novelraw Chapter 784: Serenity
Chapter 784: Serenity
The dream world was hazy and chaotic.
In this not-so-spacious little room.
Qiuqiu was curled up in the corner of the bed, her body still trembling uncontrollably.
She was still muttering incoherent, low explanations, like a child who had committed a huge mistake.
Seeing her like this, Tang Song immediately understood why the [Dream Flower Seed] had been triggered.
After the incident at her old home in Rongcheng, Qiuqiu's emotional knot had actually been mostly untied. Those nightmares about childhood shadows hadn't appeared for a long time.
But she still had a major hidden ailment—frigidity.
This was a psychological lesion formed since adolescence due to immense pressure and long-term emotional repression.
In this aspect, her physical and mental development was almost stagnant, like a flower bud frozen inside a block of ice.
Tang Song had long noticed this point during their previous interactions.Especially last time at the hotel in her hometown county.
Normally, having reached that stage of intimacy, it would have been easy for things to escalate and cross the final line.
Just like Lingling and Qingqing, who had been in hotels with him before—they would have already lost control in such situations.
But Qiuqiu's physiological reactions remained sluggish and indifferent.
She was always cold, without much desire in that regard.
It wasn't that she didn't want to, but rather a pathological "psychosomatic dissociation."
This was also why, during her time working at [Songmei Apparel], Lingling and Mengting would secretly come to him for intimacy out of longing, but Qiuqiu never did.
She truly had no desire in that aspect; her dependence on him was spiritual.
However.
During these past few days in the Paris apartment, the situation had changed dramatically.
With the constant companionship and guidance of her idol Su Yu, plus the subtle atmosphere of the three of them living under the same roof, the layer of hard ice in Qiuqiu's psyche was rapidly melting.
Su Yu had often walked lazily around the apartment wearing only Tang Song's white shirts or T-shirts.
And those faint, ambiguous intimate sounds coming through the door panels...
All of this had caused a huge impact on Qiuqiu's heart.
This repressed subconscious finally erupted completely tonight, breaking through the blockade and transforming into this dream filled with shame and longing.
"Qiuqiu." Tang Song called softly in a low voice.
This voice seemed to have magic.
It gradually made Qiuqiu's trembling body stop.
She raised her head.
Looking at the tall figure in the dream whose face was blurry but who radiated warmth and a healing glow all over.
She felt her originally almost collapsing mind instantly find an anchor point.
She opened her mouth, subconsciously using that address that had been brewing in her subconscious for a long time, and responded softly.
The corner of Tang Song's eye twitched violently, and a strange feeling rose in his heart.
After all, in previous dreams, Qiuqiu had mostly appeared as a helpless little girl, which was still somewhat normal.
But now...
She was wearing an extremely seductive boyfriend-style shirt, exposing her long legs, looking like she had just undergone some kind of enlightenment, shy and bashful, paired with this form of address...
The sense of taboo was simply off the charts.
However, as a seasoned "male god," especially after just experiencing the baptism of a top-tier enchantress like Su Yu, Tang Song quickly steadied his mind.
He took a step forward.
The space of the dream rippled slightly with his will, creating layer upon layer of undulations.
Qiuqiu instinctively wanted to retreat, but her legs went weak, and she directly sat down on the soft bed behind her.
As she sat, the hem of the shirt rode up.
Those straight, slender, beautiful legs were completely exposed to the air.
She panicked, reaching out her hands to desperately cover the tops of her thighs, lowering her head, her eyes darting around, not daring to look at him at all.
"I... I..."
Tang Song approached, slowly crouching down. His gaze was level with hers.
He reached out and gently wrapped his arm around her trembling, thin shoulders.
"Qiuqiu, look at me. This isn't a bad thing. Don't be afraid, and don't feel ashamed."
His words, accompanied by the unique soothing fluctuations of the [Dream Flower Seed], instantly smoothed the restlessness deep within Qiuqiu's soul.
She slowly raised her head, looking at the hazy yet warm man before her.
Her tense body suddenly relaxed, and she directly threw herself into his arms, her hands tightly wrapping around his neck.
