In more than two years, he has truly changed a lot.
Chi Xingye still remembered, when she saved him from the sea, she gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and she could faintly smell the strong scent of alcohol on him. Clearly, he had gotten himself dead drunk, so much so that he didn't even know when he fell from the yacht into the sea...
That man then, those profound red eyes of his were filled with bloodshot veins. He looked lonely, despairing, and deeply saddened... Despite this, she never questioned him about what happened during those days by his side. Every time she saw the look in his eyes, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of heartache and compassion...
But the man he is now has deep, sharp eyes, like depth of the sea, making it challenging to decipher any hint of his emotions.
He emits an aura of arrogance and indifference akin to that of an emperor.
He carries an air of haughty nobility yet an extreme sense of apathy.
This must be his true nature.
The man she met two years ago was just an anomaly.
But what exactly happened to him back then to make him that way?
Chi Xingye was not curious before, but now she found herself oddly curious.
Was it because she'd encountered him quite a few times recently?
A flicker of melancholy suddenly passed through Chi Xingye's eyes.
He can't remember her anymore; wasn't that what she wanted?
Why then, when he is cold towards her now, does Chi Xingye feel a trace of loss in her heart?
As she was lost in her thoughts.
A sudden flash of blinding white light streaked by outside the car window, immediately followed by a loud rumble of thunder.
Chi Xingye shuddered violently in fright.
Her face instantly turned deathly pale.
Perhaps her reaction was too intense, it startled the others in the car who then all turned to look at her.
"Miss Chi, are you still afraid of thunder even at your age?" Li Xiu joked with her, without any malice, primarily to distract her from the thunderstorm outside.
Chi Xingye tightly hugged herself, no longer showing her previous vivaciousness.
Even her voice carried a faint tremor as she forced out a soft "Hmm".
"Last time, you suddenly fainted outside the castle, could it have anything to do with the thunder too?"
Li Xiu speculated.
As the words fell, the car window outside was greeted by another deafening roll of thunder.
Chi Xingye reacted violently, letting out a scream.
Next, Li Xiu saw her suddenly throw herself into Helian Chengyan's arms, tightly clinging to his waist, her entire body curling up in his embrace... Li Xiu immediately widened his eyes, then turned back around and sat properly in his seat.
Pretending as if he didn't see a thing!
At the very moment when she clung to him, Helian Chengyan's body jerked.
The nape of his neck instantly stiffened.
It took him a full 30 seconds before he regained his senses and tried to push her away.
But no matter how he pulled at her, she clung to his waist like she was gripping for dear life.
"Let go!"
Anger clouded Helian Chengyan's icy face.
She had never dared to defy him even if she had the audacity, so what was she playing at now?
But when he pulled at her with more force, he noticed how badly she was trembling.
It was already July, and the air conditioning in the car wasn't cold. Even through the fabric, he could feel her frigidity, as if she had fallen into an ice pit.
As he lowered his head to look at her, he was taken aback. Chi Xingye's face was as pale as snow, as if she was severely ill.
Helian Chengyan suddenly remembered the night he drove her out of the castle. It seemed like it had thundered for a long time that night too. That night, he had urgent matters to attend to, and after he rushed out, he found her lying on the roadside. When he got out of the car and picked her up, she was tightly clutching at her suitcase, as if it were a lifebuoy... It was just like how she was holding onto him now.
Could the sound of thunder really scare her like this?
Helian Chengyan instructed the driver to speed up and then called the housekeeper to send a doctor over immediately.
His voice carried a sense of urgency and panic that he himself didn't notice.
He didn't push her away anymore.
With his gaze fixed on Chi Xingye in his arms, he hesitated. He took off his coat and draped it over her shivering body.
After pondering for a moment, as if engaged in an inner struggle, he slowly extended his arms to hold her tightly...
——
It was a dream.
The same dream.
Helian Chengyan lay in bed, his brow furrowed.
The dream has visited him again.
In the dream, there was an ocean, a beautiful blue sky, thunder, rainbows, and an enchanting island... The scenery constantly changed.
But what didn't change was that she was always there with him.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here! Why fear the thunder when I'm here. If you're scared, I'll stay by your side from now on..."
"My people are almost here, come with me, I'll get you out of here..."
"I'll take good care of you... don't you trust me? Are you afraid I'll deceive you?"
"Give me a reason... why won't you be with me? Why...?"
"..."
Helian Chengyan startled awake.
In the darkness, he slowly opened his eyes.
Rubbing his slightly throbbing forehead, feeling a touch of emptiness in his heart.
In these few months, he had been experiencing the same dream over and over again.
In the dream, he spoke a lot of words to that girl, kept persisting to be with her, to take her back together... But she rejected him!
Every time he woke up, he could never remember the girl's face from his dream.
What troubled Helian Chengyan more was that in reality, he didn't remember having such a memory, let alone having such deep feelings for any girl.
Who on earth was she?
Why does she always appear in his dreams, making him yearn for her?
——
Inside the Royal Top Entertainment Club.
All of Helian Chengyan's seven good brothers were present. Each one was extraordinary, worthy of being Prince's sworn brothers.
Given Helian Chengyan's noble status, from childhood to adulthood, all those around him looked up to him and flattered him. However, aside from those present, they all courageously fought with him when they were younger, and thus, their brotherly bond was forged through fists.
At this moment, the club was particularly bustling.
Helian Chengyan let go of his heavy political duties and relaxed with his friends.
Of course, there were always those who dared to challenge his authority.
For example, Nangong Ze.
As he played cards with the others, he asked with a smirk, "Boss, you keep having the same dream. Is it a wet dream?"
"Get lost!"
Helian Chengyan succinctly cursed.
"Boss, come on, did you do anything naughty to the girl in your dream?"
Naughty?
Helian Chengyan swirled the wine in his glass.
His deep red eyes flickered slightly, as if recalling.
In the dream, he was indeed attracted to her; he remembered passionately kissing her, as if wanting to do something to her...
"Boss, don't be shy, you are already 25 and still single. Isn't it normal to have a wet dream? Quickly find a woman to alleviate your loneliness!" Nangong Ze laughed wickedly, fearlessly suggesting to Helian Chengyan, "How about I arrange a few stunning beauties for you tonight, so you can take turns pampering them!"
"Get lost!!!"
Couldn't they be more serious!
Qin Chuanyou laughed and sat down on the sofa next to Helian Chengyan.
"Didn't you stop having this dream about two years ago?"