CH 144

The ticking of the wall clock filled the air as time passed by, and the glow from the computer screen reflected on Chu Ge’s face. One could see his expression transitioning from nervousness to gradually calm.

“Actually… by kissing and hugging, eating and sleeping together, you were already my girlfriend…” Chu Ge spoke again, “At least, that’s how I’ve always seen it in my heart. I believe deep down you feel the same, otherwise, how could my Qiu Wuji kiss a man?”

Qiu Wuji stared at him with wide eyes, and after a long, long time, a flicker of light seemed to slowly revive within her, struggling to form words. “You, you shouldn’t think that just because we’re in a relationship, you can do anything! Saying this now… you…”

“No…” Chu Ge interrupted directly, “Deceiving others and deceiving oneself, it’s meaningless… I want to tell the world that Qiu Wuji is my girlfriend, not pretending. I also hope that Qiu Wuji can tell the world that Chu Ge is her boyfriend, not a misunderstanding. What do we have to hide that requires us to be so fidgety?”

Qiu Wuji fell silent, staring at him intently for a while, and gradually, she felt her heartbeat calming down. She finally understood why he was so calm. It turned out that by opening up about it, things could be like this. Why bother being tangled up in my heart?

Lost in her own musings, Qiu Wuji suddenly smiled brightly and said, “Okay.”

That smile was like breaking through the clouds and blossoming flowers, illuminating the entire autumn night.

Chu Ge turned his head in surprise, his face filled with joy. To be honest, he didn’t really expect Qiu Wuji to answer so decisively. They had kissed and embraced before, but whether they had acknowledged it or not, it was a ritual and a permission for the future.

From now on, there was no need to find various reasons for themselves. She was his girlfriend. He was her boyfriend.

We are lovers, and that’s something we can openly share with others.

Qiu Wuji, on the other hand, seemed to relax and leaned back against the headboard, gazing at the ceiling, and slowly said, “I told you before, we haven’t become intimate… That’s what I meant. I might… indeed consider you my boyfriend, but I’m not willing to engage in the things that modern people see as commonplace. I’m afraid you might take advantage, so I didn’t want to admit it.”

Chu Ge: “Uh…”

It seemed that the everyday jokes and the movies they watched had left a significant psychological impact on her… Deep down, she always felt that once a relationship was confirmed, a man would do certain things, which she didn’t want.

Qiu Wuji turned her head slightly and smiled, “Chu Ge, have you ever regretted writing about an ancient woman with a righteous mindset? Isn’t it troublesome to deal with someone who always speaks her mind?”

Chu Ge also smiled, “I wrote it, and I like it.”

They locked eyes, and there was something flickering in their gazes. After a while, Qiu Wuji spoke softly, “You should come up here too, just in case Auntie has a sudden urge to probe with her mental abilities. It wouldn’t be good if we were caught off guard. As for other things… we used to sleep in the same room anyway, as long as you observe propriety, it’s fine…”

Chu Ge reassured her, patting his chest, “We’ll draw a line in between, and if I cross it, you can hit me.”

Qiu Wuji shook her head slightly, “Why play such childish games? The boundary is only in our hearts.”

She made room on her half of the bed and placed the pig-shaped pillow behind her head as a cushion, lying calmly and looking at the ceiling.

Chu Ge slowly lay down on the empty half of the bed, also gazing at the ceiling.

Both of them could hear the rapid heartbeat and breath of the other, like the sudden beating of war drums.

One bed… It was really different from having two separate beds in a hotel.

The person was right beside them, within reach. With a casual movement, they could touch each other’s bodies and cuddle together with a simple turn. Still, they had just agreed to be boyfriend and girlfriend.

If… if he really embraced her…

Qiu Wuji didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that her face was now as red as a ripe tomato. Fortunately, the weather was still warm, not winter. It would be even worse if they were huddled in a warm blanket during winter. For now, the thin blanket could be left uncovered, at most just pulling a corner over, without the feeling of being wrapped in a single quilt.

But in winter… Why would they sleep together in winter? Really.

“Um…” Chu Ge suddenly spoke up.

Qiu Wuji instinctively clenched her fist.

But then she heard Chu Ge say, “Your pillow is a stuffed toy. Would it be uncomfortable to lie down like that? Should I switch pillows with you?”

Qiu Wuji said in a daze, “Are you suggesting that you offer your arm as a pillow for me?”

Chu Ge exclaimed, “Huh!” Suddenly so insightful?

Qiu Wuji said coldly, “The one I’m resting on is already Chu Ge.”