With each breath, it was filled with that reassuring scent of his.
But at the same time, another unfamiliar, tingling, hot current was running wild inside her body.
"I... I don't know why I'm like this..." Qiuqiu's muffled voice came from within his embrace. "I can't control it... my mind is full of... full of those images... and sounds..."
"I feel so strange... my body is so hot... so confused... but I can't control it..."
"It's not strange." Tang Song gently patted her back, his tone firm yet gentle. "This is a very normal reaction, Qiuqiu. It means your body is awakening, it means you are walking out from the shadows of the past, becoming healthier."
He slightly loosened his embrace, lowering his head to look at her tearful, blurred face.
In the dream, she had shed the protective shell of aloofness and detachment she wore in reality.
Her eyes were moist, the tip of her nose was red, like a little girl who had done something wrong and didn't know what to do, exuding a clumsy, endearing charm.
But her figure was excellent.
Beneath her cool, delicate bone structure was wrapped a perfect proportion between a girl's slenderness and a mature woman's fullness.
Every part was just right.
Plus the hazy filter of the dream.
Very beautiful.
"I-is that so?" Qiuqiu asked timidly.
"Of course it is." Tang Song nodded with a smile, his finger gently wiping away the tear at the corner of her eye. "Don't you believe me?"
"I... I do... But, will you dislike me?"
"Of course not. I'm happy to see you getting better."
After calming her emotions.
Tang Song finally had the chance to look around.
The background of the dream was still Qiuqiu's room in that old residential district in Rongcheng.
It was clear that she still had an extremely deep attachment to this place, to that home.
"Let's change to a warmer place and have a sweet dream, okay?"
"Okay..."
Tang Song's will stirred slightly.
Whoosh—
The surrounding scenery rippled and dissipated like water waves.
The old walls receded, the narrow space expanded.
The next moment.
They appeared in the large flat of Yanjing Tiancheng.
The bedroom where Qiuqiu had also once stayed in a dream.
Qiuqiu stared blankly at the familiar furnishings around her.
The warm yellow lighting, the expensive hardwood floors, the soft large bed...
She murmured, "This is our home?"
"Mhm." Tang Song nodded.
He took her hand and led her to the spacious walk-in closet.
Rows of wardrobes were neatly arranged, filled with his clothes.
"See, I have a lot of clothes. Just shirts alone, I have dozens."
Tang Song pulled open a wardrobe, his tone casual and doting.
"If you like them, you can wear them anytime. Don't feel like you're stealing. I don't mind at all; I'm even happy that you wear my clothes."
Qiuqiu looked at the dazzling array of clothes, somewhat dazed.
Her gaze swept over those shirts, finally involuntarily landing on the full-length mirror nearby.
In the mirror, she saw herself—hair disheveled, cheeks flushed, wearing only a large, loose-fitting white men's shirt, with nothing underneath.
Two smooth, long legs glistened with a moist sheen under the light.
"Ah!" She gasped, a surge of shame instantly overwhelming her.
She squatted down, hugging her knees, trying to hide herself.
However, this "ostrich burying its head in the sand" action made the scene even more out of control.
The corner of Tang Song's eye twitched slightly, and he quickly averted his gaze.
Turning around, he opened another cabinet, took out a pair of women's athletic shorts, and handed them to her.
"Put these on first."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the closet.
In the dream, his role was too special; even a playboy like Tang Song felt somewhat embarrassed.
After all, this wasn't like the cosplay roleplay games he played with Qingqing, Xiao Jing, or Su Yu.
In Qiuqiu's heart, there was a bit of that real meaning.
After a while.
At the doorway of the closet.
A furry head popped out, timidly.
Like a little rabbit just peeking out of its burrow.
"Come here." Tang Song smiled and beckoned.
Only then did Qiuqiu obediently walk out.
Having changed into the athletic shorts, even though her upper body was still that oversized shirt, at least her lower half was covered, making her look a bit more at ease.
She shuffled in small steps to the bedside and obediently sat down beside him.
Lowering her little head, her two hands twisting together, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, she said, "I'm sorry, I was actually just now..."
