Kyoto Night Kiss

Late at night, the bedroom was shrouded in a thick layer of darkness.

Qu Yun was trapped in an endless nightmare, suffering repeatedly.

The corpses floating on the river, the lonely diamond ring in front of the tombstone, Lu Junhe's hair turned white overnight... each scene was so clear that it felt like I had experienced it myself.

Qu Yun trembled and suddenly sat up on the bed.

Her chest heaved violently as she gasped for breath, her forehead covered in a layer of cold sweat.

The feeling of losing a child enveloped her tightly, and a heart-wrenching grief surged up from her throat.

She couldn't help but bury her face, her shoulders trembling, and she cried silently.

Beside the bed, the blackout curtains swayed gently in the night breeze, making soft, rustling sounds.

Qu Yun felt the mattress beneath her move slightly, and then a warm embrace pulled her into it.

She didn't know who it was, and her heart was in her throat.

Until she smelled a familiar scent that calmed her down.

The man cupped the back of her head with his hand, his voice still hoarse from just waking up, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

When Lu Junhe touched the cool, clear tear tracks on Qu Yun's face, his heart tightened. He shielded Qu Yun's eyes and then reached for the bedside lamp.

The warm, soft light instantly filled the entire bed.

The light shone on Qu Yun's face, revealing her red and swollen eyes.

Lu Junhe was heartbroken. "Why are you crying like this all of a sudden, hmm?"

Is it the baby in your belly that's making you uncomfortable? Or is there pain somewhere?

Qu Yun raised her eyes in a daze, staring intently at the man in front of her.

His hair was jet black and neatly combed, without a single stray gray hair.

And... he looks much younger?

Qu Yun lowered her head subconsciously, her gaze falling on her slightly protruding belly. She touched it gently with her hand in disbelief.

Everything before my eyes was unbelievably real.

But... even in dreams, it feels real.

Seeing that the little girl in front of him was just staring blankly at him without saying a word, Lu Junhe became even more flustered. He picked up a pair of pink cotton socks that he had prepared in advance from beside his pillow, grabbed Qu Yun's feet, and was about to put them on her.

"It's okay, don't be afraid, we'll go to the hospital now."

Half of the sock was already on the toes.

Qu Yun quickly reached out and gently grasped the man's wrist. "Don't go to the hospital... I'm fine. I just had a nightmare. Everything in the dream felt so real, so real that I thought it was all real."

Upon hearing this, Lu Junhe breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He leaned his upper body against the headboard, and with a quick movement, he pulled Qu Yun firmly into his arms, letting her rest half of her body against his chest.

Then I gently stroked her back with my palm to soothe her emotions.

He asked in a low voice, "Were you scared?"

"Mmm." Qu Yun buried her face in the man's neck, her nose stinging, and answered in a muffled voice.

Lu Junhe's hand patting her back never stopped.

He softened his tone: "Would you like to tell me what scary thing you dreamed about?"

--"you."

Qu Yun only said one word before pausing.

Lu Junhe pursed his lips.

So it was him...

He noticed the arms around his waist tightening, so he lowered his head and kissed the top of Qu Yun's head. "I'm so sorry, baby."

He didn't ask any more questions, and just quietly held Qu Yun in his arms.

The light from the table lamp gradually dimmed.

Qu Yun finally closed her eyes again.

If it's fake now.

She'd rather live her whole life in this falsehood...

The midday sun was shining brightly.

Qu Yun slowly opened her eyes. There was no one beside her anymore, only the rabbit doll with its long drooping ears kept her company.

She propped herself up and sat up, her lower abdomen gently bulging.

Downstairs, a table was set with a lot of food that had been kept warm.

The cook had been instructed by Lu Junhe not to wake Qu Yun up unnecessarily, and to let her wake up on her own before eating each day.

Seeing Qu Yun come downstairs, she smiled and said, "Miss Qu, I made you some low-sugar strawberry pudding today. Eating something a little sweet can really lift your spirits."

"Would you like to sit down and have a taste now?"

Qu Yun looked at the sumptuous meal on the table, her stomach empty, but she couldn't muster any appetite.

She shook her head gently, her voice listless: "Auntie, I don't have much of an appetite right now. If you're hungry, you can eat."

"I'll go sit on the sofa for a while."

Qu Yun curled up in the large, soft sofa.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, flowers of all colors are in full bloom.

The furniture and decorations in the house were exactly the same as before, without any changes.

But a sense of division, which she could not quite explain, lingered in her heart.

She remembered her dream from last night...

Qu Yun slowly raised her hand, gently placing her palm on her protruding belly. Through the smooth, thin fabric, she seemed to feel a slight fetal movement in her abdomen.

What if that dream was a harbinger of the future?

Her child will die in an accident before turning eight, and will sink into the water all alone...

Wouldn't it be better to be born without pain?

She has always been this way of being; she would rather never have a moment of warmth from the beginning than endure years of tender companionship only to be met with irreparable sorrow in the end.

That kind of sadness—it's that everyone else is no longer unhappy, only she is barely clinging to life.

Qu Yun was overwhelmed by her chaotic thoughts and could hardly breathe. She picked up her phone as if possessed, and her fingertips opened the search bar uncontrollably. Hesitantly, she typed in words related to "abortion".

