Peppermint Candy (Five) The rain stopped. The room was filled with the humid heat after the rain. It was another night without a sunset, not a romantic one, yet as the sky darkened, it transformed from a dull gray-white to a post-sunset indigo. It was a kind of blue that was too silent, too beautiful. Warm orange lights lit up on the opposite bank, illuminating everything, dyeing it a solemn blue. The skyline melted into the misty river and starry night of an oil painting. Indigo quietly seeped in from the window's edges, and the room was swallowed by the blue of the sunset. They stared at each other without blinking, their intertwined fingertips flickering like shimmering lights. "Can I really do anything to you?" Jin Jingyao lowered his eyes. He gazed at the most beautiful person in the world, lying on his lap. No one could capture her beauty, not even himself. Li Ling held his hand and unbuttoned the first button. A small patch of skin emerged, like warm, peeled peach flesh. He smelled the fresh sweetness of fruit in the air. The second button. He remained silent, holding his breath. Like someone living in a cave, seeing for the first time on ancient mural fragments, such beautiful and full forms. He dared not touch, fearing they would dissolve in the air. But he was so curious, curious and greedy. He wanted to ripen it with his body heat, bite into the white flesh with his teeth. Li Ling's hand paused in the air, suddenly finding Jin Jingyao very strange. His face was hidden in the shadows, and his gaze was frightening. But he did nothing, remained motionless, just letting her hold his hand. It was as if she was unbuttoning her own buttons out of wishful thinking. Did he not understand her words? Or was he simply not interested? The air conditioning in the living room was too strong, and her collar had been open for too long, making her feel a bit cold. It could also be his silence and gaze seeping into the air, turning into cold dew. Li Ling hesitated for a moment and asked him, "Or do you want to take a shower first?" She waited for a while, but Jin Jingyao still didn't speak. Could it be that she really scared the innocent schoolboy? She had no choice but to let go of his hand and sit up from his lap. Her heart sank bit by bit, her toes finally touching the ground. Maybe out of a bit of spite, she turned off the record player. The room became silent. Silence was also a dangerous thing, with something lurking within it, the faint sound of breathing, the slow departure of a predator from its cave, paws gently stepping on dew-laden shrubs without making a sound. A hand pressed against her waist from behind. "Where are you going?" Jin Jingyao asked. The young man's voice was low and somewhat hoarse, as if tormented by an indescribable will. Li Ling opened her mouth to speak, but he lowered his head and blocked her lips. He kissed fiercely, not waiting for her response, and picked her up, walking into the bedroom. In the moment her body lifted off the ground, Li Ling was startled, almost dizzy. He barely looked at the path, focusing only on the entanglement of their lips and tongues. His gaze was obscure, but his arms were strong. Silence turned into a devouring warm vortex, every breath mixed with desire. The fading light of dusk was like the remnants of a dream, chasing the shadows beneath their feet. A strange spasm flowed through her, making her feel like a cotton dress on a clothesline, swaying uncertainly in the wind. Only the parts connected to him felt safe. Or perhaps the most dangerous. - Her body lifted off the ground, then returned to it, back to the dim, softer-than-velvet pure white dream. Shadows intertwined into chaotic shapes on the bed, like a giant net trapping the prey of dreams. In the dim light, Li Ling looked up, watching the tall young man standing at the foot of the bed, throwing his coat to the ground. When he approached again, his movements were very slow, so slow that they almost had a primitive impact. His limbs were long, his muscles beautiful, a young and powerful body. The shadow of the mountain descended, the waves parted by him. A ship of the New World broke through the waves in the morning mist. No one knew whether it was a curse or a blessing of the new world. She propped herself up with her hands, involuntarily retreating. But there was nowhere to retreat, he held the back of her head with his hand, slowly sliding down to her sweat-drenched neck. "Is it really okay?" Jin Jingyao asked her softly. His fingers caressed her smooth skin, like mist kissing the mountains. When he held her, his movements were very cautious. But when he buried his face in the shadows, his eyes flickered with dangerous flames. It was a turbine, a torrent that could destroy everything. She didn't know what she was doing. She didn't know what he wanted to do to her. She handed over the dangerous power to him, completely unaware. He was afraid of hurting her. He craved to hurt her. Two completely opposite forces constantly pulled back and forth, conflicting and strangling each other, like the boundary between light and dark, splitting him in two. "Is this okay for you too?" Jin Jingyao said. "Is this okay too?" His voice was very low, very light, always politely seeking consent before doing anything. But in fact, he wasn't seeking consent at all. They weren't making a movie; they were doing things that couldn't be captured in a movie. His fingers made her very uncomfortable. His gaze was very focused, carrying a certain mesmerizing power, making her forget everything, only able to focus on the moment. She heard irregular breathing, the