My Beloved

"Since you love sleeping in the corridor, you won't mind sleeping on the floor, will you? From today onwards, you will sleep on the floor till you tell me what you dreamed. Do you understand?" Zheng Mian's eyes flared with anger.

Han Sheng Ming who looked like an abandoned puppy nodded dejectedly. He tightly sealed his lips and decided to go with her flow. It was better than breaking up.

Han Luo noticed that her cousin seemed sad. She asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look upset? Did you two have a quarrel?"

"No, we didn't." Han Sheng Ming sighed and said, "It's complicated."

"Is it related to the scream that I heard last night?" Han Luo probed further. She didn't let him go off the hook that easily.

"Scream?" Tang Yujin became interested now. "Who screamed? What happened last night?"

"I think I heard Poppy screaming," Han Luo tapped her cheek while explaining.

"Th-there was no maid!" Han Sheng Ming's face was turning red. "Little Luo Luo, you heard wrong. You must have been dreaming back then. It was just me and Mian arguing about something."

Han Luo turned her lips into 'o' shape and said, "Oh, is that so? Could it be that you hid something from Mian? I heard from mom that hiding something from their partner creates a gap and it causes misunderstanding. As a result, most of the couples break up after that."

 "Break up!" Han Sheng Ming raised his voice. His heart was thumping like an engine. Cold sweats began to form on his forehead. His heart shook in fear. "B-break up?! No way!"

His face paled thinking what would happen to him if Zheng Mian told him to break up with her. His head became blank.

Tang Yujin chuckled seeing his friend's misery. "If you are that worried, why don't you go to her and clear all misunderstandings? The more you hide, the worse it will become."

"I-I will go right away!" Han Sheng Ming stood up abruptly and sprinted out of the canteen startling everyone around them.

Han Luo called him out from behind, "Wait, big brother Mig, your lunch…"

Before she could finish her words, he was nowhere in sight.

"Let him go," Tang Yujin stopped her. "Food can wait but his relationship cannot."

"I hope he won't screw it over this time," Han Luo prayed.

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Han Sheng Ming forgot his hunger and rushed to Zheng Mian's school. He saw a few friends of hers on the campus. He quickly walked toward them and asked hastily, "Excuse me, did you see Mian?"

There were three girls in that group. One of them playfully said, "Oh, hi there handsome, are you looking for Mian? Poor you, did she abandon you? Don't worry, I will take care of you." The girl gave him a wink.

Han Sheng Ming was startled by her behavior. It wasn't the first time he was hit on but it was the first time Zheng Mian's friend hit on him. He was baffled and not sure what to do.

The girl stood up and stepped toward him. "Don't tell me she ditched you."

"Ah… no way… she wouldn't do that…" although Han Sheng Ming said it with confidence, his voice quivered in the end. 

That girl smirked. "Heh, you are not so sure, are you? I don't know how Mian can do this to you. Poor you, you must be so lonely."

Han Shen Ming frowned. He didn't like the way that girl spoke about their relationship and Zheng Mian. He firmly declared, "I'm only lonely without Mian."

The girl covered her mouth in surprise and exclaimed, "Oh my!"

"Tina, don't tease him. He has a habit of taking things seriously." A girl came forward and wrapped her arm around Han Sheng Ming's waist while warning her friend. 

She was none other than Zheng Mian.

"I can't help it. He is so cute when he is serious. Did you hear the way he declared his love for you? He is such a jewel." Zheng Mian's friend, Tina, giggled. The girls around her also snickered. 

Zheng Mian shook her head. She could understand what her friend said. Whether her boyfriend was scared, confident, happy or miserable, the way he showed his expression was always cute. That's the very reason she teased him from the very beginning.

"Enough of that. I'm heading home. Bye," Zheng Mian bid farewell and then pulled Han sheng Ming with her. While walking, she asked him, "Why are you here? I thought you had class till 3 pm."

Han Sheng Ming scratched his head and hesitated as he spoke, "Ummm… ahh… I mean, I have to tell you something."  

