The wall clock ticked away, time passing second by second. The light from the computer screen shone on Chu Ge's face, revealing his expression gradually shifting from tension to calm.
"Actually…we kissed, hugged, ate together, slept together, you've always been my girlfriend…" Chu Ge spoke again, "At least in my heart I've always thought so, and I think you acknowledge it deep down too, otherwise, how could my Qiu Wuji kiss a man?" Qiu Wuji stared at him, her eyes wide. After a long, long time, her lost inspiration seemed to slowly return, and she struggled to organize her thoughts: "You…you shouldn't think that being a girlfriend means you can do whatever you want! At this moment…you…"
"No…" Chu Ge interrupted directly, "Lying to yourself and others is pointless…I want to tell the world that Qiu Wuji is my girlfriend, not pretending. And I hope that Qiu Wuji wants to tell the world that Chu Ge is her boyfriend, not a misunderstanding. What…what is it that we're hiding that requires such hesitation?"
Qiu Wuji fell silent, staring at him for a long time, and the feeling in her heart gradually calmed down.
Finally, she understood why Chu Ge was so calm. It turned out that being open about things meant this.
Why keep this entanglement in her heart?
Qiu Wuji pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled sweetly, "Okay." That smile was like the moon breaking through the clouds, flowers blooming everywhere, brightening the entire autumn night.
Chu Ge turned around abruptly, his face filled with surprise and delight.
He truly hadn't expected Qiu Wuji to answer so readily.
They had kissed and hugged, but whether they had officially acknowledged it was a ritual, a permission for the future.
From now on, there was no need to find excuses for himself.
She is my girlfriend.
He is my boyfriend.
We are lovers; there's nothing we can't say to others.
Qiu Wuji seemed to relax, leaning back against the headboard and gazing at the ceiling. She slowly said, "I told you before, we're not married... that's what I meant. I might... genuinely consider you my boyfriend, but I don't want to do anything that you modern people consider normal... I'm afraid you'll take advantage, so I don't want to admit it."
Chu Ge: "Uh..." It seems the movies and videos she watches daily have left her with a bit of a psychological scar... she always feels that once a relationship is confirmed, the man will do this and that, and she doesn't want that.
Qiu Wuji turned her head and smiled slightly: "Chu Ge, have you ever regretted writing about an ancient woman, or someone with righteous thinking, someone who's always nagging and causing trouble?"
Chu Ge smiled too: "I wrote it, and I like it." The two looked at each other, something flickering in their eyes.
After a while, Qiu Wuji said softly, "You should lie down too, so Auntie doesn't suddenly decide to probe your spiritual senses and then we won't be able to explain ourselves. As for other things... we've slept in the same room before, as long as you behave properly, it's fine..." Chu Ge patted his chest and assured her, "We'll draw a line between us, if I cross it you can hit me." Qiu Wuji shook her head slightly, "Why play such a childish game? The boundary is only in your heart." She moved half the bed aside, then placed a pig-shaped pillow behind her head as a pillow, and lay calmly looking at the ceiling.
Chu Ge slowly lay down on the empty half of the bed, also looking at the ceiling.
They both heard each other's rapidly beating heartbeats and breathing, like the sudden sound of war drums.
One bed... is really different from two in a hotel.
The person is right beside you, within reach, you can touch their body with a simple movement, and you can easily turn over and hug them.
And this is someone you just agreed to be your girlfriend.
If… if he really did hug me…
Qiu Wuji didn't need a mirror to know his face was already as red as a monkey's bottom.
Luckily, it was still warm, not winter snuggling under a warm blanket. That would probably feel even worse. Right now, the thin blanket wasn't necessary; he could just pull a corner over himself, and there was no feeling of being wrapped up in the same blanket.
But in winter… why would anyone sleep together in winter? Really.
"Um…" Chu Ge suddenly spoke.
Qiu Wuji subconsciously clenched his fist.
But then Chu Ge said, "That's a pillow. Won't it be uncomfortable lying down? Shall we switch pillows?"
Qiu Wuji said blankly, "You mean you want me to use your arm as a pillow?"
Chu Ge let out a soft "Huh?"
Suddenly so perceptive?
