After applying the medicinal alcohol, it was already past midnight. Linda and I returned to the room to rest.
This time, I didn't need Linda to tell me what to do. I instinctively went to the cabinet, grabbed a quilt, and spread it out by the side of Linda's bed, making a place to sleep on the floor. Linda saw me acting like a "little wife" and couldn't help but smile a bit, but in the end, she didn't say anything. She shook out the bed covers, adjusted the pillow, and prepared to rest.
I even saw her pull a sharp pair of scissors from under the pillow and place them into the drawer by the bed. I was stunned, thinking to myself, "Wow, Linda actually hides a weapon under her pillow. She must have kept it there to guard against me. I'm lucky I never acted recklessly before, or else I might have had something important 'cut off.'"
Now that she had tucked the scissors away, did this mean that her guard against me wasn't as strong as before?
"Good night."
Linda seemed really tired. After saying good night to me, she turned off the bedside lamp, and the room grew quiet.
At that point, I wasn't very sleepy. I lay there, staring at the dark ceiling, with a lot on my mind. Because of the situation with Mia, I had fallen out with John and his group again. They were probably still planning to get back at me and Mia. Should we join forces with Zheng Zhantao to seek protection?
Also, because of tonight's incident, I had completely become enemies with Zhang Zheguan and his gang from the vocational school. From now on, we had to be careful when shopping, or if we ran into Zhang Zheguan's group again, Mia and I wouldn't have a good time.
What worried me the most was David. That guy still had a thing for Linda, and he even wanted to get me expelled. I didn't know if I could make it through the next three years at the school.
While I was lost in thought, Linda suddenly mumbled in her sleep, "Andrew—"
"Huh?"
I sat up quickly in the dark, but after calling my name, Linda didn't make another sound. I paused and then realized she must have been talking in her sleep. I couldn't help but be curious—had Linda dreamed about me? If so, what was she dreaming about?
Linda usually slept quietly, but tonight, she seemed to have relaxed her guard against me. She not only fell asleep quickly but also tossed and turned like a playful child, unable to sleep steadily.
I finally fell asleep in the early hours of the morning. In a daze, I was suddenly awakened by a loud "thud," as though something heavy had fallen off the bed. I was startled awake.
"What's going on?"
I threw off the blanket, turned on the room light, and was surprised to find that Linda had actually fallen off the bed. She was still deep in sleep and didn't wake up after hitting the floor. She just continued sleeping.
"How can someone so graceful during the day sleep like a little girl?"
I was both amused and helpless. I gently and carefully picked up the sleeping Linda, intending to carry her back to bed. As I gently rocked her in my arms, it seemed like she sensed something and, with a soft grunt, instinctively wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her face on my shoulder.
I thought she was waking up, so I froze, not daring to move. After a while, however, I noticed her breathing was steady and deep again, as though she was still in a dream.
"Phew—"
I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. If she had woken up and seen me holding her like this, she might have thought I was taking advantage of her.
Seeing that Linda hadn't woken up, I bent down to carefully lay her back on the bed. Just as I was about to gently remove her hands from around my neck, she suddenly seemed to sense something. She let out a little noise and tightened her grip, pulling me down beside her.
I panicked!
Just as I was about to move off the bed, Linda unexpectedly turned me into a pillow, resting her head against my chin and wrapping one of her legs around my waist. She started adjusting herself to find a comfortable position, using me as her personal body pillow.
Looking at Linda wrapped around me like an octopus, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I couldn't dare move an inch. Linda had a terrible temper, and if I woke her up, I wouldn't know how to explain this situation. Even if I could explain, her pride would surely make her angry, and she would find a reason to punish me.
At this moment, most of Linda's body was on top of me, and if I moved, she would definitely notice. So, to be safe, I decided to let her sleep for a while longer, planning to wait until she was in a deeper sleep before trying to move her hands and legs off of me.
It was already around three or four in the morning. Linda was sleeping soundly, breathing steadily, and her pale, soft face even had a faint smile, as though she was dreaming of something happy.