"Should we go home first?" Zheng Mian suggested. 

"No, let's go somewhere quiet," Han Sheng Ming told her. 

"Sure, we can go to the nearby park." Zheng Mian took his hand and they slowly walked in the direction of the park across the road. She felt her boyfriend's hand was sweating. 'Why is he so nervous? Did something happen?'

The park was filled with young couples. They were in very intimate positions. Some were sitting on benches and some were on grass. Many of them were smooching or whispering stuff only for their partner's ears. Love was in the air. Han Sheng Ming pulled Zheng Mian beside the lake. Only then he stopped and faced her. 

"So, what do you want to talk about?" she asked directly.

Han Sheng Ming lowered his eyes. Although he bravely stepped forward, he was unable to find a word at that moment.

Zheng Mian probed him, "Well…"

Han Sheng Ming tightly shut his eyes and blabbered in one breath, "I dreamed that you were wearing sexy lingerie and seducing me in my bed. I was trying to hug you. That's why I mistakenly hugged Poppy. I didn't want to hide it from you but I was scared that you would think of me as a pervert. So, I didn't want to tell you. But then I realized that it might cause a misunderstanding and you might leave me."

After saying everything he wanted as fast as he could, he took a deep breath. He realized that he was holding his breath for half a minute. He felt that something heavy was lifted from his chest. He felt relieved.

The very reason he was feeling uncomfortable and acted abnormally was because he had never hidden anything from anyone. An easygoing person like him was hiding something from his girlfriend. For him, it was a big deal.   

He felt awful for not sharing his experience with her. He would rather fight an enemy than hiding anything from her ever again.

"What?!" Zheng Mian exclaimed. After she did, her head began to process his words. She crossed her arms and said, "Lingerie, the one I wear mostly when I go to sleep?"

"Yes…" Han Sheng Ming's tone lowered a bit.

Zheng Mian continued, "And I seduced you..."

"...Yes…" Han Sheng Ming's tone lowered like a mosquito. 

"You thought I wouldn't stay with you if you hid it from me." Zheng Mian mumbled and sighed deeply. "It looks like you don't have faith in me."

"That's not it!" Han Sheng Ming seemingly raised his voice all of a sudden. He gazed at her eyes and declared, "I know you love me but I am afraid that I will screw over everything because of my clumsiness and you might leave me so…. Basically, I didn't trust my bad habit."

Zheng Mian stared at him intensely for a moment before inquiring, "Is that all?"

"What?" Han Sheng Ming blinked. action

Zheng Mian questioned him again, "Is that all you wanted to say?"

"...Yes," Han Seng Ming hesitantly replied.

She said, "Let's go home then."

"Okay…" Han Sheng Ming was even more scared of her calm reaction.

Zheng Mian wasn't saying anything. She had a poker face. He couldn't read her mind. He was feeling devastated but he couldn't say anything. He quietly followed her with visible nervousness.

After going home, Zheng Mian hadn't talked to him even once. Han Sheng Ming thought this was the end. He was heart broken. He freshened up and had some snacks. He couldn't taste his favorite cookies.

Han Luo and Mo Yuan came home and they saw that both Han Sheng MIng and Zheng Mian's doors were closed. Han Luo didn't bother them. She went to her room and prepared for her upcoming test and meeting. Mo Yuan also had his own homework to be done. 

At dinner, Zheng Mian talked to both Hna Luo and Mo Yuan but he didn't utter a single word or glanced at Han Sheng Ming. 

Han Luo noticed everything and stayed quiet. She thought that they needed some space.

After dinner, Han Sheng MIng went back to his room with a desolate heart. His brain wasn't working at all. He recalled their time in the park and then he confessed what he was hiding from her. 

He remembered what she said back then, "You thought I wouldn't stay with you if you hid it from me. It looks like you don't have faith in me."

'Did she seem sad for some reason?' Han Sheng Ming thought, 'Maybe I need to give her some time and space to cool down.'

However, his legs automatically began to walk toward the direction of her room.