When Lu Ren was pondering the Professor’s words and stepped out of the office, he saw an unexpected person standing at the door waiting for him.
“Xu Wenxing? What are you doing here? Didn’t you go back to the Dormitory?”
Lu Ren looked at the familiar figure, asking in confusion.
“I was halfway there, but suddenly felt like having a good meal. But I was afraid I couldn’t finish it by myself, so I came back to find you.”
Xu Wenxing scratched his head and explained, “Ren-ge, what do you say? Want to go eat together?”
“Hmm… Sure, I don’t have anything else going on today anyway.” Lu Ren thought for a few seconds, then nodded in agreement.
“Great, let’s go have Chicken Pot.”
Seeing Lu Ren agree, Xu Wenxing led him out of campus toward a Restaurant.
As they walked along the crowded Campus Path, Lu Ren lowered his head, still thinking about the Professor’s words.
To make oneself in a dream realize it is a dream, and thus overcome inner fear.
In other words, he was being asked to attempt a Lucid Dream?
This kind of thing is so rare and hard to come by—how could one possibly control it at will?
Lu Ren quietly pondered as he followed Xu Wenxing out of the school and sat down at a Restaurant off campus.
After the waiter brought utensils for two, Xu Wenxing tore off the plastic wrapping from the utensils, tossed the packaging into the Plastic Basin, and asked Lu Ren as he did so.
“Ren-ge, should you order or should I?”
“You go ahead.”
Lu Ren replied casually, also reaching out to wash his own utensils, pouring Hot Water into the Plastic Basin.
“Alright, then I’ll do it.”
“Mm.”
After cleaning the utensils, Lu Ren sat in his chair, continuing to recall what the Professor had just said to him.
He didn’t look at his Mobile Phone, nor did he pour himself Tea, just sitting there.
And sitting across from Lu Ren, after placing the order, Xu Wenxing looked at Lu Ren, hesitating as if wanting to say something to lighten the mood, but not knowing where to start.
It wasn’t until the waiter brought the claypot to the table and Lu Ren still didn’t move, lost in thought about how to induce a Lucid Dream, that Xu Wenxing finally couldn’t hold back and spoke to Lu Ren.
“Ren-ge, what are you thinking about? Time to eat.”
“Oh, alright, I know.” Lu Ren snapped back to reality and poured himself a cup of Tea.
“By the way, Ren-ge, when I was outside the door just now, I overheard what you were saying to the Professor.”
Xu Wenxing thought for a moment and decided to start with a topic the other party was interested in, “I didn’t expect you also had nightmares, and even went to see the Professor because of them.”
“…You mean, you also dreamed about the Monster from my dream last night?”
Hearing Xu Wenxing’s words, Lu Ren was momentarily stunned, then raised an eyebrow, curiosity on his face.
“No, my nightmare wasn’t as bizarre as yours.” Xu Wenxing shook his head. “I just dreamed I was forced into an arranged marriage, then got divorced in two days, and then half my property was split. That’s all.”
“That dream is pretty terrifying, honestly.”
After hearing Xu Wenxing’s words, Lu Ren was silent for a moment before making his comment.
“It is pretty scary. But after I realized I was dreaming inside the dream, I felt nothing really mattered, and I didn’t even try to stop anything. After all, everything in the dream is fake.”
After saying this, Xu Wenxing smiled, completely unaware he had just inadvertently revealed something important to Lu Ren.
That is, he could make himself in a dream realize he was dreaming.
And for Lu Ren, this was precisely the ability he needed.
Instantly, Lu Ren became excited and looked at Xu Wenxing in surprise, asking him.
“Seriously? You can Lucid Dream on your own?”
“Not that amazing. I can just make myself realize I’m dreaming, that’s all.” Xu Wenxing shook his head and replied.
“That’s good enough!” Lu Ren said excitedly. “Teach me! This meal’s on me!”
“Ah… Okay, no problem. I’ll tell you how I do it when we get back after the meal.”
Xu Wenxing nodded blankly, not expecting such a strong reaction from Lu Ren.
And upon hearing the other agree, Lu Ren instantly felt much more at ease.
Goodness, he had just been fretting about how to Lucid Dream, and now his great roommate had a way to make oneself in a dream realize it was a dream.
It really was like someone delivering a pillow when you feel sleepy.
Lu Ren smiled in delight, then focused on eating.
……
An hour later.
After transferring the money and picking up some drinks and snacks at the supermarket, Lu Ren and Xu Wenxing returned to the Dormitory.
As soon as he opened the door and set down the heavy bag in his spot, Lu Ren couldn’t wait to ask Xu Wenxing.
“Alright, time to share your Lucid Dreaming Technique. Teach me how to realize I’m dreaming.”
“No problem, but let me ask first, Ren-ge, why are you so eager to learn this?” Xu Wenxing asked curiously. “Honestly, it’s not very useful. Not many people are interested in it.”
“If I said I feel like I’ll keep having nightmares, would you believe me?” Lu Ren asked with a smile.
“…Alright, I believe you.” Xu Wenxing nodded. “Actually, my method is pretty simple, nothing hard about it. The only requirement is to actively notice when something’s wrong while you’re dreaming.”
“Simple is good, I don’t have time for any complicated methods. Out with it, don’t keep me waiting.” Lu Ren nodded, urging Xu Wenxing on.
“Mm… Ren-ge, do you have any little habits in daily life? Like, say, putting your Mobile Phone under your pillow before bed or something like that?” Xu Wenxing thought for a few seconds, then asked.
“I do, yeah. Why?” Lu Ren asked in confusion.
“That’s good.” Xu Wenxing nodded.
“When you find yourself suddenly losing your memory and appearing in a strange place, or if a very familiar place seems odd, the first thing to do is look for something you always use and see if you can find it.”
“Look for things?” Lu Ren asked in confusion.
“Yes, the first thing after waking up in the dream is to look for things. If you find it but it’s not the way you remember, or it’s just not there at all, there’s a high chance you’re dreaming.”
After explaining his method, Xu Wenxing added,
“After that, keep a skeptical mindset and keep looking for inconsistencies in the dream until you realize you’re dreaming. Then you’ll be fine.”
“…I see.” Lu Ren nodded in sudden understanding.
“Simple method, right?” Xu Wenxing shrugged. “Once you find your item or realize it’s gone, it means the dream’s control over you is basically over.”
“Alright, I’ll try it out during my nap later.”
After listening to Xu Wenxing’s explanation, Lu Ren agreed and decided to put his method into practice during his upcoming nap.