Volume One, Chapter 78: A Magnificent Dream of C

Sang Wan was enveloped in heat.

It was as if she had wandered into a cave, freshly washed by rain—damp and sultry, with a suffocating heaviness that pressed in on all sides. Trapped in that endless darkness, she found herself yearning to seek the cool depths, further and deeper.

“Sister…”

A hoarse voice called, distant as if from the ends of the earth, yet fell softly against her ear.

Sang Wan woke with a start.

A lingering trace of silvery resonance echoed in the depths of her mind. She stared blankly at the snow-white ceiling above, lost to the world for a long while.

That cry of “Sister” rang so vividly in her ears that she could almost believe someone stood right beside her.

Though she hadn’t seen his face in the dream, Sang Wan knew with certainty—it was Lou Ye.

She had just had a most extravagant spring dream.

And the leading man in that dream—was him? Lou Ye???

Shocked, she sat up abruptly; the room was awash in bright daylight.

Beneath the covers, she was clad in a silky camisole nightdress, one strap hanging loose and limp from her shoulder as if it had been roughly handled.

She froze.

Could someone please tell her—what exactly had happened last night?

The last memory she could recall was Xu Yiyi dragging her to the dance floor. She had refused to go. With a look of resignation, Xu Yiyi had warned her not to wander off, then turned into the throng.

In the wild music, Xu Yiyi danced with abandon—like seaweed swaying freely in the ocean’s depths.

Then…

Lou Ye’s smiling face appeared.

And after that—nothing. Her memory was blank.

She grabbed her phone: it was 11:19 a.m.

Her body felt deliciously languid, as if all the fatigue of the past few days had been washed away by that dream.

The lips she touched in the dream were cool; his palm, blisteringly hot.

Sang Wan lifted her hand, and could almost feel the firmness beneath her fingertips.

A lazy, husky voice drifted by her ear: “Let me show you how to count abs…”

Beyond that, she remembered nothing.

She truly could not say whether anything had actually happened, or if it was all just an unspeakable dream.

She left her room.

Turned a corner.

Knocked on a door.

Sang Wan pushed it open to find Xu Yiyi just waking up in the big bed. Her hair was a wild bird’s nest.

Sang Wan felt a wave of relief and probed cautiously, “What time did we get back last night?”

“I can’t remember…” Xu Yiyi flopped onto the covers. “But definitely before midnight. My abs god, my steel goddess, ahhh… It’s all Lou Ye’s fault!”

What?

Could it really have something to do with Lou Ye?

Sang Wan’s soul nearly left her body. “How is it his fault? It’s not like he stopped you from ogling your abs god!”

“Who else, if not him?” Xu Yiyi sat up, aiming her grievance straight at Sang Wan. “If you hadn’t gotten drunk and he hadn’t rushed to take you home, would I have become collateral damage?”

“So Lou Ye took us home?” Sang Wan was genuinely confused.

Why couldn’t she remember a thing?

“Not us…” Xu Yiyi corrected her, “He took you home. His bodyguard took me.”

Sang Wan’s mind went blank. “He… he took me home?”

Her expression plainly betrayed her thoughts.

Xu Yiyi suddenly became alert. “Darling, do you think… what if he’s… unable?”

Sang Wan nearly choked.

Xu Yiyi tilted her chin. “Say he’s not, but he knows how to play the hero. Say he is, but he shows not a shred of tenderness.”

“When I came in, you were sprawled on the bed like an octopus, nearly smothering yourself. Tsk, tsk…”

Remembering the scene from last night, and Lou Ye’s sudden disappearance, Xu Yiyi muttered, “I’m starting to believe what you said might be true.”

“What?”

“Siblings, of course.”

Meeting Sang Wan’s perplexed gaze, Xu Yiyi sighed, “Like you said, maybe he really does see you only as a sister.”

So Lou Ye saw her as a sister.

But in her dream, she had slept with him.

Heavens above!!!

She dared not linger a second longer, terrified Xu Yiyi might see through her.

Sang Wan turned and fled.

Warm water sprayed from the showerhead, steam curling through the air.

Sang Wan let out a long breath.

The good news: it really was just a dream.

She hadn’t done anything so outrageously bold as to be beyond redemption.

The bad news: the dream had felt much too real.

Now, at the mere mention of Lou Ye’s name, scenes from the dream flashed uncontrollably through her mind—leaving her flushed and feverish.

She truly could not imagine how she would face Lou Ye at work on Monday.

Worst of all, she had even invited him to dinner every evening.

All afternoon, she was distracted.

Every time her phone rang, she jumped as if shocked by electricity, half-expecting a message from Lou Ye: Sister, how could you treat me that way?

Thankfully, it was never him.

Sang Wan’s anxious heart finally settled on Monday morning.

Nine o’clock, department meeting.

The monthly plan was displayed on the big screen, the highlight being several newly approved land survey projects.

“These three projects—one has successfully won the bid and will soon break ground. The other two are awaiting preliminary sketches,” Cheng Jingran announced, scanning the room. “Design department, discuss internally who will take charge. At next week’s meeting, I want to see concept sketches and ideas.”

Two of the projects were in Sicheng and Licheng, respectively.

Which meant: business trips.

Back at her desk, Sang Wan found her colleagues chattering excitedly.

Some were eager to travel—the company’s travel allowance was generous.

More were reluctant; after all, these were only preliminary surveys. Whether the designs would excite, or even secure the land, was still unknown.

“Manager Lin, I’ll go for the Sicheng project,” Sang Wan volunteered.

Lin Qiyue said she’d consider it.

The department group chat buzzed for over half an hour, and the decision was made.

Sang Wan and Engineer Chen would go to Sicheng.

The other two architects would take Licheng.

She arranged to meet Engineer Chen at 9 a.m. the next morning in the lobby of the Grand Hotel, Sicheng.

She clocked out, hurried home to pack, and headed straight for the airport.

She would be away at least three days.

Three days—surely enough time to forget that dream.

Three days later, she’d come home able to face Lou Ye as usual, without a flicker of embarrassment.

Perfect!

The plane landed with a jolt through golden clouds. Sang Wan pulled her eye mask down and drifted into a sweet sleep.

Meanwhile, in the top-floor office of Lou Corporation, Lou Ye listened to the dead tone on his phone, then picked up the landline to call the internal extension.

The phone rang for a long while before a crisp, unfamiliar voice answered, “Hello? Who is this?”

“Where’s Sang Wan?”

“She’s on a business trip.”

A business trip?

So she’d slipped away.

He had expected her to avoid him, but not with such speed.

For a moment, Lou Ye felt an overwhelming urge to appear before her—gaze into her eyes and ask, “What do you remember?”

Did she remember his kiss?

Or him taking her hand, guiding her to count his eight-pack abs?

And… did she know those abs she’d counted were his?

Outside, the sky was blue, clouds drifting lazily.

Inside, his heart thundered with electric storms.

Lou Ye could not wait another minute.

“Rong Jing…”

He called Rong Jing in to reschedule his itinerary. Without looking up, Lou Ye said, “We’re going to Sicheng tomorrow.”

The Sicheng project was the top priority of the fourth quarter.

Whether Lou Ye went or not would make all the difference in the final outcome.

Rong Jing responded quickly, “Understood, I’ll make arrangements.”

He was about to leave when Lou Ye stopped him. “You stick to your usual duties. I’ll take… Yang Yan, yes, I’ll bring him.”

A sudden change of plans.

A shift no one saw coming.

In a flash, a thought occurred to Rong Jing.

He realized he might have just uncovered an extraordinary secret.