room was pouring with rain, but he lowered his eyes, calmly observing her, as if a scientist observing his specimen. His expression was eerily calm. Li Ling felt very confused, so she wrapped her arms around him, pressing his neck down. He obediently offered his lips, starting from her brow bone, kissing devoutly. But another part of him silently defied her, holding her firmly. They were both split in two. He was very slow, and very patient. Slightly frowning, he gazed at her, his arms propped beside her. Velvet wrinkled under his palm, making continuous subtle sounds. "You're too thin." He touched her. His palm continued to press upward, and he said, "Here we are." It was completely in a flat, straightforward tone. Very calm, very direct. Li Ling: "..." She became even more confused, her willpower turning to water. In the chaos, she couldn't grasp any other words, her mind completely destroyed, only able to barely reach out, trying to cover his eyes. But he instead pulled her hand down, brought it close to his lips, and began to lick her palm. Dense breaths swept through her fingers, spreading a warm, confusing breath. His lips and tongue were so nimble, so passionate. Another part was hard, sharp as stone, granite on a temple. The sky collapsed. The scorching sun and stones crashed down on her together. Overwhelming light. Shadows devouring everything. Her heart raced, she felt dizzy. Sweat stung her eyes. She couldn't open her eyes. It wasn't sweat, it was seawater flooding in, the sky raining down. Ancient rain fell from the eyes of the statue. Li Ling touched his face, found his moist eyes, and said with great effort, "I'm the one in pain, why are you crying..." He didn't speak, paused his movements, and held Li Ling's hand, interlocking their fingers. At first, they didn't turn on the light. In the dark room, everything was very secretive. Later, he turned on the light. She didn't agree, her insignificant resistance was just another dose of out-of-control medicine, silently swallowed by him. The light gave shape to everything, the moon rose from the undulating valleys, illuminating the chaotic footprints on the white beach. Her lips were kissed for a long time, glistening, unable to make any other sound. The waves crashed repeatedly, the wet, heavy sand turned into a cave after sunset, burying salty secrets. They whispered in pain, rose in joy, and fell to the ground in confusion, learning, and exploration. Jin Jingyao lowered his head, obsessively watching her, inch by inch licking away the fine sweat on her neck. I love you, he whispered. Did she hear it? It didn't matter if she didn't. Does she love him too? Maybe not as much as he loves her, and that also didn't matter. They were still very young, with a long time ahead to exchange their affections. He once thought he would lose her, but Lingling still returned to his dreams. She was his dream, she filled every one of his dreams. He could finally, without any disguise, reveal all of himself to her. No dream was more beautiful than this moment, he wished time could stop forever at this second, letting the sand bury them, over and over again. The night grew deep. From now on, he belonged to her, and she belonged to him. They could no longer belong to anyone else. - Li Ling spent the latter half of the night in a daze. She fainted and woke up again. Her consciousness plunged into the surging sea, in a haze, she had one beautiful dream and nightmare after another. In her dreams, she returned to the set of "Dream Addiction." It was the night of the audition, Jin Jingyao sat opposite her, the glaring white light intertwined, her vision wavered, she couldn't see his face clearly, only hearing him say to her, "One more time." The voice was also floating, drifting by her ear, swallowed along with sweat and tears. This scene had many NGs, he was not satisfied, staring at her sternly and coldly, unable to call cut. One more time, okay? Can we do it one more time? One more time. One more time. This night was so long, trapping her in the interrogation room, in his arms, never ending. The overwhelming light grabbed her, twisted her, making her dizzy. The light pierced in, simultaneously becoming a scalpel and an anesthetic. And the young prisoner remained silent. He almost never spoke, not a word. The room was filled only with their breathing, and some more muffled sounds. At dawn, Li Ling was carried into the bathroom. The bathtub was large enough to accommodate two people. She fell asleep, her back to him, quietly lying in the young man's arms. The water temperature was just right. The warm water flowed over smooth skin, another unconscious dream. He washed her inch by inch, her cheeks rosy, lips also very red, her wet hair so soft. He held it in his palm, applied hair oil, and combed it out bit by bit with his fingers. The faint morning light seeped in little by little through the lily-patterned glass window. The scent and shape of the flowers were like the flame of a lamp, shining in his heart. He held her tightly, never enough, so he pressed his chin against her, his nose touching her fragrant hair. Gently sniffing, gently dropping kisses, calling her name again. It didn't matter if she didn't respond. A strange sense of satisfaction uncontrollably sprouted and grew wildly, spreading through his entire body. He recalled that on set, he had acted out this scene many times. However, experiencing it firsthand, he realized that all of those performances were wrong. In the foggy mirror, Jin Jingyao lifted his head and saw his own expression clearly. There was no satisfaction in his eyes, only greed.