The Mighty Mage
Chapter 289: Dream?

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Dream?

Long Yifan’s eyes darkened slightly at Jasmine’s words, but he remained silent.

"I just don’t want to see you suffer for someone who doesn’t care about you," Jasmine whispered, her hand gently brushing his hair. "You deserve better."

She was referring to Gu Aihan.

Long Yifan finally spoke, his voice hoarse from the exhaustion of using forbidden magic.

"You don’t understand. It’s not about what I deserve. It’s about what needs to be done."

"Why does it have to be her, Yifan?" she asked, frustration creeping into her voice.

"She doesn’t love you, and she’s only using you for her own gain. You know that, don’t you?"

Long Yifan turned his head, avoiding his sister’s gaze. He knew Jasmine was right in many ways.

"Sister I am tired."

Jasmine feeling frustrated turned to leave, but suddenly paused and said,

"One day you will regret your decision. At that time I won’t help you."

Long Yifan watched silently as his sister left the room.

"I know I will...but I love my mother more than anyone, sister."

His heart ached when thought about how he would have to marry Gu Aihan in the near future.

Closing his eyes he muttered,

"I wish in the next lifetime, I won’t have the burdens I have now. I wouldn’t be bonded by the promise. I wish in the next lifetime, I meet her again and can marry her."

Soon he fell into the darkness to forget all his pains.

Long Yifan blinked groggily as he awoke, the heavy weight of sleep still clinging to him.

The first thing he noticed was the unfamiliar yet luxurious surroundings.

He was in one of his mansions abroad, but he didn’t recall how or why he had ended up there.

His brow furrowed in confusion.

"How... did I get here?" Long Yifan muttered, his voice still raspy from sleep.

As he shifted beneath the silk sheets, he felt the warm presence of another person beside him.

His heart stilled for a moment.

Slowly, he turned his head to the side, expecting to find someone familiar, but instead, he was greeted by the sight of a figure draped beneath the blankets.

The woman’s back was facing him, her smooth, pale skin barely visible against the plush bedding, and her long black hair sprawled across the pillow in soft waves.

Long Yifan’s heart skipped a beat.

Who... who is this?

His mind raced as he tried to piece together what could have possibly happened.

He didn’t recognize the woman right away, yet there was an unmistakable familiarity about her.

After some hesitation, he carefully turned the woman over. As he did, the sight that met his eyes nearly stopped his heart.

"Gu... Gu Jin?" Long Yifan’s voice came out in a shocked whisper.

He stared at her face, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Gu Jin, the one he had only loved from afar, was lying here, beside him, in his bed.

Her beautiful, delicate features were relaxed in peaceful slumber, her skin as pale as moonlight, glowing softly in the dim light of the room.

For a moment, Long Yifan was frozen in disbelief.

His eyes wandered down her neck, where he noticed faint hickey marks, and his shock only deepened.

His breath caught in his throat, and instinctively, he glanced down at himself.

He was naked.

Long Yifan’s face flushed, as he tried to grasp the situation.

How did this happen? How could he have possibly ended up in bed with Gu Jin of all people? And why did it feel like... something had happened between them?

"No... this can’t be real," he muttered to himself. "This has to be a dream."

But as he stared at Gu Jin’s sleeping form, the soft rise and fall of her chest, the warmth of her presence, it all felt so real. Too real.

Guilt began to gnaw at him.

"Ah! God I messed up!"

He was engaged to Gu Aihan, but the one in his bed was Gu Jin. Truly...what a strange situation it was.

He felt even more guilt when he realized he didn’t feel an ounce of regret for sleeping with Gu Jin.

In fact, he felt delighted. He was delighted that his first time was with the woman he liked. He was delighted that the woman he liked was covered with his marks.

He was delighted that she was beside him.

"Gu Jin..." he whispered her name again, his voice barely audible.

A part of him couldn’t help but be elated at the possibility that he had shared something so intimate with the woman he had secretly desired.

If this truly was a dream, then maybe—just maybe—he could allow himself to indulge in it.

This is just a dream... right? None of this is real... so, it’s okay, isn’t it?

Long Yifan’s gaze softened as he moved closer to Gu Jin.

His hand reached out tentatively, brushing a strand of her silky black hair away from her face.

She stirred slightly at the touch but didn’t wake.

The softness of her skin beneath his fingertips sent a shiver down his spine.

"If this is a dream..." he murmured to himself, "then I don’t want to wake up."

He was tired of the cruel reality. The reality where Gu Jin could never become his...the reality where he will have to marry a woman he doesn’t even like.

For once he wanted to be selfish. He wanted to claim her.

With that thought, he leaned in, his heart hammering in his chest as he pressed his lips gently against Gu Jin’s.

The warmth of her lips ignited something within him—a desire, a longing he had suppressed for so long.

The kiss started soft, and tender, as if he were afraid of waking her, but as the seconds passed, his hesitation faded, replaced by an overwhelming need to savor this moment, even if it was just in a dream.

He deepened the kiss, his hands cupping her face as he poured all of his hidden emotions into the act.

The kiss was passionate, filled with the yearning he had never expressed aloud.

It felt too real, too vivid as if his senses were heightened by the mere presence of her.

Her soft lips responded ever so slightly in her sleep, and the sensation made his pulse race.

"I’ve wanted this for so long..." Long Yifan whispered between kisses, his voice hushed as if confessing a secret to the night.

"I’ve dreamed of you, Gu Jin... of us."

He pulled back for a moment, his breath shallow, his heart thudding wildly in his chest.

Gu Jin remained asleep, her face serene and untouched by the storm of emotions raging within him.

He brushed his thumb gently over her cheek, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips.

"It’s just a dream," he repeated, trying to convince himself.

"But even in a dream... I’m happy to have this moment with you."

Long Yifan leaned in once more, pressing his forehead gently against hers.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he allowed himself to feel a flicker of joy, of freedom from the burdens that weighed him down. In this dream, there were no promises, no obligations.

There was just him and Gu Jin, and for once, he didn’t have to worry about anything else.

But deep down, a part of him wished it wasn’t a dream at all.

A part of him wished that, in another lifetime, they could truly be together, free from the constraints that bound them both.

"I wish..." he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. "I wish this were real."

And as he held her close, the warmth of her body against his, Long Yifan silently prayed that this dream would last just a little longer.

Suddenly Gu Jin stirred and, her beautiful red eyes met with Long Yifan’s ocean-blue eyes. A smile formed on her face as she asked,

"Are you satisfied now?"

Was he?

Nope.

Since it was a dream, he should fulfill all of his desires and wild fantasies, right? No one will ever know.

With that thought in his mind, Long Yifan wrapped his hand around Gu Jin’s waist and pulled her towards his bare chest.

"Hm? What are you-" Before Gu Jin could finish her words, Long Yifan blocked her mouth with his.

He sucked her bottom lips as if it was sweet honey he was never completely satisfied with and always want more. He then nibbled on the upper lips and tried to push his tongue into her mouth, but Gu Jin refused to open her mouth.

’Even in my dream, she is refusing to let me have my ways.’ Long Yifan thought. ’You can’t blame me for being ruthless.’

When Long Yifan stopped kissing, Gu Jin saw it as an opportunity and interrupted him,

"We will be late if you continue...Ahh!"

"You talk too much." Long Yifan smiled and twisted the pink nipple in his hand, an evil smirk was playing on his lips.