She Comes Into My Dreams Every Night - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Good Thing She’s Silly

“Ah, this is truly remarkable.”

Hearing the exclamation, Su Huaiwang simply ignored it and grabbed a Pocky stick to chew.

“I said this is truly remarkable, didn’t you hear me?” Tu Zhuozhuo called out again, kicking Su Huaiwang’s calf.

Su Huaiwang paid her no mind, focusing on the movie playing on the TV: “Sorry, I’m watching a movie, can’t hear the buzzing of mosquitoes.”

On the TV, the male and female leads were screaming at each other in distress, the sharp sounds giving one a headache.

Tu Zhuozhuo picked up the remote and lowered the volume by two notches, dissatisfied: “What a terrible movie, all they do is shriek when something happens.”

“Didn’t you pick this movie?” Su Huaiwang turned, staring intently at Tu Zhuozhuo.

“Ahem,” Tu Zhuozhuo cleared her throat awkwardly: “Let’s not talk about that. Answer my previous question.”

“What question did you ask?”

“What’s the deal with you and the pretty lady?”

“Can you please stop calling her ‘pretty lady’? She has a name, you know?” Su Huaiwang subconsciously said.

This only earned a sour comment from Tu Zhuozhuo: “Oh, oh, oh, so protective already. Alas, only hear the new one’s laugh, never see the old one’s tears.”

“You really need to stop.”

“Alright, alright,” Tu Zhuozhuo raised both hands in compromise: “I’ll indulge you, since you’re my best friend. So what’s the deal with you and Lin Jue?”

“What deal could there be…” Su Huaiwang’s eyes darted away: “It’s just what you see, isn’t it? Neighbors, maybe even… friends, that’s all.”

“I don’t recall having such a romantic sunset run with you, my friend.”

“Have you forgotten? The winter before last, we went to the South China Sea, and you dragged me to run for an hour at sunset.”

Su Huaiwang stared at Tu Zhuozhuo with dead-fish eyes, making Tu Zhuozhuo feel a little guilty: “The vibe, the vibe was different.”

“What’s different about it?”

“Hmm… this, this is hard to describe. You two had a feeling of… only having eyes for each other?”

“I think you’re starting to make things up to prove your point.”

Su Huaiwang delivered a definitive conclusion. Tu Zhuozhuo truly couldn’t find any evidence to refute her. She racked her brain but couldn’t find any proof of a romantic affair from her primarily feeling-driven mind.

Looking at Tu Zhuozhuo, who was deep in thought, Su Huaiwang sighed in relief.

Seriously, it’s a good thing Tu Zhuozhuo is silly.

If she noticed her feelings for Lin Jue, it wouldn’t be a simple matter.

Knowing Tu Zhuozhuo’s personality, she would definitely plan an elaborate confession and come up with a bunch of terrible ideas to, supposedly, “foster the relationship.”

Including today’s barbecue, while the outcome was good, it didn’t mean Su Huaiwang didn’t think it was a bad idea.

Su Huaiwang wasn’t like Tu Zhuozhuo, who followed the thread of her feelings blindly. She had always been taught by her parents to be disciplined and rational. Even now, having decided to try and let loose, she still couldn’t completely escape the influence of that upbringing.

She had no doubt that her small impulse towards Lin Jue would be worn away by time. By then, she could clear out those wet dreams and those constantly replaying memory fragments, treating them as rootless fantasies.

At this thought, the woman’s action of eating snacks paused, and her fingers unconsciously began to rub together.

When playing in the water today, Lin Jue’s fingers had unconsciously brushed hers as she released and then gripped her wrist. That touch had lingered in her mind ever since.

Cool, like sunken wood at the bottom of a lake.

“But I didn’t just come to see you for the pretty lady.” Tu Zhuozhuo’s voice pulled Su Huaiwang back from her untimely reverie.

“?”

Seeing Su Huaiwang’s puzzled expression, Tu Zhuozhuo couldn’t help but reach out and pinch her cheek.

“My best friend is more important than the pretty lady, isn’t she? I wanted to see how you’ve been doing lately, and if you’re living well.”

Three years ago, when the news of Su Huaiwang’s parents’ death came, her state was completely off for the entire month. She often stayed indoors for days on end. If Tu Zhuozhuo hadn’t forcefully dragged her out, she might not have eaten a single meal all day.

The Su Huaiwang of that time felt like an empty shell, with little sadness, but more confusion and incomprehension, as if a person who was walking on a very clear path had suddenly been placed in a trackless wilderness.

But life itself is a wilderness.

Fortunately, Su Huaiwang pulled through. After handling her parents’ funeral, she told Tu Zhuozhuo that she wanted to try doing what she truly wanted to do.

Tu Zhuozhuo was both happy and worried. She was happy that Su Huaiwang finally had the motivation to continue. Tu Zhuozhuo was in her final year of college and about to go abroad, unable to be with Su Huaiwang all the time, so Su Huaiwang had to learn to live alone. She was worried because Su Huaiwang’s plans for her life definitely did not include the postgraduate qualification the university had already granted her.

In the end, Su Huaiwang deviated from the path her parents had planned for her, traveling to various cities with her bachelor’s degree before finally settling here.

It was a project her parents had invested in but abandoned halfway.

Just like her.

“You’re doing great lately.” Tu Zhuozhuo pinched the flesh on Su Huaiwang’s face. The skin was delicate and smooth, which pleased her: “You look like you’ve even gained a little weight, and your spirits are much better. What is it, the nourishment of love?”

“Lest you forget, Lin Jue only moved in a month ago.” Su Huaiwang’s voice was distorted from being pinched.

Tu Zhuozhuo raised an eyebrow: “Now, the moment I mention love, you think of her?”

