Director Wang was completely confused by what she said.

“What? Hallucination?” He said in bewilderment, also looking at Chang Yuncheng.

Two young lovebirds, were they still having a quarrel?

Chang Yuncheng was both amused and exasperated. This woman’s brain was indeed abnormal – what was she thinking!

He walked over in a few steps, reached out to grab Qi Yue’s wrist, and turned to leave.

Watching the two of them leave in the blink of an eye, a woman’s scream came from outside.

Director Wang wasn’t worried at all, instead shaking his head.

“Young people,” he said with a smile that suggested he understood the ways of the world, picking up his large tea cup and taking a big slurp.

“Hey, hey, who are you? What are you? Are you human or ghost?” Qi Yue, who had been dragged away a few steps, finally came to her senses and screamed.

This voice drew the attention of people around.

Qi Yue quickly stopped making noise, looking around at those people and their expressions as they looked over.

“They… can all see you?” She looked at the man in front of her who was still gripping her wrist, saying tremblingly, “Then, you’re a real person…”

Chang Yuncheng shook her arm.

“You stinky woman, why is your brain still so strange! Am I real or fake?” He said irritably, “Hurry up, the food is getting cold!”

Qi Yue was pulled forward.

“Wait, wait.” She called out, grabbing this man’s arm. “You, you, who are you?”

Chang Yuncheng turned his head to look at her with some impatience.

“What do you think I am? Qi Yueniang, what are you pretending to be stupid for? Don’t you know who I am?” He said.

Qi Yue looked at him.

“I, I know. I’ve been too tired lately, my eyes occasionally have some problems…” She said tremblingly, while reaching out to wave her hand in front of her eyes. First her hand was trembling, then her jaw started shaking too. “This, sir, I, although I don’t know what’s going on, but, but, I think I shouldn’t be mistaken…”

She was about to cry again as she spoke. Chang Yuncheng looked at her.

“Don’t make a fool of yourself here. Let’s go inside to talk.” He said, pulling her and striding back, casually throwing the food box accurately into a nearby trash can.

Qi Yue sat on the bed, still trembling somewhat uncontrollably, watching this man turn around and rummage through the room.

“How come there’s not even hot water?” He said, opening and closing cabinets and drawers, making clanging sounds.

“How have you been living?”

He complained continuously.

“…Where’s the water cup?”

“Definitely don’t have one either…”

Qi Yue watched him, biting her lower lip.

“You, you, how did you know?” She suddenly asked.

Chang Yuncheng, who was turning on the faucet, turned back to look at her.

“Your father.” He said.

“You’re lying.” Qi Yue said.

Chang Yuncheng looked at her. The terror on this woman’s face had faded, replaced by wariness and defensiveness. He turned off the faucet and walked over.

“My father doesn’t know about my affairs at all.” Qi Yue said, looking at him. “Was it Dr. Li Xiaoli who told you? Did she find out when she hypnotized me?”

Chang Yuncheng hooked a stool over with his foot and sat down across from her.

“Look at my face.” He said, pointing at himself, then looking at Qi Yue and her appearance. “Then look at your ghostly appearance…”

Qi Yue instinctively reached up to touch her face, then hurriedly smoothed her hair, with some panic.

She did look like a ghost indeed…

“You’ve become like this, and I still recognize you.” Chang Yuncheng continued, reaching out to pull down her hand, making her come closer to him, look at him. “How can you not recognize me? You woman, you’re really too unreasonable!”

Qi Yue looked at him, examining him bit by bit.

“This is impossible,” she said tremblingly, shaking her head, her nose stinging. “I know that in psychiatry, when hallucinations and delusions are severe—”

“How is it impossible? If you can come to my place, why can’t I come to yours?” Chang Yuncheng said, shaking her hand to make this woman who was about to lose control and space out sober up. “Hey, before I came, they were worried about how much trouble I’d encounter. Turns out, you’re the biggest trouble.”

Qi Yue looked at him.

“But that’s right too.” Chang Yuncheng laughed again, curling his lips with that very annoying expression. “You woman, you’re trouble wherever you are.”

Qi Yue looked at him and suddenly stood up.

The two were sitting very close, and Chang Yuncheng was also holding her hand. With this sudden standing up, she was almost standing in Chang Yuncheng’s embrace.

“You, why are you dressed like this?” She said suddenly.

Chang Yuncheng looked up at her.

“Nonsense. If I don’t dress like this, should I dress like before? To be caught as a lunatic?” He said. “Anything abnormal is demonic. I’m not stupid.”

Qi Yue touched her head.

“Whatever then.” She muttered. “You can be however you want to be.”

“What?” Chang Yuncheng didn’t understand and asked, while reaching out to put his arm around this woman’s waist.

“Let’s go eat, let’s go eat.” Qi Yue said, pushing away his hand.

Without waiting for Chang Yuncheng to speak, she hurriedly walked outside, rushing toward the night with some urgency.

“Hey, what’s your hurry?” Chang Yuncheng laughed. “Now you know you’re hungry, after all that fuss earlier…”

“Hurry up, eat, then we’ll go drinking and stroll around,” Qi Yue urged without looking back, tightly holding his hand and running forward.

Hurry up, the night is short…

Dreams are also short…

The chirping of birds rang in her ears. Qi Yue, who had been sleeping face down, turned over from the pillow, frowning before she was even awake.

Why was she so tired…

She closed her eyes and reached out to rub her waist.

It was as if she’d been beaten up…

Her whole body was sore and weak…

Even dreaming made her this tired?

She slowly opened her eyes. Morning light filtered through the curtains, casting some brightness into the room.

This was the dormitory at the township health center…

Last night, she had come back?