"Qiuqiu, you need to understand." Tang Song wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "In the past, because the lock in your heart was too tight, you shut out things that should have been there. Now that the lock is open, those repressed instincts are rebounding. This is normal."
"This isn't shameful, and it's certainly not disgraceful."
"It's an instinct. Just like eating when you're hungry, drinking when you're thirsty."
"Your body is awakening, telling you it has grown up, that it needs love, needs touch, and also needs pleasure."
...
Then, Tang Song patiently guided the repressed emotions and desires in her heart.
His voice was gentle and magnetic, not lewd, only filled with caring like an elder.
Qiuqiu listened quietly.
Although some straightforward vocabulary made her ears burn, by Tang Song's side, the deep-seated sense of shame in her heart was truly dissipating bit by bit.
After a long while.
Her emotions finally completely calmed down, and a relieved, shy smile appeared on her face.
"Alright, it's getting late. Time to sleep." Tang Song ruffled her head.
Qiuqiu nodded, obediently lifted the blanket, and slipped under the covers.
In the dream, she had a kind of almost blind dependence and obedience towards him.
Tang Song lay down as well, reaching out and pulling her entire body into his embrace as if holding a large body pillow.
Letting her head rest comfortably in the crook of his arm.
Full of smoothness and tenderness. This was the most direct tactile sensation.
The skin unique to a young girl—firm, delicate, like a warm, smooth piece of jade.
Through the thin fabric of the shirt, he could even clearly feel the curves of her body and her slightly accelerated heartbeat.
Qiuqiu obediently curled up, her face pressed against his chest.
Greedily breathing in the reassuring scent from him.
"..." She called softly, her voice almost inaudible.
"Hmm?"
"My body's reactions aren't quite normal... Will you not like me because of it?" She bit her lip, gathering her courage to ask.
"Of course not."
"Then, what should I do to become completely normal like you said?"
"If you want to speed up the progress, you can read some books or watch some movies."
"Movies?" Qiuqiu's eyes lit up. "Can we watch now? I've never watched any before."
Tang Song hesitated for a moment.
Looking into her eager, knowledge-seeking eyes, he understood her thoughts.
In fact, although this designer appeared to be a cool, aloof, mature-sister type.
In reality, she was very innocent in many aspects.
That's why hearing the sounds between him and Su Yu caused such intense physiological and psychological fluctuations in her.
Lacking transition.
And besides, this was in a dream after all.
Satisfying a little girl's curiosity didn't seem like a big deal.
"Okay." He nodded.
His will stirred slightly.
The ceiling above instantly darkened, transforming into a deep expanse of starry sky.
Immediately after, a huge projection screen materialized out of thin air, floating directly above the two of them.
What to watch?
Tang Song's brain rapidly worked.
Live-action movies were too explicit, too impactful, and might scare her.
Better to go with anime.
The art style of 2D animation was more aesthetically pleasing and would be easier for her to accept.
His subconscious began searching through his memory bank.
Naturally, he thought of Xiao Jing.
This wealthy, beautiful friend of his sometimes liked to watch hentai anime while playing and interacting with him.
The "study materials" recently stored in Tang Song's mind were basically all from Xiao Jing.
In dreams, thoughts were extremely fast.
To accommodate Qiuqiu's current "knowledge-seeking" and "lack of security" mindset.
Tang Song only vaguely searched for a few keywords:
"Family affection," "family," "enlightenment," "exquisite art style"...
*Buzz—* The screen lit up. The film began to play.
Qiuqiu turned over, lying on her back in his arms, curiously looking up at the screen above.
The anime on the screen directly got to the main point.
After all, what decent person wouldn't fast-forward?
First appearing was an exquisitely drawn Japanese family scene.
In the living room stood two very cute girls.
One was a blonde twin-tailed loli, tsundere and adorable; the other was a black-haired, long-haired mature beauty, gentle and moving.
"Eri."
"Marina."
A man's voice sounded, carrying a subtle tone.
The scenes began to flow, fast-forwarding.
Watching the increasingly outrageous scenes.
Qiuqiu in his arms instantly froze.
She slowly turned her head to look at Tang Song beside her.
