He Qianqian found her husband dreaming again.
He writhed, murmuring words under his breath.
His movements became more and more intense, rustling in the blanket.
A wave of paralysis ran through He Qianqian's body, a speechless mix of loss and anger, leaving her feeling incredibly oppressed.
It was not the first time. Every few days, he would cry out in his dreams, tormenting a girl named Qingqing.
She thought that his longing for other women might have something to do with her lack of passion.
He was probably just fantasizing. If he were truly unfaithful, he wouldn't have such abundant energy at night. Thinking this, she felt somewhat comforted, but the sense of loss in her heart was still too great to conceal.
She was thirty years old, the infamous age of insatiable desire.
In the past, she was mostly passive, but over the past year or two, she found herself increasingly restless late at night.
The desire for a man grew stronger, but he was unwilling, and she was too embarrassed to plead with him.
Stuck in this standoff, her inner desire was only growing. To fight this distress, she forced herself to work harder and do more housework after work.
That night, in her dream, she encountered a man who was incredibly gentle. She could not see his face clearly, but he was handsome and masculine.
The man entwined with her, pulling her into him and forcing a kiss onto her, while she tried, unsuccessfully, to push him away.
In the midst of this half-hearted resistance, they deeply kissed and she felt a numbness spread through her body, even making her feel faint.
She wanted... she wanted...
"But I can't, I am a married woman, I can't betray him, I can't!" She struggled to push the man away, and then felt a pang of emptiness.
It was Christmas Day, a night of revelry.
Chun Meng, having just awoken from a dream, stands alone at the window, watching the snow fall and the flowers girls laugh as boys pulled them into their arms and led them away.
She never cared about holidays, as they seemed so distant. A married woman is destined to say goodbye to flowers, love words, and all romantic things.
What a pity, reality and dreams are always two different things.
Like now, she is upset by her mother-in-law and can only hide in her room without daring to argue, afraid of affecting the children. Her most loved man is always busy with his computer.
After an unknowable amount of time, her husband, Xiao Shengchun, finally came into the room and turned on the light.
He silently walked behind her. She was thinking how wonderful it would be if he suddenly hugged her and whispered a few soft words into her ear. If he did that, all her repressed feelings would be released and all the patience she had shown for him would be worthwhile.
"Hug me, okay?" she silently begged, but she didn't dare to say it out loud. She was too embarrassed.
"How can you treat mother like that?" He suddenly opened his mouth, and his words were not the sweet nothings she had hoped for, but angry reproaches.
What did I do to her? She spoke so cruelly, but I did not talk back, did not argue, I just quietly walked away. Was this wrong too?
It seemed as though disappointment had soaked into her bones, leaving her with no strength to argue or dispute. She turned around, taking a hard look at him.
She suddenly realized that he had become a stranger. Was the towering man standing before her, looking at him furiously, the same person who had once risked everything to marry her?
It seemed so, but also not.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" He frowned impatiently.
His impatience made her want to laugh, so she did, curving her lips into a gentle smile. "No reason, I just want to observe."
Knowing he needed sleep, He Qianqian closed the windows and drew the curtains shut.
Both of them settled under their thick quilts, not exchanging a word. Sensing her proximity, he moved closer to the edge of the bed.
Comradeship with her had become increasingly challenging for him recently.
Could it be attributed to Su Qingqing from his work? It was plausible. Ever since Su Qingqing's arrival, he found himself incessantly following her with his gaze. The youthful, sweet scent that belonged uniquely to her caused a ticklish sensation in his heart.
Her voluptuous figure could undeniably drive men to drastic measures. It was even more captivating when she laughed heartily.
But what about He Qianqian at home? She was attractive, yet familiarity bored him. Furthermore, she had borne a child, which only lessened his interest in her.
Despite his occasional attempts to fulfill his marital duties, he would retreat at the last moment.
Dreams of having Su Qingqing, the tempting seductress, beneath him were recurrent... When he woke up, he felt a refreshing sensation engulfing him.
Strangely enough, he didn't feel guilty about his feelings towards He Qianqian. Contrarily, he believed he was being considerate of her.
The little vixen, Su Qingqing, was clearly interested in him too, constantly rubbing his arms covertly and overtly. If not for not wanting to betray He Qianqian, he couldn't measure how many times he would have succumbed to the lady's allure.
But Qingqing didn't seem to appreciate his restraint. Just today, she had given him the cold shoulder, making him feel as if he's handling an unmanageable woman.
He Qianqian, who had not fallen asleep, was lost in her past memories. She ended up marrying him because of what he did back then. After all the effort he had exerted, he had ceased cherishing her now.
After an indefinite amount of time, the man beside her breathed steadily, indicating his slumber. She, on the other hand, couldn't sleep.
"Little temptress... temptress..." he mumbled in his sleep.