Qi Yue couldn’t help but press her head.

Her mind felt chaotic and confused.

Yesterday’s dream was too strange, making her memory somewhat mixed up.

She had dreamed of that man again yesterday, but this time the funny thing was that in her dream, she had actually shaped him into a modern person.

They went to eat together, then ordered drinks, and after drinking, they went strolling. Holding hands, talking and laughing, walking along the streets.

Just like before, in dreams doing those things she had always wanted to do but never properly enjoyed – two people happily spending time together.

Of course, there was also making love with the person she loved…

A moment of stolen pleasure.

Qi Yue closed her eyes, a tear sliding down. She opened them again and stretched her hand out from under the covers, stretching lazily.

The covers slipped down, revealing her bare upper body.

Where were her pajamas…

Only then did Qi Yue notice she was completely naked, then her gaze fell on the marks on her skin…

Those marks left after lovemaking…

She suddenly pulled the covers up high to cover herself.

Heavens, was she no longer just having spring dreams? Had she actually done… that to herself?

The door was pushed open at this moment.

Qi Yue screamed in fright.

“Awake?” Chang Yuncheng asked, closing the door behind him.

Qi Yue stared at him in a daze.

This man had short hair, looked spirited, wearing a white shirt and black pants. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing strong, powerful wrists. In his hands was a bowl, steaming hot.

He walked over step by step.

“The cafeteria made porridge. Get up and eat.” He said, setting it on the bedside table. Seeing the woman staring at him stupidly again, he couldn’t help but frown. “Qi Yueniang, don’t tell me you’re going to make a fuss again?”

Qi Yue stared at him blankly.

“How come you didn’t disappear like foam?” She murmured, reaching out her hand. “Just like before…”

Perhaps this was another dream from which she would never wake…

But dreams were dreams. She had to wake up.

She wasn’t living just for herself. She couldn’t let those who loved her bear more pain.

She pulled back her hand and struck heavily toward the wall beside her.

Pain was the most powerful proof that a person was awake and alive.

Only pain proved you were alive.

Chang Yuncheng reached out to stop her, sitting on the bed in the process.

“Qi Yueniang, this is real.” He said, standing up and pulling the curtains open with a swoosh.

Bright morning light poured in, filling the room with brightness.

Qi Yue couldn’t help but raise her hand to shield her eyes.

Chang Yuncheng also opened the window.

“Hey, Uncle Zhang.” He called down to the courtyard below. “Give me a shout when the steamed buns are ready.”

“Alright, Comrade Xiao Chang, I’ve also cut the pickled vegetables.” A voice answered loudly.

This was the voice of Uncle Zhang, the gatekeeper and cook.

With the window open, mountain wind also blew in.

Bird songs, crisp air, warm sunlight, voices from downstairs, the occasional tractor chugging past on the street, someone’s child crying.

Qi Yue suddenly threw off the covers and rushed toward Chang Yuncheng by the window.

The naked white woman threw herself into his arms. Chang Yuncheng was startled and quickly drew the curtains.

“What are you doing! What are you doing!” He said.

Qi Yue was already crying loudly in his arms.

“This is impossible, this is impossible.” She repeated over and over.

Chang Yuncheng picked her up, threw her back on the bed, wrapped her in covers, and smiled as he wiped her tears.

“What do you mean impossible?” He said, looking at this face that was crying like a cat, his somewhat rough palms slowly caressing it. “Weren’t you also impossible to abandon me? But you still did, didn’t you? You said you’d come, you said you’d leave, and you left. What do you take us for?”

Qi Yue struggled out of the covers and reached out to grab his neck.

“How are they? Are they all well?” She cried.

“How could they be well?” Chang Yuncheng shook his head.

Qi Yue cried even harder.

“But everyone will be fine. They originally had me bring you things, but somehow I didn’t bring anything over.” Chang Yuncheng said.

“This really isn’t a dream?” Qi Yue asked, reaching out to touch his face. “You won’t suddenly disappear? You won’t suddenly vanish while I’m holding you?”

“You stinky woman, will you ever stop!” Chang Yuncheng frowned and shouted. “What are you thinking? Why is your brain still confused?”

“You don’t know what this feeling is like!” Qi Yue also shouted.

Chang Yuncheng looked at her.

“I know.” He said.

Qi Yue was stunned and looked at him.

“I know. Back then, I was like this every day.” Chang Yuncheng also looked at her, smiling slightly. “At night I was with you, and when dawn came, you were gone. While talking to me, while smiling at me, while in my arms, no matter when, pop…”

He reached out and made the sound of a bubble bursting.

“Gone.” He said.

Qi Yue looked at him, reached out to hug his neck, and pressed close to him, tears flowing down Chang Yuncheng’s face and neck.

“Then from now on, it won’t happen anymore, right?” She said.

Chang Yuncheng gripped her waist and kissed her face, humming in agreement.

Because of the force in his hands, Qi Yue couldn’t help but moan.

“My waist,” she said, “feels like it’s about to be pinched in half.”

Chang Yuncheng laughed.

“That’s not my fault. You asked me to pinch it,” he said in a low voice, getting close to her.

Hot breath by her ear created ripples.

“Last night, was it all real?” Qi Yue turned her head to look at him and asked.

Chang Yuncheng smiled slightly.

“I forgot.” He said. “Yeah, was it real or fake?”

Qi Yue looked at him in astonishment.

“Then, let’s try once more to see if it’s real or fake?” Chang Yuncheng showed his white teeth in a smile and said, then kissed Qi Yue’s lips and turned over to press this woman beneath him.

Mountain wind blew through the window, lifting the curtains, peeping at the room full of beautiful spring scenery.