Su Huaiwang grew angry out of embarrassment and smacked her hand away: “You’re talking nonsense again!”

Tu Zhuozhuo burst out laughing, then grew serious: “Seriously, your dark circles are gone! Has anything good happened recently?”

Due to sleep disorders, Su Huaiwang’s dark circles had followed her since her student days, only improving slightly during melatonin treatment.

As Tu Zhuozhuo spoke, her fingers gently stroked Su Huaiwang’s eye sockets. It was a warm feeling, and Su Huaiwang’s expression involuntarily softened.

“…I’ve been sleeping very well recently.” Su Huaiwang felt a bit guilty, avoiding Tu Zhuozhuo’s gaze.

Setting aside the wet dreams, she did sleep very well. Every morning, she woke up feeling light and refreshed, completely different from her usual fatigue.

If given the choice between having wet dreams or returning to her former nightmares, palpitations, night sweats, night terrors… she would definitely choose…

No!

Su Huaiwang quickly slammed the brakes on the inappropriate thoughts in her head.

On the other side, Tu Zhuozhuo was slightly confused why the skin under her hand suddenly felt warm.

“It just got better suddenly? Has anything else changed recently?”

At this remark, the skin under Tu Zhuozhuo’s hand became even hotter, almost scalding.

“No, nothing…” Su Huaiwang’s gaze shifted evasively.

“There’s definitely something.” Tu Zhuozhuo’s expression sharpened, her gaze seemingly trying to penetrate Su Huaiwang’s eyes to see what she was truly thinking.

“I said there isn’t… you have to believe me!” Su Huaiwang was still stubbornly denying it.

Fortunately, Tu Zhuozhuo didn’t press the issue: “Alright, alright, I believe you. It’s your personal privacy, after all. I’m just relieved to see you doing well.”

Tu Zhuozhuo affectionately rubbed her friend’s face, then looked at her with a smile.

“I’m doing very well, you don’t need to worry.” Su Huaiwang also smiled and patted Tu Zhuozhuo’s hand.

“But,” Tu Zhuozhuo changed the subject: “It would still be better to get a check-up, wouldn’t it?”

“What?” Su Huaiwang didn’t immediately catch on.

Tu Zhuozhuo pointed to her own temple: “The amnesia issue. Haven’t you remembered anything at all?”

Silence. Su Huaiwang searched her blank mind, her brows tightly furrowed: “I can’t remember…”

Tu Zhuozhuo quickly comforted her: “If you can’t remember, don’t worry about it. It’s not anything particularly important anyway.”

Despite saying that, the worry in her eyes was unmistakable.

Su Huaiwang managed a smile: “It’s been a year. There are no other problems. Let’s just put this behind us.”

Regardless of the accounts of the cause and process relayed by others, or the staff member who had stood by her bedside at the time, the entire “Nanguan Village Incident” was fraught with suspicious points. But precisely because of this, Su Huaiwang felt it was best not to investigate.

As a citizen raised in this safe country, Su Huaiwang had a strong sense of trust in state organs.

Moreover, upon discharge, the staff member had given her contact information and instructed her to contact them if she felt anything was off.

The staff member had said “anything off,” not “physical discomfort.” That alone was highly suspicious.

But to prevent her friend from worrying further, Su Huaiwang had omitted this part of the story when telling her.

Su Huaiwang tightened her grip on her phone. She wasn’t the type to seek out trouble, so she didn’t want to bother others, nor did she want others to bother her, but…

“If that situation happens again, I’ll go get another check-up.” Su Huaiwang promised.

“You really must go, okay?” Tu Zhuozhuo said, half-believing.

“Mhm.” Su Huaiwang nodded, concealing the slight unease in her eyes.

I can only put my hope in time. Hopefully, with the passage of time, the effects of that incident would completely disappear.

…

In the world of scattered ashes, Lin Jue opened her eyes.

Even within her own world, she maintained the vibrant color of human skin as much as possible. Other pale spirits were not allowed to appear in this fog-shrouded world. Grudge spirits always had a strong sense of territory, so Lin Jue was the only color in this world.

She stepped into Su Huaiwang’s soft dream.

Today, too, was a normal, peaceful dream. If Su Huaiwang didn’t need desire relief, all she needed was a simple embrace.

Since Tu Zhuozhuo arrived, Su Huaiwang’s dreams had been peaceful like this every night. Lin Jue looked down at Su Huaiwang, who was safely nestled in her arms, and an emotion called jealousy swelled within her.

She reached out, gently stroking Su Huaiwang’s hair, feeling a bit lost due to an inexplicable disappointment.

She was familiar with jealousy, hatred, and anger, and also with the affection Su Huaiwang brought her, but this feeling of disappointment—she was unfamiliar with it.

Even when Su Huaiwang left her back then, she hadn’t been disappointed, only sad, only longing to return to her side.

But disappointment, what is disappointment? What exactly was she disappointed about? Or rather, what was she hoping for? What hope was dashed? She should be utterly content just being with Su Huaiwang, so there shouldn’t be any disappointment.

Yet, she was indeed disappointed about something. What was it that should have happened but didn’t? Lin Jue was still unclear.

She looked up at Su Huaiwang’s bizarre and colorful dreamscape, casually tearing apart a few nightmares, only to pause for a moment because of a strange smell.

This is…?

She frowned, looking closely.

A desolate village stood within the fragment of the dream on her fingertip.

Lin Jue was intimately familiar with this place.

Her expression remained unchanged as she tore the desolate village into even smaller pieces.

Since Su Huaiwang disliked this place, and she also disliked this place, she would rather—

Su Huaiwang never remember it.