Qiu Wuji said coldly, "I'm already resting my head on Chu Ge."
Chu Ge: "..." After this brief exchange, the two gradually relaxed. Qiu Wuji whispered, "Sleep well, don't think too much."
Chu Ge tried, "Can I give you a kiss... a goodnight kiss?"
Qiu Wuji looked at the ceiling, not answering.
Chu Ge seemed to understand, and gently leaned in to kiss her cheek. Her cheek was burning, but she didn't refuse.
They were boyfriend and girlfriend now.
Chu Ge's touch was light and quick, and he whispered, "Goodnight."
Qiu Wuji relaxed her tense body and also whispered, "Goodnight." The fragrance of the person beside her lingered in her nostrils. The exhaustion from the previous dramatic events, pushing her to her limit, finally overwhelmed her, and Chu Ge couldn't hold back any longer, gradually falling asleep.
She was quite carefree, even smiling in her dreams.
Qiu Wuji's exhaustion also came over her, but with her mind a jumble of thoughts, she couldn't fall asleep.
Chu Ge, whose cultivation had made some progress, didn't snore when he slept. His breathing was long, slow, and rhythmic, actually quite hypnotic. He slept peacefully, his hands and feet motionless, undisturbed.
But how could he fall asleep?
Sharing a bed with a man… he hadn't been prepared for this even when he initiated the kiss, yet today, in a daze, it inexplicably happened. He even allowed Chu Ge to kiss his cheek and say goodnight.
But even now, he didn't feel anything… he even felt a little sweet at that moment.
It was truly bizarre.
If someone had told his book-fed self this a few months earlier, he would probably have chopped that person's head off with a sword, accusing them of spreading falsehoods.
Qiu Wuji secretly turned his head, looking at Chu Ge's sleeping profile. He still found it pleasing to the eye and didn't feel any urge to avoid it. He even… even had a small impulse to kiss him and tell him goodnight.
Unfortunately, Chu Ge couldn't hear him now.
"Forget it, I can't hear you anyway. Why would I kiss you? If I don't kiss you, it's because you fell asleep so quickly, I can't sleep either!"
Qiu Wuji pouted and looked at the ceiling again.
"Oh no, I can't sleep. If I force myself to wait until dawn, will I disappear back into the past...?"
"If this little pig I'm using as a pillow is Chu Ge, and I'm using it to wait for dawn, is that called 'pillowing a spear to await the day'?"
Qiu Wuji's mind raced with these thoughts, and suddenly he chuckled to himself.
Laughing, he drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
...Qiu Wuji didn't sleep well. He woke up suddenly early the next morning, opening his eyes to see the man's gentle gaze, looking at him with a hint of a smile.
Qiu Wuji regained his senses slightly and realized what position he was in...
Chu Ge remained obedient, still lying flat in the same position he had been in before going to sleep last night.
She herself was being rather unruly, clinging to his arm with both hands, her right leg straddling his leg, her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder—a truly awkward position.
Who's crossing the line here...? Qiu Wuji's mind went blank for a moment, then she said expressionlessly, "What are you looking at? You know that pillow isn't comfortable to lie on."
Chu Ge smiled, "Yeah, yeah. It's Little Pig's fault."
"It is!" Qiu Wuji retorted stubbornly, only then noticing that Chu Ge was playing with his phone in his other hand. He seemed to have been awake for a while, but hadn't wanted to disturb her sleep by pulling his arm away, so he had been lying there like that.
A little embarrassed, she left calmly, asking, "What time is it?"
Chu Ge replied, "Just seven o'clock. I haven't been awake long."
"So early? Are there people chatting in the group?"
"Yeah, everyone's a cultivator." Chu Ge said, "There are a lot of people, all with different schedules, not to mention overseas members."
Qiu Wuji peeked at the group chat; 2999 people…
"That's full. Should we create a new group?"
Chu Ge sighed helplessly, "Too many groups are hard to manage. I didn't want to create one, but now it looks like I have to."
Qiu Wuji teased, "We were fighting amongst ourselves before, what should we call the new group?"
"That's easy." Chu Ge operated his phone, creating a new group, and slowly typed four characters for the group name: "Ready for Battle."