Her eyes held confusion, shock, and a trace of indescribable, complex stirring.
The corner of Tang Song's eye twitched. With a thought, the scene above instantly disappeared.
The room returned to a dimness suitable for sleep.
Only Qiuqiu's slightly rapid breathing remained, exceptionally clear in the silence.
"Erm..." Just as Tang Song was pondering how to explain this teaching mishap.
Qiuqiu in his arms suddenly moved, turning onto her side.
Under the blanket, her long, fair, beautiful legs uncontrollably began to move gently.
As if unconsciously...
Once, then again.
Through the thin fabric, they lightly rubbed against the side of his leg.
Their gazes met in the dimness.
Qiuqiu's cool face was completely flushed, like rouge blooming on snow.
Tang Song's heart skipped a beat, his arm exerting a little more force.
His slender hand slid along the hem of the shirt, disappearing into the air.
Qiuqiu let out a short, panicked nasal sound, then buried her face even deeper.
Her heartbeat grew faster and faster, thundering like drums in her eardrums.
The night grew deeper.
In the dream, a blush-colored hue began to spread, with flowing halos.
The boundary between reality and dream began to crumble.
......
*Swoosh—*
A slight sense of dizziness washed over her, like abruptly surfacing from the deep sea.
Qiuqiu suddenly sat up from the bed, her chest heaving violently as she gasped for breath.
The bedroom was pitch black, only faint city night light seeping in through the window.
She looked around blankly; it was the secondary bedroom of the Paris apartment.
But this time, the dream didn't become blurry upon waking like before.
Instead, some clear details remained.
The walk-in closet, the oversized white shirt, the huge projection screen, and... those hands that seemed omnipotent in the darkness.
*Click.*
She tremblingly reached out and turned on the bedside lamp.
Warm yellow light dispelled the darkness.
She subconsciously touched her thigh.
The shorts weren't there; her fingertips directly touched her own burning skin.
But the lingering tactile sensation on her fingertips, the temperature that seemed not yet faded on her lips, and the unfamiliar, surging afterglow deep within her body—all felt so real.
So real it made her entire body burn.
"Tang Song..."
She murmured, thinking of how she had addressed and perceived him in the dream.
Her whole body shuddered violently, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as if trying to break free.
"How could I be like this... How could I do this..."
"Tang Song isn't..."
"This isn't right... Am I a pervert?"
"Seems like... it's not entirely wrong either."
"If it's him... just like Su Yu... it's all okay."
Her eyes were dazed. Subconsciously, she raised her right hand, bringing her index finger to her slightly parted red lips, lightly biting it with her pearly white teeth.
As if punishing herself, yet also as if savoring some indescribable sensation.
After a long time.
Her breathing gradually calmed, but the discomfort in her body became increasingly pronounced.
Qiuqiu sensed something was off. She lifted the blanket, lowered her head, and her mouth slowly fell open.
Her illness... seemed to really be about to be cured.
She picked up the phone by her pillow and found there was already an unread message on it.
[Tang Song: "Qiuqiu, did you sleep well last night? No need to rush getting up; sleep a bit more. Then pack your luggage properly. We're returning to Yancheng together tonight."]
Looking at the words on the screen.
Qiuqiu's lips moved, and her originally panicked heart instantly settled down.
Her fingertip hovered over the screen, deleting and rewriting several times before she cautiously replied: "Okay, I'll pack in advance. (Obedient.jpg"
After sending it.
She didn't put down the phone.
Instead, as if possessed, she opened the browser.
Taking a deep breath, like a thief, she typed a search keyword into the search bar: "Why do I call the person I like 'daddy' in a dream?"
As the search results popped up one by one.
The expression on Qiuqiu's face grew increasingly strange.
January 2nd, 2024, Tuesday.
Shen City, Qingning Technology Headquarters Building.
The first workday after the New Year's holiday, the air still seemed to carry a lingering holiday laziness.
The warm southern sun outside the window shone on the glass curtain walls of the office building, reflecting dazzling light.
Inside the Qingmi AI General Manager's office.
The curtains were drawn, the air filled with the aroma of coffee and pastries.
