070 White Water, Bright Moon, Dark Green, Deep Red
The initially pale yellow moonlight gradually brightened and shone, its glow mingling with the night sky and reflecting off the surface of Boston Harbor, almost illuminating the hotel room, as if the whole world was immersed in this dreamlike, pristine white world.
Seeing that night had fallen, Li Haojun wanted to go back to his room to rest. After all, he wasn't yet familiar enough with Sienna.
Back in his room, Li Haojun was already taking a shower. The hot water flowing over his head and down his body felt like a warm comfort, relieving the fatigue of the day. The shower water occasionally blurred his vision, and through the glass, he could see Sienna watching him from the opposite side.
He was already an old man, but Li Haojun didn't feel that being stared at like this was a disadvantage. On the contrary, this open and honest interaction seemed to be bridging the distance between him and Sienna.
Through the steamy glass, Sienna stood motionless facing him. He could almost feel her rising and falling breaths, like the tides in a bay. The lines of her body were like the curves that clearly separated the sand and the sea on the distant horizon. Sienna seemed to sense his gaze. Suddenly, she reached out and, as if by magic, passed through the bathroom glass, forcefully grabbing his hand and saying,
"Ethan, come with me." In an instant, Li Haojun felt as if he were being effortlessly lifted into the air. He didn't know how she possessed such strength, and his own body felt light. It seemed he hadn't exerted much force to hold Sienna's hand, yet his body followed her. Paradoxically, however… Following behind Sienna, it seemed the sea breeze was blowing, scattering Sienna's long hair, which billowed in the wind and blocked Li Haojun's downward view. He could only feel that he was barefoot on the sand.
Holding Sienna's hand, Li Haojun didn't know if he was running or flying, because his steps were so light, both of them were, as if each step could leap into the air at an unknown height. All around them was a hazy moonlight, indistinguishable from clouds or mist.
After running hand-in-hand with Sienna for a while, it finally felt like they were gradually descending from the sky, as the beach below became clearer. With each step onto the sand, his running seemed to grow heavier, and Li Haojun gradually could no longer keep up with Sienna's pace, only able to watch helplessly as she ran further and further away. Several times she looked back in his direction, as if beckoning him to follow.
Until Sienna disappeared from his sight, Li Haojun became genuinely anxious. He had no choice but to chase after her in the direction she had run, trying to find her again.
It was a long, narrow beach, with the same scenery repeating itself along the way. Although he didn't feel tired from running, the slow pace and the worry about the passing time made Li Haojun increasingly restless. The bushes on his left, the sea on his right—Li Haojun tried not to think about those things.
Gradually, it seemed he was approaching the end of the beach, where a wider, winding coastline appeared. Li Haojun strained to find that figure on the horizon.
It was her. That figure, far away, with her back to him, her long, flowing hair billowing in the sea breeze. Waves surged onto the beach with the wind, carrying the spray and the fresh scent of the sea. In the moonlight, Sienna stood on the beach, her feet sinking slightly into the fine sand. Her legs were slightly apart, one in front of the other, the back knee bent slightly due to the slope of the sand, the lower leg turned slightly outward, the ball of her foot supporting her weight, her heel raised. Her body swayed gently with the sea breeze.
Her arms hung naturally, her elbows tucked close to her slender waist. Because her left leg was straight and bearing her weight, her hips shifted to the left to compensate. Her left forearm rested against her hip bone, her palm clenched inward, fingers outstretched, fingertips lightly touching her thigh. With her right arm on her hip, seemingly lowering her right shoulder, her posture was elegant and serene.
"Sienna,"135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwkSzZx85Y
As he approached her from behind, carrying the anxiety and worry of his pursuit, Li Haojun softly called her name.
Sienna turned around. It was her, a smile on her face. Whether it was the freedom to run freely, the ease of being immersed in the vast world, or a heart that yearned for and cared for her, it was hard to tell.
"It's dangerous by the water. I can't swim. If anything happens, I can't guarantee your safety," Li Haojun said, taking Sienna's left hand with her right and putting her right arm around her waist, slowly backing away, moving backward towards the higher part of the beach.
