The Cozy Real World

The next morning, Xing Ye’s first instinct upon waking was to reach toward the space beside his pillow.
It was already empty—but in the mirror phone case standing on the bedside table, a small boy smiled brightly and waved at him. “Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?”

Xing Ye thought for a moment before replying, “I slept perfectly. I didn’t even notice when you went back into the mirror.”

“I can only stay out of the mirror for two hours,” Lu Mingze said casually, sitting cross-legged inside the reflective surface. “I must’ve gone back automatically after I fell asleep. The time limit’s still too short, but even so, I’m really happy.”

Last night, after confirming that he could actually touch Xing Ye, Lu Mingze had been so overjoyed that he insisted on dragging Xing Ye out for a midnight run.

Luckily, there was no one at Xing Ye’s house that night; he had turned off the surveillance cameras and gone jogging with Lu Mingze.

Lu Mingze was running as part of his rehabilitation.
At first, they simply held hands and walked around the courtyard, and only after a while did they start running.
Lu Mingze had thought that since he existed only as a consciousness, he could probably run much longer—but after just ten minutes of light jogging, he was gasping for breath and sat down on the ground, refusing to move another step.

He didn’t sweat, but the exhaustion was real.

Xing Ye took him back home and got ready for bed, even preparing the guest room for him.
Lu Mingze, however, absolutely refused to sleep alone. He said that after being lonely for so long, he just wanted company—and stubbornly clung to Xing Ye’s bed.

So Xing Ye ended up holding Lu Mingze’s hand, and the two drifted off into a sweet sleep together.

Nothing else happened—not even a sneaky kiss while asleep—because Xing Ye had fallen asleep before Lu Mingze did.

Xing Ye had never been a good sleeper before, but ever since the Little Mirror could return to the real world, his sleep had been improving by the day.
After the night run with Lu Mingze, he was able to fall asleep the moment his head touched the pillow; his insomnia had completely disappeared.

“I guess I haven’t exercised in ages,” Lu Mingze admitted. “After jogging, I felt really tired. Not long after you fell asleep, I listened to your steady breathing and dozed off too. I vaguely woke up when I returned to the mirror—it must’ve been around three thirty. Two hours after leaving the mirror, I went back inside and slept until morning.”

While getting dressed, Xing Ye said, “I’ve cleared my entire morning schedule. We’ll visit the rehabilitation centre shortly to check on your physical body. I need to go through your medical records to assess your current muscle condition and create a scientific rehabilitation plan—to help your body gradually return to its best state. That way, when the QR code allowing you to return to your body appears, your body will already be in top condition.”

He glanced at the clock. “It’s seven o’clock now—half an hour to wash up and eat, another hour to reach the centre. By eight thirty, you’ll be able to see your body again.”

Lu Mingze: “…”

From inside the mirror, he stared blankly at Xing Ye’s abs as Xing Ye moved with perfect discipline, following his schedule down to the minute, and then started the car exactly at seven thirty to head for the rehabilitation centre on the outskirts of the city.

Once the engine started, Xing Ye asked the phone on the passenger seat, “What song do you want to listen to?”

Lu Mingze zoned out for a few minutes before finally speaking. “Have you always been like this?”

“Like what?” Xing Ye asked.

“Disciplined, methodical, doing everything by the book—always factoring in every possible contingency, and even when something unexpected happens, you immediately adjust your plan and pull everything back on track,” Lu Mingze said, counting on his fingers as he spoke.

Xing Ye thought for a moment and replied, “That’s a very accurate summary.”

“But if you date like this, you’ll miss out on a lot of fun,” Lu Mingze said. “Why didn’t you take advantage of the moment last night? You should’ve at least left a lipstick mark on my face! Then this morning, I could’ve gotten mad at you for stealing a kiss while I wasn’t looking. After sulking for a bit, you’d tell me you’re taking me to the rehab centre and surprising me with a well-prepared recovery plan. I’d realize how much you care about me, my heart would melt, and I wouldn’t be mad anymore. And once I’m not mad, I’d even allow you to leave lipstick marks openly next time—wouldn’t that be fun?”

Xing Ye couldn’t help laughing halfway through. “I don’t even own any lipstick,” he replied.

Lu Mingze pouted inside the mirror. “That’s not what you used to say when you touched up your makeup in front of the mirror.”

Xing Ye: “…”

After recalling all that Lu Mingze had said since morning, Xing Ye began to understand.
“So, what you’re hoping for is that I act like a normal boyfriend—give you surprises, be affectionate, things like that?”

“Exactly!” Lu Mingze admitted openly. “We’re not what we used to be anymore. Back on the Kang bed in the Yang family house, I already said you’re my lover! When people first start dating, you’re supposed to be a little bolder.”

Xing Ye was slightly taken aback; he hadn’t expected Lu Mingze to be so forward emotionally.

