Chapter 1: Exquisite Beauty

*

The moonlight shimmered like water, bathing the room in its gentle glow.

The deer awoke from its slumber by the creek, momentarily unsure of the time and place it found itself in.

She blinked her eyes in confusion and glanced towards the enormous floor-to-ceiling window on her right.

The curtains were not yet drawn, and outside the window, the freshly fallen snow sparkled under the clear sky, with the full moon shining brightly.

Winter. After the snowfall.

On a moonlit night, all was quiet and still.

Many years had passed since she last witnessed such a shimmering moonlight. It reminded her of the times she had experienced it only in her childhood countryside.

It was the peak of summer. Grandma held her in her arms as the cat lay on her lap. They sat in the yard, enjoying the cool breeze and admiring the moon.

It was so beautiful that it felt unreal, as if she were in a dream.

"Am I still in a dream?" she wondered.

Her temples throbbed, her mind filled with a whirlwind of confusion. The deer at the creek closed its eyes and rubbed its forehead.

It was time to wake up and rush to the rehearsal.

She stretched lazily, extending her left hand and suddenly coming into contact with a soft bundle.

The touch felt warm and gentle, and she instinctively held on to it, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Her five fingers sensed a vibrant surge of life, freezing the deer at the creek. She opened her eyes and looked to the left.

In the next second, she pulled back her left hand as though it was burning, clutching the blanket to cover her chest, and she shrunk her body backward.

There was a woman lying beside her.

Under the moonlight, the woman had long flowing black hair that cascaded over the pillow. Her facial features were like a beautiful painting, with high, straight nose and a cool temperament. She seemed to exude an icy presence, like catching the faint scent of snow on a branch.

Does snow have a taste?

Yes, it does.

In the winter countryside, the big snow weighs down the evergreen pines. It keeps on snowing all night long. The next day, when I open the door, the pines transform into branches of sparkling ice, coated in the color of snow. Taking a breath of cold air, it feels so refreshing, crisp, and invigorating. It fills my lungs and refreshes my senses with a completely different scent than usual.

The deer let out a gentle sigh as it drank from the creek.

Sure enough, he was still in a dream.

Does reality have such beautiful moonlight?

In the moonlight, there lay by my side an absolutely stunning figure...

Realizing the current situation, the deer slowly let go of its guard as it gradually lowered the blanket that covered its chest. It bowed its head and examined its own clothes.

- A crimson sleeping robe, brand new and without any signs of disarray, hung loosely on him. A loose belt was tied around his waist, and the collar of the robe was generously open, revealing a breathtaking view below his collarbones.

What a peculiar attire...

Did the version of herself in the dream like to embrace a sexy and wild style?

Unexpectedly, the deer found itself to be quite reserved. Frantically, it fixed the collar of its clothes, tightened the belt around its waist, and then turned its head to gaze at the enchanting beauty of the woman beside it.

She remembered reading Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams" in the past, which said, "Dreams are the fulfillment of human subconscious desires."

She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed in herself.

-"Not much ambition," he sighed.

It was a rare spring dream, where the lingering moments before were skipped, and it jumped straight to the aftermath, where they slept together.

"What a close call," he exclaimed.

The deer took a sip from the creek and chuckled lightly, finding a reason for itself: Perhaps because the other deer was of the same gender, the brain couldn't weave specific details, so it decided to skip them altogether.

After all, reaching the age of twenty-five, she truly had no experience of having romantic relationships with people of the same gender.

In the industry she worked in, there were many people who were attracted to the same gender, or rather, many people who were open to any gender, both males and females.

In the world of fame and fortune, there were many who indulged in worldly pleasures, but she didn't want to be one of them. Starting a relationship hastily, only to end it meaninglessly, that was not what she desired.

She doesn't like complicated relationships, whether they are same-sex or opposite-sex. She simply wants to wholeheartedly love one person.

Words like one-night stand, sugar daddy, unwritten rules, and drunken promiscuity were far from her world.

So, under the current circumstances, it would only occur in dreams.

Strengthened by this thought, Lu Yinxi looked at the woman on the bed. After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously approached and knelt beside her. Extending his left hand, he wanted to gently touch her.

It was just a dream.

An existence like a flower in the mirror or a moon in the water.

Just as his fingertip was about to touch her rosy lips, Lu Yinxi abruptly pulled back.

She was afraid of waking her up.

Her sleeping face was serene and delicate, resembling an ink painting under the moonlight. It was tranquil and understated, suitable for both light and dark shades.

Lu Yinxi couldn't bear to wake her up.

His slender fingers paused above her red lips, almost touching but not quite. Warm and gentle breath brushed against his fingertips, causing them to tremble slightly.

Lu Yinxi curled his fingers, pulling back his arm. He remained still, silently using his tender gaze to portray her beautiful face.

Then he looked up, using the bright moonlight to assess the unfamiliar room.

Three white walls, a floor-to-ceiling window, and very few objects in the room. At a glance, there was a bedside table.

On the cabinet, there was a stack of magazines, a dark blue pen, a black glasses case, and...

A gleaming dagger, shimmering with cold light.

Why would someone place a dagger by the bedside?

Deer furrowed its brow in confusion, then suddenly felt that this dream was too vivid and everything it saw before its eyes seemed incredibly real.

Lost in its gaze, the deer suddenly felt a cold, gentle touch around its left wrist. Instinctively, Deery looked towards the woman lying on the pillow.

The woman on the pillow had her eyes half-closed. She was gently massaging her forehead with one hand while holding the deer's wrist with the other.

His wrist was being pinched painfully, causing the deer to furrow his brows slightly. Before he could make a sound, the hand gripping his delicate wrist suddenly pulled him. Deery lost his balance and fell into the woman's arms.

