What?
H-H-Hold him?
Mu Wanwan was completely dumbfounded by Mr. Dragon’s words. She wondered whether she had hallucinated or misheard him.
Otherwise, why would Mr. Dragon ask her to hold him?
Even if he had recently awakened, he should not be acting so—so intimately with her. *(:з」∠)*
Mu Wanwan tried her best to relax. The feeling inside her heart was strange and unfamiliar. She could not tell whether it was embarrassment, unease, or perhaps even that tiny trace of anticipation buried so deeply that she herself had not noticed it.
She waited.
She waited to see what he would do next.
She hoped that everything she had just experienced was merely an illusion—
After all, the vegetable dragon she had always believed to be unconscious had suddenly awakened. He had helped her slap Fuliu in the face before, and later, he had given her a Spatial pouch and a bracelet…
Moreover, she had been unable to bind the Spatial pouch to herself before. Then her finger had felt wet last night, and after whatever he had done, she had suddenly been able to bind it.
Mu Wanwan’s thoughts were a complete mess. Her mind was filled with wild speculation and that softly spoken word—
“Wife.”
What if—what if—
This dragon had awakened but continued pretending to be unconscious, secretly doing things to her every night without her knowledge?
Wouldn’t that be rather… improper?
She would wait and see.
If this wicked dragon intended to say something about forcibly doing [beep—] to her while she was supposedly unaware, then even at the risk of being killed by the violent scumbag dragon everyone described, she would absolutely rise up and resist.
She had always been a person with firm boundaries.
Even if Mr. Dragon was her husband in name, he could not force her.
Mu Wanwan’s imagination ran wild. She felt nervous and afraid, and Mr. Dragon’s palm pressed against hers seemed to grow increasingly hot.
His body heat seeped into her little by little, almost burning its way into her heart.
Her eyes remained closed. Her body was trembling slightly in a way that was different from when she normally slept peacefully.
However, a certain dragon, who had only just summoned the courage to take one step closer, was already so embarrassed that he could barely breathe.
The draconic pressure that had once dominated the continent and struck terror in every direction had vanished without a trace.
Even the seventh-rank spiritual sense that this old, single dragon had spent more than a century painstakingly cultivating had become tangled into knots in mid-air.
Merely thinking about what he was about to do was already almost more than Mr. Dragon could endure. Completely absorbed in his secret love, he did not notice the slight irregularities in the body beneath him…
He did not even dare look closely at her face.
He merely moved slowly—very slowly—and gently turned Mu Wanwan onto her side.
Then he carefully arranged both her arms, positioning her so that she lay facing him, as though she were embracing something.
After that, with extreme caution, moving so slowly that he was nearly combusting from embarrassment, he lay beside her and slipped one of his arms between hers.
Finally, he gently stroked her head.
Completely satisfied and blushing so fiercely that he was about to explode, he stopped moving.
Mu Wanwan, who had mentally prepared herself to fight back even if it cost her life: “…”
Wait.
Mr. Dragon’s “hold me” meant “hold my arm.”
It did not mean “I’m going to forcefully hold you” or anything like that.
The moment Mu Wanwan understood this, her emotions became extremely complicated.
She realised that she might have misunderstood Mr. Dragon to some extent. The faint fear that he intended to force himself upon her gradually disappeared.
However, she still could not understand why he had awakened without telling her.
Combined with the way he had woken up tonight like some perverted, domineering CEO, only to bring everything to an abrupt end like an innocent, childish dragon…
In summary, she had only one thing to say—
So this was the kind of dragon he truly was.
Yet this version of Mr. Dragon did not repulse her.
Her mind relaxed considerably. Feeling the warmth radiating from Mr. Dragon’s body, Mu Wanwan finally lost her battle against sleep after staying awake for most of the night.
Her eyelids grew heavy, and she fell asleep completely.
…
Early the following morning, the arm Mr. Dragon had slipped beneath her quilt had already been withdrawn.
He lay properly beneath his own quilt in exactly the same position as before. Had her memories of the previous night not been so vivid, Mu Wanwan might have believed that everything had been a hallucination.
Mu Wanwan felt as though she were living inside a dream.
She rubbed her face, the tips of her ears growing slightly warm—
He had called her “wife.”
That meant he knew she was his wife in name.
Wife…
Mu Wanwan released a small breath and slowly climbed out of bed.
Although the temperature had dropped again today, she felt considerably warmer than usual.
After getting dressed, she could not resist turning around to look at the “weak, helpless, and pitiful” Mr. Dragon.
She lightly patted her cheeks—
D-Did this mean she was no longer a single little fairy?
She seemed to have acquired a husband.
While she washed, performed her chores, and cultivated spiritual plants, the bracelet around her wrist constantly made its presence known.