It was a private, even somewhat decadent, lazy atmosphere.
Liu Qingning lazily nestled in her chair.
She wasn't looking at code, nor was she reviewing reports.
Displayed on the 4K monitor before her was a vast, meticulously organized file library.
She was extremely methodical in her work.
Past life records, all files, code, photos, videos, chat log backups...
All were categorized by her, strictly sorted according to a timeline.
And backed up both locally and in the cloud.
[2016 - High School], [2017 - University], [2019 - Imperial Capital]...
The mouse wheel scrolled gently as she filtered out photos and videos of him from within.
On the screen, time seemed to flow backward.
There were youthful high school uniform photos of the two, screenshots of video calls from their university days spent apart.
But more were from the Imperial Capital period after the end of 2019.
That was the most special, most intimate period of time.
Back then, Tang Song had given up on graduate school entrance exams and came to work in the Imperial Capital, joining Meigou Technology.
They ended their 4-year long-distance relationship during university.
No longer under the watchful eyes of teachers and parents, no longer bound by dormitory curfews.
They rented their own place, had their own income.
Did whatever they wanted, went wherever they pleased.
She was his only friend in the Imperial Capital, the entirety of color outside his monotonous coding life.
And he, in turn, was all her rest and solace outside of work.
Liu Qingning flipped through them one by one.
The impact from Su Yu's long letter was far from over.
All along, since meeting again in Shen City.
Her perception of Tang Song had always been complex and contradictory.
Reason told her that Tang Song was hiding many things, even becoming emotionally non-exclusive, which to some extent was a form of deception.
But now, the explanation Su Yu gave in the letter about "parallel worlds."
Logically, it should have been dismissed with contempt.
But for some reason, Liu Qingning increasingly felt that was the truth.
During this New Year's holiday, she had hardly worked at all, nor had she gone out to play.
Most of the time, she was listening to music while repeatedly looking back at these old times.
The images on the screen flickered.
A crowded subway car, the camera shaky—it was taken by her sitting in a seat. In the frame, Tang Song stood before her with a backpack, using his arm to carve out a small space, shielding her from the surrounding crowd. He looked down at her, his eyes not showing fatigue, only a smile.
A winter night in a rented apartment. The glass was thick with condensation. The two of them sat around a small induction cooker eating hotpot. In the steaming heat, his face was somewhat blurred.
Late night on a street. The streetlights were dim yellow, stretching their shadows long and long, occasionally overlapping. That was when she worked overtime very late, and he, afraid she might be in danger, specially came to pick her up.
...
Back then, Tang Song's eyes were truly full of her.
The light in those eyes was so pure it still made her heart tremble to think of it now.
Looking back now, it truly was a rich and beautiful youth.
Even more profound, more moving than those ignorant high school years.
Unfortunately, back then, she was in the midst of it but always anxiously looking toward the distant future.
She was in it at the time but didn't really notice; she was thinking more about work.
Back then, her mind was full of entrepreneurship, financing, the future.
Her high school belief that "economic base determines the superstructure" made her stubbornly think that without sufficient material conditions, emotions were unstable.
So she chose to climb the mountain.
"I was wrong..."
Liu Qingning's finger gently stroked the familiar face on the screen.
Now, reviewing the code from her current perspective, she realized her underlying logic had a BUG from the very beginning.
If she followed her original plan:
She left the Imperial Capital to strive in Shen City, earned a lot of money, bought a good house, then returned to find him and tell him "I'll support you."
Would that really have been a perfect ending?
People change.
Environment is also an undeniable variable.
That Tang Song who stayed behind, watching her fly higher and higher—would he feel timid? Would he feel inferior?
When she stood before him holding the property deed, would that Little Song with his self-esteem feel happiness, or immense pressure?
What if parents intervened?
What if societal judgment intervened?
Like his inability to fit in with her circle of friends during his time in the Imperial Capital.
People are complex.
Life isn't a program.
There are no standard API interfaces, no clear-cut ifs and elses.
Once you miss that break point, the program will keep running in this wrong loop until it crashes.
She once thought she was writing the optimal algorithm for their future.