He thought for a moment and said, “My plan was to wait until you return to your body—to pursue you properly in front of Uncle Lu and Aunt. Then, once our feelings naturally deepen, physical closeness would come naturally too. But this temporary rehabilitation QR code has completely disrupted that plan—it’s left me… a little unsure of what to do.”

If Lu Mingze hadn’t thrown himself into his arms last night, Xing Ye would’ve remained stiff and reserved.
Facing the Little Mirror, he could speak sweetly enough—but facing the unconscious Lu Mingze, all he could do was gently hold his hands.

“Well then, I’ll just take the initiative,” Lu Mingze said, crossing his arms inside the mirror.
“After all, I do like you—just a little bit! I’ll try to surprise you more often. Once I’m back in my body, you’d better start learning!”

“All right, trust me—I learn very quickly,” Xing Ye said with a smile, patting the surface of the mirror.

Lu Mingze was sincere and straightforward, even more candid in matters of the heart than Xing Ye.
Those two hours each night outside the mirror actually gave them a chance to adjust to each other in advance, which was quite nice.

The rehabilitation centre didn’t open until eight thirty. This time, Lu Mingze was finally not in the monitoring room, though a doctor would still check on him every morning.

Muscles don’t recover noticeably in a day or two. Last night, Lu Mingze’s exercise was not excessive, so no one noticed that he had jogged. Xing Ye was able, as he wished, to enter the ward to visit him.

After showing Lu Mingze his own body, Xing Ye went to the hospital to review his medical records.

Lu Mingze’s physical condition was truly excellent. According to the doctors, if he were to wake up immediately, he would feel weak for a few days—but after about a month of care, he could nearly fully recover.

Xing Ye sent Lu Mingze’s body data to professionals and received a scientific rehabilitation plan before returning home in the evening.
He had a home gym, so he would follow the plan to conduct rehabilitation exercises with Lu Mingze at night.

“Start with twenty minutes on the elliptical, then twenty minutes of light jogging. After forty minutes of aerobic exercise, move on to arms and waist exercises,” Xing Ye read from the schedule.

Recalling the abs he had seen this morning, Lu Mingze worked out quite earnestly.
Yet, even at the end, he didn’t sweat.

Xing Ye suspected that in the ward, the real Lu Mingze would have been drenched in sweat. He hoped no one saw such a strange scene, or he’d be sent back to the monitoring room again.

After the rehabilitation exercises, Xing Ye prepared a light, nourishing late-night meal for Lu Mingze.

After eating, Lu Mingze collapsed onto the sofa. “Strange… I don’t feel muscle soreness at all, yet I’m so tired. I guess my body’s just too weak to move.”

“I’ll give you a massage,” Xing Ye rolled up his sleeves. “I’ve actually been learning massage techniques, planning to use them once you return to your body. Now that your experiences as a consciousness are reflecting in your real body, the massage will help your muscles recover.”

“Sounds good!” Lu Mingze said happily.

He lay face down on the sofa, eyes closed, feeling Xing Ye’s strong hands tapping and kneading his back.
Fatigue gradually melted away—it felt especially pleasant.

Unconsciously, Lu Mingze fell asleep, vaguely sensing someone lifting him and leaving a kiss mark on his cheek.

It tingled and prickled pleasantly.

When he woke in the morning, Lu Mingze touched his face and realized Xing Ye had already gotten up.

“Awake?” Xing Ye entered with breakfast. “I thought you might want to sleep a little longer.”

“Did you make this?” Lu Mingze asked, looking at the breakfast.

There was a heart-shaped fried egg—it was obviously carefully prepared.

Xing Ye nodded. “I looked up the method online and used a mold. Pretty simple.”

He offered the food to Lu Mingze, who took a bite and found it unexpectedly delicious.
Even though Xing Ye was busy with endless tasks, he had made it himself.

Lu Mingze smiled happily. “When I recover, I’ll cook for you too and send it to your company.”

“Then countless people will envy me for having such a beautiful lover,” Xing Ye said.

The next seven days passed in the same way.
Xing Ye occasionally gave Lu Mingze small gifts, all very beautiful. Lu Mingze loved them and wondered how Xing Ye came up with these little surprises.

Lu Mingze guessed that Xing Ye must have instructed his assistant during meeting breaks, as he always followed Xing Ye around and only had a chance to pick up his phone during meetings.

Xing Ye also prepared a small cabinet specifically for Lu Mingze to store these gifts. Although called “small gifts,” none of them were cheap.

Occasionally, Lu Mingze would grin at the cabinet, amused that such a serious man had seriously asked his assistant to buy these for him.

Of course, the happiest moments each day were the two hours spent outside the mirror: rehabilitation, massage, and then drifting off to sleep with Xing Ye. It was pure bliss.

Alas, time in the real world always passed far too quickly.
Seven days flew by, and they had to return to the game once again.

 

End of Volume 7

 

Translator : DarNan