Mu Wanwan cultivated absent-mindedly, so distracted that even the fluffy chirper could tell something was wrong.
“Chirp~”
As usual, Mengmeng patrolled among the many pots of seedlings Mu Wanwan had cultivated like a tiny guard. It even flicked a few seedling leaves with its wings before finally turning its attention towards Mu Wanwan.
It chirped twice in concern.
Mu Wanwan stroked its little scarf.
She wanted to whisper privately with the chirper for a while, but when she remembered the dragon who might be awake, she felt as though a breath had become lodged in her throat, refusing either to rise or fall.
She had received far too much information since yesterday.
Her thoughts were in complete disorder.
After all, an unconscious husband who could never harm her and a husband who had secretly awakened without telling her—and who might be hiding countless secrets—were entirely different things.
Mu Wanwan could not accept the change immediately.
She knew far too little about Mr. Dragon.
Aside from his childhood experiences and his present miserable condition, she knew nothing about his past.
Judging from his behaviour last night, she had sensed no malice or disgust from him. Instead, all she had felt was his caution and tenderness.
However, this was still the world of a novel.
According to the melodramatic story she had read, Mr. Dragon would fall in love with Bai Shuiyao after awakening.
At that thought, Mu Wanwan’s heart became even more confused, mixed with a faint, helpless sourness and bitterness.
She knew.
She already knew.
Ever since Mengmeng revealed that Mr. Dragon was awake, she had vaguely realised that she was not entirely without feelings for him.
Besides, he had not forced her last night.
Thinking carefully, even if he had awakened long ago, he had never harmed her. He had even helped her vent her anger and given her gifts…
A faint, indescribable emotion rose within her heart.
It was slightly sweet, slightly sour like a lemon, and mixed with unease towards the unknown and the new life ahead.
It made her somewhat reluctant to move forward.
Mu Wanwan slowly sighed, then vented her emotions by vigorously rubbing the fluffy chirper several times, rolling Mengmeng this way and that.
“Chirp, chirp!”
Mengmeng cried out in protest, but its appeal was cruelly rejected. Wanwan continued kneading it back and forth.
It was already early winter, but the weather today was excellent.
Sunlight shone into the courtyard and fell upon the dishevelled ball of fluff. Not far away, the spirit-chicken chicks chirped noisily, their milky-yellow and creamy-white bodies huddled together.
The Snow Condensation plant she had cultivated yesterday had actually blossomed.
Its pure-white, crystal-clear petals unfolded.
It was as though the gloom within her heart had also relaxed and opened along with the slowly blooming flower.
Mu Wanwan watched Mengmeng flee in a bedraggled state and suddenly burst into laughter like a fool.
She abruptly felt somewhat relieved—
Forget it. What was the point of thinking so much?
The dragon had awakened. So what?
Could she beat him unconscious and turn him back into a vegetable dragon?
He had merely awakened earlier than expected.
Furthermore, even if she truly fell in love with Mr. Dragon, so what?
She could not continue looking at him through the prejudiced lens of the novel’s claim that he would eventually fall in love with Bai Shuiyao…
Remembering Mr. Dragon’s cautious behaviour last night, Mu Wanwan’s lips curved upwards.
She wondered whether the dragon would burst into tears if he knew.
Mu Wanwan blushed.
She did not want to expose Mr. Dragon.
She preferred to believe that the kind-hearted Little Mr. Dragon from his childhood had remained the same after growing up. He probably had his reasons for not telling her.
Moreover, if she exposed him, wouldn’t it be unbearably awkward when their eyes met?
They lived together in this tiny courtyard, saw each other constantly, and even slept in the same bed.
Who knew whether Mr. Dragon would act completely differently once he “officially” awakened?
What if he had a terrible temper and refused to speak for hours at a time…
Merely imagining that kind of life made her feel suffocated…
However, choosing not to expose him was one thing.
Whether she continued pretending to sleep was another matter entirely.
Mr. Dragon had once been one of the continent’s most powerful experts. Even though he was injured, he had awakened and should no longer be in a worse condition than when she first met him.
A Mr. Dragon who had regained some of his strength would surely be able to tell whether she was pretending to sleep.
Mu Wanwan smiled softly.
She suddenly felt that she was being slightly wicked—
By doing this, she was essentially handing the choice regarding their relationship over to Mr. Dragon.
Once he realised that she was pretending to sleep, what would he do?
Having suddenly figured everything out and successfully thrown all the pressure onto Mr. Dragon, Wanwan finally felt much better.
She released the thoroughly dishevelled Mengmeng and began cultivating spiritual plants with renewed enthusiasm.
According to today’s plan, she needed to cultivate enough ingredients to refine two batches of Spirit-Recovery Pills.