But she didn't realize it might have been a piece of dead code that couldn't run elegantly.
Looking at the Tang Song on the screen whose eyes were full of her, an unprecedented sense of fear washed over her.
Fortunately, the logic of this world had been reconstructed.
Fortunately, he had become powerful in a way she couldn't comprehend, powerful enough to disregard all concerns.
"Hoo..."
She let out a soft sigh, as if expelling the pent-up feeling in her chest.
She adjusted her sitting posture, leaning slightly forward, resting on the desk.
Just like in high school, naturally and without reservation, she placed her ample bosom on the edge of the desk to alleviate the fatigue from sitting too long.
Then, she released the mouse, letting her thoughts drift.
It was already January 2nd.
In another 11 days, it would be January 13th, Tang Song's birthday.
According to past practice, she should have started preparing gifts long ago.
Whether it was the sneakers bought by scrimping and saving in high school, the hand-knitted scarf in university, or the glasses bought later...
Every year on this day, it was one of the most important holidays in her life.
But this year...
"What should I give him?"
She stared blankly at the computer screen, her eyes somewhat vacant.
The current Tang Song had everything he wanted.
More importantly... who would he spend this birthday with?
Would it be Su Yu, who had just been intimately entangled with him in Paris?
Or Director Jin, who fought side by side with him in New York?
Or perhaps Wen Ruan, with her devilish figure and enchanting charm?
Originally, she had made up her mind.
Even if he wasn't in Shen City, she would fly directly to him.
She was confident that as long as she appeared, as long as she acted coquettishly, he would definitely spend time with her.
But now...
Liu Qingning lowered her eyelids, giving a bitter smile.
Forget it.
Since there were so many people around him wanting to be with him.
Since he was no longer that Little Song who belonged only to her.
Then let it be.
As long as he's happy.
She picked up the coffee beside her and took a small sip.
*Ring ring ring—*
The landline phone on the desk suddenly rang.
Breaking the room's silence and melancholy.
Liu Qingning gathered her thoughts, cleared her throat, and resumed the demeanor of a capable female executive, picking up the phone. "Hello, this is Liu Qingning."
"General Manager Liu, Happy New Year. This is Chen Jing from the Chairman's Office of [Tang Yi Precision]. We've met before; do you still remember me?"
A gentle, capable female voice came from the other end of the line.
Hearing this voice and her self-introduction, Liu Qingning's heart jolted. "Of course I remember! Secretary Chen, hello, Happy New Year!"
She had visited Tang Yi Precision many times, and Qingning Technology was also closely connected to this enterprise.
Naturally, she knew and had interacted with this chief secretary of Ms. Ouyang.
"I apologize for disturbing your work so suddenly." Chen Jing's voice carried an official, serious tone, yet remained warm and respectful. "It's like this. On behalf of Ms. Ouyang, there are two matters I need to synchronize with you."
"Please go ahead." Liu Qingning held her breath.
"The first matter. On January 12th, the global headquarters relocation ceremony and strategic launch event for [Xuanji Optical World] will be held at the Shencheng Bay Super Headquarters Base.
This is not just a relocation; it's a critical milestone for launching the latest generation of AR products globally.
Ms. Ouyang specifically instructed that you must be invited as a core guest of honor to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony."
Liu Qingning's eyebrows raised slightly.
January 12th, the day before Tang Song's birthday?
That meant Tang Song would definitely be in Shen City that day.
Before she could fully digest this news, Chen Jing continued, "The second matter is an invitation from Ms. Ouyang herself. She would like to meet with you. Would tomorrow be convenient for you, General Manager Liu?"
Liu Qingning's fingers gripping the receiver tightened abruptly. "It's convenient!"
It's finally here!
Ouyang Xianyue.
This heavyweight figure who was also closely connected to Tang Song and, to some extent, represented the will of the [Tangjin Family Office].
Was she also like Su Yu, always observing from a high vantage point?
She wants to see me?
Is it for business? For that suddenly bestowed [Moonlight Trust]? Or is it for Tang Song?
Fearful? A little.
But more than that, it was a sense of "finally having to face it" serenity.