picked up her knife and fork.

Yin Feng felt the emptiness in his arms and was somewhat displeased, but he wasn't in a hurry, eating slowly instead.

The two chatted for a while about what had been going on in their lives recently—he talked about his injury, she talked about work. Before they knew it, the meal was finished.

Yin Feng said, "No need to clean up. Let Xiao Yan handle it later. Let's go for a walk downstairs to aid digestion."

You Mingxu glanced at him. "Can you walk?"

Yin Feng said, "As long as it's not... overly strenuous activity, it's fine."

You Mingxu looked at him again, but her hand was already grasped by his as he led her downstairs.

The four people downstairs were still drinking. When they saw the two, they once again called out in unison, "Boss Lady." No one addressed Yin Feng, though. You Mingxu's eyebrow twitched, but Yin Feng smiled and whispered to her, "Let's go, Boss Lady."

You Mingxu reached into his jacket and pinched his waist. He just looked at her, offering no resistance at all. You Mingxu withdrew her hand and turned to walk outside.

The weather was beautiful today—clear skies with sparse stars, the air warm. The two strolled among the flower beds, soon moving far from the house. Surrounded by trees and flowers, the night enveloped them, feeling distant from the world beyond the gate.

Everything was quiet. After walking in silence for a while, Yin Feng said, "Move in tomorrow, okay?"

You Mingxu gazed at a cluster of flowers by the path and replied, "I'm still used to living alone."

Yin Feng's hand tightened around hers.

So You Mingxu brought up the past again, partly to tease him. "What about that sentence? Have you remembered it yet? You just want me to move in."

Yin Feng fell silent for a moment. Something seemed to surge in his eyes, yet it also felt like nothing at all.

He said, "The Punisher Organization will definitely seek revenge against me. The villa has better security, and with Tuya and the others here, I’ll only feel at ease if you move in."

So that was the reason. You Mingxu thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, prepare a separate room for me."

But Yin Feng didn’t respond. After a few more steps, he pointed ahead and said, "There are a few rare flowers over there that I brought back from abroad. Let’s go take a look."

You Mingxu grabbed his hand. "Did you hear me?"

Yin Feng just smiled and said, "We’ll talk about it tomorrow."

You Mingxu’s heart fluttered uneasily. Some inexplicable emotion seemed to quietly spread along with the night. She kept her expression neutral.

The two admired the flowers and eventually reached the pond. Yin Feng pulled her down to sit on a long bench. Worried he might be tired, You Mingxu turned to check his expression.

But Yin Feng pulled her into his arms and back onto his lap.This time, You Mingxu didn't refuse. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder, quietly gazing at the nightscape with him. The surroundings were extremely still, surrounded by flowers and plants, with occasional splashes from fish leaping in the pond.

Yin Feng stroked her hair for a while before his hand slipped under the hem of her clothes, and he leaned in to kiss her.

...

By the time the two returned to the villa hand in hand, the night had deepened. The house was quiet, and the other four were nowhere to be found, likely off playing somewhere.

Yin Feng didn't turn on the lights, holding You Mingxu's hand as they ascended the stairs step by step in the pitch-black darkness. You Mingxu didn't feel the need to turn on the lights either; there was an intoxicating allure in the darkness.

Even when Yin Feng pulled her into the master bedroom and closed the door, You Mingxu didn't think much of it. Since Yin Feng had just been discharged from the hospital, she didn't believe he could do anything to her, so she planned to stay with him a little longer before heading home.

Yet, as they entered the room, he still didn't turn on the lights. You Mingxu watched his faint silhouette in the darkness without saying a word.

He continued to hold her hand, leading her to the bedside, where he turned on a desk lamp. Then he sat down, pulling her into his arms, holding her just as he had by the pond. His voice was hoarse as he said, "I took a shower this afternoon."

You Mingxu asked, "Are you crazy? You just got out of the hospital. What are you planning to do?"

His face looked somewhat hazy in the dim light, his eyes carrying an unfathomable smile. "Nothing too intense. At most, I'll stay on the bottom this time. It's been so long—don't you miss it?"

You Mingxu's heart had never raced so fast in her life. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she caught the loophole in his words. She slipped off his lap and sat beside him, asking, "You remember?"

The meaning of "remember" was vague in her words, but both of them understood what it meant.

He touched her face, leaned in to kiss her again, and said, "Yes, I remember everything."

You Mingxu's emotions suddenly became unsettled, even somewhat agitated. She asked, "When did you remember?"

Yin Feng wrapped his arm around her waist and said, "The night of the surgery, I kept dreaming for a while. When I woke up, I remembered everything."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"As long as I know, that's enough." His hand slipped under her clothes again, but this time You Mingxu stopped him.

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Yin Feng simply wrapped both arms around her waist and, with a slight exertion, pushed her down onto the bed.

In the darkness, he kissed her for a while before trying to undo her clothes, only to be stopped by her again.

He leaned close, looking down at her. "A Xu, unwilling?"

His voice was deep yet soft, carrying a hint of You Yingjun-like grievance. Suddenly, You Mingxu's heart churned with turmoil. She thought, he said he remembers, everything. That means all those days spent with Yingjun—his careful attempts to please, his persistent clinging, her own aloofness and entanglement, Yingjun's silent devotion, all his joys and sorrows—this man before her remembers it all?

Tears suddenly welled up in You Mingxu's eyes. With a swift turn, she effortlessly flipped him over, pinning him beneath her. He still looked up at her, his gaze growing even more profound."If you've remembered, then why have you been..." You Mingxu hesitated, "...What's been bothering you deep down? And why only admit it today?"

His gaze flickered slightly, but he remained silent.

You Mingxu grew even more certain that since waking up this time, there was clearly something odd about him. It had been over a month, and he still hadn't told her the truth. Yet she couldn't figure out what exactly was wrong.

So she asked, "Could it be that you find your past as Yingjun too embarrassing? So after remembering, you feel disappointed?"

Yin Feng's Adam's apple moved as he replied, "Back then, I'd been harmed to such a state. Being able to become Yingjun, help you solve cases—it still shows how capable I am. What's there to be embarrassed about? Besides, most of the embarrassing moments were only seen by you."

This guy's narcissism really knew no bounds. You Mingxu felt slightly relieved and pressed further, "Then what is it really? Did you remember something else?"

Perhaps with You Mingxu's lifelong frankness and straightforwardness in matters of the heart, she would never have guessed the reason for Yin Feng's recent melancholy, no matter how hard she tried.

And Yin Feng, in the dim light, looked into her clear, concerned eyes and slowly took a deep breath.

Should he tell her?

Should he tell her that his suppression and unease since waking up were simply because he was afraid of losing her? That was why he didn't want to face it at all.

Because I've never loved someone like this before.

Once spoken, I fear there would be no turning back.