Once her emotional conflict had been resolved, Mu Wanwan became much more efficient. Her control over the spiritual energy within her body also grew increasingly precise.
She picked up two Bell-Lantern Grass seeds. After sensing them only briefly, she immediately determined that neither seed was worth cultivating.
Mu Wanwan did not even notice that she had completely entered a profound and mysterious state.
She felt that her judgement regarding the subtle vitality and value within each seed had become extraordinarily accurate.
Furthermore, whenever she expended even a trace of spiritual energy, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth eagerly surged into her body, filling the emptiness within her.
She continued cultivating without pause.
As emerald-green light flowed around her fingertips, one spiritual-plant seedling after another emerged.
Mengmeng watched with great enthusiasm at first, but it quickly became tired.
It did not disturb Mu Wanwan. Instead, it hopped into its nest beside the head of the bed, lay down, and fell asleep.
However, by the time the chirper woke again, the room was almost dark.
Mu Wanwan was still maintaining nearly the exact same position.
The fluffy chirper felt somewhat aggrieved.
Mengmeng was hungry.
Just as Mengmeng prepared to launch a sonic “chirp-chirp” attack, a pale hand reached over and tightly pinched its little beak shut.
Mr. Dragon was sitting halfway upright in bed.
His long, ink-black hair fell over his shoulders. The black-and-red curse patterns upon his face shifted and writhed.
His eyelids were half lowered, and his raven-black eyelashes were very long.
With one hand, he held the chirper and brought it before his face. With the other, he raised his index finger and lightly pressed it against his lips, as though saying—
“Shh.”
“Do not make a sound.”
Mengmeng nodded its head in confusion.
However, its beak still hurt a little.
The chirper had truly been terribly unlucky today. First, it had been kneaded by a human, and now it was being frightened by a dragon.
At this moment, Mr. Dragon was not at all worried that Mu Wanwan might discover he had awakened.
Using his spiritual sense and energy, he lifted several medium-grade spirit stones she had deliberately placed beside his pillow and slowly sent them towards her.
His wife had entered a state of enlightenment.
However, the limited spiritual energy of heaven and earth surrounding her would not be enough.
At a time like this, absorbing additional energy from spirit stones would allow her enlightenment to continue for longer.
Mr. Dragon had considerable experience with such matters.
His deep-black eyes gazed in her direction. The corners of his lips curved slightly, but his expression also contained a trace of melancholy.
His wife truly possessed exceptional talent.
After this enlightenment, she would probably advance and become a third-rank wood-element cultivator.
Less than two short months had passed since he first met her.
Even accounting for the effects of the drop of his heart’s blood, her progress was still astonishing.
She was so wonderful.
She was far too wonderful.
All the more reason why he could not hold her back.
The meridians inside his body were gradually healing, yet Mr. Dragon could not feel happy.
Once the fifth fragment of his core reconnected, he would have no choice but to become a scumbag dragon.
His lips pressed together tightly.
Mr. Dragon’s heart was fragile.
How much longer could he possess this happiness?
A few days?
Perhaps a dozen?
Before his wife discovered that he had awakened.
Before his presence brought consequences and harm upon her.
Let him indulge himself.
Allow him to be a little more excessive.
A suspicious heat appeared upon his cheeks.
They had already held hands.
They had also embraced.
Next time, he wanted to truly—
Truly kiss her.
Would that be going too far?
**Author’s Note:**
Mr. Dragon: “Let me indulge myself just once. Tonight, I’m going to kiss my wife.”
Mu Wanwan, who already knows everything: “Heh.”
*Mu has a feeling that many little angels may be very dissatisfied with this chapter’s development, so I still want to explain a little.
I have seen that many readers desperately want Wanwan to expose Mr. Dragon immediately, leading to an awkward scene where their eyes meet. From our omniscient perspective, that would certainly be extremely satisfying to watch. However, that satisfaction would only be temporary because their feelings have not yet developed to that stage.
Mr. Dragon is extremely shy and insecure. If the wife whom he believes only pities him were to catch him secretly waking up, then given his vulnerable and self-conscious personality, there is a very high chance that he would simply flee rather than remain and blush himself to death.
As for Wanwan, Mr. Dragon is still essentially a stranger to her. Although she sympathises with him and has developed favourable feelings towards him because of Little Mr. Dragon and everything that happened afterwards, she is also afraid of him. She cannot guarantee what kind of dragon Mr. Dragon truly is.
After rambling for so long, I merely hope that all the little angels can have a little more patience with Wanwan and Mr. Dragon, neither of whom has had an easy life.
Besides, don’t you think this is also rather sweet? As the story gradually progresses, there will certainly be plenty of mutual-secret-crush sweetness—and even more open and honest sweetness!*
*(Cough. A stubborn and tenacious desire to survive.)*
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