I originally planned to wait until Linda was deeply asleep before trying to move her limbs off me and get out of bed. But it turned out, sleepiness is contagious. After lying there next to Linda for a while, my eyelids grew heavier, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
In a daze, I had a dream in which I met a beautiful woman who enthusiastically invited me to dance. As we danced, she suddenly turned into a beautiful snake, wrapping herself around me and choking me until I could hardly breathe.
Suddenly, I was jolted awake, realizing the room light was still on. I was still lying on Linda's bed, and not only hadn't she let go of me, but she had tightened her arms around my neck, making it hard for me to breathe. No wonder I had dreamed of being choked by a snake.
Linda's head was resting on my chin, and I could smell the fragrance of her hair. Her chest was pressing against my arm, and one of her long legs was draped over my waist. She unknowingly gave me a sense of deadly temptation, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of desire in my heart to take advantage of the situation.
However, in the end, I managed to control myself. I knew that if I made any improper moves, when she woke up, I would have no way to explain myself. I'd probably find myself in even bigger trouble. As much as I wanted to enjoy the moment, I had to resist the temptation. I had to wait for Linda to wake up and hope I could explain things away.
Truth be told, being held so intimately by the woman of my dreams made me feel quite happy, but I also felt a bit anxious. The sky outside was already starting to lighten, and the faint sounds of pedestrians and vehicles indicated that it was almost dawn. I couldn't help but worry about how I would explain the situation to Linda when she woke up.
At that moment, Linda's eyelashes suddenly fluttered, and then she let out a soft grunt, slowly beginning to move.
I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. If Linda realized I was awake, she might just kill me.
I heard Linda yawn, and then her body shifted slightly, causing the arms that had been around my neck to loosen. She was probably stretching.
"Ah?"
Suddenly, Linda's low voice sounded in surprise. It was as if she had just woken up, and she quickly moved away from me. I cautiously cracked open my eyes and saw her blushing furiously, looking at me in confusion.
After a moment of stunned silence, her face changed to one of anger. She stormed over to me, raised her right hand, and slapped me across the face.
From the small gap in my eyes, I could clearly see it coming. I let out a loud "Oh no!" and quickly ducked to the side.
"You're so sneaky! You were pretending to be asleep all this time!"
Linda's slap didn't land, though. She must have realized I was awake and was just trying to scare me. I thought she was about to slap me for real, but I ducked, and in doing so, I exposed myself.
I was so embarrassed that I quickly said, "Linda, I can explain this."
"Fine, go ahead and tell me your excuse. Don't tell me you sleepwalked and ended up in my bed?"
Linda glared at me. If looks could kill, I would have been dead several times over.
"No, it's because you fell off the bed last night, and when I carried you back, you grabbed onto my neck. I didn't want to wake you up, so I just stayed there for a while, thinking I'd wait until you were in a deep sleep to move your hands and legs off me. But I ended up falling asleep myself, and when I woke up, I saw the scene you found this morning…"
Linda thought for a moment and seemed to remember something. She angrily looked at me and said, "I did fall off the bed last night. So I guess I owe you one?"
"No need to thank me, no need to thank me…"
Before I could finish my sentence, Linda suddenly raised her hand and slapped me across the face again.
"Forget it! You really think I'm an idiot, huh? I was holding onto you, and you didn't even try to push me off. Instead, you let me hold onto you like that, all night long! Isn't that taking advantage of me? And when you woke up, you pretended to be asleep—obviously guilty!"
I rubbed my face, feeling wronged, but unable to say anything in my defense.
After washing up, I went to the living room, where my father-in-law and mother-in-law were already eating breakfast. They both stared at the red slap mark on my left cheek, exchanging awkward glances and clearly trying to suppress their laughter.
I looked into a glass in the living room and saw my own reflection. I had a rather handsome face, but the bruise from yesterday's fight had faded, leaving a clear slap mark on my cheek, making me look ridiculous.
I shot Linda an aggrieved glance, but she was calmly eating breakfast, as if she hadn't just slapped me.