Chu Ge: “…”

After exchanging a few words, both of them gradually relaxed. Qiu Wuji whispered, “Sleep well and don’t think too much.”

Chu Ge tried, “Can I kiss you… a goodnight kiss?”

Qiu Wuji looked at the ceiling without answering.

Chu Ge seemed to understand something and gently leaned over to kiss her cheek. Her cheeks were warm, but she didn’t refuse. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, after all.

Chu Ge withdrew after a gentle touch and whispered, “Goodnight.”

Qiu Wuji relaxed her tense body and also whispered, “Goodnight.”

The fragrance of the person beside the pillow wafted into their noses. The exhaustion that had been pushed to the limit finally struck at this moment. Chu Ge couldn’t hold on any longer and gradually fell asleep. He was carefree, even in his dreams, he was laughing.

The same exhaustion overwhelmed Qiu Wuji, but amidst her jumbled thoughts, she couldn’t really fall asleep.

Chu Ge, who had made some progress in his cultivation, didn’t snore in his sleep. His breathing was long and steady, with a rhythmic quality that was actually quite hypnotic. He slept in an orderly manner, lying still without any disturbances.

But how could Qiu Wuji fall asleep? Sharing a bed and a pillow with a man… Even when she kissed him of her own accord, she hadn’t prepared for this. Yet, in her various states of confusion today, it inexplicably happened.

She even allowed him to kiss her face and bid her goodnight. But even until now, she strangely felt like it was nothing… At that moment, she even found it a bit sweet. It’s truly bizarre.

If someone had told her a few months ago, in the world of martial arts, that this would happen, she would have probably chopped off that person’s head with a sword for spreading deceitful words.

Qiu Wuji secretly turned her head and looked at Chu Ge’s sleeping profile. She still found it pleasing to the eye and didn’t have any desire to avoid it. In fact… she even had a small urge to kiss him as well, to tell him, “Goodnight.”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear it at this moment.

Forget it, he can’t hear anything, so why should I kiss him? Don’t kiss him. It’s your fault for falling asleep so fast, I can’t fall asleep!

Qiu Wuji pouted and looked back at the ceiling.

Oh no, I can’t sleep. If I wait until dawn, will I disappear back?

By the way, if the pig-shaped pillow she was hugging was Chu Ge, and she was waiting for dawn while hugging it, would it be called “Pig Pillow Dawn”?

Qiu Wuji’s mind jumped around with strange thoughts and suddenly burst into laughter by herself. As she laughed, she didn’t realize when she drifted off to sleep in a drowsy state.

…………

Qiu Wuji didn’t sleep soundly and suddenly woke up early in the morning. When she opened her eyes, she saw Chu Ge’s gentle gaze, looking at her with a hint of a smile.

She woke up slightly and only then realized their current position…

Chu Ge remained unchanged, still in the same position as last night, lying flat and calm. It was herself who wasn’t well-behaved, with her hands wrapped around his arm, right foot crossed over his leg, and head resting in the crook of his shoulder, in an extremely awkward posture. Who crossed the line like this…

Qiu Wuji’s mind short-circuited for a moment, and she said expressionlessly, “What are you looking at? You know that pig pillow isn’t comfortable.”

Chu Ge smiled and replied, “Hmm, yeah. It’s the pig’s fault.”

“It was obvious!” Qiu Wuji retorted stubbornly. Only then did she notice that Chu Ge had his other hand holding a phone and playing with it. It seemed that he had been awake for a while but didn’t want to disturb her sleep by pulling his arm out.

She felt a bit embarrassed and calmly got up, asking, “What time is it?”

Chu Ge answered, “It’s just seven o’clock, I haven’t been awake for long either.”

“So early, are people active in the group chat?”

“Yes, everyone is busy cultivating.” Chu Ge replied, “With a large group, there are people with all kinds of schedules, not to mention those overseas.”

Qiu Wuji peeked and saw there were 2,999 members…

“It’s full, should we create a new group?”

Chu Ge sighed helplessly, “It’s hard to manage too many groups. I didn’t want to create a new one, but it seems necessary now.”

“What should the new group be called?”

“Well, that’s simple.” Chu Ge operated his phone and created a new group, slowly entering words as the group name: ‘Pillow Dawn.’ ((TL: In chinese the name translates to ‘zhěn gē dài dàn’ which is an idiom meaning- 枕戈 (zhěn gē): “to rest on one’s spear” or “to use one’s spear as a pillow.” 待旦 (dài dàn): “to await the break of dawn.” Here, Chu Ge uses the group name as double meaning. A spear that is standing tall at the break of dawn…))