Sienna didn't speak, but after a few steps, she became playful, wrapping her arms around Li Haojun. Sienna stopped, dragged along the beach, her upper body pressed against Li Haojun's chest. Her large eyes, deep and unfathomable in the moonlight, seemed like a dark, deep pool. Looking into Li Haojun's eyes,
Li Haojun stopped, worried the sand would chafe her feet. He asked,
"Why aren't you walking? Don't cut your feet."
"Are you afraid my feet will get cut?" Sienna repeated Li Haojun's words, as if questioning him. She lifted her right leg and rested it against Li Haojun's side, pulling his left hand with her right hand to hug the back of her knee. She said nothing, but Li Haojun realized she wanted him to hold her like he had when he danced with Qin Wenjing in Richland.
Li Haojun smiled and didn't refuse, dragging her along... Taking two steps back, he realized something was wrong. Sienna was barefoot, while Qin Wenjing was wearing high heels. He said,
"No, aren't you afraid your foot will get cut by the sand and gravel?"
"Oh, you're afraid it will get cut?" Sienna said softly, wrapping her arms around Li Haojun's neck even tighter. Her large eyes blinked, observing his reaction.
Li Haojun didn't say anything, just smiled and wrapped his right arm around her left leg. She seemed to be mimicking how he remembered others, acting coquettishly. He carried her away from the water's edge as quickly as possible.
Away from the steeper slope of the beach, on a flatter, safer sandy shore, Li Haojun seemed more relaxed and began to find his way.
It was a long, narrow island beach... Jun wasn't sure if the island connected to the mainland from the direction they'd come from, so he could only walk back along the path, holding Sienna in his arms, observing as he went, occasionally glancing down at her.
Sienna's cheek was pressed against his chest, the sea breeze ruffling her hair and obscuring her other cheek. The moonlight seemed to have tinted her blonde hair silver, and her usually gentle skin appeared as white and cold as solidified alabaster in the moonlight.
It seemed that Li Haojun's normal consciousness had just departed, and only his subconscious was in control—that true self, devoid of social rules, driven only by the purest desires of the ego. However, as this ordinary, social consciousness returned, Li Haojun began to feel that he shouldn't be acting this way. How could he do this to Sienna, whom he had only recently met?
When the pressure of self-moral condemnation exceeded the pressure of her weight, Li Haojun tried to escape and awaken himself: No, this isn't real, it's a dream, this isn't real, I'm dreaming.
It seemed the illusion shattered with his own mental power. Li Haojun suddenly awoke from his dream, looked around, and found himself sitting on a bench in a garden. It had indeed been a dream.
This was a rose garden. Climbing roses were trimmed into a maze-like plant wall, their foliage lush and verdant. Scattered within the wall were pale pink rose blossoms. The plant wall was taller than a person, and beyond its edge, the dark night sky stretched out before him. There was no moon, no stars; the dim light from the courtyard lamppost beside the bench tinged the deep night sky with a dark brown hue. Looking around, he was surrounded by the plant wall, only the lamppost illuminating the small space around it.
Looking down, he was startled to see a woman in a long dress, her head resting on his lap, fast asleep on the bench. It was Sienna. The evening breeze carried the fragrance of roses, a fragrance that seemed fitting for someone in the prime of her youth.
She wore a crimson dress—or rather, a deep crimson, because in the darkness and the dim light, it appeared darker, more of a brownish-purple. The hem, waist, cuffs, and collar of the long dress were decorated with black flocked fabric in block patterns, the stark contrast of black and red creating a mysterious and powerful effect. She wore a matching black-trimmed crimson bow, and several thin braids of her blonde hair, tied with ribbons of bright yellow, emerald green, and scarlet, cascaded down her neck.
Li Haojun removed his shirt, folded it into a pillow shape, and placed it under Sienna's head. He then rose to face the bench, kneeling on one knee, gazing intently at Sienna's face. She slept so deeply, as if awaiting her true love's kiss to awaken her beautiful life. But Li Haojun, already in a relationship, dared not take on this responsibility, yet his heart was filled with tenderness. He could only admire her innocence and sweetness in her sleep.
Sienna lay on her side on the bench, the flat surface of which... The right side of her body stretched into a straight line, making the curves of her left side even more pronounced.
Her right shoulder rested against the chair back, her right arm was tucked behind her, and her right chest touched the bench. Her left shoulder drooped naturally forward, and her left forearm rested flat on the bench. Her narrow shoulders, combined with the symmetrical and relaxed shoulder position, added to her ladylike and gentle temperament.
