**575 Give Me a Kiss**
Waking up in the early morning, a familiar yet unfamiliar face came into view.
Jiang Huai was slightly dazed for a moment before gradually recalling that last night, after watching a movie, Jiang Ning had been so tired that she didn’t even want to return to her room and had fallen asleep beside him. He had tried to push her away a couple of times without success, so he simply let her hold onto him and fell asleep. Now, as he woke up, the girl was snugly pressed against him, her long legs tightly wrapped around his waist. When he attempted to pry her off, Jiang Ning suddenly opened her eyes warily.
“How can an older brother take advantage of his sleeping sister and touch her legs?”
“Aren’t you the one squeezing me to death?” Jiang Huai responded, feeling no guilt at all. He poked her forehead with his finger. Jiang Ning sat up on the bed, pulled back the curtains, and after stretching her body, she basked in the midsummer morning sunlight streaming through the glass. Her white dress became almost transparent under its glow, and the outline of her slender figure was hazily visible. The curves of her waist and hips seemed laid bare. Jiang Huai was momentarily entranced, and when she turned to glance back at him and waved her hand playfully upon seeing his dazed expression, she burst into a charming laugh.
“Hey, have you finally come to your senses?”
“What does that mean?”
“Seeing your sister’s amazing figure has made you so dazed?” Her fingers were slender and delicate, and her smile was playful. Jiang Huai instinctively wanted to evade the topic, so he shifted the conversation, “By the way, haven’t you gained some weight?”
Jiang Ning immediately looked down, instinctively clutching her skirt and lifting the hem to inspect her smooth, snow-white abdomen. She even touched it with her hand and then shot a dissatisfied glance at Jiang Huai. “Where have I gained weight? You’re just talking nonsense.”
This time, Jiang Huai was the one left in a daze because at that moment, as she clutched her skirt, the outline of her slender waist and perfectly proportioned legs came into clear view. Jiang Ning also froze for a moment, hurriedly dropping the hem of her skirt and looking outside, her earlobes tinting a shade of pink as she mumbled, “Scammer.”
“Huh?”
“You’re the one who deliberately tempted me to lift my skirt.”
“…” Jiang Huai couldn’t find a rebuttal and pulled the quilt over his head. “Quickly change your clothes; we need to go to your part-time job later.”
“Got it, got it.” Jiang Ning took out a big T-shirt and denim shorts to change into. When she finished getting ready and went to wash up, Jiang Huai finally put on his clothes. Their breakfast was pancake rolls from a vendor downstairs. After eating, Jiang Huai rode his small electric bike to take her to her part-time job, which even provided meals at noon. During the break, they laid on a table in the hotel lobby, enjoying the air conditioning and napping. As the evening approached and the part-time job ended, Jiang Huai rode his bike to take her home.
The way home was along the riverside, where the sun slowly sank over the horizon, casting a golden hue over the river. The water sparkled, leaves falling gently in the breeze, and Jiang Ning’s cheeks were pressed against his back, holding on tightly.
………………………………
This summer felt both long and fleeting, as if it was just a moment.
Jiang Ning didn’t need to come to her part-time job every day, and when it was occasionally not busy, Jiang Huai preferred to give her some pocket money to spend time with her friends. In the past, Jiang Ning always wanted to drag him along, but Jiang Huai would consistently evade her. In those years, he dropped out of school early and felt his youthful spirit silently fading. He couldn’t connect with her friends. But this time, it didn’t bother him.
He knew all of this was unreal, yet whenever he looked into Jiang Ning’s eyes, he found himself tricking his mind into believing it was real. Thus, he accompanied Jiang Ning to hang out several times. Most of the time, it was just the two of them; occasionally, Jiang Ning would invite her close friends along, but they always kept a strict distance, never allowing Jiang Huai any space to be alone with them, not even to exchange a few words. On the way back, they would tease him about his apparent preference for those with large chests, suggesting if he wanted her to help him get their contact information.
Whenever Jiang Huai gave the slightest nod, she would pounce on him playfully, and after a flutter of fun, she would give him a pitiful look and ask, “Do you really want that?”
“Not really,” Jiang Huai couldn’t help but respond, chuckling.
Three months seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, and before he knew it, September was approaching. Jiang Ning had to return to school, so Jiang Huai packed up their belongings and took the train for their distant move. Following his memory, he rented the same apartment he had in his previous life, a small two-bedroom unit that was affordable.
At that time, he would curl up on the sofa in this small room every night with Jiang Ning to watch movies. She loved to snuggle up against him, always carrying a pleasant fragrance. After she fell asleep, he would carry her back to the room. Jiang Ning often brought back fruits or snacks, like a little hamster hoarding food. Jiang Huai’s cooking skills also improved day by day, learning various dishes that Jiang Ning liked and having her rate them.
Occasionally, Jiang Ning would share gossip she heard at school, and Jiang Huai would never have much to contribute. It was as if she was right; he had indeed been taciturn in the past, naturally only sharing good news with Jiang Ning. As the only man in their little household, he felt it was his duty to be the one solving problems rather than complaining.
In a daze, Jiang Huai nearly forgot that he was in the Tribulation of Inner Demon. Everything felt unbearably real, leaving him without a hint of a flaw to grasp. In a moment, he was unsure whether to feel happy or sad.