A barrage of ads popped up on the page, with advertisements for all sorts of private maternity hospitals filling the screen.

Qu Yun frantically tried to close the page, but accidentally clicked on one of the consultation links.

Less than two seconds later, the phone rang abruptly, and an unfamiliar hospital number appeared on the screen.

Qu Yun was startled and dropped her phone.

She snapped out of her daze and bit her lip in annoyance.

What on earth is she thinking about now?

Is she really going to abandon her unborn child just because of a hallucinatory nightmare?

This is utterly absurd.

Qu Yun lowered her eyelashes, carefully placed her palm on her lower abdomen, and felt a slight warmth in her eyes.

She murmured guiltily, "Baby, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have had such terrible thoughts. It was just a dream, it won't come true. I'm sorry."

Even if it comes true... Mom will do everything in her power to keep you alive.

This is the true meaning of precognitive dreams.

Qu Yun's mind went blank, and she just sat there on the sofa all day.

Before evening, the sound of a car stopping could be heard in the yard.

Lu Junhe ended all company meetings early and went home.

He still hadn't deleted the text message the housekeeper sent him before she got off work.

She said that Qu Yun was in a low mood all day and didn't eat or drink anything.

Hearing footsteps approaching from the entrance, Qu Yun slowly raised her eyes.

Seeing the man in front of her carrying bags of various sizes, she looked somewhat bewildered. "What's in all of this?"

"Clothes I bought for the baby."

Lu Junhe answered in a low voice, placing the shopping bags he was carrying on the coffee table.

He sat down on the sofa and reached out to rub Qu Yun's slightly haggard cheeks.

Qu Yun looked somewhat surprised: "Why are you suddenly buying baby clothes?"

"Do you already know if our baby is a boy or a girl?"

Just as Qu Yun was wondering if this man had also dreamed of the little boy named "Lu Jinxing", Lu Junhe chuckled.

He replied, "Silly girl, didn't we agree to keep the baby's gender a surprise gift, and not let anyone know beforehand?"

"These are all clothes I bought for my baby."

Yesterday, after seeing Qu Yun asleep, he unconsciously tugged at the collar of her pajamas.

I guess her belly is getting bigger now, and her clothes are probably too small for her.

But because she didn't want to admit it, she was depressed all day and had no appetite.

It's all his fault.

Qu Yun took a bag with some skepticism, looked down, and sure enough, it contained her clothes, which looked quite pretty.

She was somewhat tempted and said, "Alright... for the sake of your kind intentions."

"I'll go change it and try it."

Qu Yun took the bag and went into the bathroom.

Her phone suddenly vibrated on the coffee table.

Lu Junhe glanced at the screen, his brows furrowing slightly.

He said towards the bathroom, "Yunyun, you have a phone."

"Could you answer this for me?" Qu Yun was still pulling on the zipper at the back of her skirt, worried that her parents might need to contact her.

Lu Junhe picked up his phone and slowly swiped to answer.

Before he could speak, a woman's formulaic sales voice came through the receiver, "Hello ma'am, we noticed you inquired online this morning about termination of pregnancy. Just a reminder, if you decide to have an abortion, the earlier the surgery is performed, the less harm it will cause to the mother's body. Our hospital currently has many discounted packages..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Junhe's fingers tightened around his phone. He silently hung up, a faint gloom settling over his eyes.

Qu Yun changed into a dress, tidied her hair, and came out of the bathroom.

She stood in front of Lu Junhe, even turning around once, and asked with a smile, "How is it? Does it look good?"

The man did not answer.

Qu Yun puffed out her cheeks and took another step towards the sofa.

Suddenly, Lu Junhe reached out his arm and pulled her onto his lap.

She shifted restlessly, trying to stand up.

Lu Junhe instead grabbed her waist with his palm.

His eyes were so dark they seemed to devour something.

Qu Yun's heart tightened, but she hadn't had a chance to speak yet.

The man's deep, husky voice slowly rang out: "Yunyun, I respect all your thoughts. You know how much I love you."

I will not force you to make any choices you do not want to make.

He just didn't want to be kept in the dark.

Qu Yun was completely confused and asked in return, "So, what conclusion did you draw from this?"

Lu Junhe raised his hand and gently brushed away the stray hairs from her forehead.

He said seriously, "Let's go to the hospital now."

"It's definitely better to do this as early as possible, so that it won't cause as much harm to your body."

Qu Yun panicked immediately, "What hospital? What do you mean, the sooner the better?"

"Lu Junhe, do you want me to abort the child?"

Lu Junhe recounted the phone call he had just made.

Qu Yun didn't know how to defend herself.

She didn't want to talk about the nightmare she had last night, and even less about the absurd ideas that came to her because of it.

Qu Yun's body went limp, and she nestled into Lu Junhe's arms.

She dared not look into the man's eyes, her voice trembling slightly, "Lu Junhe, please promise me one thing."

"No matter when, even if I decide to leave you, you must hold my hand tightly and never let me go alone."

"Never let me go."

That seemed to be the end of that nightmare.

She turned around and told herself her thoughts.

Lu Junhe lowered his eyes and looked at the reddened corners of the girl's eyes in his arms.

He nodded.

He said, "Okay, I promise you."

"Besides, Qu Yun, I wouldn't want you to leave."

If that day ever comes.

He would also put everything aside and walk with her.