Chapter 680: Whose Dream
When you think about it, isn't this strange?
All the people in Qi Xia's dream had no faces—but she did.
No one in the dream moved—but she did.
She could see, hear, and feel.
So she must have known exactly what those "bean sprouts" and "eggplants" she had prepared were.
Compared to her, Qi Xia seemed more like a supporting role in this dream.
His expression was vacant, his face wooden. He couldn't even distinguish his surroundings.
He agreed to everything the white-clothed girl said, and obeyed every command she gave.
What difference was there between him and those faceless people standing on the street?
"Not good..."
Xiao Cheng quickly stood up, walked to the window, and carefully examined the crack.
He took a deep breath, knowing there was only one last option left.
Slowly, he moved his palm and pressed it over the crack.
He could only rely on his "faith" now.
Even though this was more absurd than making Qi Xia see him, theoretically, he had succeeded before.
That was when he used "faith" to alter the environment inside another person's dream.
Xiao Cheng had lied.
Back in that middle-aged man's dream, he had pulled out a blade of grass, felt a twinge of regret, placed the broken blade back, and claimed it was an accident.
A few seconds later, when he let go, the blade was perfectly whole again.
And yet, even so, when that man woke up, he was delirious, as if his entire psyche had collapsed.
Xiao Cheng often held grand fantasies about his own "resonance." If one day he could master "dreamwalking" to perfection, not only would every dream's owner see him—he could also create anything he wanted inside a dream. That would be a wonderful thing.
But Qi Xia's dream shattered many of Xiao Cheng's illusions. In this dream, the things he could do were extremely limited.
If that crack on the glass was truly a fissure in Qi Xia's psychological defenses, what would happen if he mended it?
Xiao Cheng pressed his palm over the crack, closed his eyes, and silently repeated in his mind: "This is just a whole piece of glass."
But before he could say it three times, he suddenly felt a cold grip on his wrist.
His eyes shot open.
A pale hand was holding him.
The touch was icy, yet strong as a vise.
"Don't."
A soft voice, like a ghost's whisper, crept into Xiao Cheng's ear.
He turned his head in disbelief to look at the white-clothed girl beside him.
In her hands, she held a plate of charred, diced heart. She was watching him with a smile.
"Wh-what...?"
His voice cracked, coming out hoarse and strained.
"Don't do anything unnecessary," the white-clothed girl said with a smile. "My name is Yu Nian'an. What's yours?"
"I... I... Cheng..."
"Xiao Cheng?" Yu Nian'an, with her gentle smile, slowly moved Xiao Cheng's hand away from the glass.
Though her movements were light, Xiao Cheng felt as though a truck was dragging his arm away.
"Come here."
Her voice was soft, but Xiao Cheng felt like he was facing a demon come to claim his life. He couldn't struggle free at all.
What kind of twisted situation was this?
The dream's master couldn't notice his existence no matter what—but this girl seemed to have found him long ago.
Why was she stronger than the dream's owner?
Yu Nian'an dragged Xiao Cheng like a piece of paper, pulling him away from the window. She set the plate down in front of Qi Xia and said softly, "Xia, the roasted eggplants are ready. Eat first."
Xiao Cheng trembled uncontrollably, already envisioning his own death.
"An, aren't you eating?" Qi Xia asked.
"I have something to take care of." Yu Nian'an patted Qi Xia gently. "Be good, eat first."
Qi Xia nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and ate voraciously. He never once turned around, seemingly indifferent to everything happening around him.
"S-Sister Yu..." Xiao Cheng's voice cracked. "I-I mean no harm... I just saw Brother Qi in a bad state... so..."
"But you're not being honest," Yu Nian'an said. "What are you trying to do?"
Seeing this, Xiao Cheng realized this might be his last chance. Trying to kill these people inside a dream was pure fantasy. A single wave of their hand could crush him, let alone a punch.
"Sister Yu... listen to me... Brother Qi is dreaming right now. His dream has been damaged. And dreams are reflections of a person's psychological state—his mind has been damaged too." Xiao Cheng tried to explain in as few words as possible. "I came to help mend the crack in his heart... so I really mean no harm..."
"Oh, mend it," Yu Nian'an nodded. Then she continued dragging Xiao Cheng toward the kitchen.
The moment she turned, Xiao Cheng felt his arm twisted behind his back, pain shooting through him. He yelped, but had no hope of escape.
"Sister Yu! I'm telling the truth!"
Xiao Cheng grabbed his own right arm with his left hand, trying to keep it from being twisted off. But fear had already robbed his voice.
When they reached the kitchen, Yu Nian'an let go, and Xiao Cheng collapsed to the floor.
But she didn't do anything else. She simply turned on the faucet and started washing the pot.
"Xia is eating outside. Don't disturb him." Yu Nian'an scrubbed the pot with sticky black blood as she asked softly, "After you mend the crack... what will you do next?"
"To... to be honest..." Xiao Cheng climbed to his feet, his face serious. "I think after mending that crack, Brother Qi might regain some rationality. Then I can get out!"
Yu Nian'an paused in her scrubbing, then turned her head. "Xiao Cheng, that crack cannot be mended."
"What...?" Xiao Cheng stood frozen. "What do you mean 'cannot be mended'?"
"This is beyond your understanding. It's hard for me to explain." Yu Nian'an picked up a steel wool scrubber and vigorously scraped at the grease on the pot. "If you still try to mend it, I will kill you right here."
Xiao Cheng blinked, feeling that things were indeed hard to comprehend.
"Sister Yu... did I explain something wrong?" He seemed to have calmed down a little. "You're Brother Qi's lover, right? He's sick now—very sick! If that crack isn't mended, he might completely lose his mind!"
"I know. That's why it cannot be mended," Yu Nian'an said softly.
"You..." A bizarre answer suddenly formed in Xiao Cheng's heart. "You're doing this on purpose?"
Yu Nian'an smiled at him, offering no denial.
It was only then that Xiao Cheng realized how absurd the whole situation was...
"Sister Yu... are you the true master of this dream?!"