BDB Chapter 8

Jiang Rao was stunned.

The reason for her shock wasn’t that she thought the male lead’s words were excessive for her, the fake wife. After all, no matter how extreme or perverted the lines were, she had seen them in novels. The male lead’s character was supposed to be domineering and cold-blooded.

On the contrary, she found his reaction to be very strange.

Given the memories of the original female lead and the fragments from her dreams, the male lead should have at least delivered a harsh reprimand or a verbal threat.

In her daze, she saw the male lead walking further away, eventually disappearing in front of the door to the cruise ship, which was even more luxurious than the Mayflower.

Jiang Rao wasn’t someone who liked seeking trouble or causing distress. The reason she spoke to the male lead in that tone was that she felt only by disguising herself as Jiang Tang convincingly would the male lead be less likely to recognize her true identity and appearance, and thus would not torment her physically or mentally.

On top of that, the male lead in the novel was described as someone who holds grudges over the smallest slights. Saying a couple of sarcastic remarks shouldn’t have been a big deal, but insisting on chasing after him to pick a fight was completely adding drama for herself and courting disaster.

Thinking this, she stood still and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and delicious food on the beach.

When she estimated that enough time had passed in the plot, she turned to her two bodyguards and said, “Let’s go to the Four Seasons Hotel now.”

The Four Seasons Hotel was where the male lead had imprisoned the female lead after capturing her in the novel. He almost forcibly took her, but it was only when the female lead smashed a vase over his head that his desire was quelled.

However, after regaining his rationality, he didn’t act like a proper person. Instead, he locked the female lead inside for a whole day and night, starving her until she was exhausted, before taking her back to the ancient castle residence.

So, Jiang Rao had to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel today to properly complete this plot point.

Because of this, her excitement about staying in a five-star hotel was considerably diminished.

After ordering room service for a slightly late lunch, she lay down on the bed, and within moments, she drifted into a half-dream, half-awake state.

For most people, distinguishing between Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly and the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou was actually a very difficult thing.

For Jiang Rao, however, it was not.

She could clearly tell the difference between dream and reality because the disparity between them was too great.

For instance, outside the window, the dusk was smoky, but the man standing in front of the bed was still in a crisp suit, with gold-rimmed glasses.

He looked at her, his eyes behind the frames hiding endless heat and desire.

It was like a child who had grown up under strict constraints finally getting their favorite toy, or like a famine-stricken person who had been hungry for a long time seeing a bowl of fragrant minced meat.

He removed his tie and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

With a touch of roguishness and a strong sense of charm.

This was a dream, a dream where she had no control over her body. But all her senses were fully open; she could hear, see… and feel.

His fingertips slid from her chin to her lips, and just when Jiang Rao thought he was about to kiss her, he did not. Instead, he propped his hands on the pillow beside her and then lifted one hand to stroke her head, saying, “You’re truly beautiful; even your hair meets my taste.”

The next second, the kiss arrived as expected. Jiang Rao’s eyes widened, and her entire body began to tingle from head to toe.

Her hands were bound in front of her with a belt, and she suddenly felt a bit of discomfort in the area pressed by his long legs.

The world in the book was at least ten years behind the world she had lived in. Ten years later, even elementary school students should have more than a superficial understanding of sex due to the influence of the internet.

So she knew he was hard.

… Pervert!

…

When Jiang Rao woke up from the dream again, she was almost drenched in sweat.

In the dream, she still hadn’t gained control over her body, but she did enjoy the thrill of smashing a vase over the domineering president’s head.

She also received a line from him that she probably would never forget in her lifetime.

“Crying? How can you still look so beautiful when you cry?”

Bright red blood oozed from his forehead, yet he smiled foolishly and said, “Shout ‘Young Master Li, take me,’ and from now on, my life will be yours.”

Jiang Rao was speechless.

Big pervert! Go ahead and keep dreaming!

…

On the cruise ship, Li Jueyan had also just woken up from a dream.

He rubbed his lips, lit a cigarette, and placed it between them as he walked bare-chested to the full-length mirror in the bathroom.

He stared at his reflection for a long time. Just as the cigarette was about to burn out, he squinted slightly and untied the towel around his waist.

As the scene from today’s dream replayed in his mind, the face of the little beauty, covered in tears yet still stunning enough to make one’s heart tremble, appeared before his eyes again. His throat tightened, and he glanced downward.

Heh, he really only had a reaction to her.

After a cold shower, Li Jueyan wrapped himself back in the towel and returned to the bedroom, where he dialed a number. “I had another dream.”

The person on the other end wasn’t the psychiatrist the dean had recommended, but rather a specialist he had found online at a high cost.

To this stranger, who he had never met and wouldn’t recognize even if they did meet, he confided all the bizarre things happening to him.

Of course, he usually left out many details, only providing vague summaries. “This time, I dreamed I almost forced myself on her, but she cried and hit me, then ended up smashing a vase over my head.”

The person on the other end remained silent for a moment. “I still recommend you take medication to ease the symptoms of your nightmares.”

Li Jueyan scoffed. “Ease what? I’m thoroughly enjoying these dreams.”

No one knew better than him how soft and sweet that little beauty was.

And he only had feelings for her.

How could he possibly let her go so easily?

“I just want to know if there’s any psychiatric literature or past cases that can apply to my situation. Is this all just my imagination, or does someone like her really exist in reality?”

“There are past cases, but scientifically, all of them involve patients fantasizing and idealizing real people from their lives, trying to make them into what they desire. However, dream characters can’t cross into reality, so you’re correct—this is likely all your imagination.”

Li Jueyan raised an eyebrow.

Idealizing a real person from reality…

Was his subconscious deliberately idealizing Jiang Tang?

Just then, the voice on the other end continued, “If you really don’t want to take medication, I suggest doing more comparisons. Find the person you’ve been idealizing in your dreams. Once you fully understand the real her, you’ll gradually realize that dreams and reality are completely different. Indulging in nightmares is harmful to your health…”

This was all nonsense!

Li Jueyan wasn’t interested in hearing the rest. He hung up the phone, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk.

It was already nearing evening without him even realizing it, lost in sleep.

In the distance, neon lights flickered. After a long while, he called Xiao Zhang and said, “Find a way to get the phone number of the bodyguards who were with Madam today. Ask them where she is now.”

——