Alice in the Land of Steam

When he woke up, the sun was shining outside the window, the weather was sunny and clear, with no clouds in the sky. There were sparrows chirping on the branches, as if they were greeting the people in the room... Lingge didn't know why he used such an elementary school student's writing style to describe this impressive morning. Perhaps it was because the impression was too deep, which made the young man feel a strong sense of unreality.

I had a very strange dream last night. The dream was full of unexpected plots, and there were some scenes that were so shameful that they could not be described in normal language or words. Ling Ge was very suspicious about why he had such a dream. It was not that he had completely abandoned worldly desires. The young man was still a normal adult male, and there were so many young and energetic girls around him. Although he could still restrain his behavior, it was inevitable that he would occasionally have a little bit of fantasy. But this dream came too suddenly, with almost no signs and warnings, and the plot developed so quickly, it was as if he skipped the stage of ambiguity and love and fast-forwarded to marriage...

Although dreams are strange, impulsive, and illogical, just like novels written by mental patients, with illogical situations, plot jumps, or any situation that violates common sense, it is reasonable, but the young man is not. On the contrary, he is a secular, rational man who follows rules and logic, so it is difficult for him to accept this dream for a while.

Especially when there is another person involved in the dream.

Anyone who has had similar experiences knows that usually, after having a strange dream, the most embarrassing thing for you is not the content of the dream, but the other person who appeared in your dream. This is especially true for Lingge. After all, if a person's moral bottom line is naturally a little higher than others, when he experiences such a thing, the sense of shame he produces will naturally be a little more than others.

And the "little bit" described in words is heavy enough to be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

The young man was determined to keep this secret and never let the person know. Even if he knew, the person probably wouldn't say anything, and might even comfort him, but that would be too embarrassing, even more embarrassing than having a strange dream, and Lingge could never accept it.

Fortunately, it was just a dream. As long as I kept my mouth shut, there shouldn't be any problem... No, it was because it was a dream that it was more problematic. After all, there was a guy on this Yunjingkong Island who could peek into other people's dreams. I had offended her before. With that guy's bad taste, if he really peeked into this dream, even if he didn't expose it, he would inevitably use it to threaten me.

Maybe we should think of a way to make her shut her mouth forever and keep the secret.

A dangerous idea flashed through the young man's mind, but before he could think along this line of thought and come up with a complete and feasible countermeasure, a gentle voice came from beside him, asking with a little shyness and confusion: "What's wrong with you, Lingge?"

The beautiful girl with long green hair came forward, gently pressed her hands on Ling'er's shoulders, and looked at him at a dangerous distance where one could hear his breath. The two of them reflected each other's faces in their golden eyes, but the subtle difference in color still existed. The girl's pupils were the purest clear gold, like the amber that had solidified on the apple tree for many years, vividly depicting a stunned and confused face; the young man's pupils were a light broken gold, like the sunlight being cut into pieces when it passed through the window lattice, and each piece reflected the soft and white face like a pebble. Her cheeks were floating with a drunken blush, as if she had not yet awakened from a dream of love, and she looked cute and naive. However, I was not aware of it at all, and I still looked at Ling with a serious and careful look, worrying whether he had any mental problems. Otherwise, how could he wake up and sit on the bed in a daze for so long?

Everything is within easy reach.

Be it her hair, her forehead, her slightly furrowed brows, her long, flickering eyelashes, her straight nose that was slightly sweaty because she was too close, her cherry-colored lips that seemed to be moistened by morning dew and exuded a crystal clear glow, and even... they were all too close, and under the sunlight, they were pure, sacred, and incredibly beautiful, making the young man panic for a moment, not knowing where to put his eyes.

However, since the fragrance of her hair and breath were within reach, and when her petite shoulders, slightly exposed under the slipping quilt, accidentally bumped into his shoulders, the touch felt so real, it meant that this was not a dream, right?
Great.

The young man’s first reaction was: If it’s not a dream, then I’m not afraid of being discovered by that guy.

My second reaction was: But her posture and the distance seem a bit bad.

"Ling Ge, what's wrong with you?" Looking at the dazed young man in front of her, Saint Xia Liya's eyes were filled with worry: "You haven't said a word since you got up, could it be..."

A look of self-blame inevitably appeared on her face.

Ling Ge didn't want to delve into why she blamed herself, and the real question wasn't why she could say the word "get up" so naturally? Didn't she have any intention of explaining the scene in front of her?

It seems not.

Lingge didn't know how to face her. He was just glad that this was not a dream, but then he changed his mind and thought it might as well be a dream.

The young man simply closed his eyes and fell asleep.

I must have not woken up yet, that's why I had such a bizarre dream. Goddess, if this is a dream, please let me wake up soon...

The room fell into a long silence, as if the goddess had indeed heard Ling's prayer and helped him realize his wish. But in this dream that was longer than eternity, only the most real emotions were not affected by the gods and were allowed to remain until the moment of awakening. Therefore, when the young man slowly opened his eyes with a glimmer of luck, he saw the very familiar ceiling again.

So, it wasn’t a dream after all.

Not noticing the guilt on the blue-haired girl's face, Ling Ge sighed in his heart and accepted this fact. Strangely, once he accepted it, he became much calmer and less confused. It would be better to say that the self-deceiving mentality at the beginning was wrong. No matter why he did such a thing, as a man, he must be responsible to the end.

"..."

