Quick Wear: Child Bearing System

Chapter 9

Shen Wenyu tossed in his sleep, his breath uneven, his brow furrowed in pain. Sweat dampened his forehead as his body tensed under the sheets. The nightmare came again dark, vivid, and merciless. He saw flashes of rain, blood, and a voice calling his name in anger. His fingers clenched tightly at the blanket, his jaw locked as though he could fight the dream itself.

A broken sound escaped him a low, strangled noise that didn’t belong to the calm, composed man he appeared to be when awake. The air in the room grew heavy. Moonlight seeped faintly through the curtains, washing over his pale face, catching the tremor that ran down his temples.

He flinched, as if struck by something unseen. His lips moved, but only fragments came outnames, apologies, words too quiet to form meaning. His mind was trapped somewhere deep, lost between guilt and memory.

Then, through the haze of his nightmare, a soft voice broke through.

“Mr. Shen…”

It was gentle, low too clear to be part of his dream. Still, he couldn’t tell if it was real. His heart pounded faster. The voice came again, closer this time, threaded with calm determination.

“Shen Wenyu, wake up.”

His breathing slowed slightly. The chaos in his dream began to fade. His eyelids fluttered as he struggled between waking and sleeping. The voice anchored him, drawing him away from the darkness.

He turned his head faintly, eyes half-open, vision blurred. Through the faint light, he saw a woman beside his bed a silhouette framed by moonlight, her features soft and calm. Her hand rested near his, warm and steady.

For a brief moment, Shen Wenyu thought he was still dreaming. No one ever came to wake him from his nightmares. No one ever dared to.

The woman’s voice came again, quiet but firm. “You’re having a nightmare.”

Her tone was careful, almost soothing. His hand moved instinctively, catching her wrist in a sudden grip. Her skin was warm against his cold fingers, grounding him in a way he didn’t expect.

He blinked slowly, confusion flickering through his eyes. The nightmare’s grip loosened. The scent of jasmine brushed faintly against his senses. He stared at her face soft, serene, faintly glistening under the pale light.

It was Harriet.

She didn’t speak again, only looked at him with quiet calm. He could feel her pulse beneath his fingers, steady and alive.

He wasn’t sure what startled him more the fact that she was here, or the strange calm that came with her presence.

His voice came out rough, low. "You’re… ."

"You were dreaming," she said simply, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Her answer made something twist in his chest, a feeling he couldn’t name. It wasn’t comfort, but it wasn’t irritation either. Somewhere in between an unfamiliar warmth he didn’t want to acknowledge. Still making things about this her just closed his eyes when a sudden scent of jasmine hit his nostrils that gave him a calming effect.

Seeing his breath become normal and more relaxed, she moved her wrist with a hint of pain due to the strong grip and tried to stand up and she made her way towards the door and close it with silently. Then she decided to go back to her room after all this.

Morning light filtered through the wide windows, filling the dining room with a soft glow. The quiet clinking of silverware was the only sound as Harriet ate her breakfast alone. Her movements were calm and steady, but her mind wasn’t. No matter how many bites she took, her thoughts kept circling back to last night Shen Wenyu’s pale face twisted in distress, the low, broken sounds that escaped him, and how his hand had gripped her wrist tightly as if clinging to something real.