It seemed he was truly trapped here. The good news was he could always stay by Jiang Ning’s side; the bad news was, deep down, he knew the Jiang Ning he was seeing was merely an illusion. No matter what he did with this illusion, it wouldn’t compensate for the guilt he felt in the past.
A few days ago, while idly flipping through a book, he stumbled upon an interesting line.
**Fantasy is the best painkiller.**
………………………………
When Jiang Huai inadvertently glanced at the calendar, he suddenly realized that he had been in the Tribulation of Inner Demon for a full six months.
At first, he was always searching for a way to break free from the Tribulation of Inner Demon, but his thoughts were repeatedly interrupted by Jiang Ning. The Jiang Ning beside him was almost identical to the one in his memories—just as lively, just as scheming, just as gentle and cute.
His phone vibrated insistently, reminding him that today was Jiang Ning’s birthday, a reminder she had set without him knowing. That silly girl, even if she hadn’t mentioned it, Jiang Huai would have remembered.
So he went early to order a cake at the bakery and suddenly recalled that her suggestion for a birthday wish last time was to buy her flowers and wait at her school gate for her. In his previous life, he had rejected this idea, feeling it was inappropriate for a day when she needed to act spoiled.
What had made him refuse back then? Was it fear of embarrassment or the deep-seated timidity? Jiang Huai was already having trouble distinguishing. Walking along the street, he subconsciously entered a flower shop, browsed for a while, and bought a bouquet of white roses. He stood at the entrance of Jiang Ning’s school, watching the crowd come and go, feeling more confident than he had in the past.
In the past, Jiang Huai had always tried to avoid meeting Jiang Ning at school, as he was still very childish then, thinking that his identity as a social outcast would embarrass her. He had held onto such strange thoughts and avoided mingling with her circle in college.
But now, here he was, holding the bouquet of white roses at the school gate. However, it started to rain. He didn’t find a suitable place to take shelter. Wanting to give Jiang Ning a surprise, he hesitated to send her a message, fearing she wouldn’t be able to see him if he moved too far away to escape the rain.
So, he quietly waited in the rain, and luckily, it wasn’t pouring heavily just yet. Before the downpour started, he saw a girl in a white hoodie walk out of the gate, her eyes scanning the area expectantly. At that moment, he was momentarily taken aback.
What about in his previous life? Had she, too, waited with such anticipation, only to end up with nothing, and had walked home sulking, drenched in the rain, only to lie in bed with a fever, acting spoiled and wanting a hug from him?
He had hidden away back then, unable to see her anticipation or her disappointment.
This time, he waved at the girl who was looking around. She stood beneath a streetlamp, the dim light casting diagonal rain threads. When she looked up and their eyes met, her cheeks broke into a smile, and her dark pupils sparkled like the stars in the night sky. Though she was already nineteen, she still bounded towards him like a carefree young deer, leaping joyfully until she reached him and suddenly leaped into his arms.
“Are the flowers for me?”
“I just happened to pass by and saw the flower shop was on sale, so I bought them.”
“Ah, but I like red roses!”
“Make do with the white ones.”
“Hmm.” Jiang Ning lowered her head, lightly inhaling the fragrance of the flowers in Jiang Huai’s hand, cradling them in her arms. “They’re mine now; you can’t take them back.”
“There’s no way to take them back.”
“It’s really coming down hard; you didn’t give me a heads up.”
“I just arrived and didn’t have time to message you.”
“Okay, okay, I know…” Jiang Ning leaned close to Jiang Huai, holding the flowers in one hand and gently grasping his hand with the other. “I know everything.”
Her voice was sweet and gentle as she gazed at the rain, “Let’s walk home, brother.”
“Getting drenched will make you sick, and that’s no good.”
“If I get sick, I can act spoiled and make you keep me company, huh? Plus, tomorrow is Saturday…”
“Let’s take a taxi. Wherever you want to go tomorrow, I’ll go with you,” Jiang Huai replied softly. Jiang Ning stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. “Really?”
“I’ve never lied to you.”
“Yay!”
She happily took Jiang Huai’s hand and jogged to the side of the road, waiting for a taxi. Sitting in the back seat, Jiang Huai wanted to keep some distance from her as water droplets still lingered on him, but Jiang Ning kept inching closer, like a sticky candy that couldn’t be pushed away. After arriving home, Jiang Ning pushed him into the bathroom, and once he got out of the shower, he found her being obediently seated, waiting for him.
“I’ll heat up the food; the cake is in the fridge. We can eat that after dinner,” she said.
“Okay.” Jiang Ning nodded obediently, her eyes bright.
As Jiang Huai stepped out and suddenly recalled something, he turned back to look at her. “Happy birthday.”
Jiang Ning lifted her face to meet his gaze. “Can I make a wish?”
“You can wait till after blowing out the candles; wishes made aloud won’t come true.”
“That’s not it; my wish is simple, and you can easily fulfill it for me.”
“What is it?”
“You have to promise you won’t refuse.”
“Okay, I promise. Go ahead.”
“Give me a kiss, brother.” She tilted her head up, full of anticipation.
