Coming to Myself

The next day, You Mingxu woke up at a reasonable hour.

After all, Yin Feng had just been discharged from the hospital. The two of them had gone to bed before midnight the previous night.

The curtains were drawn, allowing only a sliver of sunlight to filter through. She turned her head to look at the person beside her—he was still asleep.

In his slumber, Yin Feng lacked both the stubbornness from last night and his usual aloofness. His features were serene, his handsome face carrying a hint of inexplicable foolishness—though that might just have been You Mingxu’s imagination.

She got up, picked her clothes up from the floor, and went to wash up. When she returned, she found the curtains half-open. Yin Feng was already awake, draped in a shirt, leaning against the headboard with his arms behind his head, watching her.

She sensed that Yin Feng seemed to feel the same way. She walked decisively to the window, pulled the curtains all the way open, and pushed the window ajar to take a breath of fresh air. "Aren’t you getting up?" she asked.

Yin Feng had been watching her the whole time, though it was unclear what he was looking at. He let out a soft "Mm" and headed to the bathroom.

Not long after, he returned fully dressed and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

You Mingxu suddenly realized that this was actually a wonderful feeling—just the two of them, quiet and still, immersed in a certain kind of tranquility.

After a while, however, a low rumbling sound broke the silent embrace.

You Mingxu patted her stomach and said, "I’m so hungry."

Yin Feng chuckled softly and led her out of the room.

Outside, the sun was already high, filling the entire villa with bright light. Yet it was unusually quiet, with no one else in sight.

Yin Feng seemed quite pleased with this.

They made their way downstairs to the dining room. Yin Feng gestured for You Mingxu to sit while he went into the kitchen. Soon, he returned with a tray of food: seafood congee, milk, crab roe buns… all still steaming. Clearly, someone had been keeping everything warm for them.

"At least they know I need to replenish my nutrients," Yin Feng remarked.

You Mingxu shot him a sidelong glance.

As usual, You Mingxu finished eating faster than he did. She set down her chopsticks and looked up. Yin Feng was wearing a light-colored sweater and black trousers, his feet bare in slippers. Having just taken a shower, his hair appeared even darker and softer, his face fair and strikingly handsome. Noticing her gaze, he raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

Just from that one look, You Mingxu could tell he was different from how he had been recently. Hadn’t he been brooding and troubled before? A shadow of gloom had always lingered in his expression. But now, his demeanor had noticeably softened and settled—he was back to normal!

In fact, he seemed even more refreshed and vibrant than before. His fair complexion and well-defined features, combined with the faint smile on his lips, made him seem as if he were bathed in a gentle glow. There was an indescribable warmth and charm about him.

You Mingxu suddenly smiled.

She had once heard a crude saying: if a woman is upset, just coax her into bed and everything will be forgotten. She had always scoffed at such nonsense. But now, it seemed some men were the ones who proved it true…

Yin Feng noticed her mocking smile and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing," You Mingxu replied calmly. "So, you won’t be so dramatic about life and death anymore, right?"

Yin Feng’s tone turned cold. "When was I ever dramatic about life and death?"

Seizing a rare moment of playfulness, You Mingxu lowered her eyes, pressed her lips together, and imitated his tone from the previous night, word for word: "A Xu, if one day you die, what am I supposed to do? Kill myself?"After saying this, she laughed. Yin Feng didn't laugh, staring at her for a long moment. In the past, such a gloomy look would have made You Mingxu's heart skip a beat, but now...

You Mingxu picked up the last crab roe bun: "Are you eating this or not? If not, your A Xu is going to eat it."

Look at that, when You Mingxu mocks someone, she even uses herself in the act.

Yin Feng stood up and walked over. You Mingxu, quick-eyed and deft-handed, stuffed the bun into her mouth and stood up to dodge, though not really intent on escaping. Yin Feng simply grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace. You Mingxu laughed and struggled for a while before finally settling down. Only then did he release her, but he didn't return to his seat, instead sitting down beside her and saying, "Later, I'll go with you to pack your things at home. You'll move in this afternoon."

You Mingxu hesitated slightly and didn't respond immediately.

Yin Feng looked at her coolly: "Thinking of going back on your word?"

After a night had passed, You Mingxu couldn't quite recall how she had agreed to it yesterday. Seeing the pressure around him about to drop again, she said, "Okay."

He kept looking at her.

She said, "I said okay."

A faint smile appeared in Yin Feng's eyes as he leaned forward slightly. Somehow, You Mingxu understood what he meant and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

—

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since Yin Feng had been back to You Mingxu's home.

In the afternoon, the two of them led Tuya and Chen Feng, driving a car to the building where You Mingxu lived.

Chen Feng shot a meaningful glance, and Tuya seemed to half-understand. Chen Feng said, "We'll wait downstairs. Call us when you're done packing."

Yin Feng neither agreed nor disagreed, simply taking You Mingxu's hand and heading upstairs.

After they had gone up, Tuya asked, "Why aren't we going up to help?"

Chen Feng lit a cigarette, smiled, and said, "Do you remember how Teacher Yin moved out of here back then without even looking back? He even took the slide bed with him. Now he's returning to the old place and even wants the boss lady to move in with him. When the boss lady remembers, she's definitely going to settle the score with him. Teacher Yin is bound to lose face later. He has always been our respected spiritual mentor—how could he kneel properly if we were around?"

Tuya had an epiphany, took the lesson to heart, held back for a moment, and then burst into loud laughter.

—

The moment Yin Feng stepped into You Mingxu's home, he froze.

Thinking back, since he "woke up," he had only been to her home a handful of times.

He still remembered the first time he came—he hadn't even gone upstairs. He had only stayed downstairs to back up Chen Feng, who had come to collect his luggage. Why hadn't he gone upstairs back then? Looking back now, he probably still felt a bit of trepidation in his heart.

But this time was completely different. The memories associated with this "home" were now vivid and clear.

The living room was almost exactly as he had left it. The decorations and potted plants Chen Feng had added for him back then were still in their original places. It turned out she hadn't thrown them away.

Yin Feng couldn't help but glance at the woman walking ahead of him. Her expression was calm, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Yet Yin Feng could feel faint traces of bittersweet emotions churning in his chest.

You Mingxu said, "Sit for a while. I'll go pack my luggage," and then walked into the bedroom.

Yin Feng sat down on the sofa, looking around. What came to mind, however, were countless memories of himself imitating You Mingxu—hugging his knees, curling up on the sofa. Whether he was acting spoiled toward her or secretly watching her. Sometimes, she seemed unaware, letting him snuggle up; other times, she would only allow him to sit in place, forbidding him from moving around...As he thought about it, Yin Feng smiled. That feeling, which had been vague and indistinct at the time, now upon reflection revealed itself to be so sweet it made one's heart flutter and spirit soar.