Alice in Dreamland (梦境中的爱丽丝)

Plum Deal

 Shen Luyu's eyelashes fluttered from a light shining on his face, the warmth lingering, making Shen Luyu want to fall into a deeper sleep, but he couldn't because the very moment he opened his eyes, he saw Feng Lian in the corner of the room, catching his attention so much that he couldn't do as he once wished.

His eyes took some time to adjust to the bright light that gleamed, but once they did, he stared at Feng Lian for a couple of seconds.

Feng Lian had pulled up a wooden chair to the window overlooking the village, the pieces of hair that strayed from the bun at the top of his head blowing in the wind. And the tiny freckles peppering his face were more evident in the sun along his tanned golden skin.

It was certainly a way to start the morning. Once Shen Luyu had his fill of watching and observing as if Feng Lian were a piece of art in a museum, he sat up and stretched, arching his arms up high above his head.

He closed his eyes and yawned, the tiredness leaving the warmth that lingered about on his skin, dancing in delight.

"You're awake." Feng Lian stated, his voice a little rough around the edges but not unnecessarily rude like it usually was—it wasn't bad.

"Yep. Have you been up for a while yourself?" Shen Luyu asked, curious if he had been up for a while.

"That's unimportant. Let's get going. I want to try to finish this today. Loitering around is useless." He said while standing up and turning towards the door. Feng Lian had already been ready, unlike Shen Luyu, who had just woken up; he panicked a little, having been so unprepared.

But it wasn't necessarily his fault. If Feng Lian wanted to wake up early to get the mission done, then he should've woken him up. In fact, Shen Luyu would've much preferred that method—now realizing that he'd been asleep for probably a lot longer than the other, he felt rather vulnerable. In short, he would've much preferred Feng Lian waking him up.

His cheeks blushed slightly as he scrambled to stand up and brush away the covers that were loosely drawn around him.

"Wait! Wait! Just give me a second, why don't you?" Shen Luyu rushed to say.

"Why should I?" He spouted back.

"Well, I-I... well, I'm awake now, so it should be fine. I'll just make sure to help a lot to regain the time I've made us lose, but you should've woken me up if you've been up for a long time! Don't you think? It'd be far easier that way."

Feng Lian scoffed before turning away and walking straight for the door. Shen Luyu had made a pretty good point, so why wasn't Feng Lian listening? He understood that life wasn't exactly fair, but when Shen Luyu was only asking him for some time to at least brush his hair and put on his robes,

"Five minutes. I'll be downstairs, so hurry up. If you're longer than that, then I guess I'll leave you." Feng Lian added while gliding out of the door.

Shen Luyu had jumped to conclusions too quickly. So Feng Lian was giving him some time, and with that, he'd have to use it all up, or he'd be left in the village without a clue as to where he was or how to get back to the Heānyì Sect.

Shen Luyu got ready as fast as a world-renowned track runner moved their legs, and once he was done, he went to meet Feng Lian, who sat outside of the inn's building. There was a subtle breeze that cascaded against his skin, leaving him shivering a little.

"Let's go." That was all Feng Lian said before he started walking forward, paying no mind to Shen Luyu, who was still confused about what they were getting and where it was, so he caught up to the other and asked.

"So what are we getting first?"

Feng Lian shot a sideways glance at him as if what they were getting first was the most obvious thing in the world, but Shen Luyu hadn't known.