Her sleeping body was completely relaxed. Her right waist was pressed against the bench without any gap. Her legs were slightly bent, with her left knee naturally placed behind her right knee. Her long skirt hugged the lines of her thighs, down to her hips and waist, perfectly showcasing the sensual side of her feminine figure.
After admiring this sleeping beauty for a while, Li Haojun finally thought to explore her surroundings. Was my house being renovated? Or was it somewhere else? Leaving the area illuminated by the courtyard lampposts, Li Haojun explored the pathways between the plant walls, finding them all maze-like right-angle bends.
But thinking of Sienna, Li Haojun immediately turned back. He decided to wait until dawn; he didn't want to lose her again. The disappointment and despair of that previous search had been enough.
Returning to the bench illuminated by the lamp, he stood at Sienna's feet, admiring her lying there, shoulders leaning forward, hips back, her waist twisted, legs slightly crossed—still sleeping so soundly. Li Haojun even began to worry that she might have hurt his arm or that the bench's surface might have ached his elbow or hip.
At that moment, Li Haojun noticed several roses blooming beside the bench on the side of Sienna's head. He walked over and bent down to examine it. It was likely a red rose, though he couldn't quite tell if it was bright red or dark red. Li Haojun then crouched down and looked at the sleeping Sienna. A beautiful woman with beautiful flowers.
He brought his nose close to the flower, inhaling its fragrance in the evening breeze. He returned to Sienna and brought his nose close again.
At that moment, Sienna opened her eyes, without warning. Their eyes met, almost touching eyelashes, startling Li Haojun. He cried out in surprise and quickly stepped back. Still shaken, Li Haojun opened his eyes wide again. It was now broad daylight, sunlight streaming into the room. In the distance, he could hear the whistles of ships—probably ocean liners.
Boston, Li Haojun remembered. He had been having a double-nested dream. This was a hotel in Boston, not the rose garden, nor the moonlit sea. Tan had just finished maintaining client relationships on the East Coast with Sienna and was supposed to be heading back today.
On the way to the airport, Sienna didn't say much. Li Haojun simply followed silently behind her, watching her walk and gait.
It wasn't until they boarded the return flight and sat facing each other again that Li Haojun said to her,
"I had a dream,"
Sienna smiled,
"Are you going to tell me?"
"I'm just curious, can you sense when I'm dreaming?"
"No, I was sleeping too," Sienna answered readily,
"Oh," Li Haojun replied, without continuing the conversation,
"What, you're not going to tell me?" Sienna pressed with a smile,
"I," Li Haojun hesitated for a moment before saying,
" “Actually, it’s nothing,” Sienna said calmly, her smile fading.
“Whether you tell me or not, it’s already happened.”135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZUD6AdBnD
Li Haojun, hearing this, immediately followed up with, “Did you make me have those dreams?”
“No, I didn’t force you to do or not do anything in the dreams. I just pulled you into them.”
“Then, were you real in my dreams?”
“Yes,”
“So, you were present at everything, you knew everything, right?”
“More or less,” Sienna said, looking at Li Haojun expressionlessly, seemingly observing his reaction.
Li Haojun hesitated for a moment, then asked,
“So, was the me in the dreams the real me, or the me now?” He then added,
“I was…” "Speaking of personality, which 'me' is the real one? Because," he paused,
"because the two 'me's' seem to differ in terms of self-control," he said, then smiled sheepishly.
Sienna smiled too,
"Both are the real you."
"Let me ask you, if there were no constraints of morality, economic conditions, or interpersonal relationships, and every beautiful woman you met liked you, and they were all willing to be your wives, would you accept them all?" Li Haojun smiled upon hearing this. Sienna had prepared a thought experiment for him.
"I would," Li Haojun answered with a smile,
"Okay, that answer is the real you, right? And it's the choice every man would make. Now you don't need to have any more mental burden, right?"
"Okay, thank you for your guidance," As Li Haojun spoke, he reached out and took Sienna's hand, bringing her close to him. Looking into her eyes, he gently kissed her fingers. Although he was still somewhat troubled about whether Sienna knew about the intimate moments they had shared, even though it was a dreamlike virtual world, Li Haojun could still feel his longing for Sienna deepening with each event and interaction.
135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZizFfF81k
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