After taking a deep breath and preparing himself mentally, the young man withdrew his gaze from the ceiling and looked back at the beautiful girl who looked like a fairy in a dream. He said seriously, word by word, "I will..."

"I'll take responsibility, Lingge!"

Saint Shallia interrupted the young man with a desperate momentum, her fingers twisted together restlessly, her face showing guilt and uneasiness, but also firm determination: "I know I shouldn't do this, but I was impulsive and... uh, did this. It's okay if you want to blame me, because I am indeed too willful. It must be very difficult for you, right? But please believe that I am definitely not an irresponsible person. I will take responsibility, so..." Perhaps because she was too excited, she was a little incoherent, and while she spoke, she was carefully observing the young man's reaction.

Lingge was confused.

What does it mean to be responsible for me? Shouldn't I be the one to say these words? Could it be that I am indeed the victim?
My head hurts, and I always feel like something is wrong.

"Ling Ge." Seeing that the young man didn't answer for a long time, Saint Xia Liya couldn't help but call his name, her voice a little nervous: "Um, are you still angry?"

It must be because I did something so excessive.

Last night, Lingge clearly said "You shouldn't do this", but Saint Xia Liya, driven by a strong emotion that she couldn't even explain, answered him so strongly for the first time in her life, and even brought up that distant agreement. Since leaving the Holy Temple of Heaven, neither of them mentioned it again, but Saint Xia Liya was sure that Lingge must still remember it and even valued it very much. Otherwise, how could he give up resistance after she said that and accept all her emotions without reservation?

Compared to this, perhaps I was just doing selfish things in the name of love. I clearly wanted to comfort him and truly understand him, but in the end, I ended up comforting myself, venting my anxiety. I didn't want to be abandoned by him, nor did I want to admit that I had never entered his heart. I simply used the most selfish way to keep him, thinking that this would prove something. If when I first made this promise, it was just a foreshadowing of what happened today, did I lose all my selflessness and good qualities at that time and become a greedy person?

The girl actually knew nothing about love, selfishness, selfishness of love and selfish love. She guessed ignorantly and entered blindly. Until now, she was trapped in a complex maze and could not get out. If Lingge was unwilling to accept the reality, Saint Xia Liya was even more unwilling to accept it than him, because she was unwilling to admit that her feelings for the young man were only based on impulse and selfishness. But on the other hand, she was ready to face all of this, and even said "I will be responsible" earlier than Lingge, and she was determined that even if the young man was angry and hated her because of this matter, she would definitely take responsibility and never escape.

What's interesting is that, whether it's Ling Ge or Saint Xia Liya, the reactions and mental activities of these two people after waking up are highly synchronized, except for some small details. It's no exaggeration to say that they are really two similar people.

However, Lingge's reaction was always half a beat slower than Saint Xia Liya. After all, he was the passive party in this matter.

"I'm not angry."

He finally reacted and comforted the girl: "After all, this matter also has..."

After all, I am also responsible for this matter.

"Are you really not angry?" Saint Xia Liya interrupted the young man's attempt to share the responsibility again. Her amber-like golden eyes sparkled in the sunlight at the bedside. She stared at the young man without blinking, repeatedly asking for confirmation. She had to get a second confirmation from him before she could feel at ease. Somehow, Ling Ge suddenly remembered the scene last night. In the small and dim room, everything was shrouded in loneliness, as if falling into a silent abyss. Only these eyes were shining, as if reflecting the distant starlight and moonlight, allowing him to see her clearly. An unimaginable power made him temporarily forget the reality and indulge in the greatest mystery of life since its birth.

The young man nodded slowly. He was not angry. On the contrary, he was very grateful for the tolerance from the girl at that time. If two burning hearts were close together just to melt the ice on each other, then no one would have any reason to blame. Emotions are like flames. Wherever they burn, the ice on the road will melt. Everything is so natural, as if it is a natural outcome. Who can blame the flame for being too passionate or the ice for not being cold enough? That is their original nature.

"That's true," Saint Shalia smiled happily after receiving another affirmative answer, her eyebrows curved like a crescent moon, "That's great!"

Lingge was attracted by her smile.

In order to maintain her image as a sister, she usually smiles gently, chuckles with her lips pursed, or simply covers her mouth so that only the curved corners of her eyebrows can be seen. She rarely smiles as happily as she does now, exuding an unconcealed and undisguised joy... or happiness? This emotion from the bottom of her heart even infected the young man who was standing nearby, and he inadvertently thought, "How wonderful it is."

It would be nice if I could keep watching like this.

It seems possible.

Because this morning is so quiet, so peaceful, and full of a faint sense of warmth. Whether it is the sunlight shining on the wooden floor, the breeze blowing a yellowed leaf from the tree branches, or the sparrows gathering in groups of three or two on the branches, chirping endlessly... it is so beautiful, so beautiful that people can't bear to break it.

As long as no one disturbs it, the world will always be like this.

Lingge stared at the girl who was so close to him in a trance, staring at the smile on her face, her cheeks that seemed a little drunk under the sunlight, her neck as smooth and graceful as a white swan, and her petite and round shoulders... As he looked at her, the young man suddenly turned his head away, his movements slow but firm.

"Lingge?" The girl's heart tightened, thinking that something had happened again, and she asked quickly, "What are you doing..."

"Saint Shalia."

"Yeah, I'm here."

"You should put on your clothes first..."

"Well..." (End of this chapter)