The pressure on his wrist was released, but a pair of hands tightly encircled his waist.

Two warm bodies pressed together, as Deery buried his head into the unfamiliar woman's neck. His lips brushed against her smooth and delicate skin, and in an instant, his mind went blank.

For a few moments, Deery was frozen. He quickly moved his lips away, propped himself up, and met the gaze of the unfamiliar woman.

She had a pair of beautiful eyes, like autumn water and cold stars. However, her gaze was extremely indifferent. When she looked at herself, it was no different from looking at a random stone on the roadside.

Every touch was a unique soft warmth that only women possess. Deery had no place to rest his hands, his gaze wandered for a moment, and finally, he settled them on her shoulder. Speaking softly, he asked, "What is your name?"

The person beneath him didn't reply, their gaze revealing a hint of scrutiny.

She loosened her grasp slightly, placing her right hand against Deery's back and gently stroking his neck.

Deery continued speaking, "My name is Deery, the very same Deery from the poem 'Frost Falls, Bear Rises, Deer Drinks from the Stream'. I was born in the winter, and my mom said she had a dream about a little deer leaping through the forest and frolicking by the stream, so she named me Deery... It's easy to remember."

With a serious expression, it seemed as if Deery was introducing himself in a kindergarten classroom.

Childish yet earnest.

After a pause, Deery asked softly, "And you? Can you tell me your name, please?"

Even if it was just a fleeting dream, with no trace left behind, she still wanted to know the other person's name.

Very serious.

The woman beneath him had clear, icy eyes. Her cold fingers traced gently from Deery's nape to his earlobe, as she spoke leisurely and calmly, saying, "Jian Qing, a simple name, like the purity of clear water."

Jian Qing, Jian Qing...

Deery silently repeated it twice, firmly memorizing it. Suddenly, a strange feeling arose in his heart.

This name sounded familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before...

Her earlobes had turned bright red from blushing, so Jian Qing switched to using the pad of her thumb. She gently brushed against the brown beauty mark beneath the corner of Deery's eye.

Slowly, a sense of ambiguity floated in the moonlit scene. Deery mustered a trace of clarity and broke the silence of the ambiguous atmosphere. "Have we met before? It feels like this isn't our first encounter..."

"The first time they met was at a private club."

"And then?" Deery furrowed his brow, unable to recall when and where he had gone to a private club and met this person.

This person is so good-looking. If she had seen him before, she would surely remember him at first sight.

"Then-" Jian Qing smoothed Deery's forehead with her fingertip, her tone calm, and a hint of scrutiny in her eyes. "I brought you home."

With these words spoken, the ambiguity instantly froze under the moonlight.

Deery slowly sat up and moved away, pulling some distance between them. "What do you mean?" he asked.

What did you bring home?

Take care of? Or just a one-night stand?

Regardless of which one, it could never happen to her.

Even if it were a dream, even if this person looked handsome, it is not right to casually insult others...

Jianqing reached out and untied her belt and robe, answering her question with actions.

The belt loosened, and the robe fell down as smoothly as water, gathering at her waist. The moonlight devoutly kissed her back, illuminating her skin as smooth and flawless as fine jade.

Deer Drinking from the Creek He sat astride Jianqing's waist, his upper body bare, as his overflowing tenderness gradually faded away.

She closed her eyes, hiding the surging anger in her gaze. She raised her left hand and with a loud "smack," fiercely slapped the person beneath her.

*

With a loud "snap," the refrigerator door was casually closed by someone.

A woman dressed in a black robe stood next to the refrigerator.

The woman was tall and slim, her cheeks swollen and her expression distant. Crimson blood trickled down from between her left fingers, forming a pool on the ground, drop by drop.

She grabbed a thin towel and wrapped it around the medical ice pack she had taken out from the refrigerator.

The ice pack pressed against her face, sending a chilling sensation deep into her flesh.

Gently and silently, she applied a facial mask while glancing towards the sofa in the living room.

On the sofa, there was a person with black hair, red lips, and clear eyes. They sat, hugging their knees, their eyes becoming teary and their appearance appearing delicate, innocent, and full of sadness, as if they were the one who had been hurt.

Noticing Jiaqing's gaze, Luyin Xi looked up at her.

They locked eyes for a moment, and Luyin Xi's lips turned slightly pale. Instinctively, she lifted her left hand and tightened her collar, shrinking into the corner of the sofa.

Like a startled little cat.

Jiaqing put down the ice pack and walked over, looking down at her from above.

Luyin Xi stared at Jiaqing for a few seconds, then lowered her head to look at Jiaqing's continuously bleeding left hand. For a brief moment, her heart skipped a beat and a dizziness swept over her. Her face turned even paler as she trembled and said, "C- Could you bandage it, please...?"

After giving this person a slap, Luyin Xi picked up a dagger from the bedside table to defend herself, but to her surprise, this person held onto the blade without even blinking and snatched the dagger away, tossing it to the ground.

Snatching the blade barehanded, it was as if he was a madman.

Jiaqing ignored it as if she heard nothing, raising her hand to examine the blood that covered her palm. She then glanced at Luyin Xi's pale lips and pondered for a moment. Curling her index finger, she gently lifted Luyin Xi's chin.

Luyin Xi's heart was filled with fear, holding her breath and unable to move a muscle.

Her chin was lifted, and a bloodstained thumb gently pressed against her soft lips. Along the lip line, from left to right, it was slowly spread until her lips became a glistening shade of red.

Her fingertips were icy cold, while the blood within her was warm.

The red liquid seeped into the mouth through the parting of the lips, spreading a scent of blood. Luyin Xi trembled all over, her eyes turning as red as a rabbit's. With great difficulty, she turned her head away and angrily exclaimed, "You're crazy!"