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CHAPTER 2 - AWAKE

The morning sun barely peeked over the trees surrounding Yuehe Villa, casting a soft, dim light over the driveway.

Liang Xun’s car came to a halt, headlights fading out, leaving the quiet stillness undisturbed. For a long moment, he sat there in the driver’s seat, staring at the sleeping figure in the back.

He could see her face in the dim light, delicate and surreal.

The soft, fur-covered features were unlike anything he’d ever seen, with her small, twitching nose and long bunny ears that lay still in her slumber.

She looked like something out of a dream, an innocent and gentle creature thrust into his world. And now, he was responsible for her.

Liang Xun felt a strange pull, something uncharacteristically soft twinging in his chest.

His instincts warned him to step away, to let go of whatever curiosity had led him to bring her here.

Yet, his hand was already reaching for the car door handle.

He climbed out, circled to the back, and opened the door, his movements quiet and careful.

As he was about to lean down and carry her, his phone buzzed with a massage.

He took the phone from his pocket and opened it. It was from Qian Yi, one of his friends from the trip.

“Where are you, man? You missed breakfast!”

He typed back ,

"Back home."

The reply came quickly, flashing on his screen.

"Back home? Why? I thought you needed a break! It was hard to convince you to come on this trip!"

He sighed, feeling confused. He replied with a single words.

"Tired."

The message bubble appeared again, this time with a hint of confusion.

"You? Leaving like that? What happened?"

Liang Xun shut his phone off, the message left unanswered.

Right now, he didn’t want to explain.

How could he?

He barely understood it himself, this unexplainable sense of duty, of strange, overwhelming protectiveness for a girl he’d found under a canopy of stars.

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He leaned down and slid his arms under her, feeling an unexpected coldness from her skin that sent a shiver up his arm. He lifted her carefully, cradling her against him.

She weighed almost nothing, her frame so slight that he feared she might slip from his grasp.

He shook the thought from his mind as he stepped through the door.

---

Inside the dim hallway, Liang Xun strode towards the guest room, his arms still holding her carefully.

He looked down as he walked, seeing her gentle, unguarded expression.

Her soft, barely perceptible breaths stirred something in him—something he couldn’t quite put a name to, but it gripped him all the same.

Reaching the guest room, he carefully placed her on the bed, adjusting her so she looked as comfortable as possible.

Her dress shimmered faintly under the dim light, adding an ethereal glow that made her seem even more out of place, like she belonged to a world he could only glimpse.

He pulled a blanket over her, covering her completely, and stepped back. His gaze lingered on her a moment longer than he intended.

Then, with a quiet exhale, he turned, leaving the room and closing the door softly behind him.

---

A hot shower did little to ease the tension winding its way through his mind.

Standing under the stream, Liang Xun let the water pound against his shoulders, hoping it would ground him, help him shake off the haze of the morning.

But no matter how he tried, her image remained etched in his mind—those delicate features, that calm, unguarded face, sleeping so peacefully in his car, in his arms.

He clenched his jaw, the confusion gnawing at him.

“What am I doing?” he murmured, almost as if questioning himself would lead to an answer.

He shook his head, frustration lining his features, but the question only echoed louder.

There was no logic, no reason for this decision, for his insistence on keeping her here.

And yet, when he thought of her out there, cold and alone, he knew he couldn’t have left her behind.

Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist, his mind still tangled in the unspoken questions.

---

Back in his study, Liang Xun dialed his assistant, Yun Fei.

“Boss?.... I thought you were on vacation,” Yun Fei said, sounding as though he was about to ask even more questions.

“Plans changed,” Liang Xun replied, his tone clipped. “Bring all my work from the past two days. I’ll be handling it from home.”

He could almost hear the hesitation on the other end. “All of it?”

Liang Xun’s jaw tightened. “Yes. Just bring everything.”

A brief pause, and then Yun Fei’s steady reply came through. “Understood. I’ll be there shortly.”

---

As the morning sun climbed higher, Liang Xun returned to the guest room, peeking in quietly.

She lay undisturbed, her face still soft, expression peaceful.

He took a seat by the door, watching her from a distance, unable to shake the feeling that something monumental had shifted, though he couldn’t yet see what.

Minutes passed, the soft ticking of a nearby clock marking time as he sat there, lost in thought.

Finally, he pulled himself away, leaving her to rest and moving to his study just as Yun Fei arrived.

---

The assistant entered, carrying a heavy stack of files and a laptop. He set them on the desk, glancing around curiously.

“Boss,” Yun Fei began carefully, “Is… everything alright?”

Liang Xun nodded, his expression unreadable. “Everything’s fine. Just a change of plans.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Yun Fei’s face, but he nodded, choosing not to press further. “Understood. I’ll organize your schedule for the week.”

Liang Xun only nodded in response, his mind already drifting back to the girl.

It was odd, how his thoughts kept returning to her, how the urge to check on her tugged at him despite himself.

He buried himself in his work, trying to focus, but found himself glancing toward the guest room door, as though he might see her through the walls.

---

By evening, Liang Xun found himself by her bedside again.

She lay as she had before, her breaths steady and soft. He watched her, feeling an inexplicable calm settle over him.

He didn’t understand it, didn’t know why this girl had such a hold on him.

“Why aren’t you waking up?” he murmured, almost to himself.

Reaching out, he brushed a strand of her silvery hair away from her face, his fingers lingering near her skin.

He could feel her cool temperature, an unusual chill that made him feel oddly protective.

As he drew his hand back, her eyelids fluttered open. Liang Xun’s breath caught, his gaze meeting hers for the first time.

Her eyes were large, a shade of blue so deep it almost looked unreal.

They held his stare, unblinking, studying him with a quiet intensity that struck him to his core.

For a long moment, neither of them moved. Her gaze was soft yet piercing, leaving him feeling exposed in a way he couldn’t explain.

He felt something stir in his chest, something that made him want to hold her close, to protect her from a world he wasn’t even sure she belonged to.

Then, just as suddenly, her eyes drifted shut, and she slipped back into sleep, her expression once again peaceful, leaving him standing there, dazed.

Liang Xun backed away slowly, unable to tear his gaze from her even as he reached the door.

He felt his heart pounding in his chest, his mind swirling with questions, but none with answers.

All he knew was that he was captivated, drawn to her in a way that defied reason.

---

Later that night, lying in his own bed, Liang Xun stared up at the ceiling.

Her image stayed with him, her blue eyes flashing in his mind, haunting him with a gentleness and an innocence that felt strangely familiar.

He knew, somehow, that his life had changed the moment he’d found her.

And no matter how much he tried to ignore it, he couldn’t escape the truth—he’d brought something otherworldly into his home, and his life would never be the same again.